It reaches into areas outside the Church’s competence and advocates for specific political solutions. Modern Catholic social teaching has been articulated through a tradition of … Your email address will not be published. The common good helps us to see God in the decisions we make. One of the most important key principles is the option for the poor and vulnerable. Is there a way of reconciling these two points of view? Its foundations are widely considered to have been laid by Pope Leo XIII's 1891 encyclical letter Rerum novarum, which advocated economic distributism. It states that all responsibilities and decisions should be attended to as close as possible to the level of the individuals who will be affected by the decision being made. Catholic Social Teaching (CST) is a term we appear to hear more frequently since Francis became Pope in March, 2013. But Catholic Social Teaching, as it is currently promoted, often goes much further than just basic Catholic moral teaching and political principles. Catholic social teaching stresses that peace is not simply the absence of war, but is based on the dignity of the person, thus requiring a political order based on justice and charity. Why is Catholic education better than public? If Catholic Online has given you $5.00 worth of knowledge this year, take a minute to donate. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. n. Subsidiarity can be a principle that is not well understand. Catholics should not discriminate against others. The question we should all ask ourselves is “am I listening?”. ROME (CNS) — Individual rights and freedom obviously are essential for human flourishing, but human happiness depends a lot on relationships — kinship and friendship, but also the broader common good, said Dominican Sister Helen […] The human person is the clearest reflection of God’s presence in the world. In Habits we drew attention to the American bishops’ pastoral letter on war and peace and in The Good Society we quote extensively from their letter on the economy. The first social teaching proclaims the respect for human life, one of the most fundamental needs in a world distorted by greed and selfishness. What is bad is the disorder that is introduced into this circulation by acts of injustice. Solidarity helps people to stop becoming indifferent and so often isolationist when faced with our responsibilities or overwhelming situations. Politics and … As community, we recognise and protect human dignity and this should enable us to ask fundamental questions about the social development of all people. Why is Catholic Education Week important? One of the least known treasures of the Catholic faith is Catholic social teaching (herein CST). Catholic social teaching is designed to protect and promote the dignity of every person. What is Catholic Social Teaching? The human person should always come before the pursuit of profit. Explain why it is so important for social justice doctrine. Catholic social teaching upholds that the person is sacred, but that the person is also social. It is not that previous popes did not talk or write about it, they did. This is the principle from which all others flow. However, Pope Francis appears to say the phrase in both words and actions. It says that we should do everything we can in order to help the poor and … It is important to know the truths of our faith and to incorporate our faith into our daily lives, not just a Sunday obligation, but an everyday obligation. Modern Catholic Social Teaching, rooted in Scripture and articulated through a tradition of written documents, has evolved over time in response to the challenges of the day. Give an example of the principle being correctly applied. Pope Leo XIII's 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum (On the Condition of the Working Classes) has become the benchmark for Catholic Social Teaching. Here I would like to explain why we were drawn to Catholic social teaching and how we understand it, especially the idea of subsidiarity.1. Pope Francis in the apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (2013), says “we become fully human when we become more than human, when we let God bring us beyond ourselves in order to attain the fullest truth of our being” (EG 8). It means we need to speak out when life is threatened in any way — through abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty or simply in the way people can live. But these four permanent principles are: “the dignity of the human person, which is the foundation of all other principles and content of the Church’s social doctrine; the common good; subsidiarity and solidarity” (The Compendium of Social Doctrine of the Church, # 160). The Cyrenian approach to debt relief is personal: he lends a debtor money out of his own pocket at an unbeatable interest rate — nothing. It is full of biblical insights, especially in the books of the prophets, who constantly challenged the status quo and in the life and actions of Jesus. It is not a comprehensive policy statement but rather a set of questions that we might consistently ask ourselves as we respond to the world around us. The common good is the total of all those conditions of social living, including political, economic and cultural that means humanity can achieve their full potential in all aspects of their lives. This principle helps us to protect human dignity when we recognise God in others and helps us to respect life in all its forms and asks us to acknowledge God as the giver of life. CST is about hearing the cry of the poor or marginalised and then being “righteous” doing something about the “cry” we have heard. What is the best outcome for humanity in any decision that is being made, rather than what is best for the majority. Pope John Paul II in Sollicitudo Rei Socialis specifically disavows the idea that Catholic social doctrine is a “‘third way’ between liberal capitalism and Marxist collectivism” and further disavows that it is an “ideology.” Rather it belongs to the field of “theology and particularly of moral theology” (41). It is important for Catholics to know their Church and her teachings. Our economics, politics, laws, policies, and social institutions must therefore defend marriage and the family. In the video we watched on CST it stated how it is not enough to give the poor bread, but we should give them immediate knowledge, peace, justice, and love. The Creed opens by expressing belief in God the Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. We are individuals but we are always in relation with God, self, others and creation. 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. Pope Francis in Laudato Si’ says “The climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all” (LS 23). Each of us must decide how we are going to personally respond to the word of Jesus, “…whenever you did this for one of the least important of these followers of mine, you did it to me!” (Matthew 25:40). Solidarity gives us the opportunity to become one with the other and see ourselves in them. The great writers of the Church have also written widely about CST. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (Part I, Section 2) provides a detailed analysis of every part of the Creed, which is broken down into major sections on teachings on the Father; beliefs concerning the Son, Jesus Christ; a theology of the Holy Spirit; and ecclesiology, the description of the distinctive four marks of the Catholic Church. New Oxford Review. Chief among these are justice, human dignity, the common good, the principles of participation, solidarity, and subsidiarity, the universal destination of the world’s goods, and the option for the poor. We are, in CST, to be as God is, active in human history; we too are to active in the world in which we live. The importance of Catholic social teaching at this time. Human … At the core of Catholic Social Teaching are a number of key concepts and principles. Catholic Social Teaching. Where does Catholic Social Teaching come from? The catholic social teaching option for the poor will be the main focus for the remainder of this paper because it is the principle that emphasizes how well the nation provides for the poor in its midst, poverty in this case. It is not something that is easy to define as the social teaching of the Church comes in many forms: • written documents of the Vatican, popes, bishops. Seven Themes of 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. Pope Francis, when discussing dialogue and transparency regarding decision making about environmental issues says, “the local population should have a special place at the table: they are concerned about their own future and that of their children and can consider goals transcending immediate economic interest” (Laudato Si’ 183). 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