THY 3 U3 L2 Modern Social Teaching of the Church (1891 to present)

The Catholic Social Encyclicals

Description:
The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (CSDC)
1. clarifies that,
The term ―social doctrine‖ goes back to Pope Pius XI and designates the doctrinal
―corpus‖ 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).
2. It also states that,
a. the Church‘s social concern did not only begin with Rerum Novarum, but
as what we have attempted to show above,
b. the Church has never failed to show interest in the society.
3. Nonetheless, it adds,
a. the Encyclical Letter Rerum Novarum marks the beginning of a new path.
b. 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).

A. The Rerum Novarum and the Labor question(s)

1. labor issues
a. RE examines the condition of salaried workers, which was particularly distressing for
industrial labourers who languished in inhumane misery.
b. The labour question is dealt with according to its true dimensions.
c. It is explored in all its social and political expressions so that a proper evaluation may be
made in the light of the doctrinal principles founded on Revelation and on natural law
and morality‖ (CSDC, 89).
2. Property Issues and the Inequalities among People
a. The encyclical then has vocally criticized the unequal distribution of wealth, and the huge
gap between the rich and the poor.
b. A small number of very rich men have been able to lay upon the teeming masses of the
laboring poor a yoke little better than that of slavery itself (RN, 3).
c. It denounces the kind of equality envisioned by the socialists who strive 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).
d. It unequivocally claims that Socialists, therefore, by endeavoring to transfer the
possessions of individuals to the community at large, strike at the interests of every wage-
earner, since they would deprive him of the liberty of disposing of his wages, and thereby
of all hope and possibility of increasing his resources and of bettering his condition in
life (RN, 5).
e. It 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.
f. Truly, that which is required for the preservation of life, and for life‘s well-being, is
produced in great abundance from the soil, but not until man has brought it into
cultivation and expended upon it his solicitude and skill (RN, 9).
 g. However, the Church reminds the holders of private properties that ownership cannot be
legitimately held as absolute, and one‘s properties must continue to contribute even for
the well-being of others.
h. Recalling the teachings of the angelic doctor, Thomas Aquinas, the encyclical advises,
man should not consider his material possessions as his own, but as common to all, so as
to share them without hesitation when others are in need.
i. Whence the Apostle said, ̳Command the rich of this world... to offer with no stint, to
apportion largely‘ (RN, 22)
3. Wage and Protection of Workers
a. Moreover, Rerum Novarum criticizes as an error the mentality that antagonizes one class
against another.
b. Whereas socialism believes that justice can serve as the end of class struggles, the Church
argues on the contrary, that it‘s a mistake to regard as valid the notion that class is
naturally hostile to class, and that the wealthy and the working men are intended by
nature to live in mutual conflict (RN, 19).
c. Rerum Novarum then articulates the need for mutual agreement and cooperation, which
will later be termed as ̳solidarity.
d. The contrast between cooperation and strife is significant, mutual agreement results in the
beauty of good order, while perpetual conflict necessarily produces confusion and savage
barbarity (RN, 19).
e. Instead of the socialist principles, Rerum Novarum argues that the divide between people
may be addressed if we move towards the improvement of the workplace.
f. Wages then become a central concern in the attempt of improving the social order.
g. 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).
h. It even adds that the first thing of all to secure is to save unfortunate working people from
the cruelty of men of greed, who use human beings as mere instruments for money-
making.
i. It is neither just nor human so to grind men down with excessive labor as to stupefy their
minds and wear out their bodies (RN, 42).
j. Commenting specifically on the practice of wage distribution in the market, the encyclical
claims,
Wages, as we are told, are regulated by free consent, and therefore the employer,
when he pays what was agreed upon, has done his part and seemingly is not called
upon to do anything beyond. The only way, it is said, in which injustice might occur
would be if the master refused to pay the whole of the wages, or if the workman should
not complete the work undertaken; in such cases the public authority should intervene,
to see that each obtains his due, but not under any other circumstances (RN, 43).
k. But, Rerum Novarum finds this arrangement insufficient as a safeguard the well-being of
the workers whose bargaining rights and powers are clearly weaker compared to that of
the employer.
 l. 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.
m. Instead, Rerum Novarum recommends, Let the working man and the employer make free
agreements, and in particular let them agree freely as to the wages; nevertheless, there
underlies a dictate of natural justice more imperious and ancient than any bargain between
man and man, namely, that wages ought not to be insufficient to support a frugal and well-
behaved wage-earner (RN, 45).
n. The encyclical is therefore clear that there is a requirement of natural justice that goes
beyond the mere consent of contracting parties involved.
o. Correlative to the issue of wages, are the issues on the protection of workers, where RN
argues that, … the employer must never tax his work people beyond their strength, or
employ them in work unsuited to their sex and age.
p. His great and principal duty is to give everyone what is just(RN, 20).
q. Commenting even on the acceptable number of work hours, RN openly protests, Daily
labor, therefore, should be so regulated as not to be protracted over longer hours than
strength admits (RN. 42).
r. The encyclical even agrees that it becomes the responsibility of the State to make sure that
the workers are allowed to enjoy the fruits of their labor and are able to live decent lives
out the remuneration they get for their work:
Indeed, their (workers) co-operation is in this respect so important that it may be truly
said that 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, so that they who contribute so largely to the
advantage of the community may themselves share in the benefits which they create-
that being housed, clothed, and bodily fit, they may find their life less hard and more
endurable. It follows that whatever shall appear to prove conducive to the well-being
of those who work should obtain favorable consideration (RN, 34).
4. Solidarity and the workers‟ unions
a. Noting the disparity in the powers of the employer and the employee, RN 37 even
explains why 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, on the condition that Rights must be religiously r
respected wherever they exist‖ (RN, 37):
The richer class have many ways of shielding themselves, and stand less in need of
help from the State; whereas the mass of the poor have no resources of their own to
fall back upon, and must chiefly depend upon the assistance of the State. And it is for
this reason that wage-earners, since they mostly belong in the mass of the needy,
should be specially cared for and protected by the government (RN, 37).
b. Moreover, RN supports the workingmen‘s unions as legitimately supported by the notion
of natural rights, and it criticizes the state‘s tendency to suppress these unions.
c. RN stresses that the State has for its office to protect natural rights, not to destroy them;
and, if it forbids its citizens to form associations, it contradicts the very principle of its
own existence, for both they and it exist in virtue of the like principle, namely, the
natural tendency of man to dwell in society‖ (RN, 51).

d. But, the encyclical does not also agree with the frequent instigations of work stoppage
 due to strikes, and claims that the grave inconvenience of this not uncommon occurrence
should be obviated by public remedial measures; for such paralysing of labor not only
affects the masters and their work people alike, but is extremely injurious to trade and to
the general interests of the public; moreover, on such occasions, violence and disorder
are generally not far distant and thus it frequently happens that the public peace is
imperiled (RN, 39).
e. RN suggests that instead of suppressing unions, a suppression which oftentimes is
premised by the unwanted consequences of strikes, governments may only intervene in
so far as it could assure that all interests, including the needs of the wage earners (see
RN 37 above), are attended to.
f. 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, as
RN is convinced, most true it is that by far the larger part of the workers prefer to better
themselves by honest labor rather than by doing any wrong to others‖(RN, 38).

B. Quadargesimo Anno’s proposal to reconstruct the social order

1. Quadragesimo Anno or The Reconstruction of the Social Order was published on May
15, 1931 by Pius XI, that is, forty years after the publication of the Rerum Novarum.
2. The publication was released soon after the Great Depression that happened in 1929
onwards.
3. Some historians traced the start of Great Depression on Black Tuesday, October 29,
1929.
4. The Great Depression is characterized by global hunger, massive unemployment, and
extreme poverty.
5. This is oftentimes used as an example of the extreme consequences of bad decisions
made in the capitalist system.
6. It demonstrates the vulnerability of the global economy of the capitalist system.
7. It is like a bubble that can grow excessively and yet, when it reaches its limits, it could
just simply explode and lose all its initial gains.
8. It is against the background of the Great depression that the QA positioned its critique
against liberal capitalism.
THEMES
1. On Economic Dictators
a. These refer to monopolies and powerful states, like the U.S., which dictated the
global economy.
b. In fact, one theory about the Great depression suggests that one particular law in the
U.S. passed in 1929, which raises the tariffs in most products entering the U.S.
markets, stirs a global reaction which contributed to the depression.
c. This shows how a political superpower could also affect and dictate a global
economy.
d. The common forms of economic dictatorship at that time were the monopolies, which
lead to dictation in prices of commodities, and absolute control over labor especially
in the production and selling of goods.
e. QA criticized the practice because it creates imbalances of power.

f. We could quote QA here in length:

 In the first place, it is obvious that not only is wealth concentrated in our times but an
immense power and despotic economic dictatorship is consolidated in the hands of a
few, who often are not owners but only the trustees and managing directors of
invested funds which they administer according to their own arbitrary will and
pleasure (QA, 105).
g. QA traces the root of this imbalance of power from the ideals of economic competition
whose award of freedom to the victors allow them to survive, at times at the expense of
others. We again quote QA here in length:
This concentration of power and might, the characteristic mark, as it were, of
contemporary economic life, is the fruit that the unlimited freedom of struggle among
competitors has of its own nature produced, and which lets only the strongest survive;
and this is often the same as saying, those who fight the most violently, those who give
least heed to their conscience (QA, 107).
h. Then the encyclical proceeds to showing how the mechanism of state power is used to
further the economic gains of those who are in power.
i. QA even asserts that the quest for economic supremacy would even lead to conflict
among States (cf. QA,108), a warning that could not be denied in the current situation
of our global politics.
j. Lastly, 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).
k. We perhaps could look into how 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.
l. QA argues that it is precisely the presence of these economic dictators that make the
capitalist system hypocritical.
m. While capitalism brags of its principles of self-direction and equal opportunity for all
to complete, in practice the capitalist system is controlled, manipulated and even
exploited by few powerful men and institutions.
n. In most cases, it is the poor who and the weak who are disadvantaged.
o. For capitalism to become true to its ideals, it has to become sensitive to the
predicaments of the least and underprivileged members of the society.
2. On Totalitarian Governments
a. QA also spoke against the tendency to adopt ̳totalitarian‘ governments, which was also
the direction that the socialist ideologies were heading.
b. By totalitarian governments we mean those governments whose common life is decided
only by the government with very minimal participation from the people.
c. Examples of this are the communist states and the Fascist and Nazi governments of
Europe, which wanted to regulate people‘s ownership and political participation.
3. The Principle of Subsidiarity
a. QA wishes to establish the delicate balance between the extreme liberalism of capitalism
(which was tainted by the emergence of economic dictators) and the absolutist control of
totalitarian states.
b. As a response to this, QA proposes a principle which is now known in the Catholic
tradition as the principle of Subsidiarity (cf. QA,79 & 80).

c. This principle can be described by these following words from the encyclical:
 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)
d. Following the principle of subsidiarity, the initiative, freedom and creativity of the lower
agencies and institutions (and even of individuals) are to be encouraged and supported,
even if the State is still given its regulatory powers only in urgent and very few cases.
e. Interventions are minimal but they can be legitimate if disputes can hardly be settled in
the lower agencies.
C. Mater et Magistra and the Call for Socialization
1. Entitled as Christianity and Social Progress, the encyclical Mater et Magistra was published
by John XXIII on May 15, 1961.
2. At the background of the encyclical are the previous World Wars that have caused havoc to
the global community, which remains to be threatened by the growing animosity between
the East and West blocs dubbed as the cold war of powerful States that adopted the
competing ideologies of socialism and Capitalism.
3. The period of the 60‘s also saw the major breakthroughs in the modern technology.
4. The rivalry between the US and the 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).
THEMES
1. A focus on the Agricultural Sector
a. One of the issues that MM first discussed was the need to look into the area of
Agriculture (MM,123ff) and calls for a balanced attention between industrial progress
and the development of the agricultural sector.
b. Moreover, the encyclical talks about the common good (MM,151), and the cooperation
among nations, particularly the responsibility of wealthy nations (MM,157).
c. As early as 1961, the Church has also tackled the issue of population increase and
economic development (MM,185)
2. The Principle of Socialization
a. QA shows the increasingly global concern of the Church.
b. The idea of socialization is the most important (and controversial contribution of the
encyclical).
c. The principle is discussed within the context increasing intervention of the State to
propel the social conditions of the least among us vis-à-vis the danger of threatening
individual freedom amidst the increased intervention of the State (cf. MM, 59-67).
d. 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.

e. The basic presupposition of the encyclical is the fact that we could not just simply rely
 on capitalism‘s principle of competition and self-direction for there are people who are
simply rendered incapable to pursue even their basic needs because of their poverty.
f. 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.
g. Hence, 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.
h. This is evident for example when the encyclical calls the redistribution of the common
resources of the state, when it recommends to pursue an economic and social policy
which facilitates the widest possible distribution of private property in terms of durable
consumer goods, houses, land, tools and equipment... (MM, 115).
i. The encyclical has also called for the 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).
j. In other words, the encyclical is recommending that communities, especially through the
agency of the government, must put up processes 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
a. Another important point in Mater et Magistra is 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).
b. The encyclicals calls for the State‘s attention with regard to the education and support of
these sectors in the economy (cf. MM, 115).
c. 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.
d. 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
a. The encyclical, as early as the 1960s, have already insisted on the interdependence
among nations (MM, 40).
b. Such interdependence also necessitates that we 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.
c. The encyclical brings this imbalance into the fore when it says that the solidarity which
binds all men together as members of a common family makes it impossible for wealthy
nations to look with indifference upon the hunger, misery and poverty of other nations
whose citizens are unable to enjoy even elementary human rights (MM,157).

d. The encyclical has even prophetically warned us of what is to come should these
 differences be ignored, The nations of the world are becoming more and more dependent
on one another and it will not be possible to preserve a lasting peace so long as glaring
economic and social imbalances persist‖ (MM,157).
e. This perhaps is echoed in the many forms of violence that have rendered our
contemporary world less and less secure.
D. Pacem in Terris and the Church’s View on Peace
1. Two years after Mater et Magistra, John XXIII published another encyclical entitled Pacem
in Terris on April 11, 1963.
2. The encyclical was published at the height of the Cold War.
3. 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.
THEMES
1. Peace Presupposes Moral Order
a. It responds to the growing threat against the precarious state of peace achieved by the
global order.
b. 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.
c. The encyclical has primarily contended that talks about ̳peace‘ should be anchored on
our understanding of moral order.
d. Without respecting the demands of the moral order, it becomes difficult to establish
peace in our communities.
e. The demand to obey the moral order even covers the authorities of the State (PT, 83).
f. The encyclical then insists that peace is only attained when we are able to maintain this
threefold order among us:
i. order between individuals (PT, 8ff);
- Order between individuals need our recognition of the reciprocity of our rights and
duties (PT, 30) and the need for mutual collaboration and solidarity (PT, 33).
ii. order between individuals and government authorities (PT, 46ff); and
- 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
iii. order between States (PT, 80ff)
- Their relationships, therefore, must likewise be harmonized in accordance with the
dictates of truth, justice, willing cooperation, and freedom.
- The same law of nature that governs the life and conduct of individuals must also
regulate the relations of political communities with one another. (PT, 80).
- 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).

4. Rights Talk in the Catholic Social Tradition

 a. Significantly, the encyclical also provides the Catholic position on human rights.
b. 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).
c. It however reminds its readers that an emphasis on rights without attention to duties will
be insufficient and ineffective (PT, 44 & 144).
5. Disarmament and Mutual Trust
a. 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).
b. The encyclical is unequivocal in its cry: Everyone must sincerely co-operate in the effort
to banish fear and the anxious expectation of war from men's minds.
c. But this requires that the fundamental principles upon which peace is based in today's
world be replaced by an altogether different one, namely, the realization that true and
lasting peace among nations cannot consist in the possession of an equal supply of
armaments but only in mutual trust (PT, 113).
E. Populorum Progressio’s Call for Integral Human Development
1. On March 26, 1967, Pope Paul VI published the encyclical Populorum Progressio.
2. 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.
THEMES
1. Attention to Poor Nations
a. It questions the rapid progress among rich nations and the slow development among their
poorer counterparts (PP, 8).
b. PP reiterates the teachings of the predecessors regarding the immorality of these massive
inequalities.
2. Call for Authentic and Integral Human Development
a. Noting the reality of growing poverty amidst the social, economic and technological
achievements of human civilization, the encyclical calls for an evaluation of the values
that we hold dear.
b. 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).
c. PP reminds us that authentic development could never be solely measured by economic
and material progress (PP, 14).
d. Infrastructures and economic growth could not be regarded as the only, and even
primary, indicators of development.
e. We are reminded that as we work towards progress, we should not lose of the more
meaningful things in life.
3. Call for Global Solidarity
a. PP also furthers the call for global solidarity and argues that rich nations have the
responsibility to support the poorer ones.
b. The encyclical calls for a common development among mankind and reminds wealthier
nations of their threefold responsibility for 1) mutual solidarity, 2) social justice, and 3)
universal charity (PP, 44).

4. Development, the New Name for Peace

 a. PP points out a central theme in the Catholic social teaching.
b. It reiterates the teaching about the close relationship between progress and peace on the
one hand, and violence and extreme poverty on the other.
c. 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).
d. The encyclical calls out for affluent societies to feel responsible to help the poor because
of the clear gap rich and poor nations.
e. 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).
f. 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).
F. Human Work in JPII’s Laborem Exercens
1. John Paul II‘s third encyclical, but the first of his several encyclicals, was published on
September 14, 1981.
2. The encyclical offers the ―most comprehensive treatment of human work in the corpus of
Catholic social teaching.
THEMES
1. Objective and Subjective Components of Work
a. The subjective dimension of Work
- It refers to the aspect of work that allows the human person to realize himself/herself.
- It allows the human person to find his/her sense of fulfilment in the work that he/she
does.
- This is for example seen in a teacher‘s sense of fulfillment not in the amount of his/her
salary or in the prestige and recognition that s/he gets, but in his sense of fulfillment in
the conduct of his/her work.
b. The objective component of work
- It 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.
c. The encyclical then reminds us that in our appreciation of work, we need not only look
into a work‘s capacity to provide monetary incentives, but also its capacity to provide f
fulfilment and satisfaction for the worker.
d. In fact, the encyclical reminds us, it is the subjective aspect that has priority (see LE, 6).
2. A Warning against Economism
a. In relation to the above distinction between the subjective and objective aspect of work,
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.
b. Economism becomes the reason why we tend to lose appreciation of the contribution of
workers and laborers in our communities.
c. 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.
d. 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
a. LE also recalls CST‘s tradition since Rerum Novarum to speak on behalf of labor and to
fight for the well-being of workers.
b. It specifically 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)
c. 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.
d. Laws on taxation, on trade, on hiring, promotion and termination of labor (like the
ENDO issue in the Philippines, for example) are all counted as part of the indirect
employers that we all need to be mindful about.
4. Family Wage as Just Wage
a. JPII reiterates the teaching of his predecessors regarding the role of natural justice in the
determination of just wage.
b. LE continues to point out that there has to be an objective basis for a just wage other than
what gets stipulated in the contract that governs the relationship between the worker and
his employer.
c. In other words, a promulgated contract is not readily just.
d. It can only be just if it meets the objective requirement of natural justice.
e. For LE, just wage is family wage.
f. 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).
g. This means then that just wage must allow an adult worker to have some sort of savings
that will serve as future provisions for the emergency and other needs of the family
including the education of their children.
5. Support for Workers‟ Unions
a. Echoing the teachings of past social encyclicals, LE lauds the legitimate role of the
unions in ensuring the rights and well-being of the workers.
b. 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.
c. Hence, LE speaks of the role of unions to include the ̳instruction and education of
workers, including their self-education (LE, 20).
d. In doing this, unions must resist the temptation to become partisans in the political arena,
and they must be careful not to allow themselves to be used and manipulated for the
political ends of others.

6. Spirituality of Work
 a. 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.
b. 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.
c. It is always wrong to expect remuneration without our willingness to render our physical
and mental contribution for the realization of a particular project or end for which we are
employed or hired for.
d. Moreover, work is a participation in the resurrection of Christ, which allows us to realize
the salvific component of our labor.
e. 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.
f. An engineer‘s hard work for example becomes liberating for those people who enjoy the
fruits of his labor when they begin using the bridges and the buildings that he constructed.
G. JPII revisited Paul VI’s PP in Sollicitudo Rei Socialis
1. The explicit claim of JPII in writing the Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (On Social Concern) on
December 30, 1987 is to commemorate Paul VI‘s Populorum Progressio and to affirm the
continuing relevance of the social doctrine of the Church (SRS, §3).
THEMES
1. Superdevelopment and Underdevelopment
a. JPII recalls here the immorality of the extreme gap between peoples.
b. If there are those people who live in poverty because they are victims of
underdevelopment (where they are deprived of the basic material resources that are
essential for their decent human living), there are also people who are living in
superdeveloped countries whose culture led them to become slaves to the culture of
consumerism, where the culture of waste and throwing away, even of those things that
are still valuable becomes the norm (SRS, 28).
c. JPII reminds us of Paul VI‘s original message about appreciating development from the
perspective that is more than economic.
d. Development 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
a. SRS reiterates the Christian teaching about the universal destination of the world‘s goods
(SRS, 42), and it reminds its readers that while everyone has the right to own things in
private, our possessions are under a ̳social mortgage,‘ where our ownership cannot go
against the social function of property.
b. In other words, 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
a. The encyclical noted the emergence of terrorism, used by some groups as a means to
create a better society.
b. The encyclical unequivocally condemned the act as ̳unjustifiable (SRS, 24).

c. Moreover, the encyclical speaks of the increasing tendency even among States to readily
 equate demographic growth with underdevelopment.
d. The encyclical clarifies that while many States speak of demographic growth as a
problem, there are also some nations whose economic well-being is threatened not by a
growing population but of a declining one.
e. Hence, the encyclical claims that “Just as it is incorrect to say that such difficulties stem
solely from demographic 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
a. SRS also points out that there are certain political, economic and social arrangements that
impedes the solidarity of people, and instead promotes division which runs contrary to
the development of peoples.
b. 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.
H. JPII’s Centesimus Annus to Commemorate RN
1. John Paul II celebrated the centenary of Leo XIII‘s Rerum Novarum by publishing the
Centesimus Annus on May 1, 1991.
THEMES
1. The New Things of Today
a. JPII argues that after the passage of a hundred years, the Catholic social teaching remains
vibrant and relevant.
b. There are in fact ̳new things‘ of today that calls for the Church‘s continuing reflections
on what is going on in our communities.
c. JPII pointed out that the opposition between socialism and liberal capitalism that was at
the height during the time of Leo XIII is no longer as strong in 1991 especially because
the USSR has already weakened (and will in fact be later disbanded by the end of that
year) and the Berlin Wall has actually already fallen in 1989.
d. JPII attributed the fall of communism to its wrong anthropology, that is, to treat the
human person as mere pawn within the entire political mechanism and atheism
(CA, 13)
e. With the fall of socialism/communism, JPII acknowledges that capitalism can be a means
for liberation only if it addresses its own fundamental flaws (CA, 42) which includes
inequality of power in wealth distribution and the neglect of the rights of worker.
2. Subsidiarity and Solidarity
a. CA also insists that an economic program will hardly be just if it does not pave the way
for solidarity.
b. The ultimate aim of an economic system is to ensure the well-being of human
individuals.
c. Unless an authentic measure of social inclusion is realized, the economic system will
remain to be ineffective and immoral.
I. Benedict XVI’s Caritas in Veritate
1. Benedict XVI‘s first social encyclical is supposed to be published in 2007 as a
commemoration of Paul VI‘s Populorum Progressio.
2. 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.
THEMES
1. The Phenomenon of Globalization
a. 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).
b. CV points out that globalization bring with it both the disadvantages and corresponding
challenges.
c. The facility of communication within a globalized world allows better sharing of
knowledge and resources, and more opportunity for collaboration and solidarity.
d. But at the same time, globalization brings with it the dangers of cultural eclecticism
(CV, 26) and levelling, where one‘s identity is lost in favor of a more dominant cultural
expression.
e. 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).
2. Promoting the Logic of Gift and the Principle of Gratuitousness
a. 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).
b. Benedict XVI argues that both must find their place in our economic activities.
c. 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.
d. 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.
J. Pope Francis’ Laudato Si
1. A Warning Against our Neglect of our Environment
2. This is the second encyclical of Pope Francis which is primarily intended to denounce the
harms that contemporary society does to the 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.
3. LS warns us about the danger of our attitude towards the environment.
4. 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.
5. 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).
6. The culture of waste and throwaway immune us from the kind of disposals that we exercise
not just over material things but even over our fellow human beings.
Official Catholic Teachings other than the Encyclicals
K. Pius XII’s Christmas Messages
1. The Christmas Message of Pope Pius XII was delivered in 1942.
2. In this message, Pius XII speaks of many elements of our social life particularly the issue on
peace.
3. 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.
L. Vatican II Documents: Dignitatis Humanae and Gaudium et Spes
1. Dignitatis Humanae talks about religious freedom, which remains to be a central concern
among religions nowadays, especially with regard to the relationship of between religions \
and States.
2. Gaudium et Spes is 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.
3. 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.
4. Moreover, the document talks about the family and the institution‘s role in fostering the
future of our human communities.
M. Pope Paul VI’s Apostolic Letter Octogesima Adveniens
1. 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.
2. The letter also addresses the role of women in political and social life.
N. Post-synod document: Justitia in Mundo
1. This is a document that was published after the ordinary Synod of bishops held in 1971.
2. The document was authorized for publication on November 30, but was released only on
December 9 in Italian.
3. 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.
O. Apostolic Exhortations: Familiaris Consortio of JPII and Evangelii Gaudium of Pope
Francis
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. EG criticizes the economic system that treats money as its lord, and which promotes a
throwaway culture marked by indifference and exclusions.
P. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
1. 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.
2. The document is released by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace to articulate the
Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church.

PRINCIPLES OF THE SOCIAL TEACHINGS OF THE CHURCH

A. Human Dignity
1. The Catholic social tradition argues that the human person is at the center of our talk about
social, political and economic progress.
2. Economy and politics are the means to promote the dignity of man rather than becoming the
ruler for human existence.
3. Putting the human person in the middle however does not entitle the human person to exploit
the world.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
B. Common Good
1. 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).
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. The Catholic social teaching continues to argue that we build a community both
a. because it is our nature to come together as a community because we find fulfillment in the
company of one another, and
b. also because our social relationships are among our best resources that will help us address
the undeniable vulnerabilities that characterize our finite human existence.
C. Universal destination of Goods
1. 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.
2. The principle is rooted in our understanding of a common humanity.
 3. If we are all equal in dignity as human persons, then the wide gap among us should be a
scandal against our common humanity.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. The principle also reminds us of the legitimacy of our private properties but only as a means.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. There is always a moral call for those who are more capable to help in the empowerment of
the less capable and weaker ones.
10. 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.
D. Subsidiarity
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. This principle is the Church‘s alternative to the extreme practices of imperialism,
totalitarianism, and managerialism.
4. This is the basis for the Church‘s call for social inclusion and participatory democracy.
E. Participation
1. The Compendium (CSDC, 189) again asserts that individuals must contribute to the
economic, social, and political life of the communities where s/he belongs.
2. This is the Church‘s reaction against the manipulative tendencies of the market forces
including the institutions that it nurtures like the media.
3. 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.
4. The principle of participation is a direct consequence of the principle of subsidiarity and the
practice of social inclusion.
F. Solidarity
1. 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).
2. This is the Church‘s response to the growing culture of apathy and indifference.
3. The principle is rooted in our understanding of ourselves as basically in need of others, and
who are incapable of a self-sufficient existence.
 4. The principle comes from the realization that we are all vulnerable and are in need of others.
5. 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.
THE FUNDAMENTAL VALUES OF SOCIAL LIFE
A. Truth
1. Caritas in Veritate (26) warns us against the danger of eclecticism (relativism) and leveling
(loss of identity).
2. Instead, we are called to give witness to the reality of our Christian vocation.
3. Part of our Christian vocation is to speak the truth even during those moments when being
truthful is inconvenient and difficult.
4. 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.
B. Freedom
1. 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.
2. The social teaching of the Church believes that human freedom requires that we should be
allowed to exercise our autonomy.
3. At the same time, however, Christian freedom is aware of its limitations and responsibility.
4. 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.
5. 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.
C. Justice and Love
1. The Christian tradition opposes the tendency to oppose justice from love.
2. In the Christian perspective, there is no authentic justice without love.
3. Christian understanding of justice goes beyond the understanding of justice as retributive.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Following the social teachings of the Church, we can affirm the following:
a. 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.
b. 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.
c. There is then the invitation to continuously attempt to BUILD A CIVILIZATION of love
and make our world a better place to live in.