Catholic Social Teaching Explained
According to the principles outlined in the Diocese of Charleston’s Social Studies Standards Sr. Clare Dominic Pottratz, O. P. TEC Conference Spring 2023
Relevant links:
● Rerum Novarum - 1891
● QuadragesimoAnno - 1931
● Gaudium et Spes - 1965
● Dignitatis Humanae - 1965
● Catechism of the Catholic Church - 1993
○ See especially CCC 1878-1948
● Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church - 2004
I Introduction
II Agenda
III. What is CST?
A CSTis the group of doctrines that guide Catholics in their pursuit of the just society
B. Roots in the Gospel
1 TheTwo Great Commandments (Mt 22:37-40)
2 Whatever you did for the least of these (Mt 25:40)
3. The Church had always guided Christians in how to treat one another justly, but CSTas we know it has its genesis in the wake of the Industrial Revolution.
C Historical context
1 CSD 88 In the nineteenth century, events of an economic nature produced a dramatic social, political and cultural impact. Events connected with the Industrial Revolution profoundly changed centuries-old societal structures, raising serious problems of justice and posing the first great social question the labor question prompted by the conflict between capital and labor In this context, the Church felt the need to become involved and intervene in a new way: the res novae (“new things”) brought about by these events represented a challenge to her teaching and motivated her special pastoral concern for masses of people.Anew discernment of the situation was needed, a discernment capable of finding appropriate solutions to unfamiliar and unexplored problems
D. Leo XIII - Rerum Novarum (“New Things”) - 1891
1 CST89 Rerum Novarum lists errors that give rise to social ills, excludes socialism as a remedy and expounds with precision and in contemporary terms “the Catholic doctrine on work, the right to property, the principle of collaboration instead of class struggle as the fundamental means for
social change, the rights of the weak, the dignity of the poor and the obligations of the rich, the perfecting of justice through charity, on the right to form professional associations ” (quote from Congregation for Catholic Education, Guidelines for the Study and Teaching of the Church's Social Doctrine in the Formation of Priests)
2 Gave a framework for further Vatican documents about CST
E. Pius IX - Quadragesimo Anno (“FortyYears”) - 1931
1 CSD 91 Quadragesimo Anno confirms the principle that salaries should be proportional not only to the needs of the worker but also to those of the worker's family.The State, in its relations with the private sector, should apply the principle of subsidiarity, a principle that will become a permanent element of the Church's social doctrine The Encyclical rejects liberalism, understood as unlimited competition between economic forces, and reconfirms the value of private property, recalling its social function
F. Other important documents:
1 Gaudium et Spes (1965)
2 Dignitatis Humanae (1965)
3. Compendium (2004) - synthesis of all the documents prior to it.
4 Laudato Si’(2015)
IV. “Principles” of CSTused in the DoC Social Studies Curriculum
A This list is the “7 Themes of CST” from the USCCB website, plus an additional one The CSD lists the principles of CST as human dignity, common good, solidarity, and subsidiarity.
B Abrief introductory note about the common good & subsidiarity
1. Common Good
a) There exist many goods in our lives Some are physical, some are not
b) The common good refers to nonmaterial goods that can only be enjoyed by living in society, such as justice, peace, and human flourishing It never clashes with the true good of the individual
c) CCC 1906, quoting Gaudium et Spes: the common good is “the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily.”
d) Concrete example: don’t take from the coffee pot before it’s finished brewing.
2 Subsidiarity
a) The principle that problems should be solved at the most local level possible
b) Ex If a student has a missing homework assignment, the parent should not email the bishop or the superintendent They should email the teacher.
c) The same is true in all levels of society: we should work to fix local problems (poverty, injustice, etc.) at the local level. Only have recourse to higher levels (state, nation) when there is a true need and the problem is deep and large enough.
C. Life and Dignity of the Human Person
1 All human persons have equal dignity by virtue of being made in the image and likeness of God.
2 CCC 1929 Social justice can be obtained only in respecting the transcendent dignity of man The person represents the ultimate end of society, which is ordered to him.
3 USCCB: The Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. This belief is the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching In our society, human life is under direct attack from abortion and euthanasia. The value of human life is being threatened by cloning, embryonic stem cell research, and the use of the death penalty The intentional targeting of civilians in war or terrorist attacks is always wrong Catholic teaching also calls on us to work to avoid war. Nations must protect the right to life by finding increasingly effective ways to prevent conflicts and resolve them by peaceful means We believe that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person
D. Call to Family, Community, and Participation
1 USCCB: The person is not only sacred but also social How we organize our society -- in economics and politics, in law and policy -- directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community Marriage and the family are the central social institutions that must be supported and strengthened, not undermined. We believe people have a right and a duty to participate in society, seeking together the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable
2. Just as theTrinity is a “society” of three divine Persons, analogously we who are made in the image of God are called to live in society with one another.
3. CSD 209:The family is the “vital cell of society” and “the first natural society”
4. CSD 214: “The priority of the family over society and over the State must be affirmed Society and the State exist for the family”
5 CCC 1913-1915: “Participation is the voluntary and generous engagement of a person in social interchange. It is necessary that all participate, each according to his position and role, in promoting the common good Participation is achieved first of all by taking charge of the areas for which one assumes personal responsibility: education of
family, conscientious work As far as possible citizens should take an active part in public life.”
6 Refer back to above on the common good
E. Rights and Responsibilities
1. They go together!!!
2 USCCB: The Catholic tradition teaches that human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met Therefore, every person has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things required for human decency. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities--to one another, to our families, and to the larger society
3 Rights listed in CSD n 155, citing JP2’s Centesimus Annus:
a) To life
b) To live in a united family where moral formation can occur
c) To develop one’s intelligence
d) To seek and know the truth
e) To share in meaningful work
f) To derive from work a means to support oneself and one’s dependents (a salary one can actually live on)
g) To freely establish a family
h) To have and raise children
i) To practice one’s faith freely
4 For every right, we have a corresponding responsibility to work for and uphold these rights for everyone through our participation in society.
F Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
1. USCCB: A basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are faring In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment (Mt 25:31-46) and instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.
2 This list of the relevant Scripture passages
3 It is not enough for a Christian to simply let the state take care of the poor through welfare programs. Each one of us has to see the dignity of the poor and vulnerable This starts in our own families and in our classes
G. Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
1. USCCB: The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God's creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected--the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to the organization and joining of unions, to private property, and to economic initiative.
2 CSD 271 Work is an essential expression of the person, but 272 Work is for man, not man for work The dignity of the human person is expressed through his work.
3 We can differentiate between the right to work and the rights of workers
a) Family and work should benefit one another, but the family always comes first. (CSD 294)
b) Women have a right to work without sacrificing what is proper to their womanhood. (CSD 295)
c) Rights of workers include: (CSD 301)
(1) Rest
(2) Just wages (= above the subsistence level)
(3) Dignity
(4) Pension
(5) Assembly
(6) Safe workplace
(7) Subsidies
(8) Maternity/paternity leave
4 Unions are good (CSD 305) as long as they work toward cooperation and justice within society (CSD 306).
H Solidarity
1 The one-ness of the human family - we all share a common human nature and fundamental dignity, so we are called to serve one another in love. Jesus is the primary example–he who was and is God became man to be in solidarity with us and to redeem us
2. USCCB: We are one human family whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences We are our brother’s and sister’s keepers, wherever they may be Loving our neighbor has global dimensions in a shrinking world. At the core of the virtue of solidarity is the pursuit of justice and peace Pope Paul VI taught that if you want peace, work for justice.1 The Gospel calls us to be peacemakers. Our love for all our sisters and brothers demands that we promote peace in a world surrounded by violence and conflict
I. Care of God’s Creation
1 USCCB: We show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation Care for the earth is not just an Earth Day slogan, it is a requirement of our faith. We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of Gods creation This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored.
2 Compendium of the CCC: creation has two purposes: to praise God and to serve humanity.
3 Man has dominion over the earth–not license to do whatever he wants to it, but a responsibility to care for it and use its resources to advance human flourishing. Destroying natural resources or harming creatures unjustly is contrary to human dignity
4 St John Paul II and other popes have highlighted how the environmental crisis is actually a symptom of deeper societal illness: indiscriminate applications of technology, quest for instant gratification, consumerism,
lack of appreciation of the value of the human person (See the address “Peace with God the Creator, Peace withAll of Creation” – summary here by Prof Marie I George of St John’s University)
5. Pope Francis in Laudato Si’ exhorts the faithful to practice the virtue of sobriety to counter the consumeristic mindset that drives the destruction of the environment
J. Seeking Peace and Justice
1 This is not from the USCCB website - I primarily used Chapter 11: The Promotion of Peace from CSD
2. Peace
a) CSD 493 Working for peace can never be separated from announcing the Gospel, which is in fact the “good news of peace” (Acts 10:36) addressed to all men and women.
b) Peace begins in the hearts of individuals and only then can it work itself up through society: CSD 495.
c) War is the failure of peace - see CCC 2265 for the conditions necessary for a just war (defensive, the aggressor is a true threat, all other means have been exhausted, prospect of success, use of arms does not produce even graver evils)
3 Justice
a) CSD 494. Peace is the fruit of justice (cf. Is 32:17) understood in the broad sense as the respect for the equilibrium of every dimension of the human person The defense and promotion of human rights is essential for the building up of a peaceful society and the integral development of individuals, peoples, and nations
b) CSD 495. Violence is never a proper response…. “Violence destroys what it claims to defend: the dignity, the life, the freedom of human beings ” (quoted from St John Paul II and St Paul VI)
c) This undermines all Marxist narratives of history. Violence, except in the case of a just war of defense, never brings about true justice, peace, or freedom
V. CSTin the Classroom
A Social Studies/History
B. Religion
C. Further resources
1 Formed org and youtube has videos made by USCCB - suitable for high school and maybe middle school, if you break it down.
VI Questions and answers