CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING EXPLORING THE CHURCHS BEST KEPT
CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING EXPLORING THE CHURCH’S “BEST KEPT SECRET” St Michael’s, Rondebosch, May 23 rd 2018
What is Catholic Social Teaching? • A body of teaching, drawn from the Popes and the Bishops, that sets out how we should live in relation to each other and the world. • A theology of social, economic and political justice. • A guide to loving one’s neighbour.
And Catholic Social Thought? • A wider term, including the work of theologians, individual bishops and thousands of lay people, all trying to make the world a better place. • Catholic Social Thought includes the ‘official’ teaching of the Church on social matters. • Only Popes and Church Councils can issue binding teaching, but we are all called to develop our own thoughts and practices on social, economic and political issues in light of that teaching.
The Christian Faith
God Me/ Us
God Me/ Us
God You/ Them Me/ Us
God You/ Them Me/ Us
God Me/ Us You/ Them Me/ Us
The Greatest Commandment (Mark 12: 28 -34) One of the teachers of the law […] asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important? ” “The most important one, ” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. ’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself. ’ There is no commandment greater than these. ” “Well said, teacher, ” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. ” When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God. ” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.
The Key Writings • Rerum Novarum (New Things) 1891, Leo XIII – labour, class issues, ideological divides • Quadragesimo Anno (The Fortieth Year) 1931, Pius XI – living wage, human dignity, family life • Mater et Magistra (Mother and Teacher) 1961, John XXIII – role of state, international aid, agriculture • Pacem in Terris (Peace in the World) 1963, John XXIII – human rights, arms race, world peace
The Key Writings • Gaudium et Spes (Joys and Hopes) 1965, Vatican II – the Church in the modern world, faith & politics • Populorum Progressio (The Progress of Peoples) 1967, Paul VI – inequality, development, rich and poor countries • Octagesimo Adveniens (The Eightieth Anniversary) 1971, Paul VI – urbanisation, women, youth, emigration • Justicia in Mundo (Justice in the World) 1971, the Synod of Bishops – liberation, distribution of wealth, work for justice
The Key Writings • Evangelii Nuntiandi (On Proclaiming the Gospel) 1975, Paul VI – evangelisation & human development • Redemptor Hominis (Redeemer of Man) 1979, John Paul II – human dignity, human rights • Laborem Exercens (Human Work) 1981, John Paul II – dignity of work, primacy of people over capital • Solicitudo Rei Socialis (On Social Concern) 1987, John Paul II – structures of sin, oppression of poor countries, solidarity
The Key Writings • Centesimus Annus (The Hundredth Year) 1991, John Paul II – class relations, social harmony, just wages, citizen & state • Tertio Millennio Adveniente (The Third Millennium Approaches) 1994, John Paul II – international debt, option for poor • Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth) 2009, Benedict XVI – ethical economy, environment, global development • Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel) 2013, Francis – economic exclusion, inner cities, consumerism • Laudato Si’ (Praise Be to You!) 2015, Francis – care for the environment, our common home.
The Key Concepts • 1. Human Dignity • “Since something of the glory of God shines on the face of every person, the dignity of every person before God is the basis of the dignity of one person before another. ” • Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et Spes, para 29, 1965 • “The dignity of the person is the most precious possession of an individual. Just as personal dignity is the foundation of the equality of all people among themselves, so it is also the foundation of participation and solidarity of all people among themselves; dialogue and communion are rooted ultimately in what people ‘are’, rather than in what people ‘have’. • Pope John Paul II, Christifideles Laici, para 37, 1988
The Key Concepts • 2. The Common Good • “The sum total of those conditions of social living whereby people are enabled to achieve their own integral perfection more fully and more easily. ” • Pope John XXIII, Pacem in Terris, 1963 • “Human beings depend on each other for well-being and development… we have duties and responsibilities towards each other, and we should order our lives in such a way that we advance not only our own interests, but the interests of the whole community… what is good for the community is good for us, and what is bad for the community is bad for us. ” • SA Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Economic Justice in South Africa, 1999
The Key Concepts • 3. Solidarity • “Solidarity is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good; that is to say, to the good of all and of each individual, because we are all really responsible for all. ” • Pope John Paul II, On Social Concern, para 38, 1987 • “Being a person means being united to other persons in mutual love. Solidarity is another name for the social friendship and civic commitment that make human moral and economic life possible. ” • US Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Economic Justice for All, para 88, 1986
The Key Concepts • 4. Subsidiarity • “A community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions, but rather should support it in case of need. ” • Pope John Paul II, Centesimus Annus, para 48, 1991 • “Those things which can be done or decided at a lower level of society should not be taken over by a higher level. ” • SA Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Economic Justice in South Africa, 1999
The Key Concepts • 5. The Universal Destination of Goods • “People should regard their lawful possessions not merely as their own but also as common property, in the sense that they should accrue to the benefit, not only of themselves, but of others. ” • Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et Spes, para 69, 1965 • “No-one is justified in keeping for his exclusive use what he does not need, when others lack necessities. ” • Pope Paul VI, Populorum Progressio, para 23, 1967
The Key Concepts • 6. The Option for the Poor and Vulnerable • “The option for the poor is not an adversarial slogan that pits one group or class against another. Rather, it states that the deprivation and powerlessness of the poor wounds the whole community. ” • US Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Economic Justice for All, para 88, 1986 • “A call to have a special openness to the small and the weak, those who are humiliated and left on the margin of society, so as to help them win their dignity as human persons and children of God. ” • Pope John Paul II, Address to the Bishops of Brazil, 1980
The Key Concepts • 7. The Integrity of Creation • “The earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the land then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations. ” • Pope John Paul II • “Each generation takes the natural environment on loan, and must return it after use in as good or better a condition as when it was first borrowed. ” • Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England Wales, The Common Good and the Catholic Church’s Social Teaching, para 107, 1996
The Core Idea of CST The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the people of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts. For theirs is a community composed of people. Gaudium et Spes, para 1.
Implementing Social Teaching: The Pastoral Cycle • To move from understanding the teaching to implementing the teaching, we need to: • SEE What is happening? Examine the problem • JUDGE Analyse why it is happening. Who/what is causing it? • REFLECT What does CST say about it? Prayer. Theological reflection • ACT Do something. Respond or intervene to improve the situation • EVALUATE Assess the results of the intervention • SEE AGAIN Is there a new/different problem that needs attention?
The Pastoral Cycle
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