What is Catholic Social Teaching?

Catholic Social Teaching is what the Catholic Church teaches us about our responsibility to make the world a better place. It is all of the writings of Bishops and Popes that help us understand how to apply the teaching of Jesus in contemporary problems. For example "Brothers and Sisters to Us" is a document by the U.S. Bishops that addresses the problem of racism in America. What makes Catholic Social Teaching so great is that it helps answer the question: "How do I live out the gospel in today's world?"

Catholic Social Teaching teaches us about social justice. When we talk about justice, we are not talking about judges and juries and lawyers. We are talking about making our communities places that treat everyone the way that Jesus would treat them. That can be really hard, but our faith teaches us that we have to do it. Doing service and fighting injustice is not an option for Christians. It needs to be something we do just like going to church.

There are seven principles of Catholic Social Teaching. By knowing and understanding them, we can begin to see the world they way that God wants it to be. Once we see, then we can start to make changes! Here they are:

Seven Principles 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. Our belief in the sanctity of human life and the inherent dignity of the human person is the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching. In our society, human life is under direct attack from abortion and assisted suicide. The value of human life is being threatened by increasing use of the death penalty. We believe that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every human institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person.

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. The family is the central social institution 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.

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.

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.

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 organize and join unions, to private property, and to economic initiative.

Solidarity
We are our brothers' and sisters' keepers, wherever they live. We are one human family, whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. Learning to practice the virtue of solidarity means learning that "loving our neighbor" has global dimensions in an interdependent world.

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. We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God's creation. This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored.