Catholic Social Teaching

How does the Catholic faith express itself in the context of society? The foundations of social teaching are found in the Gospel itself, when Jesus teaches his followers about compassion and love expressed in deeds as exhibited in The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10), Love of One’s Enemies (Matthew 5), and the Last Judgment (Matthew 25).

In addition to foundations in scripture, the Catholic Church has developed a body of documents since the late 19th century that is commonly referred to as “Catholic Social Teaching.” Beginning in 1891 when Pope Leo XIII wrote about labor and workers in “Rerum Novarum,” there have been many documents written by popes, national or regional councils of bishops, and international synods of bishops, that take up key topics and together comprise this body of thought. Topics include poverty, war and peace, just wage, violence of all forms, human rights, and many others.

There are different ways to organize the principles into understandable themes. The Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis, Office of Social Justice, offered one of the most accessible sites on Catholic Social Teaching, presenting ten principles that highlight these.

These ten principles include the following:

Human Dignity – human life is sacred, and each person holds an inherent dignity.
Community and the Common Good – the way society is organized, and the policies of governments, should protect human life and promote the common good.
Rights and Responsibilities – human rights and human decency must be protected.
Option for the Poor and Vulnerable – the needs of the poor and vulnerable must come first.
Participation – all people have a right to participate in the life of society
Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers – workers are entitled to livable wages, and to organize on their own behalf
Stewardship of Creation – God’s creation, the environment, must be protected.
Solidarity – we are our brothers and sisters’ keepers, regardless of race, religion or nationality.
Role of Government – the state has a positive moral function to promote the common good.
Promotion of Peace – peace is a moral imperative, and war is only undertaken as an absolute last resort, under very strict conditions.

In 2012, even more than in 2008, the answer is “YES!” Looking through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching, President Obama has spent his entire career striving for the common good. He led the historic effort to pass health insurance reform, a central tenet of Catholic Social Justice for more than 100 years, extending care to 32 million more Americans. He helped turn the corner on the worst financial crisis in 75 years, with all its disastrous implications for working families; and he worked tirelessly to find solutions that allowed distressed families to stay in their homes. Rather than trying to overturn Roe v. Wade, the weak Republican approach to dealing with abortion for the past 40 years, President Obama implemented the first explicit abortion reduction legislation in US history, promoting health care for pregnant women and better infant care, day care and job training. Now a new study from Washington University in St. Louis following 10,000 women for four years has shown that the provision of free contraception, one of the provisions of the new Affordable Care Act, dramatically decreased abortion among a group of high-risk girls and women.

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