Catholic Social Teaching A Key to Catholic Identity Presented by Catholic Charities Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux Developed by the Office of Justice and Peace Archdiocese of Los Angeles with grateful appreciation to the Office for Social Justice, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and

Workshop Overview By the end of this workshop, you will learn about:  The distinction between charity and justice  The Biblical foundations of social justice  Social justice in the Catholic tradition  Major Themes in Catholic Social Teaching  Where to find resources and the steps to take to initiate a social justice ministry in your parish

The Problem “Far too many Catholics are unfamiliar with the basic content of Catholic social teaching. More fundamentally, many Catholics do not adequately understand that the social mission of the Church is an essential part of Catholic faith. This poses a serious challenge for all Catholics, since it weakens our capacity to be a Church that is true to the demands of the Gospel. We need to do more to share the social mission and message of our Church.” Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions U.S. Bishops, 1998

Source: Poverty and FaithJustice: An Adult Education Program, Catholic Campaign for Human Development, USCCB

Catholic Social Teaching  Rooted in the Bible  Continually developed in Catholic Tradition -- See, judge, act “The hottest place in hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.” “The hottest place in hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

Community, State of Blessing Become Owners Forget the Poor Forget Yahweh Create Other Gods Self Destruction Prophets: The Poor Kill the Prophets Cry out for Deliverance Restoration Cycle of Baal From “Doing FaithJustice” by Fred Kammer, S.J.

Biblical themes of justice  Creation  Covenant relationship  Community  Anawim -- "the widows, orphans and aliens”  The example of Jesus – reign of God, healing In biblical faith, the doing of justice is the primary expectation of Yahweh. Walter Brueggeman

Constitutive Elements of Church  Word — Scripture, hearing the Good News, religious education, etc.  Worship – sacraments, worship, prayer life, etc.  World — social mission of the Church, action for social justice, etc.

Modern Catholic Social Teaching 1891Rerum Novarum: The Condition of LaborLeo XIII 1931Quadragesimo Anno: After 40 YearsPius XI 1961Mater et Magistra: Christianity & Social ProgressJohn XXIII 1963Pacem in Terris: Peace on EarthJohn XXIII 1965Gaudium et Spes: Church in the Modern WorldVatican II 1967Populorum Progressio: Development of PeoplesPaul VI 1971Octogesima Adveniens: Call to ActionPaul VI 1971Justice in the WorldBishops’ Synod 1975Evangelii Nuntiandi: Evangelization in the Mod. WorldPaul VI 1981Laborem Exercens: On Human WorkJohn Paul II 1983Challenge of Peace: God’s Promise & Our ResponseUS Bishops 1986Economic Justice For AllUS Bishops 1987Sollicitudo Rei Socialis: On Social ConcernJohn Paul II 1991Centesimus Annus: On the Hundredth AnniversaryJohn Paul II

Social Action Vatican II’s Ecclesiology  The Church is a sign and a safeguard of the dignity of the human person.  A religious organization whose purpose it is to help bring about the reign of God in history.  The social mission is “constitutive” not extra-curricular or optional.

Vatican II “This split between the faith which many profess and their daily lives deserves to be counted among the more serious errors of our age. Long since, the Prophets of the Old Testament fought vehemently against this scandal and even more so did Jesus Christ Himself in the New Testament threaten it with grave punishments.” Vatican II, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World #43, 1965

Justice in the World, 1971 Synod “Action on behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the world fully appear to us as a constitutive dimension of the preaching of the Gospel, or, in other words, of the Church's mission for the redemption of the human race and its liberation from every oppressive situation.” (#6)

Individual Commutative (Contractual) Distributive Contributive Society

Major Themes from Catholic Social Teaching 1.Human dignity 2.Community/Common Good 3.Rights and duties 4.Option for the poor 5.Participation 6.Economic Justice 7.Stewardship of Creation 8.Solidarity 9.Promotion of Peace 10.Role of Government

1. Human dignity The person is sacred, made in the image of God. “The case for a consistent ethic of life—one which stands for the protection of the right to life and the promotion of the rights which enhance life from womb to tomb—manifests the positive potential of the Catholic moral and social tradition.” Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, William Wade Lecture Series, St. Louis University, 1984

2. Community / Common Good The social nature of the human person “The fact that human beings are social by nature indicates that the betterment of the person and the improvement of society depend on each other.…humanity by its very nature stands completely in need of life in society.” Vatican II, The Church in the Modern World #25, 1965 “Every man for himself,” said the elephant as he danced among the chickens. Charles Dickens

3. Rights and duties  Civil/political  Economic/social Every person has a right to the basic material necessities that are required to live a decent life.

4. Option for the Poor  Remember the “widows, orphans, and aliens.”  A necessary element of the common good. “ When I feed the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.” Dom Helder Camara, Archbishop of Recife, Brazil

5. Participation All people have a right to a minimum level of participation in the economic, political, and cultural life of society.

6. Economic Justice  The economy must serve people, not the other way around. People are more important than things; labor is more important than capital.  The economy must serve people, not the other way around. People are more important than things; labor is more important than capital.  All workers have a right to productive work, to decent wages, to safe working conditions; and they have a right to organize and join unions.  People have a right to economic initiative and private property, but these rights have limits. No one is allowed to amass excessive wealth when others lack the basic necessities of life.

7. Stewardship of Creation The goods of the earth are gifts. We hold them in trust, as stewards. “God destined the earth and all it contains for all people and nations so that all created things would be shared fairly by all humankind under the guidance of justice tempered by charity.” Vatican II, Church in the Modern World #69, 1965

8. The Virtue of Solidarity “Sacred Scripture continually speaks to us of an active commitment to our neighbor and demands of us a shared responsibility for all humanity. This duty is not limited to one’s own family, nation or state, but extends progressively to all...so no one can consider himself or herself extraneous or indifferent to the lot of another member of the human family.” Pope John Paul II, The Hundredth Year, 1991, #51.

9. Promotion of Peace Peace is not just the absence of war Peace is not just the absence of war “If you want peace, work for justice.” “If you want peace, work for justice.” Pope Paul VI, World Day of Peace Message, 1972

10. Role of Government  The state has a positive moral function. It is an instrument to promote human dignity, protect human rights, and build the common good  Subsidiarity  As small as possible  As big as necessary

Society Public Order Public Peace Basic Rights Public Morality Freedom Common Good Politics State Separation of Church and State

How the Church Engages in Political Action  We do not take positions for or against particular parties or individual candidates  Catholic voters are expected to examine the positions of the candidates on the full range of issues  Moral principles vs. their application

Resources Office of Justice and Peace Catholic Campaign for Human Development Catholic Relief Services Justice for Immigrants Faithful Citizenship JustFaith Pax Christi