“In the Catholic social vision, the human person
is central, the clearest reflection of God among us.
Each person possesses a basic dignity that comes from God, not from any
human quality or accomplishment, not from race or gender, age or economic status.
The test of every institution or policy is whether it enhances or threatens
human life and dignity. We believe that people are more important than
things.” US
Catholic Bishops “A Century of Social Teaching”
Human beings, created in the image and likeness
of God, possess an inherent value and dignity and a fundamental equality despite
differences of gender, race, color, ethnicity, social class, language or religion.(1)
2. The Call to Family, Community
and Participation
Resources
“The human person is not only sacred, but social. We realize our dignity and rights in relationship
with others, in community… The family has major contributions to make in addressing
questions of social justice. It is where
we learn and act on our values… We also have the right and responsibility to participate
in and contribute to the broader communities in society… A central test of political,
legal and economic institutions is what they do to people,
what they do for people and how people
participate in
them.”
US Catholic Bishops “A Century of Social Teaching”
3. Human Rights and Corresponding
Duties and Responsibilities
Resources
“Flowing from our God-given dignity, each person
has basic rights and responsibilities. These
include the rights to freedom of conscience and religious liberty, to raise a
family, to immigrate, to live free from unfair discrimination, and to have a share
of earthly goods sufficient for oneself and one’s family.
People have a fundamental right to life and to those things that make life
truly human: food, clothing, housing, health care, education, security, social
services and employment. Corresponding
to these rights are duties and responsibilities – to one another, to our families,
and to the larger society, to respect the rights of others and to work for the
common good.” US Catholic Bishops “A Century of Social Teaching”
Respect for the human rights of every person
promotes the common good, which can be understood as the social conditions that
allow people to reach their full human potential and realize their human dignity.
It involves respect for the person; the development of social structures
that make accessible what is necessary for a truly human life; and the provision
of peace and security by the public authority to insure a justly ordered society.
(2)
4. The Option for the Poor
and Vulnerable
Resources
Poor and vulnerable people have a special place in
Catholic social teaching. A basic moral
test of a society is how its most vulnerable members are faring. This is not a new insight; it is the lesson
of the parable of the Last Judgment (see Mt.25).
Our tradition calls us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.
As Christians, we are called to respond to the needs of all of our brothers
and sisters, but those with the greatest needs require the greatest response. US Catholic Bishops “A Century of Social Teaching”
The option for the poor reflects the call of
Christians and people of good will to respond to the needs of all of our brothers
and sisters, but to respond first to those in the greatest need. It is not a call to prefer the poor exclusive
of all others nor is it an option for class struggle, but it does challenge individuals,
society and the Church to recognize a special obligation to act in charity and
justice on behalf of the poor and vulnerable.(3)
5.
The Dignity of Work and the
Rights of Workers
Resources
“Work is more than a way to make a living; it is
an expression of our dignity and a form of continuing participation in God’s creation. People have a right to decent and productive
work, to decent and fair wages, to private property and economic initiative.
Workers have the strong support of the Church in forming and joining union
and worker associations of their choosing in the exercise of their dignity and
rights. These values are at the heart of Rerum Novarum and other encyclicals
on economic justice. In Catholic teaching,
the economy exists to serve people, not the other way around.” US Catholic
Bishops “A Century of Social Teaching”
6. Solidarity
Resources
“We are one human family, whatever our national,
racial, ethnic, economic and ideological differences.
We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers (cf.Gen4:9). In a linked and limited world,
our responsibilities to one another cross national and other boundaries.
Violent conflict and the denial of dignity and rights to people anywhere in the
world diminish us. This emerging theme
of solidarity, so strongly articulated by Pope John Paul II, expresses the core
of the Church’s concern for world peace, global development, environment, and
international human rights. It is the contemporary
expression of the traditional Catholic image of the Mystical Body.” US Catholic Bishops “A Century of Social Teaching”
7. Care for God’s Creation
Resources
“The whole human race suffers as a result of environmental
blight, and generations yet unborn will bear the cost for our failure to act today. But… it is the poor and the powerless who most directly bear the burden of current environmental
carelessness. Their lands and neighborhoods
are more likely to be polluted or to host toxic waste dumps, their water to be
undrinkable, their children be harmed. Too often, the structure of sacrifice involved
in environmental remedies seems to exact a high price from the poor and from workers.”
US
Catholic Bishops “ Renewing the Earth: An Invitation
to Reflection and Action on Environment in Light of Catholic Social Teaching”
1} Sharing Catholic Teaching:Challenges
and Directions, Reflections of the US Catholic Bishops
pp.23-24 (1998)
{2}
Ibid, pp.24025
{3} Ibid pp.24-25
