ARTICLE 24 Church and State

Role of Church and State The Church and the state both have roles to play in society Church – focused on the spiritual good: our need for God’s grace so we can be in communion with Him. State – focused on temporal good: the material needs that are part of earthly life.

Second Vatican Council “The Church and the political community in their own fields are autonomous and independent from each other. Yet both, under different titles, are devoted to the personal and social vocation of the same men.” Our temporal and spiritual good are linked because our body and soul are united here on earth.

Challenges to religious freedom China – the Communist Party claims authority to approve bishops for the Church. Therefore, there are two Churches in China: the first is led by bishops approved by the government. The second, or underground Church, is led by bishops in union with Rome who have not been appointed by the government. Other examples?

Rights the Church insists on having Freedom to preach the Gospel and evangelize Freedom to worship publically and celebrate the Sacraments Freedom to determine the Church’s structure Freedom to select, educate, and appoint its own ministers Freedom to construct its own buildings Freedom to form associations for educational, cultural, health care, and other works of charity and justice

Article 25: Society and Economic Institutions Fun Facts: In 2009 the United States had a gross domestic product (GDP) of $14.6 trillion. [This is the dollar value of all the goods and services produced in a country in a given year. If $14 trillion had been equally split among every U.S. citizen alive in that year, every man, woman, & child would have received over $46,000. If you would split that amount among the entire world’s population, every person in the world would receive over $2,300. [Keep in mind the GDP for 20% of the countries in the world is less than $2,300.] Clearly economic institutions in the U.S. and other developed countries play a big role in developing a just society.

Types of Economic Institutions: One person business Family businesses Small and medium sized companies Non-profit organizations Huge national and multinational corporations [a corporation is a business that is recognized as a legal entity and whose existence is not dependent on any one individual] *The basic moral principles that govern rights and responsibilities of individuals and social groups apply to economic institutions of all sizes.

Purpose of Economic Institutions Regardless of size or complexity, all economic institutions should serve the common good by producing goods and services that individual persons need to survive and thrive. Other benefits: reinvest profits to make new products; increase wealth of workers, owners, and stockholders; and provide opportunities for individuals to use talents and time to serve common good

Responsibilities of Econ. Institutions Make sure goods and services contribute to the good of society and not to its harm. Examples of harm would be tainted food, dangerous toys, porn, prostitution, weapons of mass destruction. Make sure business practices do not harm their workers or the environment. Charge fair prices for goods and services; pay fair wages to employees. Ultimately, Economic Institutions do more than just make things; they help the personal and spiritual growth of people and society.

Responsibilities of the State The State should make sure businesses act morally and respect the free market system. They do this by: Creating/enforcing regulations to protect worker safety; Ensuring product safety; and, Ensuring small businesses can compete fairly with larger businesses.