Introduction Catholic Social Teaching

8/13/2019 Introduction Catholic Social Teaching

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Catholic Social TeachingA Key to Catholic Identity


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The Problem

Far too many Catholics are unfamiliar with the basiccontent of Catholic social teaching. Morefundamentally, many Catholics do not adequatelyunderstand that the social mission of the Church isan essential part of Catholic faith.

This poses a serious challenge for all Catholics, sinceit weakens our capacity to be a Church that is true tothe demands of the Gospel. We need to do more toshare the social mission and message of our Church.

Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions

U.S. Bishops, 1998


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A Key to Catholic Identity

The central message is simple: our faith is

profoundly social. We cannot be called

truly Catholic unless we hear and heedthe Church's call to serve those in need and

work for justice

and peace.

Comm unit ies o f Sal t and Light , U.S. Bish ops , 1993


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Vatican IIs Ecclesiology

The Church is a sign and a safeguardof the dignity of the human person.

A religious organization whosepurpose it is to help bring about thereign of God in history.

The social mission is constitutivenot extra-curricular or optional.


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Justice in the World, 1971 Synod

Action on behalf of justice andparticipation in the transformation of theworld fully appear to us as a constitutive

dimension of the preaching of the Gospel,or, in other words, of the Church's missionfor the redemption of the human race andits liberation from every oppressive

situation.


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Constitutive Elements of Church

Scripture hearing the Good News Sacraments worship, prayer life, etc.

Social Mission action for social justice


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Catholic Social TeachingRooted in the Bible

Continually developed in Catholic SocialTeaching

-- See, judge, act


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Biblical themes of justice God is active in human history

Creation

Covenant relationship

Community

Anawim -- "the widows, orphans and aliens

The example of Jesusreign of God, healing

In biblical faith, the doing of justiceis the primary expectation of Yahweh.

Walter Brueggeman


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Community,

State of Blessing

Become

Owners

Forget the

Poor

Forget

Yahweh

Create

Other Gods

Self

Destruction

Prophets:

The Poor

Kill the

Prophets

Cry out for

Deliverance

Restoration

Cycle of Baal


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Vatican II

This split between the faith which many

profess and their daily lives deserves to be

counted among the more serious errors of

our age.

Long since, the Prophets of the Old

Testament fought vehemently against this

scandal and even more so did Jesus Christ

Himself in the New Testament threaten it with

grave punishments.


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1891 Rerum Novarum Leo XIII

1931 Quadragesimo Anno Pius XI

1961 Mother and Teacher John XXIII

1963 Peace on Earth John XXIII

1965 Church in the Modern World Vatican II1967 The Development of Peoples Paul VI

1971 A Call to Action Paul VI

1971 Justice in the World Synod of Bishops

1979 Redeemer of Humanity John Paul II

1981 On Human Work John Paul II1988 On Social Concern John Paul II

1991 The One Hundredth Year John Paul II

1995 The Gospel of Life John Paul II

Modern Catholic Social TeachingModern Catholic Social Teaching


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Individual Individual

Commutative (Contractual)

Society


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Major Themes from Catholic Social Teaching

1. Human dignity

2. Community

3. Rights and duties

4. Option for the poor

5. Participation6. Economic Justice

7. Stewardship of Creation

8. Solidarity9. Role of Government

10. Promotion of Peace


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Wheel of Social Justice


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1. Human dignity

The person is sacred, made in the image of

God.


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Civil/political

Economic/social

Every person has a right to the basic

material necessities that are required to

live a decent life.


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4. Option for the Poor

Remember the widows, orphans, and

aliens.

A necessary element of the common

good


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5. Participation

All people have a right to

a minimum level of participation

in the economic, political, and

cultural life of society.


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6. Economic Justice The economy must serve people, not the other way

around. People are more important than things;labor is more important than capital.

All workers have a right to productive work, todecent wages, to safe working conditions; and theyhave a right to organize and join unions.

People have a right to economic initiative and

private property, but these rights have limits. Noone is allowedto amass excessive wealth when others lack thebasic necessities of life.


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The goods of the earth are gifts.

We hold them in trust, as stewards.

God destined the earth and all it contains for all people and nationsso that all created things would be shared fairly by all humankind

under the guidance of justice tempered by charity.

On the Development of Peoples


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8. The Virtue of Solidarity

It is a firm and persevering

determination to commit oneself

to the common good; that is tosay, to the good of all ...because

we are all really responsible for

all.

Pope John Paul II, On Social Concern,1987


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9. Role of Government

The state has a positive moral function.

It is an instrument to promote human

dignity, protect human rights, and build

the common good

Subsidiarity

As small as possible

As big as necessary


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Peace is not just the absence of war

If you want peace, work for justice.

Pope Paul VI, 1972, World Day of Peace Message


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Major Themes from Catholic Social Teaching

1. Human dignity2. Community


4. Option for the poor

5. Participation

6. Economic Justice


8. Solidarity9. Role of Government



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Christian Social Analysis


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PCP II Art 20 #2

Action in behalf of justice is to bepursued as a sign of Christian

witnessing to Christ and Histeachings.


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PCP II decree #134

. the well to do should be

willing to tilt the center ofgravity of the entire

community in favor of the

needy.


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Pope Paul VI

Octogesima Adveniens It is up to Christian

communities to analyze with

objectivity the situationwhich isproper to their own country, toshed on it the light of theGospels unalterable words

and to draw principles ofreflection, norms of judgment,and directives of actions


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analyze with ob ject iv i ty the

s i tuat ion?

draw p r incip les of ref lect ion,

norm s of judgment , and

direct ives of act ions?

How will we

do thosethings?


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Christian Social Analysis

a.k.a PASTORAL SPIRAL


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What is it?

Is a thorough processof ident i fy ing

an event or experience or issue that

concerns a community, analyzing it and

understanding it thoroughly especially

with regard to its causes and finally

planning, implement ing, andevaluat ingan appropriate Christ ian

response.


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How was it developed?

1800s, Cardinal Joseph Cardijn, used aprocess called the See-Judge-Actframework.

many Christian communities have usedit in dealing with social issues

taken on many different forms such as

Action-Reflection-Action (ARA) used by some Basic Christian

Communities in the Philippines.


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How was it developed?

Pastoral Cycle, seeing the situation; reflection in faith; and action

planning

Pastoral Spiral

Bishops Institute for Social Action (BISA),

Office of Human Development (OHD)

Federation of Asian BishopsConferences (FABC).

an expanded and more dynamic versionof the Pastoral Cycle.


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The process
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Experience

This stage is concerned with seeingor scrutinizing the signs of thetimes.

It involves more than an academicanalysis of the situation and

necessitates an immersion-exposure process of knowing thereality.


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Experience

It answers the following questions:

What did I

See Hear

Smell

Taste Feel

What do these observations have to do

with my life?


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Social analysis

A scientific observation of the economic

social, political, cultural, and religious

situation of any given context. It will lead to a more systematic

knowledge of the reality

It allows us to look for the ROOTCAUSEof the problem by asking WHY.


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Social analysis

Searching for the structural causes

Understanding how the wholeof societyworks

Understanding how a smallproblem insociety can be part of the wholeproblemin society

Understanding how each smallstrugglefor justice can be part of the wholestruggle for justice in our society.


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Social analysis

The community questions the

following:

Economic structuresPolitical structures

Social structures

Cultural structures

Religious structures


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Social analysis

Economic structures

Who is growing richer from thissituation?

How do they become rich?

Who is growing poorer from thissituation?

What are people doing to changeit?


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Social analysis

Political structures

Who is gaining power from thissituation?

How do they gain power?

Who is losing power from thissituation?

What are the people doingabout this situation?


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Social analysis

Social structures Who gains peoples support and

loyalty in this situation?

How does this happen? What influences peoples values?

Who loses peoples support and

loyalty?What is helping change the

situation?


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Christian reflection

Both the reality and its analysis aresubjected to the light of faith andthe teachings of the Church

The general question is: what dothe Scriptures and the teachings ofthe Church say about the situation? Here the dynamic interplay orinteraction between faith and life

takes place.


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reality may clarify, or evensuggest a direction fordevelopmentof through the useof the Scripture and the socialteachings of the Church.

reflection in faith may result in

denunciation of the situation. basically a process of faith-discernment.


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Is a stage where a conscience-response is made regarding the

situation or reality

The response could be either anaffirmationor denunciation A pastoral decision is made either to

reinforce the positive situation, or topurify or change the negative


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Planning

Praxis is not haphazard.

It must be orthopraxis and

requires an adequateplanning as to how thepastoral decision could be

implemented realisticallywith the time and resourcesavailable.


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Planning

Brainstorming for concrete andpossible actions to be taken.

Whowill do what, when, where,and how? To fail to plan is to plan to fail


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Action

Praxis-proper Praxis is a transformativeexperience.

communitarian in nature should actually pervade thewhole process of the PastoralSpiral.

Action can refer to a series ofactivities organized and coordinatedin order to transform the situation


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Evaluation

Evaluation is undertaken

at two levels -- at the levelof the action taken and at

the level of the entire

process from analysis toaction.


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Evaluation

level of the action takenIs the action taken with regardto the situation effective?Is it transformative of thesituation?Does it, for instance, genuinelybring the power of the Gospelto bear on the situation? .


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Evaluation

level of process,Is there consistency from stage

one to stage five?

Has the reality and power of the

Lords grace been considered?

What has prayer contributed to

both the process and the action?


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In the end

The completion of the first PastoralSpiral necessarily results in a newsituation.

Presence of new learning and value,deeper realization of theintransigence of the situation and ofthe need for better responses shall

have emerged. newness in the apparently old

situation.

Documents

Introduction Catholic Social Teaching