It stresses that how we organize society in economics, politics, and law or policy directly affects human dignity and community. Society often proclaims the importance of individualism, but Catholic Social Teaching argues that human beings are fulfilled in community and family.
The Catechism, following Pope John XXIII in Mater et Magistra and Vatican II, defines the common good as: “the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily.”
Catholic Social Teaching (CST) offers a way of thinking, being and seeing the world. It provides a vision for a just society in which the dignity of all people is recognised, and those who are vulnerable are cared for.
What are the basic beliefs of Catholicism?
The chief teachings of the Catholic church are: God’s objective existence; God’s interest in individual human beings, who can enter into relations with God (through prayer); the Trinity; the divinity of Jesus; the immortality of the soul of each human being, each one being accountable at death for his or her actions in …
Catholic Social Teaching Research Guide: The 7 Themes of Catholic Social Teaching
- Life and Dignity of the Human Person.
- Call to Family, Community, and Participation.
- Rights and Responsibilities.
- Option for the Poor and Vulnerable.
- The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers.
- Solidarity.
- Care for God’s Creation.
Formal Catholic Social Teaching is defined by a set of Papal documents, starting with Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical on the condition of the working class, Rerum Novarum. Ultimately, however, it originates in how God speaks to us in scripture.
NETWORK’s Catholic Social Justice Principles:
- Uphold the dignity of each person as an equally valuable member of the human family. …
- Embrace our right and responsibility to participate with others in our shared public life. …
- Be in solidarity with those who are living in poverty in the struggle against structures of injustice.
The social teachings are made up of three distinct elements:
- Principles of reflection;
- Criteria for judgement; and.
- Guidelines for action.