Key Principles of Catholic Social Teaching

Human Dignity

Belief in the inherent dignity of the human person is the foundation of Catholic social teaching. Human life is sacred, and the dignity of the human person is the starting point for a normal vision for society.

The principle of human dignity 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. We are required to honour the human person, to give priority to the person.

Community and the Common Good

 In a culture driven by excessive individualism, our tradition proclaims that the person is not only sacred but also social. Human dignity can only be realized and protected in the context of relationships with the wider society.

How we organise 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 neighbour” 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.

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.

Option for the Poor and Vulnerable

A basic moral test of society is how it treats its most vulnerable members. The poor have the most urgent moral claim on the conscience of the nation.

The option for the poor is a perspective that examines personal decisions, policies of private and public institutions, and economic relationships in terms of their effects on the poor – those who lack the minimum necessities of nutrition, housing, education, and health care. Those who re marginalised and whose rights are denied have privileged claims if society is to provide justice for all.

The obligation to evaluate social and economic activity from the viewpoint of the poor and the powerless arises from the radical command to love one’s neighbour as one’s self.

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.

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 in a person or a group to be excluded unfairly or to be unable to participate in society. In the words of the U.S. bishops, “The ultimate injustice is for a person of group to be treated actively or abandoned passively as if they were non-members of the human race. To treat people this way is effectively to say they simply o not count as human beings.”

Dignity of work / Rights of workers

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. They also have a fundamental 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.

Stewardship of creation

Catholic tradition insists that we show our respect for he creator by our stewardship of creation. The goods of the earth are gifts from god, intended or the benefits of all.

We humans are not ultimate owners of these goods, but rather, the temporary stewards. We are entrusted with the responsibility of caring for these gifts and preserving them for future generations.

Global solidarity

Catholic social teaching proclaims that we are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, wherever they live. We are on human family, whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic and ideological differences. Solidarity means that “loving our neighbour” has global dimensions in an interdependent world.

John Paul the 2^nd has called the solidarity a virtue. It is the virtue, he says, by which we demonstrate “a firm and preserving determination to commit oneself to the common good... because we are all really responsible for all.”

Promotion of peace

Catholic teaching promotes peace aas a positive, action-oriented concept. in the world of Pope John Paul 2^nd, “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 dependant upon right order amoung human beings. 

Questions 1

1.       List the 5 issues social justice aims to cover:

·         Poverty

·         Child labour

·         Refugees

·         Homelessness

·         Hunger

2.       In your own words explain what is meant by human dignity

Human dignity is the belief that everyone is of value, that you, yourself are of value and that we are all made in the image of god. Human dignity is respect for yourself and respect for others. Everyone is equally valid; every human life is worth looking after.

3.       What is meant by moral vision for society

It is aiming for all levels of society to behave in an appropriate and equal manner so that you feel safe always.

4.       Which of the 5 social justice issues relates to human dignity?

·         Poverty

·         Child Labour

·         Refugees

·         Homelessness

·         Hunger

Questions 2

1.       Give an example of a community that you are part of.

I am in the Stella Maris community.

2.       How is this community both sacred and social?

It is a catholic girl’s school and we keep up the catholic ethos and we uphold the catholic faith and we aim to live a moral/a religiously significant life.

3.       What is the major test of a moral society?

The moral test of a moral society is how it treats its most vulnerable members.

4.       In what way does your community look after the poor?

Our community donates to charity and help to look after the elderly at these venues:

·         St vinnies

·         Salvos

·         Red cross

·         World vision

·         Meals on wheeles

Questions 3

1.       What are every human’s fundamental rights?

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.

2.       What is the role of the government in maintaining human rights

It is an instrument to promote human dignity, protect human rights, and build the common good.

3.       Who is responsible for assisting the government to achieve its goals

All people