Ave Explores Series | Faith in Action | Week 1
The Point of Catholic Social Teaching
by Rev. Kevin E. McKenna
What is Catholic Social Teaching?
Catholic social teaching is a cohesive body of thought that has emerged in the Catholic tradition concerning issues of justice and charity. It takes many forms, including papal exhortations, encyclicals and other forms of teaching. Its origin in modern times is identified with Pope Leo XIII and Rerum Novarum, an encyclical or authoritative Church teaching issued in 1891 about the role of justice in the relationship between management and labor. The encyclical was written in the aftermath of the Industrial Revolution. Its scope included the mutual obligations and rights of business owners and workers and the right to form workers’ associations. Such teachings by the popes have continued, adapting Gospel teachings, values, and principles to contemporary issues. Just recently Pope Francis, after a Church Synod, issued the Apostolic Exhortation “The Beloved Amazon,” applying Catholic social teaching to the Amazon region, a geographical area with many problems that contain ecological issues with moral implications for Latin America and the wider world.
Bishops also share in the teaching mission of the Church. Episcopal conferences—national gatherings of bishops located throughout the world—-have issued pastoral letters and other instructions that address social justice themes. Pope Francis used several pastoral letters and statements by episcopal conferences that concerned ecology and ethics in his encyclical Laudato Si (On Care for Our Common Home). The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops recently spoke about racism in its pastoral letter, Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love.
Church teachings on social justice are anchored in the Scriptures, primarily the teachings of Jesus Christ. Living in society and observing the times and mores in which it finds itself, the Church must preach the Gospel as a moral corrective to honor the dignity of the human person. This social justice tradition is a necessary contribution by the Church to the many complex moral issues present in every society. In 2005, The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace published the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church containing a summary of Catholic Social Justice Teaching.
Why is Catholic Social Justice Important?
In 1998, the U.S. bishops, in Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions, provided a schematic which organized key social justice priorities under seven themes:
1. Life and Dignity of the Human Person
2. Call to Family, Community, and Participation
3. Rights and Responsibilities
4. Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
5. The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
6. Solidarity
7. Care for God’s Creation
These seven themes illustrate the variety and multiplicity of topics that Catholic social teaching encompasses. The Second Vatican Council encouraged the identification of the Church with the world’s struggles, especially the struggles of the poor: “The joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the people of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted, are the joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well.”
More recently, the U.S. bishops, in their document Communities of Salt and Light: Reflections on the Social Mission of the Parish, teach that a parish that does not involve itself in the struggles of its neighbors and the surrounding society in which it finds itself is not living the Gospel values that Jesus taught, especially about love of neighbor. The list of seven themes prepared by the bishops is an excellent framework for parishes to use in bringing the teachings of social justice to their neighborhood and cities.
How Can We Use Catholic Social Teaching?
The need to become knowledgeable about Catholic social teaching involves more than a familiarity with a set of principles; we must put it into practice. One method involves three steps: see, judge, act. Formulated by Belgian Cardinal Joseph Cardijn in the 1920s when, as a priest, he worked with young Christians committed to working for justice, it promotes observation, study and action. It begins with observation of our surroundings with deep perception (See). We note circumstances of injustice that need to be addressed. We then judge with critical thinking utilizing the disciplines of social science and theological and biblical disciplines to study more closely what we have seen. Here the Catholic social teaching tradition is helpful as a lens and tool to examine the issue. Lastly, we act. We formulate an action plan with our appropriate constituency (diocese, parish, council or committee)—a petition drive, the development of a new ministry, a letter writing campaign, etc.—-whatever is necessary to alleviate or eliminate a possible structural cause of injustice.
Our Catholic social justice tradition is not just an important body of doctrine, it is a guide for reflection and action on behalf of the dignity of the human person. Pope Francis, in the Apostolic Exhortation The Joy of the Gospel, warns against working for justice just to feel good. Rather, we work because of our baptismal mandate to be missionary disciples, to work for the dignity and value of each human being who is made in the image and likeness of God.
We celebrate the Catholic social teaching tradition best when we live and promote the message of the Gospel of Jesus for a just society, working together for the Kingdom of God as a community of believers.
Download this article as a PDF here.
Rev. Kevin E. McKenna is pastor and rector of the Cathedral Community in Rochester, New York. He is the author of A Concise Guide to Catholic Social Teaching.
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