What Is Catholic Social Teaching?
The Church’s social teaching is a rich treasure of wisdom about building a just society and living lives of holiness amidst the challenges of modern society. Modern Catholic social teaching has been articulated through a tradition of papal, conciliar, and episcopal documents. The depth and richness of this tradition can be understood best through a direct reading of these documents. In these brief reflections, we highlight several key themes at the heart of our Catholic social tradition.
The Roots of Catholic Social Teaching
Rooted in Sacred Scripture, the Catholic Church’s social teachings articulate how to build a just society and uphold the inherent dignity of people and the planet. In today’s world, Catholic social teaching is understood through the traditions established by papal, council, and diocesan documents. Generally, in-depth reading and analysis of these documents have led to the establishment of seven themes contextualizing Catholic social thought. The following description of each theme was developed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
Seven Values of Catholic Social Teaching
Life and Dignity of the Human Person
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 social 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.
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Call to Family, Community, and Participation
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.
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Rights and Responsibilities
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.
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Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
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.
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The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
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.
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Solidarity
We are one human family regardless of our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. We are our brothers’ and sisters’ 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.” 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.
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Care for God’s Creation
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. As Catholics, we are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in a relationship with all of God’s creation. This environmental challenge of Catholic Social Teaching has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored.
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Engage Catholic Social Teaching With Education for Justice
Education for Justice has over 2,500 resources rooted in Catholic Social Teaching for Catholic teaching and ministry. These include prayers and prayer services, lesson plans, discussion guides, social analysis reflection guides, and much more. Please visit our Membership Page to learn more about how Education for Social Justice can support your Catholic community’s engagement in Catholic Social Teaching values.
