The point of Catholic Social Teachings

The social teaching of the Church – is it a Catholic ideology on social matters? Is it a political and economic system that the Church wants to impose in order to gain worldly powers?

“Nevertheless, the Catholic social teaching appeals also to other Christians, persons from other religions and all people of good will.”

The questions that people pose regarding the Church’s social pronouncements betray the way they view the Church. Therefore, in this article we shall try to discover what is at the heart of the social teaching of the Church: the source, the content, for whom and for which goal?

Catholic social teaching has developed from the Church’s responses to various social issues over history. It is the fruit of reflections, illuminated by faith, on the realities surrounding the human being in society.

The yardstick is whether or not the principles of society conform or diverge from God’s plan for man. That is why we would say, the Catholic social teaching is somewhat moral principles that inform and form the conscience for social practice worthy of man, as the Compendium of Social Doctrine of the Church notes (72, 73).

The Church draws from the revealed truths in the Bible and from Tradition, enriched by lessons from her long history. While she remains faithful to this heritage, however, the Church also engages in reflections in an on-going manner.

In fact, her reflections are enriched by the dialogue between faith and reason, in other words, revelation and human nature. Hence, Catholic social teaching is not an ideology that just subjects people to a certain system of thought. Rather, believers are invited to serious reasoning, illuminated by faith, in order to see the truth about themselves and the world, which should inspire a certain manner of relating with others.

Indeed, when one uses reason sincerely, and is open to truth, then one is capable of discovering the plan of God for humanity, which is not only religious but also rational. Consequently, there should be no opposition between faith and reason.

If the social teaching draws from the human capacity to reason, enlightened by faith which is a superior level of knowledge, then it can be applied universally to all humans and “can be accepted and be shared by all” (CSDC 75).

This universal application is further confirmed by the fact that the Catholic social teaching makes use of various branches of knowledge, such as philosophy, human sciences and natural sciences. Besides, there is also dialogue with the living Church, not just from the hierarchical point of view, but also the experience of the entire people of God. In this way, it is a teaching worthy of relying on.

In all that, what does the Church seek to attain? To dominate the world? What is the object of her social teaching?

The social teaching addresses, as its field of operation, human life in society with the aim of protecting human dignity and to guarantee peaceful coexistence. Society exists for man, and the social teaching is there to ensure that society serves just that purpose – the promotion of the human person (CSDC 81).

There are two basic sides to this teaching: one is that of proclaiming the truths about humans and society, and secondly, to denounce any violation or deviation from the goals of human society as intended by the Creator.

The goal of this double-sided mission is to establish “new heavens and new earth” (2 Pt 3:13) – “a society reconciled in justice and love” (CSDC 82).

This teaching is intended first for the members of the Church because of their obligation, by baptism, to announce and witness justice and charity in society.

It is a special ministry of the lay people who are invited to influence the structures of human society through their daily work.

Nevertheless, the Catholic social teaching appeals also to other Christians, persons from other religions and all people of good will.

Its universal appeal lies in that the values expressed in the teaching refer “to the universal values drawn from revelation and human nature” (CSDC 85), thus, it is capable of illuminating and forming the conscience of all people in society beyond any particular culture, ideology or opinions.

Besides, in its capacity of continuity and renewal the Church is attentive to the evolutions in society by which she dares to face new developments.

This commitment in the world has nothing to do with gaining worldly power since the social teaching is essentially “of the religious and moral order” (Gaudium et Spes, 25), hence, there is no reason whatsoever to be suspicious of the Church as being inspired by political ambitions.

One may be tempted by history to think in terms of political power but that epoch is well gone. However, this does not prevent lay Catholics from engaging themselves in politics. In fact, they are encouraged to do so. It is their vocation.

Inspired by faith in God, the Church puts herself at work at ensuring a just society that remains at the service of humanity. By her social teaching, the Church acts like a beacon in guiding humanity in all its diversity in this process of creating a genuinely human society founded on God’s plan for his creation.