Theo Finals
PRINCIPLES OF THE
SOCIAL TEACHINGS OF THE CHURCH
Human Dignity
The Catholic social tradition argues that the human person is at
the center of our talk about social, political and economic
progress. Economy and politics are the means to promote the
dignity of man rather than becoming the ruler for human
existence.
Putting the human person in the middle however does not
entitle the human person to exploit the world. As the encyclical
Laudato Si has clearly pointed out, the human person‘s
centrality in God‘s creation is not about his license to exploit
the environment for his own use, but rather to use his authority
(together with his gifts of intellect and freedom) to serve the rest
of God‘s creation.
We are reminded that the human person is by nature good, and
is capable of doing good. The original vocation of the human
person is to do good.
Hence, in his original vocation, man, being placed at the center
of God‘s creation, is ordered towards serving the whole of
creation instead of abusing them.
Common Good
Common Good is defined by Gaudium et Spes as the ―sum
total of social conditions which allow people either as groups
or as individuals to reach their fulfilment more fully and more
easily (GS 26 & CSDC 164).
The Church‘s teaching on the common good is rooted in our
Christian anthropology which views the human person as
basically oriented towards his/her relationship with other
beings, especially his fellow human beings.
The Church‘s principle of the common good is its response to
both the extremes of any form of totalitarianism that was at the
core of the socialist, communist and fascist governments on the
one hand, and of a kind of individualism that has become
negligent of the importance of the cohesion of our communities
on the other.
The Catholic social teaching continues to argue that we build a
community both
1) because it is our nature to come together as a community
because we find fulfillment in the company of one another,
2) also because our social relationships are among our best
resources that will help us address the undeniable
vulnerabilities that characterize our finite human existence.
Universal Destination of Goods
This principle calls to facilitate the conditions that will be
necessary for integral human development so that everyone can
contribute to making a more humane world.
The principle is rooted in our understanding of a common
humanity. If we are all equal in dignity as human persons, then
the wide gap among us should be a scandal against our common
humanity.
Subsidiarity
Echoing the teachings of Quadragesimo Anno , the
Compendium (CSDC, §186) teaches that the superior order
must adopt attitudes of HELP (support, promotion,
development) with respect to lower-order societies.
This principle is rooted in our Christian anthropology which
understands the human person as rational and free, and is
basically capable of understanding and pursuing the means
towards his/her flourishing.
This principle is the Church‘s alternative to the extreme
practices of imperialism, totalitarianism, and managerialism.
This is the basis for the Church‘s call for social inclusion and
participatory democracy.
The principle is the Church‘s response to those who would wish
to ignore our tendency to isolate the poor because of their
circumstances, and even to blame them for their situation as if
we are not part of the reasons for their misery.
The principle also reminds us of our responsibility to look after
the decency of the life of other people, and the provision of their
basic needs, because their utter poverty and deprivation will
become insurmountable obstacles for them to live full and
decent human lives.
The principle also reminds us of the legitimacy of our private
properties but only as a means. The goods of this world always
maintain a social character, and they must be used not only for
the good of the owner but also for humanity in general.
The Catholic social tradition also reminds us that social
dimension of property goes beyond the financial and material
resources, and it also includes other resources like technical
know-how, and other skills. There is always a moral call for
those who are more capable to help in the empowerment of the
less capable and weaker ones.
There is a CALL to look into the way we SHARE our
RESOURCES and on how we allow everyone to participate in
the efforts for CAPACITY BUILDING
Participation
The Compendium (CSDC 189) again asserts that individuals
must contribute to the economic, social, and political life of the
communities where s/he belongs.
This is the Church‘s reaction against the manipulative
tendencies of the market forces including the institutions that it
nurtures like the media. This principle is rooted in our
understanding of our rationality and freedom, which allows us
to resist the labeling of the human person as mere cog in a
machine.
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The principle of participation is a direct consequence of the
principle of subsidiarity and the practice of social inclusion.
Solidarity
The Compendium describes this principle as a firm and
persevering determination to commit oneself to the common
good, and not a ―mere feeling of vague compassion or shallow
distress (CSDC 193).
This is the Church‘s response to the growing culture of apathy
and indifference. The principle is rooted in our understanding
of ourselves as basically in need of others, and who are
incapable of a self-sufficient existence. The principle comes
from the realization that we are all vulnerable and are in need
of others.
This is a call to pursue the PATH towards authentic
brotherhood (what does it really mean to become a brother, a
sister, a neighbor in our time, and how much of our traditional
conceptions (like bayanihan ) have been challenged by our
contemporary culture of individualism
FUNDAMENTAL VALUES OF SOCIAL LIFE
Truth
Caritas in Veritate (26) warns us against the danger of
eclecticism (relativism) and leveling (loss of identity). Instead,
we are called to give witness to the reality of our Christian
vocation.
Part of our Christian vocation is to speak the truth even during
those moments when being truthful is inconvenient and
difficult. We are called to proclaim the message of Christ within
a culture of openness and dialogue that remain faithful to the
demands of justice and truth.
Freedom
The Compendium (199) teaches us that ‘freedom is the highest
sign in man of his being made in the divine image and,
consequently, is a sign of the sublime dignity of every human
person’.
The social teaching of the Church believes that human freedom
requires that we should be allowed to exercise our autonomy.
At the same time, however, Christian freedom is aware of its
limitations and responsibility.
It is aware that its expression is limited by the moral order, and
it therefore understands the importance of being formed within
that moral order. The Christian tradition‘s talk about freedom
then could not ignore the fact that we also have to talk about the
formation of the human person.
Justice and Love
The Christian tradition opposes the tendency to oppose justice
from love. In the Christian perspective, there is no authentic
justice without love.
Theo Finals
Christian understanding of justice goes beyond the
understanding of justice as retributive. Christian justice is
transformational and liberative. Justice has to lead to the
CONVERSION of both the victim and the oppressor; but
CONVERSION is best guaranteed by the act of love
The ACT of CHRIST on the CROSS is the best illustration of
justice: it pays for our SINS but such an act of sacrifice and love
transforms us (restores us) to who we really are as persons.
Following the social teachings of the Church, we can affirm the
following:
1. It is true that the world is NOT a perfect place. This is the
CITY OF MAN, tainted by sin, and where people are prone
to fall into the temptation of sinning.
2. The Church however reminds us that we are not fully
disgraced. THE HUMAN PERSON IS BY NATURE
GOOD, and such goodness could never be totally corrupted.
3. There is then the invitation to continuously attempt to BUILD
A CIVILIZATION of love and make our world a better place
to live in.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE
SOCIAL TEACHING OF THE CHURCH
Biblical roots of the Catholic Social Teaching
• The BIBLE is a source of Catholic Social Teaching
• The BIBLE is the foundation of a Judeo-Christian vision of
life... [Bible] discloses the kind of God… [a God who is]
interested in the world, in human history, and in the manner
in which humans live in community. (Donahue, 2005)
Justice in the Old Testament
Sedakah – often translated as righteousness (sedeq = justice)
- Righteousness in the biblical sense, goes beyond personal
rectitude of following rules, laws and commands. It has social
character. •“The biblical idea of justice can be described as
fidelity to the demands of a relationship.”
Mishpath – to judge
- Characterized not simply as the judgment of God and his
capability to punish and reward individuals but again it has a
social dimension, i.e., God’s governance that places order in
the society.
The Old Testament concepts of justice as both mishpath and
sedakah, that are understood primarily within the context of
Yahweh’s governance and one’s relationship both with Yahweh
and his fellow human beings in the community, allows us to
appreciate more the New Testament emphasis on the link
between justice and charity.
Christ’s Active Role in Society
1. Christ as a Teacher. Christ’s teaching gives emphasis on
‘persons’ over the law, and on the virtues of justice and
charity over the legal code. (Luke 10:25-37)
Christ preaches the Kingdom of God
- Calls people for metanoia (conversion of heart)
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- Conversion which is non-violent
- Hopeful preparation for its realization in the future.
2. Christ as a Liberator. Christ heals and liberates people both
from physical and spiritual illness. Christ’s liberation is also
at the same time a restoration (personal and communal).
The early Christian community has endeavored to follow
the examples of Christ. The Early Christian’s ability to
instruct one another on the Social Involvement
1. Duty to give (Act 2:4445; 20:35; Tim 6:17-19). It is not right
for one to live in luxury while others live in want. – Clement
of Alexandria
2. Deposits of Piety - used in feeding the needy, in burying
them, in support of youths and maidens destitute of means
and deprived of their parents, in the care of the aged, and the
relief of the shipwrecked.
3. Endeavor to establish unity and solidarity (Gal 3:28; Col
3:11).
What the early Church has attempted to do is to find a way to
incarnate the examples of Christ in their own social contexts
and practices.
The Middle Ages and the Continuing Catholic Social
Teaching Tradition
Even with the institutionalization of the Church within the
Roman Empire, she remained to be an active agent for social
justice.
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS on:
1. Distribution of Wealth – It requires Justice which is a “habit
whereby man renders to each one his due by a constant and
perpetual will.”
2. Just War War was commonly accepted as a legitimate
means to further the political influence of a particular city or
state.
St. Thomas Aquinas identified three requirements that need
to be present before a party could justifiably wage a war
against another:
✓ The legitimate authority: Thomas Aquinas‘ political
philosophy assigns legitimate power to an authority for the
management of the citizens‘ well-being.
✓ Just Cause: There has to be just causes for engaging into a
war, like restoring a lost social order.
✓ Right intention: the ruler who declares war must have the
right intention, like upholding the state‘s order and
bringing out a certain good
Two important considerations then are included in a just war:
Jus ad bellum (considerations on “why” we are going into
war and Jus in bello (considerations on “how” are we
supposed to engage in war).
3. Evangelical poverty. The practice of evangelical poverty
refers to the voluntary giving up of personal possessions. This
is usually enclosed in the evangelical vows of those who enter
the consecrated life.
Theo Finals
Evangelical poverty is a counter witness to the growing
materialism of the world. It‘s a radical statement about man‘s
confidence in the providence of the community and God.
The emerging Ideologies of the Modern Time
DARK Ages (Medieval Period) VS Age of EnLIGHTenment
• Two things are easily identified with the age of
enlightenment: use of reason (as opposed to faith) and the
autonomy (as opposed to obedience).
• The Church during the Middle Ages according to
enlightenment thinker's values faith and obedience which are
instruments of ignorance and oppression.
• Enlightenment period brought about changes in the society
including the Industrial Revolution and the two ideologies of
Capitalism and Socialism.
Industrial Revolution
- Roughly 1760 to 1850
- Started parochially in England
- Introduction of New technology
- Rise of factories and salaried workers
- Mass production leads to surplus
- Surplus that results to profit
- Emergence of market
- Gave birth to capitalism
The Birth of Capitalism and the Critique of Socialism
• Capitalists aimed towards profit.
• Markets are constructed for the interest of those who have the
capital, who makes use of the same capital in order to
generate more income or more profit, and thereby further
enlarging the initial capitals.
• Private ownership however has implications:
a) Private property means absolute ownership: No one could
impose on the owner the manner of using the owned
property.
b) Private property means exclusive use: we take note here of
the stark distinction between this modern understanding
and that of Aquinas‘ concept of private property which
allows common use of property if there is a dire need
(situation of great fear or worry).
John Locke argues that any person is justified to gather as much
property as he could as long as the acquisition is done through
his/her legitimate labor. Hence, one‟s labor is seen as the
justification for one‘s acquisition of private properties. This has
later on emerged as a doctrine of “entitlement,” which is also a
central doctrine in the capitalist ideology.
John Locke entertained a moral question on the issue of
acquisition. He asked, is there a limit to what we can own? His
answer was “spoilage” of one person‘s produce suggests excess
of one‘s acquisition. But, as long as there is no spoil, the extent
of one‘s acquisition remains justified. However, this moral
limitation set by the Lockean provision by the use of money.
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 Theo Finals
Two Values Promoted by Capitalism:
1. Social Mobility – capability to rise from one social status to
a better one depending on the effort one exerts.
2. Self-Direction – one’s own future is one’s own
responsibility. It also highlights the principle of PRIVATE
PROPERTY.

However, there were those who were not convinced with the
capitalist ideology. An alternative ideology has flourished,
SOCIALISM, and it has several objections against the capitalist
ideology:
1. The capitalist principles of self-direction and social mobility
are myths and are only true for the rich and able members of
the community.
2. Capitalism ignores, tolerates and even perpetuates unjust
situations of resourcedistribution: unequal distribution of
goods, and the gap between rich and poor.
3. Capitalism endorses the pathology of isolated existence.

Socialism promotes two alternative principles:

1. Common Ownership to replace and abolish the concept of
private property.
2. Personal freedom must be replaced by government control
that seeks for the implementation of the common good.

Following these new developments of the 18th and 19th

centuries, the Church responded to the emerging social
questions that accompanied them. These were the concerns that
constitute the backdraft of the publication of the first social
encyclical, Rerum Novarum (RN).

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THE CATHOLIC SOCIAL ENCYCLICALS
What is an Encyclical?
A papal encyclical is a letter, usually treating some aspect of
Catholic doctrine sent by the Pope addressed either to the
Catholic bishops of a particular area or to the bishops of the
world. The form of the address can vary widely, and often
designates a wider audience
The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (CSDC)
clarifies that, the term “Social Doctrine” goes back to Pope Pius
XI and designates the doctrinal body concerning issues relevant
to society which, from the Encyclical Letter Rerum Novarum
of Pope Leo XIII, developed in the Church through the
Magisterium of the Roman Pontiffs and the Bishops in
communion with them (CSDC, 87).
The Church‘s social concern did not only begin with Rerum
Novarum, the Church has never failed to show interest in the
society. Nonetheless, it adds, the Encyclical Letter Rerum
Novarum marks the beginning of a new path. Grafting itself
onto a tradition hundreds of years old, it signals a new
beginning and a singular development of the Church's teaching
in the area of social matters (CSDC, 87).
RERUM NOVARUM (Of New Things)
Leo XIII, 1891
Context:
• The central issue in Rerum Novarum is the “labor question”.
• RN examines the condition of salaried workers, which was
particularly distressing for industrial laborers who languished
in inhumane misery.
• The labor question is dealt and explored in all its social and
political expressions in the light of the doctrinal principles
founded on Revelation and on natural law and morality
(CSDC, 89).
1. Property Issues and the Inequalities among People
• Mass migration of people from the rural areas to urban
centers.
• RN has criticized the unequal distribution of wealth, and
the huge gap between the rich and the poor
• RN denounces the kind of equality envisioned by the
socialists to do away with private property, and contend
that individual possessions should become the common
property of all, to be administered by the State or by
municipal bodies (RN, 4).
• The encyclical then affirms the tradition of the Church that
defends the legitimacy of private ownership and argues that
private ownership is in accordance with the law of nature.
Truly, that which is required for the preservation of life,
and for life‘s well-being (RN, 9).
2. Wage and Protection of Workers
• RN criticizes the mentality that antagonizes one class
against another.
• RN articulates the need for mutual agreement and
cooperation, which will later be termed as “solidarity”.
Theo Finals
• RN argues that the divide between people may be
addressed if we move towards the improvement of the
workplace.
• Wages then become a central concern in the attempt of
improving the social order.
• The encyclical argues ―that according to natural reason
and Christian philosophy, working for gain is creditable,
not shameful, to a man, since it enables him to earn an
honorable livelihood; but to misuse men as though they
were things in the pursuit of gain, or to value them solely
for their physical powers -that is truly shameful and
inhuman (RN, 20).
• Mutual consent of both parties then, because of the unequal
powers between the employer and the worker, could not
guarantee the strict requirements of justice.
• The encyclical is therefore clear that there is a requirement
of natural justice that goes beyond the mere consent of
contracting parties involved.
• Correlative to the issue of wages, are the issues on the
protection of workers. RN argues acceptable number of
work hours for daily labor, should be so regulated as not to
be protracted over longer hours than strength admits (RN.
42).
• It is only by the labor of working men that States grow rich.
Justice, therefore, demands that the interests of the working
classes should be carefully watched over by the
administration.
3. Solidarity and the workers’ unions
• Noting the disparity in the powers of the employer and the
employee, the government must have a preferential
attention to the condition of the poor and wage-earners,
which could even justify government interventions in the
workplace through legislations (RN, 37)
• RN supports the working men‘s unions.
• Workers’ unions are mechanisms not for its own sake but
to ensure that the conditions are set so as to allow workers
to maximally perform and use their full potentials for.
QUADRAGESIMO ANNO (The Fortieth Year)
Pius XI, 1931
Context:
• The Reconstruction of the Social Order
• The publication was released soon after the Great Depression
that happened in 1929 onwards.
• The Great Depression is characterized by global hunger,
massive unemployment, and extreme poverty.
1. On Economic Dictators
• QA was also vocal about its criticism against the presence
of what it calls as Economic Dictators of the time: these
refer to monopolies and powerful states, like the U.S.,
which dictated the global economy.
• QA is also sensitive to the possibility of an emerging form
of economic imperialism that becomes a result of an
internationalism of finance (QA 109).
• Global agencies like IMF and World Bank have become
vehicles of powerful nations in their attempt to exercise
influence over the poorer States in the world.
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• QA argues that it is precisely the presence of these
economic dictators that make the capitalist system
hypocritical.
2. On Totalitarian Governments
• QA also spoke against the tendency to adopt “totalitarian”
governments, which was also the direction that the socialist
ideologies were heading.
• Totalitarian governments mean those governments whose
common life is decided only by the government with very
minimal participation from the people.
3. The Principle of Subsidiarity
• Just as it is gravely wrong to take from individuals what
they can accomplish by their own initiative and industry
and give it to the community, so also it is an injustice and
at the same time a grave evil and disturbance of right order
to assign to a greater and higher association what lesser and
subordinate organizations can do. For every social activity
ought of its very nature to furnish help to the members of
the body social, and never destroy and absorb them (QA,
79)
MATER ET MAGISTRA (Mother and Teacher)
John XXIII, 1961
Context:
• Entitled as Christianity and Social Progress.
• At the background of the encyclical are:
• World Wars
• Animosity between the East and West blocs dubbed as the
Cold War
• The period of the 60‘s saw the major breakthroughs in the
modern technology.
• The rivalry between the US and USSR prompted the rivalry
in military technology known as the Arms Race and the
Space Race (the US first landed on the moon in 1969 ahead
of the USSR), and later of that decade the internet will be
used (1969).
1. A focus on the Agricultural Sector
• MM calls for a balanced attention between industrial
progress and the development of the agricultural sector.
• MM talks about the common good (MM, 151), and the
cooperation among nations, particularly the responsibility
of wealthy nations (MM, 157).
• As early as 1961, the Church has also tackled the issue of
population increase and economic development (MM 185)
2. The Principle of Socialization
• Continuing the tradition of revisiting the social questions
that affect the society it reviews the social issues
confronted by the Church since Rerum Novarum. MM sees
the irony of the social condition of the world of the early
1960s: despite the advancement of technologies, the
encyclical observes, there remains an undeniable poverty
among peoples.
• The principle is discussed within the context of increasing
intervention of the State to propel the social conditions of
the least among us vis-à-vis the danger of threatening
Theo Finals
individual freedom amidst the increased intervention of the
State (cf. MM, 59-67).
• The encyclical also encourages more cooperation among
the people, that is, people can create institutions in order to
make available those special services for the people‘s basic
needs; and it agrees that state interventions and regulations
may be done in order to address this concern.
• The basic presupposition of the encyclical is the fact that
there are people who are simply rendered incapable to
pursue even their basic needs because of their poverty.
• MM believes that every person deserves to get the basic
needs regardless of his/her social condition, and so the
community must feel responsible in making sure that
everyone is properly aided in the pursuit of their basic
needs.
• Socialization is to be done where institutions have to be
established in order to ensure that there are agencies that
would look into the distribution of basic services to all
citizens.
• Development of the country areas: considerable thought
must be given, especially by public authorities, to the
suitable development of essential facilities in country areas
–such as roads; transportation; means of communication…
(MM 127).
• the encyclical is recommending that communities,
especially through the agency of the government where
everyone, especially the deprived poor, is provided with
their basic needs so they are able to at least live decent
lives.
3. Family Farms and Cooperatives
• MM point out its attention to the contribution of
cooperatives and the kind of contribution that they can
possibly give both for the empowerment of the workers and
in enhancing balance within the economy towards the
common good (cf. MM 85-90).
• The encyclicals calls for the State‘s attention with regard
to the education and support of these sectors in the
economy (cf. MM, 115).
• The same support from the State for the well-being and
sustenance of cooperatives is particularly needed for the
growth of the agricultural sector, specifically the family
farms.
• The encyclical invites that the mechanism of the State
should also provide support for rural workers, especially
farmers, so they could take care of their own means of
production and could productively participate in the affairs
of our political communities (cf. MM, 146).
4. International Cooperation and the Responsibility of
Wealthy Nations
• As early as the 1960s, have already insisted on the
interdependence among nations (MM, §40).
• The need to address the gaps between the lifestyles and
social conditions of those people living in affluent nations
from those who are living in less affluent ones.
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PACEM IN TERRIS (Peace on Earth)
John XXIII, 1963
Context:
• The encyclical was published at the height of the Cold War.
• The Berlin Wall was erected on March of 1962 and the Cuban
Missile crisis of October 1962 almost brought the United
States of America and Russia to another major war.
1. Peace Presupposes Moral Order
• The immediate concern is to respond to the growing threat
against the precarious state of peace achieved by the global
order.
• The world has just experienced the major devastation of the
previous world wars, and is now again threatened by
another war that could possibly erupt between two
superpowers.
• The encyclical has primarily contended that talks about
“peace” should be anchored on our understanding of moral
order. Without respecting the demands of the moral order,
it becomes difficult to establish peace in our communities.
The demand to obey the moral order even covers the
authorities of the State (PT, 83).
• The encyclical then insists that peace is only attained when
we are able to maintain this threefold order among us: a)
order between individuals (PT, 8ff); b) order between
individuals and government authorities (PT, 46ff); and c)
order between States (PT, 80ff).
• Talking about the order in the relationship between the
citizen and the State, the encyclical argues the legitimate
authority of the State (PT, 46). But State authority is not
boundless.
• It is instead defined by the requirements of the moral order
(PT, 47). Such authority then must both respect the
consciences of individuals and the promotion of the
common good.
• The encyclical particularly applauds the progress achieved
by the United Nations Organization and supports its vision
of providing platforms not just for peaceful co-existence
and dialogue between States, but also for their active
mutual collaboration and solidarity (PT, 142-145).
2. Rights Talk in the Catholic Social Tradition
• The encyclical also provides the Catholic position on
human rights. Following its support to the aims of the
United Nations, it also viewed the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights as an advance in our contemporary social
situation (PT 143).
3. Disarmament and Mutual Trust
• Reading this encyclical should bring our attention to its call
for disarmament. The encyclical argues that the arms race
that was happening in the world of the late 50s until the 60s
is contrary to the call for social order (PT 112).
• True and lasting peace among nations cannot consist in the
possession of an equal supply of armaments but only in
mutual trust (PT 113).
Theo Finals
POPULORUM PROGRESSIO
(On the Development of Peoples)
Paul VI, 1967
Context:
• The encyclical is known for its emphasis on the talk about
development, and it is even referred to by some circles as the
“Catholic Social Teaching‘s Magna Carta on Development.”
1. Attention to Poor Nations
• One important call from the encyclical is the attention it
gives to the plight of poor nations and it questions the rapid
progress among rich nations and the slow development
among their poorer counterparts (PP 8).
• PP reiterates the teachings of the predecessors regarding
the immorality of these massive inequalities.
2. Call for Authentic and Integral Human Development
• PP reminds its readers that materialism and avarice have
held us captive, and it reminds us that we need to put our
pursuit for development in proper perspective (cf. PP, 18).
• PP reminds us that authentic development could never be
solely measured by economic and material progress (PP,
14).
3. Call for Global Solidarity
• PP also furthers the call for global solidarity and argues that
rich nations have the responsibility to support the poorer
ones.
• The encyclical calls for a common development among
mankind and reminds wealthier nations of their threefold
responsibility for
o mutual solidarity,
o social justice, and
o universal charity (PP, §44).
• PP recalls that while some nations produce a food surplus,
other nations are in desperate need of food or are unsure of
their export market (PP, 8).
• Noting this situation, the encyclical invites the affluent
communities to give their support to poor countries
reminding them however to do away with the practice of
imperialism that either reduces the weaker state to the level
of parasitic dependence or allows the rich nations to
exercise even political influence and dominance over a
supposedly autonomous state (PP, 54)
4. Development, the New Name for Peace
• PP points out a central theme in the Catholic social
teaching. It reiterates the teaching about the close
relationship between progress and peace on the one hand,
and violence and extreme poverty on the other.
• With this, the encyclical reminds the global community
that for us to journey towards a lasting peace, we need to
realize that equal opportunity toward development must
become a possibility for all nations (cf. PP, §§76-77).
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LABOREM EXERCENS (On Human Work)
John Paul II, 1981
Context:
• John Paul II‘s third encyclical, but the first of his several
encyclicals, was published on September 14, 1981.
• The encyclical offers the ―most comprehensive treatment of
human work in the corpus of Catholic social teaching.
1. Objective and Subjective Components of Work
• The encyclical reminds us that there are two dimensions of
work: the subjective and objective dimensions.
• The subjective dimension refers to the aspect of work that
allows the human person to realize himself/herself. The
subjective aspect allows the human person to find his/her
sense of fulfilment in the work that he/she does.
• The encyclical reminds us that there are two dimensions of
work: the subjective and objective dimensions.
• The objective component of work refers to the kind of work
that the human person does, and it is often the dimension
that is prioritized in the contemporary culture, especially
because it is usually measured by its monetary returns.
2. A Warning against Economism
• LE reminds us to be careful with the “error of economism”
(LE, 13), that is, of equating the dignity and value of our
work with the financial incentives that it gives in return.
• Economism becomes the reason why we tend to lose
appreciation of the contribution of workers and laborers in
our communities. We tend to disregard the contributions,
for example, of our street sweepers, our construction
workers, our farmers and fishermen, traffic enforcers,
domestic helpers, and other blue collar workers, because
their kind of work are said to belong in the low-income
category of the workplace.
• Economism forwards the wrong ideology which considers
only the importance of high paying jobs almost to the
disregard and disrespect of the ordinary workers that
normally ensures our daily convenience and safety.
3. The Role of Indirect Employers
• LE calls our attention to the reality of “indirect employers,”
which includes ―both persons and institutions of various
kinds, and also collective labor contracts and the principles
of conduct which are laid down by these persons and
institutions and which determine the whole socioeconomic
system or are its result‖(LE, §17).
• The encyclical reminds us that other than the responsibility
of the direct employers to ensure the rights and well-being
of their hired workers, the whole community, particularly
the State, needs to assume accountability over the kinds of
arrangements and policies that affect the lives of workers.
Laws on taxation, on trade, on hiring, promotion and
termination of are all counted as part of the indirect
employers that we all need to be mindful about.
4. Family Wage as Just Wage
• LE point out that there has to be an objective basis for a
just wage other than what gets stipulated in the contract that
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governs the relationship between the worker and his
employer.
• For LE, just wage is family wage.
• LE categorically defines just remuneration for the work of
an adult who is responsible for a family to be sufficient for
establishing and properly maintaining a family and for
providing security for its future‖(LE, 19).
5. Support for Workers‟Unions
• LE lauds the legitimate role of the unions in ensuring the
rights and well-being of the workers.
• The encyclical however reminds us that the union‘s role is
to protect the rights of the workers, particularly the
subjective component of their work.
• LE speaks of the role of unions to include the instruction
and education of workers, including their self-education
(LE, 20).
6. Spirituality of Work
• LE‘s profound contribution is to make its readers realize
that the work that we do is not only our means for “self-
realization” but is even our way of participating in the
Paschal mystery of Christ.
• In our work, we participate in the suffering and crucifixion
of Christ, and this is the reason why work demands
sacrifice from the part of the worker.
• Work is a participation in the resurrection of Christ, which
allows us to realize the salvific component of our labor.
• We need to realize that through the work that we perform,
we become instruments of God‘s message of love and
salvation for other people.
SOLICITUDO REI SOCIALIS (On Social Concern)
John Paul II, 1987
Context:
• The explicit claim of JPII in writing the Sollicitudo Rei
Socialis(On Social Concern) on December 30, 1987 is to
commemorate Paul VI‘s PopulorumProgressioand to affirm
the continuing relevance of the social doctrine of the Church
(SRS, 3).
1. Superdevelopment and Underdevelopment
• JPII recalls here the immorality of the extreme gap between
peoples.
• JPII reminds us of Paul VI‘s original message about
Development and that it is about the human person, and
real development is one that responds to the human
person‘s aspiration for meaning and direction (SRS, 29).
2. Reiteration of the Option for the Poor
• SRS reiterates the Christian teaching about the universal
destination of the world‘s goods (SRS, 42).
• While we own things privately, that ownership is not only
meant to further our well-being as a human individual, but
also to empower us so we become available to serve others.
3. On Terrorism and Demographic Problem
• The encyclical noted the emergence of terrorism, used by
some groups as a means to create a better society. The
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encyclical unequivocally condemned the act as
unjustifiable (SRS, 24).
• SRS claims that ―just as it is incorrect to say that
difficulties stem solely from demo graphic growth, neither
is it proved that all demographic growth is incompatible
with orderly development (SRS, 25).
4. Structures of Sin that Impedes the Realization of the
Common Good
• SRS also points out that when sinful and corrupt practices
have become embedded in the way we conduct our
activities in the community, they provide the impression
that there is an obstacle that is difficult to overcome (SRS,
36), and this instead invite others to condone rather than
fight corruption.
CENTESIMUS ANNUS (The Hundredth Year)
John Paul II, 1991
Context:
• Showing his appreciation and support for the continuing
growth of the Catholic social teaching, John Paul II
celebrated the centenary of Leo XIII‘s Rerum Novarum by
publishing the Centesimus Annus on May 1, 1991.
1. The New Things of Today
• JPII argues that after the passage of a hundred years, the
Catholic social teaching remains vibrant and relevant.
There are in fact “new things” of today that calls for the
Church‘s continuing reflections on what is going on in our
communities.
2. Subsidiarity and Solidarity
• CA also insists that an economic program will hardly be
just if it does not pave the way for solidarity and solidarity.
• The ultimate aim of an economic system is to ensure the
well-being of human individuals. Unless an authentic
measure of social inclusion is realized, the economic
system will remain to be ineffective and immoral.
CARITAS IN VERITATE (Charity in Truth)
Benedict XVI, 2009
Context:
• Benedict XVI‘s first social encyclical is supposed to be
published in 2007 as a commemoration of Paul VI‘s
Populorum Progressio.
• But due to the prevailing circumstances of that year,
particularly the economic recession that affected most of
economies in the world, the publication was delayed and was
moved to June 29, 2009.
1. The Phenomenon of Globalization
• Benedict XVI points out that there is one important feature
of our present time‘s talk about integral human
development, that is, the phenomenon of globalization
(CV, 33).
• CV points out that globalization bring with it both the
disadvantages and corresponding challenges.
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2. The Phenomenon of Globalization
• Benedict XVI points out that human fraternity, especially
in our globalized culture, must remain to be highly
sensitive to the demands of both subsidiarity and solidarity
(CV, §58).
3. Promoting the Logic of Gift and the Principle of
Gratuitousness
• Noting that the contemporary culture is dominated by the
culture of gain and extreme individualism, where the logic
of gain becomes the rule of the day, Benedict XVI has
invited us to appreciate what he calls as the logic of the gift
and principle of gratuitousness (CV, 36).
• Only when we learn to realize that everything that we have
is a gift will we be willing to take good care of them, and
be willing to give them back in return as a gift. Such a
culture of caring and giving, together with the culture of
receiving, becomes important aspects if we would want to
build a culture of communion in our globalized and
consumerist world.
LAUDATO SI (“Mi Signore”, Praise be to you, my Lord)
Francis I, 2014
Context:
• This is the second encyclical of Pope Francis which is
primarily intended to denounce the harms that contemporary
society does to the environment.
1. A Warning Against our Neglect of our Environment
• LS argues that humanity‘s propensity for short term, but
easy, gains become the reason for the neglect and abuses
that it does to the environment.
• LS warns us about the danger of our attitude towards the
environment. We are reminded that we are caretakers of
this world, and our abuse to the environment is ultimately
our neglect of humanity and of ourselves.
• In this encyclical, Pope Francis reiterated a thought which
he had initially cited in his Apostolic exhortation Evangelii
Gaudium where he spoke about the dangers of throwaway
culture, and the need to adopt new lifestyles of care and
respect for other beings (LS, 16).
Official Catholic Teachings other than the Encyclicals
PAUL XII’S CHRISTMAS MESSAGES
• Christmas Message of Pope Pius XII delivered in 1942.
• In this message, Pius XII speaks of many elements of our
social life particularly the issue on peace.
• He also identified here the five points for ordering the society
which includes: respect for the dignity of the human person,
defense of social unity, dignity of labor, rehabilitation of the
juridical order, and a Christian conception of the State.
VATICAN II DOCUMENTS:
DIGNITATIS HUMANAE & GAUDIUM ET SPES
• Dignitatis Humanaetalks about religious freedom, which
remains to be a central concern among religions nowadays,
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especially with regard to the relationship of between religions
and States.
• Gaudium et Spesis the Second Vatican Council‘s Pastoral
Constitution of the Church in the Modern World, which
covers a wide range of topics including the talk of natural
law, which becomes the basis for the talk about Catholic
humanism, a concept that was hoped to provide a link
between Catholic social and political philosophy to those that
are coming from traditions other than Catholicism.
• The Constitution also speaks of several themes that are
recurrent in the encyclicals including discussions on the
common good, solidarity, and human rights.
• Promulgated during the height of the cold war, the
Constitution speaks lengthily about peace and the avoidance
of war.
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COMPENDIUM OF THE SOCIAL DOCTRINE OF THE
CHURCH
• If we are to talk about Catholic sources of its social doctrines,
we should not fail to mention this important compendium of
the Catholic social tradition that is dated until its publication
in 2004.
• The document is released by the Pontifical Council for Justice
and Peace to articulate the Social Doctrine of the Catholic
Church.

POPE PAUL VI’S APOSTOLIC LETTER

OCTOGESIMA ADVENIENS
• This Apostolic letter also provides us the Paul VI‘s views on
other social issues particularly on the issue of human equality
and the need for inclusion in decision making.
• The letter also addresses the role of women in political and
social life.

POST-SYNOD DOCUMENT:
JUSTITIA IN MUNDO Mundo
• This is a document that was published after the ordinary
Synod of bishops held in 1971.
• The document was authorized for publication on November
30, but was released only on December 9 in Italian.
• As the title suggests, the document primarily talks about
justice in the world, particularly on how the Church could
serve as witness to justice, how could the Church educate
people about justice, and how could the Church be an agent
of justice in the world.

APOSTOLIC EXHORTATIONS:
FAMILIARIS CONSORTIO OF POPE JOHN PAUL II
• JPII‘s Familiaris Consortio is among the landmark Church
documents on Marriage and Family life, and is included in
the corpus of the social teachings of the Church because of
its discussions on gender, on the role of women, on the social,
cultural and economic factors that affect the family, and on
the role and contribution of the family in the wider society.

APOSTOLIC EXHORTATIONS
EVANGELII GAUDIUM OF POPE FRANCIS
• Francis’ Evangelii Gaudium is primarily intended to talk
about the proclamation of the Gospel but it has devoted an
important chapter (Chapter 2.1) on social issues which talks
about the contemporary crisis on communal commitment.
• It is here where Pope Francis spoke lengthily about his
critique to the economic system that treats money as its lord,
and which promotes a throwaway culture marked by
indifference and exclusions.

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