1. Catholic Social Justice: An Overview
CHAPTER ONE
Catholic Social Justice: An Overview

2. Your Catholic Faith & Social Justice
- The gospel proclaims that human beings are made in the image and likeness of God
- Made in a divine image, we are endowed with a human soul with two great powers
1.) Intellect 2.) Free will

3. Your Catholic Faith & Social Justice
1.) Human Intellect
Enables us to recognize and understand God’s command to do good and avoid evil

4. Your Catholic Faith & Social Justice
2.) Free will
Enables us to choose good with the guidance of our conscience and to obey God’s law of love

5. Your Catholic Faith & Social Justice
- Original sin has weakened us, inclining us to commit evil by making bad judgments and choosing lesser goods _____________________________________________
• Malnutrition is responsible for the death of over five million children per year
• Nearly three billion people, live on less than $2.00 per day
• Over 50 million babies have been aborted in the U.S. since Roe vs. Wade

6. Your Catholic Faith & Social Justice
Catholic Social Justice Teaching
- The church doctrine (teaching) attempts to understand how societies work
- It makes moral judgements about economic and social matters in light of revealed truth

7. Catholic Social Justice
Your Catholic Faith & Social Justice
Flows primarily from the life and words of Jesus Christ
Catholic Social Justice
Rooted in teachings of the Hebrew prophets
Moses
Isaiah
Jeremiah

8. - Aspects of Catholic Social Justice Teaching
Your Catholic Faith & Social Justice
- Aspects of Catholic Social Justice Teaching
It gives us principles for reflection
It provides criteria for judgment
It gives guidelines for action

9. Principles of Catholic Social Teaching
Come from: “Sharing Catholic Social Teaching” – 1998 U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Document
- Purpose is to alert Catholics that the Church’s teaching on social justice is an essential part of our faith
- The wheel of justice presents the principles of Catholic social justice.
• Our ultimate destination is God’s kingdom
• Along the way there are obstacles
• The principles on the wheel need to be applied to smooth out the road that leads us to God

10. Principles of Catholic Social Teaching
Wheel of Justice
Stewardship
Solidarity 9 8
Respect for Life
Work & Workers 1 2 7
Human Dignity 6
Family Community Participation 3
Option for the Poor 5 4
Common Good
Rights & Duties

11. Freedom & Justice for All
Principles of Catholic Social Teaching
1.) Principle of Dignity of the Human Person
- Because people are created in God’s image and likeness every person is valuable and should be treated with dignity.
Freedom & Justice for All

12. Principles of Catholic Social Teaching
2.) Principle of Respect for Human Life
Every stage of a human’s life is precious and worthy of our respect and protection.
3.) Principle of the Call to Family, Community, & Participation
- People have a right and duty to participate in society seeking together the common good and the well-being of all.

13. Principles of Catholic Social Teaching
4.) Principle of Rights and Responsibilities
- Every person has the right to the basic necessities that promote human dignity.
• Faith
• Food and Shelter
• Education
• Health care
- With rights come responsibilities.

14. Principles of Catholic Social Teaching
5.) Principle of the Common Good
- Social conditions that permit people to reach their full human potential and to realize their human dignity
- Essential elements
1.) Respect for the person
2.) Social well-being and establishment of the group
3.) Peace and security

15. Principles of Catholic Social Teaching
6.) Principle of the Preferential Option; Love for the Poor and Vulnerable
- The poor and Vulnerable are our brothers and sisters. They deserve respect, the protection of their rights, and justice. Preferential means 1st priority.
7.) Principle of Dignity of Work; Rights of Workers
- Work must serve the needs of people, people should not be slaves to work.
- Workers’ have certain basic rights.

16. Park Beautification Project
Principles of Catholic Social Teaching
8.) Principle of Solidarity
We are all brothers and sisters and therefore must take care of each others’ needs (according to our ability).
We must especially work for peace and justice.
Park Beautification Project
9.) Principle of Stewardship
- We respect God and return God’s love by being good stewards - taking care of God’s creation.

17. How Christians View the Human Person
Our view of how humans should act depends on how we see ourselves
If we see ourselves created in God’s image, then we know we are called to reflect all the qualities of the Creator

18. How Christians View the Human Person
In God’s Image & Likeness CCC,
Foundation of Catholic Social Teaching is that each of us is made in God’s image:
Each human being has tremendous dignity
Each human being is a child of God
We are special in God’s eyes
God made us for himself
We have a spiritual nature
We have rights and responsibilities
We possess freedom; we must use it responsibly
We are social beings
We image God best when we love one another
God made us co-creators with him
We are wounded by sin and inclined to evil and error

19. How Christians View the Human Person
- Jesus has much to reveal to us about who we are and how we should treat each other,
We are saved through Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection
We are to be compassionate like Jesus
We are most human when… we love.

20. on other people and on society so we can live
Our Rights as Humans
a claim we can make
on other people and on society so we can live
a full, human life.
Right

21. Our Rights as Humans
Universal rights – the rights are for every human being
Inviolable rights – these rights are untouchable because they come from God
Inalienable rights – these
rights are inherent and
beyond challenge

22. Our Rights as Humans Peace on Earth (Pacem in Terris),
Pope John XXIII, 1963
Named the fundamental human rights:
Right to Life
Moral and Cultural Rights
Right to Worship God
Right to Choose Freely One’s State of Life
Economic Rights
The Right of Meeting and Association
The Right to Emigrate and Immigrate
Political Rights

23. Vocabulary free will original sin dignity Social Justice doctrine
Sharing Catholic Social Teaching
common good
rights
encyclical
Peace on Earth