Modern Social Teachings of the Church
Subsidiarity and Solidarity (John Paul II, Centesimus Annus, 1991 (The Hundredth Year)
CA also insists that an economic program will hardly be just if it does not pave the way for solidarity and solidarity. The ultimate aim of an economic system is to ensure the well-being of human individuals. Unless an authentic measure of social inclusion is realized, the economic system will remain to be ineffective and immoral.
The Phenomenon of Globalization (Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate, 2009 (Charity in Truth))
CV points out that globalization brings with it both the advantages disadvantages and corresponding challenges.
encyclicus
Comes from the Latin ___ (from the Greek ἐν κύκλῳ en kykloi) meaning general or encircling.
general or encircling
Comes from the Latin encyclicus (from the Greek ἐν κύκλῳ en kykloi) meaning ___
Encyclical
Comes from the Latin encyclicus (from the Greek ἐν κύκλῳ en kykloi) meaning general or encircling.
Vatican II Documents: Dignitatis Humanae and Gaudium et Spes Context
Continuing Cold War and arms race.
Pacem in Terris has primarily contended that talks about 'peace' should be anchored on our understanding of moral order. (John XXIII, Pacem in Terris, 1963 (Peace on Earth))
A. Order between individuals (PT, §§8ff) B. Order between individuals and government authorities (PT, §§46ff); C. Order between States (PT, §§80ff).
Participation
- All people have a right to participate in the economic, political, and cultural life of society. - It is a fundamental demand of justice and a requirement for human dignity that all people be assured a minimum level of participation in the community. - It is wrong for a person or a group to be excluded unfairly or to be unable to participate in society.
Dignity of the Human Person
- Belief in the inherent dignity of the human person is the foundation of all Catholic social teaching. - Human life is sacred, and the dignity of the human person is the starting point for a moral vision for society. - This principle is grounded in the idea that the person is made in the image of God. The person is the clearest reflection of God among us.
Rights and Responsibilities
- Human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met. - Every person has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things required for human decency - starting with food, shelter and clothing, employment, health care, and education. - Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities -- to one another, to our families, and to the larger society.
Catholic Social Encyclicals
- It gives us principles for reflection - It provides criteria for judgment - It gives guidelines for action
Stewardship of God's Creation
- The goods of the earth are gifts from God, and they are intended by God for the benefit of everyone. - There is a "social mortgage" that guides our use of the world's goods, and we have a responsibility to care for these goods as stewards and trustees, not as mere consumers and users. - How we treat the environment is a measure of our stewardship, a sign of our respect for the Creator.
Common Good and Community
- The human person is both sacred and social. We realize our dignity and rights in relationship with others, in community. - Human beings grow and achieve fulfillment in community. Human dignity can only be realized and protected in the context of relationships with the wider society. - 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 obligation to "love our neighbor" has an individual dimension, but it also requires a broader social commitment. Everyone has a responsibility to contribute to the good of the whole society, to the common good.
Option for the Poor
- The moral test of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable members. The poor have the most urgent moral claim on the conscience of the nation. We are called to look at public policy decisions in terms of how they affect the poor. - The "option for the poor," is not an adversarial slogan that pits one group or class against another. Rather it states that the deprivation and powerlessness of the poor wounds the whole community. - The option for the poor is an essential part of society's effort to achieve the common good. A healthy community can be achieved only if its members give special attention to those with special needs, to those who are poor and on the margins of society.
Themes of Catholic Social Teaching
- dignity of the human person - common good and community - option for the poor - rights and responsibilities - role of government and subsidiarity - economic justice - stewardship of God's creation - promotion of peace and disarmament - participation - global solidarity and development
Poverty
Arms race contributes to ___
Francis I, Laudato Si, 2014 ("Mi Signore",Praise be to you, my Lord)
A Warning Against our Neglect of our Environment
John XXIII on May 15, 1961
Entitled as Christianity and Social Progress, the encyclical Mater et Magistra was published by ___
Pius XI, Quadragesimo Anno, 1931 (The Fortieth Year) Context
Fortieth anniversary of Rerum Novarum; Great Depression underway; dictatorships growing in Europe.
Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
If we are to talk about Catholic sources of its social doctrines, we should not fail to mention this important compendium of the Catholic social tradition that is dated until its publication in 2004. The document is released by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace to articulate the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church.
Pius XII's Christmas Messages (1942)
In this message, Pius XII speaks of many elements of our social life particularly the issue on peace. He also identified here the five points for ordering the society which includes: respect for the dignity of the human person, defense of social unity, dignity of labor, rehabilitation of the juridical order, and a Christian conception of the State.
Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum, 1891 (Of New Things) Context
Industrial Revolution leads to exploiting workers
The Role of Indirect Employers (John Paul II, Laborem Exercens, 1981 (On Human Work))
It specifically calls out attention to the reality of 'indirect employers,' which includes "both persons and instruc1ons of various kinds, and also collective labour contracts and the principles of contracts and the principles of conduct which are laid down by these persons and institutions and which the whole socioeconomic system or are its result
May 1, 1991
John Paul II celebrated the centenary of Leo XIII's Rerum Novarum by publishing the Centesimus Annus on ___
Superdevelopment and Underdevelopment (John Paul II, Solicitudo Rei Socialis, 1987 (On Social Concern))
John Paul II recalls here the immorality of the extreme gap between peoples.
Family Wage as Just Wage (John Paul II, Laborem Exercens, 1981 (On Human Work))
Just wage is family wage. LE categorically defines just remuneration "for the work of an adult who is responsible for a family" to be sufficient "for establishing and properly maintaining a family and for providing security for its future"
A Warning against Economism (John Paul II, Laborem Exercens, 1981 (On Human Work))
LE reminds us to be careful with the 'error of economism' (LE, §13), that is, of equating the dignity and value of our work with the financial incentives that it gives in return.
Spirituality of Work (John Paul II, Laborem Exercens, 1981 (On Human Work))
LE's profound contribution is to make its readers realize that the work that we do is not only our means for 'self-realization' but is even our way of participating in the Paschal mystery of Christ. (Workers participation to Christ's suffering, death on the cross and resurrection.)
A focus on the Agricultural Sector (John XXIII, Mater et Magistra, 1961 (Mother and Teacher))
MM calls for a balanced attention between industrial progress and the development of the agricultural sector. (emphasizes as well on common good, cooperation among nations, population increase, economic development)
Pope Paul VI's Apostolic Letter Octogesima Adveniens
OA provides us Paul VI's views on other social issues particularly on the issue of human equality and the need for inclusion in decision making. The letter also addresses the role of women in political and social life.
Paul VI, Populorum Progressio, 1967 (On the Development of Peoples) Context
On March 26, 1967, Pope Paul VI published the encyclical Populorum Progressio. The encyclical is known for its emphasis on the talk about development, and it is even referred to by some circles as the 'Catholic social teaching's magna carta on development.'
Attention to Poor Nations (Paul VI, Populorum Progressio, 1967 (On the Development of Peoples)
One important call from the encyclical is the attention it gives to the plight of poor nations and it questions the rapid progress among rich nations and the slow development among their poorer counterparts
Promoting the Logic of Gift and the Principle of Gratuitousness (Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate, 2009 (Charity in Truth))
Only when we learn to realize that everything that we have is a gift will we be willing to take good care of them, and be willing to give them back in return as a gift. Such a culture of caring and giving, together with the culture of receiving, becomes important aspects if we would want to build a culture of communion in our globalized and consumerist world.
Call for Global Solidarity (Paul VI, Populorum Progressio, 1967 (On the Development of Peoples))
PP calls for a common development among mankind and reminds wealthier nations of their threefold responsibility for • 1) mutual solidarity, • 2) social justice, and • 3) universal charity
Development, the New Name for Peace (Paul VI, Populorum Progressio, 1967 (On the Development of Peoples))
PP reminds the global community that for us to journey towards a lasting peace, we need to realize that equal opportunity toward development must become a possibility for all nations
Call for Authentic and Integral Human Development (Paul VI, Populorum Progressio, 1967 (On the Development of Peoples))
PP reminds us that authentic development could never be solely measured by economic and material progress (PP, §14). PP calls for an evaluation of the values that we hold dear.
Synod of Bishops, Justice in the World, 1971 Context
Political upheavals of 60's. Increased focus on "liberation" especially in Latin America
Disarmament and Mutual Trust (John XXIII, Pacem in Terris, 1963 (Peace on Earth))
Reading PT should bring our attention to its call for disarmament. The encyclical argues that the arms race that was happening in the world of the late 50s until the 60s is contrary to the call for social order (PT, §112).
On Terrorism and Demographic Problem (John Paul II, Solicitudo Rei Socialis, 1987 (On Social Concern))
SRS noted the emergence of terrorism, used by some groups as a means to create a better society. The encyclical unequivocally condemned the act as 'unjustifiable' (SRS, §24). • SRS speaks of the increasing tendency even among States to readily equate demographic growth with underdevelopment.
Rights Talk in the Catholic Social Tradition (John XXIII, Pacem in Terris, 1963 (Peace on Earth))
Significantly, PT also provides the Catholic position on human rights. Following its support to the aims of the United Nations, it also viewed of Human Rights as an advance in our contemporary social situation (PT, §143). It however reminds its readers that an emphasis on rights without attention to duties will be insufficient and ineffective (PT, §§ 44 & 144).the Universal Declaration.
social justice
The Church defines certain principles of what we term ___, that is applying the Law of God to conditions of present day economic and social life in order to carry out its primary objective of sanctifying and saving men.
Social Role of the Church based on Social Encyclicals
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. Modern Catholic social teaching has been articulated through a tradi2on of papal, conciliar, and episcopal documents.
Property Issues and the Inequalities among People Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum, 1891 (Of New Things))
The encyclical then has vocally criticized the unequal distribution of wealth, and the huge gap between the rich and the poor.
Social Justice & Social Role of the Church based on Social Encyclicals
This is the exercise of God-given individual rights taken in relation to the common welfare.
Reiteration of the Option for the Poor (John Paul II, Solicitudo Rei Socialis, 1987 (On Social Concern))
While we own things privately, that ownership is not only meant to further our well-being as a human individual, but also to empower us so we become available to serve others.
papal encyclical
a letter, usually treating some aspect of Catholic doctrine sent by the Pope addressed either to the Catholic bishops of a particular area or to the bishops of the world. The form of the address can vary widely, and often designates a wider audience
Rerum Novarum
argues that the divide between people may be addressed if we move towards the improvement of the workplace.
Quadragesimo Anno
argues that the presence of economic dictators make the capitalist system hypocritical.
Communism is dangerous
because it condones violence and abolishes private property.
Economic imbalances
cause threat to peace
The Compendium
describes Rerum Novarum as the encyclical which "examines the condition of salaried workers, which was particularly distressing for industrial laborers who languished in inhumane misery.
Gaudium et Spes (Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World)
discusses natural and Catholic humanism, social and political philosophy, common good, solidarity, and human rights, peace and the avoidance of war, the family and the institution's role in fostering the future of our human communities.
error of economism
equating the dignity and value of our work with the financial incentives that it gives in return
The Church
has the right to speak out on matters that affect religion and morality as they affect moral issues and social issues
John Paul II's Familiaris Consortio
is among the landmark Church documents on Marriage and Family life, and is included in the corpus of the social teachings of the Church because of its discussions on gender, on the role of women, on the social, cultural and economic factors that affect the family, and on the role and contribution of the family in the wider society
Just wage
is family wage
Pope Francis' Evangelii Gaudium
is primarily intended to talk about the proclamation of the Gospel but it has devoted an important chapter (Chapter 2.1) on social issues which talks about the contemporary crisis on communal commitment. It is here where Pope Francis spoke lengthily about his critique to the economic system that treats money as its lord, and which promotes a throwaway culture marked by indifference and exclusions.
Laborem Exercens's profound contribution
is to make its readers realize that the work that we do is not only our means for 'self-realization' but is even our way of participating in the Paschal mystery of Christ. (Workers participation to Christ's suffering, death on the cross and resurrection.)
Industrial Revolution
leads to exploiting workers
Labor and capital
need each other
Economic dictators
refer to monopolies and powerful states, like the U.S., which dictated the global economy.
Subjective dimension
refers to the aspect of work that allows the human person to realize himself/herself
Objective component of work
refers to the kind of work that the human person does which is measured by its monetary returns
Laborem Exercens
reminds us to be careful with the 'error of economism'
Dignitatis Humanae
talks about religious freedom, which remains to be a central concern among religions nowadays, especially with regard to the relationship of between religions and States.
Post-synod document: JusXXa in Mundo (Synod of Bishop, 1971)
the document primarily talks about justice in the world, particularly on how the Church could serve as witness to justice, how could the Church educate people about justice, and how could the Church be an agent of justice in the world.
Entitled as Christianity and Social Progress
the encyclical Mater et Magistra was published by John XXIII on May 15, 1961.
Laudato Si
the second encyclical of Pope Francis
totalitarian governments
those governments whose common life is decided only by the government with very minimal participation from the people
principal duty of employers
to give everyone what is just
John Paul II's third encyclical
was published on September 14, 1981
John Paul II, Centesimus Annus, 1991 (The Hundredth Year) Context
• 100th anniversary of Rerum Novarum. Collapse of communism in Eastern Europe. • Showing his appreciation and support for the continuing growth of the Catholic social teaching, John Paul II celebrated the centenary of Leo XIII's Rerum Novarum by publishing the Centesimus Annus on May 1, 1991.
• On Totalitarian Governments (Pius XI, Quadragesimo Anno, 1931 (The Fortieth Year))
• By totalitarian governments we mean those governments whose common life is decided only by the government with very minimal participation from the people.
Promotion of Peace and Disarmament
• Catholic teaching promotes peace as a positive, action-oriented concept. In the words of St. John Paul II, "Peace is not just the absence of war. It involves mutual respect and confidence between peoples and nations. It involves collaboration and binding agreements." • There is a close relationship in Catholic teaching between peace and justice. Peace is the fruit of justice and is dependent upon right order among human beings.
Vatican II Documents: Dignitatis Humanae and Gaudium et Spes Message
• Church is not separate from the world, but intimately intertwined with it. • Assesses the rapid cultural changes and technological advances in the light of the Gospel. • Overall warm and optimistic tone, but reflects pastoral concern for faith, family, transcendent destiny of man.
John Paul II, Solicitudo Rei Socialis, 1987 (On Social Concern) Message
• Critiques economic gap between northern and southern hemispheres and global debt. Should be one united world. • East-West tensions and competition block world cooperation and solidarity. • Critiques consumerism and waste, as well as international trade practices that hurt developing nations.
John Paul II, Centesimus Annus, 1991 (The Hundredth Year) Message
• Critiques fundamental error of communism - atheistic view of humanity. • Gives qualified support to free market as most efficient system for utilizing resources and responding to needs. Free market also recognizes freedom of human person. • Warns against consumerism, as well as making capitalist system an all-encompassing ideology.
John XXIII, Mater et Magistra, 1961 (Mother and Teacher) Message
• Disparity between rich and poor nations must be addressed. • Arms race contributes to poverty. • Economic imbalances cause threat to peace. • Rich nations must help poor ones while respecting culture. • Nations are interdependent and need to cooperate. • Catholics should know social teaching and be active.
On Economic Dictators (Pius XI, Quadragesimo Anno, 1931 (The Fortieth Year))
• Economic dictators refer to monopolies and powerful states, like the U.S., which dictated the global economy. • QA argues that the presence of economic dictators make the capitalist system hypocritical.
John XXIII, Mater et Magistra, 1961 (Mother and Teacher) Context
• Entitled as Christianity and Social Progress, the encyclical Mater et Magistra was published by John XXIII on May 15, 1961. • Science and technology advance in developed nations, while millions live in poverty in Third World. • Growing animosity between the East and West blocs dubbed as the Cold War of powerful States that adopted the competing ideologies of socialism and capitalism. • Rivalry Between US and USSR • Armed Race • Space Race • Military Technology (Internet)
Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum, 1891 (Of New Things) Message
• First comprehensive document of social justice. • Defends workers' rights based on natural law. • Rights include work, private property, just wage, workers' associations.
John Paul II, Laborem Exercens, 1981 (On Human Work) Context
• Great numbers of people are unemployed, migrant workers exploited. Both capitalist and communist systems exploiting the worker. • John Paul II's third encyclical, but the first of his several encyclicals, was published on September 14, 1981. The encyclical offers the "most comprehensive treatment of human work in the corpus of Catholic social teaching."
The Principle of Subsidiarity
• Just as it is gravely wrong to take from individuals what they can accomplish by their own initiative and industry and give it to the community, so also it is an injustice and at the same time a grave evil and disturbance of right order to assign to a greater and higher association what lesser and subordinate organizations can do. For every social activity ought of its very nature to furnish help to the members of the body social, and never destroy and absorb them.
Family Farms and Cooperatives (John XXIII, Mater et Magistra, 1961 (Mother and Teacher))
• Mater et Magistra is its attention to the contribution of cooperatives and the kind of contribution that they can possibly give both for the empowerment of the workers and in enhancing balance within the economy towards the common good (cf. MM §§85-90). • Support of the State, for the well-being and sustenance of cooperatives is particularly needed for the growth of the agricultural sector, specifically the family farms. (cf. MM §146) • Responsibility of Wealthy Nations • The encyclical, as early as the 1960s, have already insisted on the interdependence among nations (MM, §40). • "[T]he solidarity which binds all men together as members of a common • Family makes it impossible for wealthy nations to look with indifference upon the hunger, misery and poverty of other nations whose citizens are unable to enjoy even elementary human rights"(MM, §157).
John XXIII, Pacem in Terris, 1963 (Peace on Earth) Message
• Peace ensured through social rights and responsibilities-- between people; between citizens and public authorities; between states; among nations. • World needs to recognize rights of women. • Arms race goes against justice, reason and human dignity. • United Nations needs to be strengthened
Solidarity and the workers' unions
• RN supports the workingmen's unions as legitimately supported by the notion of natural rights, and it criticizes the state's tendency to suppress these unions. • Workers' unions are mechanisms not for its own sake but to ensure that the conditions are set so as to allow workers to maximally perform and use their full potentials
Wage and Protection of Workers Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum, 1891 (Of New Things))
• Rerum Novarum argues that the divide between people may be addressed if we move towards the improvement of the workplace. • Wages are regulated by free consent...To avoid injustice, the government must intervene, seeing to it that workers receive what is due to them. • The principal duty of employers is to give everyone what is just.
Structures of Sin that Impedes the Realization of the Common Good (John Paul II, Solicitudo Rei Socialis, 1987 (On Social Concern))
• SRS also points out that there are certain political, economic and social arrangements that impedes the solidarity of people, and instead promotes division which runs contrary to the development of peoples. When sinful and corrupt practices have become embedded in the way we conduct our activities in the community, they provide the impression that there is an obstacle that is difficult to overcome (SRS, §36), and this instead invite others to condone rather than fight corruption
Pius XI, Quadragesimo Anno, 1931 (The Fortieth Year) Message
• States need to reform greedy capitalist systems to which they have become slaves. • Communism is dangerous because it condones violence and abolishes private property. • Labor and capital need each other. • Workers need just wage to acquire private property. • International economic cooperation urged. • Principle of "subsidiarity" introduced.
Synod of Bishops, Justice in the World, 1971 Message
• Structural injustices and oppression must be met by liberation rooted in justice. God is "liberator of the oppressed." • Church must speak on behalf of the oppressed, be a witness for justice.
Objective and Subjective Components of Work (John Paul II, Laborem Exercens, 1981 (On Human Work))
• Subjective dimension refers to the aspect of work that allows the human person to realize himself/herself. • Objective component of work refers to the kind of work that the human person does which is measured by its monetary returns.
Economic Justice
• The economy must serve people, not the other way around. All workers have a right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, and to safe working conditions. • The priority of labour over capital is a key principle in Catholic social thought. Humanity comes before profit. Man is more important than the products he makes. Man is the subject of work, and all work is in the service of man. he is not a mere instrument, a cog in the machine. The whole purpose of the economy is to provide him with the essentials of life.
The New Things of Today (John Paul II, Centesimus Annus, 1991 (The Hundredth Year)
• The opposition between socialism and liberal capitalism that was at the height during the 1me of Leo XIII is no longer as strong in 1991 especially because the USSR has already weakened (and will in fact be later disbanded by the end of that year) and the Berlin Wall has actually already fallen in 1989.
The Principle of Socialization (John XXIII, Mater et Magistra, 1961 (Mother and Teacher))
• The principle is discussed within the context increasing intervention of the State to propel the social conditions of the least among us vis-a-vis the danger of threatening individual freedom amidst the increased intervention of the State (cf. MM, §59-67). • MM believes that every person deserves to get the basic needs regardless of his/her social condition, and so the community must feel responsible in making sure that everyone is properly aided in the pursuit of their basic needs. Hence, socialization is to be done where institutions have to be established in order to ensure that there are agencies that would look into the distribution of basic services to all citizens.
Role of Government and Subsidiarity
• The state has a positive moral function. It is an instrument to promote human dignity, protect human rights, and build the common good. • All people have a right and a responsibility to participate in political institutions so that government can achieve its proper goals.
Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate, 2009 (Charity in Truth) Message
• True human development requires charity lived out in truth, including respect for the common good, religious freedom, and the sanctity of human life. Only an economy of communion, a business ethic centered in persons and not in profit, will be a sufficient response to the present economic and financial crisis.
John XXIII, Pacem in Terris, 1963 (Peace on Earth) Context
• Two years af+er Mater et Magistra, John XXIII published another encyclical entitled Pacem in Terris on April 11, 1963. The encyclical was published at the height of the Cold War. The Berlin Wall was erected on March of 1962 and the Cuban Missile crisis of October 1962 almost brought the United States of America and Russia to another major war.
Support for Workers' Unions (John Paul II, Laborem Exercens, 1981 (On Human Work))
• Unions must resist the temptation to become partisans in the political arena, and they must be careful not to allow themselves to be used and manipulated for the political ends of others.
Paul VI, Octogesima Adveniens, 1971 (The Coming Eightieth Year) Message
• Urbanization has presented problems, especially the "new poor" - cities' elderly, handicapped and marginalized. • Discrimination continues based on race, color, sex, religion. • Christians called to engage political process to address injustices, applying gospel principles.
Global Solidarity and Development
• We are one human family. Our responsibilities to each other cross national, racial, economic and ideological differences. We are called to work globally for justice. • Authentic development must be full human development. It must respect and promote personal, social, economic, and political rights, including the rights of nations and of peoples.
John Paul II, Laborem Exercens, 1981 (On Human Work) Message
• Work is part of man's vocation and dignity, participation in God's creative work. Has spiritual dimension. • Decent wages, rights and benefits of worker must be assured. • Work must serve the family, with special consideration for working mothers. • Steps must be taken to assure that disabled can participate in dignity of work.
John Paul II, Solicitudo Rei Socialis, 1987 (On Social Concern) Context
• World economy in flux - debt, unemployment and recession hitting both rich and poor nations. • The explicit claim of JPII in writing the Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (On Social Concern) on December 30, 1987 is to commemorate Paul VI's Populorum Progressio and to affirm the continuing relevance of the social doctrine of the Church.
Paul VI, Octogesima Adveniens, 1971 (The Coming Eightieth Year) Context
• World verging on recession. In U.S., see civil rights and women's movements, Vietnam war protests.
Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate, 2009 (Charity in Truth) Context
• Worldwide economic crisis centered on weakness in financial institutions and the collapse of the housing market. • Benedict XVI's first social encyclical is supposed to be published in 2007 as a commemoration of Paul VI's Populorum Progressio. But due to the prevailing circumstances of that year, particularly the economic recession that affected most of economies in the world, the publication was delayed and was moved to June 29, 2009.
