SOCIAL TEACHING OF

THE CATHOLIC
CHURCH
Academic Year 2023-2024
1st Semester – Block 3

Block 3, Sem 1, A.Y. 2023-2024

MRS. ANNABELLE S. DUA – Professor| annabelle.dua@spus.edu.ph
What is Catholic Social Teaching? (CST)

CST is the officially proclaimed

teaching of the Catholic Church on
social, cultural, political and economic
issues.
Encyclical
- an Encyclical is a circular or letter of the
pope to a group of bishops or to all the
bishops of the world on matters of faith and
morals.
The word “encyclical” shares etymological
origins with “encyclopedia” which means
general knowledge.
Encyclical
- An authoritative Church teaching on social, political
and economic issues
- It is informed by Gospel values and the lived
experience of Christian reflection
- It analyses that lived experience of Christian
reflection from different historical, political and social
contexts
-It provides principles for reflection, a criteria for
judgment and guidelines for action
CST

Thus, it enables us in our struggle to

live our faith in justice and peace
(CST)

Catholi
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Teachi “best-kept
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KEY PRINCIPLES OF CST:

• ISSUES
• PRINCIPLES
• CHURCH DOCUMENTS
• ROOTED IN SCRIPTURES
 PRINCIPLES DEFINITION CONNECTIONS
HUMAN DIGNITY Human beings are Key Questions for Analysis:
KEY WORDS: created in the image • What is happening to
people?
• Foundation of all of God and, therefore, • Who is affected? How?
principles are endowed with
Scriptural Connections:
• Made in God’s dignity. This inherent • Psalm 103
image dignity carries with it
• Not earned, but certain basic rights Quotes from CST
• U.S. Catholic Bishops, The
endowed and responsibilities Challenge of Peace, #15
• Inherent worth which are exercised • Pope Benedict XVl, Deus
and value within a social Caritas Est # 10
• Pope John Paul ll,
framework. Centessimus Annus, # 11
 PRINCIPLES DEFINITION CONNECTIONS
RESPECT FOR LIFE Human life at every stage Key Questions for Analysis:
KEY WORDS: of development and • Who is excluded from life?
decline is precious and • Who’s existence is
• Reverence therefore worthy of
threatened?
• From Conception protection and respect. It
Scriptural Connections:
through natural • Exodus 20:13
is always wrong directly Quotes from CST
death to attack innocent human
• Consistent Ethic life. The Catholic tradition
• Life in all forms is sees the sacredness of
sacred human life as part of any
moral vision for a just and
good society.
 PRINCIPLES DEFINITION CONNECTIONS
COMMON GOOD The common good Key Questions for Analysis:
KEY WORDS: embraces the sum • What is in the best
interest of all?
• The good of all and total of all those • What will best foster
the good of the conditions of social life authentic human
development for the
wider community which enable greatest number?
• Not just individual individuals, families, • How can we know what
but also global and organizations to the common good is in a
given situation?
• Development of achieve complete full Scriptural Connections:
the group human flourishing. • Luke 4:16-22/Matthew
• Taking the whole 25:31-44
into account
 PRINCIPLES DEFINITION CONNECTIONS
COMMON GOOD The common good Key Questions for Analysis:
KEY WORDS: embraces the sum Quotes from CST:
• The good of all and total of all those • Pope John XX111- Mater et
the good of the conditions of social life Magistra # 74
wider community which enable • Catechism of the Catholic
Church #1926
• Not just individual individuals, families,
but also global and organizations to
• Development of achieve complete full
the group human flourishing.
• Taking the whole
into account
 PRINCIPLES DEFINITION CONNECTIONS
STEWARDSHIP: There is inherent Key Questions for Analysis:
KEY WORDS: integrity to all of • What is happening to the
resources at our expense?
• Care for all of creation and it • What is the attitude toward
creation requires careful the environment and how
is it regarded and
• Proper use of stewardship of all our protected?
resources resources, ensuring
• co-creators and that we use and
guardians distribute them justly
• Environmental and and equitably as well
ecological as planning for future
reverence generations
 PRINCIPLES DEFINITION CONNECTIONS
STEWARDSHIP: There is inherent Key Questions for Analysis:
KEY WORDS: integrity to all of • What is happening to the
resources at our expense?
• recognition of God’s creation and it • What is the attitude toward
revelation in all of requires careful the environment and how
is it regarded and
creation stewardship of all our protected?
resources, ensuring
that we use and
distribute them justly
and equitably as well
as planning for future
generations
 PRINCIPLES DEFINITION CONNECTIONS
HUMAN RIGHTS AND Every person has a Key Questions for Analysis:
DUTIES basic rights and • What are rights are upheld
and protected?
KEY WORDS: responsibilities that • What responsibilities are
• Inalienable flow from our human required?
• Realized only in dignity and that
community belong to us as human
• Must be protected beings regardless of
• Not granted, not any social or political
earned structures.
• Responsibility
• All are equal
 PRINCIPLES DEFINITION CONNECTIONS
HUMAN RIGHTS AND The rights are Key Questions for Analysis:
DUTIES numerous and include • What are rights are upheld
and protected?
KEY WORDS: those things that make • What responsibilities are
• Inalienable life truly human. required?
• Realized only in Corresponding to our
community rights are duties and
• Must be protected responsibilities to
• Not granted, not respect the rights of
earned others and to work for
• Responsibility the common good of
• All are equal all.
 PRINCIPLES DEFINITION CONNECTIONS
SOLIDARITY We are all part of one Key Questions for Analysis:
KEY WORDS: human family, • What is happening to
others not immediately
• Relationship whatever our national, connected to us in our local
building racial, religious, setting?
• What is my moral
• Love of Neighbor economic or response?
has global ideological differences
implications and in an increasingly Scriptural Connections:
Luke 10, 38-42
• Remove artificial interconnected world,
borders and loving our neighbor
boundaries has global dimensions.
 PRINCIPLES DEFINITION CONNECTIONS
SOLIDARITY We are all part of one Quotes from CST:
KEY WORDS: human family, • Pope John Paul ll,
Sollicitudo Rei Socialis # 38-
• Interdependence whatever our national, 39
• “Standing with” racial, religious,
Companioning economic or
ideological differences
and in an increasingly
interconnected world,
loving our neighbor
has global dimensions.
 PRINCIPLES DEFINITION CONNECTIONS
OPTION FOR THE In every economic, Key Questions for analysis:
POOR political and social • How are the poorest and
most vulnerable faring?
KEY WORDS: decision, a weighted • Where is there a
• Preferential love concern must be given manifestation of
oppression and
• Priority of restoring to the needs of the powerlessness?
to the community, poorest and most
those excluded vulnerable. When we
• God hears the cry do this we strengthen
of the poor and the entire community,
responds because the
 PRINCIPLES DEFINITION CONNECTIONS
OPTION FOR THE powerlessness of any Scriptural Connections:
Ephesians 4:1-6
POOR member wounds the John 6: 1-15
KEY WORDS: rest of society.
• Covenant Quotes from CST:
Pope John Paul ll, Sollicitudo
• Those in greatest Rei Socialis # 42
need
• Most vulnerable
• An action of love
 PRINCIPLES DEFINITION CONNECTIONS
Rights of Workers: Every person has basic Key Questions for analysis:
rights and • What are the conditions of
the worker?
KEY WORDS: responsibilities that • Consider your own
• Priority of people flow from our human experience of work. How
has it enhanced your
over capital dignity and that dignity as an individual a
• Economic Justice belong to us as human worker and member of
• Respect for beings regardless of society?
• Are there circumstances
vocation any social or political where your dignity has
• Human work is structures. been undermined?
participation
 PRINCIPLES DEFINITION CONNECTIONS
Rights of Workers: The rights are Quotes from CST:
numerous and include Centisimus Annus # 26-29
KEY WORDS: those things that make Laborem Exercens # 6-8
in vocation life truly human.
• Safe working Corresponding to our
conditions rights are duties and
• Just wages responsibilities to
respect the rights of
others and to work for
the common good of
all.
 PRINCIPLES DEFINITION CONNECTIONS
FAMILY/COMMUNITY All of us are social by Key Questions for Analysis:
PARTICIPATION nature and are called • Who informs the
decisions? Who makes the
to live in community decisions? Who is affected
KEY WORDS: with others our full by the decisions?
• Are the bonds of
• Inclusion= Life human potential isn’t community strengthened?
• Exclusion= Death realized in solitude,
• Social by nature but in community with Scriptural Connections:
Psalm 84
• Participation is others. How we Matthew 13, 47-53
essential for human organize our families,
flourishing societies and
communities
 PRINCIPLES DEFINITION CONNECTIONS
FAMILY/COMMUNITY directly affects human Quotes from CST:
PARTICIPATION dignity and our ability Pope Benedict XVl, Spe Salvi
to achieve our full #23, 28
KEY WORDS: human potential.
• Rights to citizens