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Catholic social teaching (CST) is an area of Catholic doctrine which is concerned with human dignity and the common good in society. It addresses oppression, the role of the state, subsidiarity, social organization, social justice, and wealth distribution. CST's foundations are considered to have been laid by Pope Leo XIII's 1891 encyclical, Rerum novarum, which advocated distributism. Its roots can be traced to Catholic theologians such as Thomas Aquinas and Augustine of Hippo. CST is also derived from the Bible and cultures of the ancient Near East.[1]
According to Pope John Paul II, the foundation of social justice "rests on the threefold cornerstones of human dignity, solidarity and subsidiarity".[2] According to Pope Benedict XVI, its purpose "is simply to help purify reason and to contribute, here and now, to the acknowledgment and attainment of what is just ... [The church] has to play her part through rational argument and she has to reawaken the spiritual energy without which justice ... cannot prevail and prosper."[3] Pope Francis, according to Cardinal Walter Kasper, has made mercy "the key word of his pontificate ... (while) Scholastic theology has neglected this topic and turned it into a mere subordinate theme of justice."[4]: 31–32
Catholic social teaching is critical of modern social and political ideologies of the left and of the right, such as liberalism, atheistic forms of socialism and communism,[5] anarchism, feminism,[6][7] atheism,[8] fascism, capitalism,[9] and Nazism,[10] which have been condemned by several popes since the late nineteenth century. It has tried to strike a balance between respect for human liberty (including the right to private property and subsidiarity) and concern for society, including the weakest and poorest.[11] It is explicitly anti-capitalist, with John Paul II stressing the incompatibility of Catholic doctrine with capitalism:
Catholic social doctrine is not a surrogate for capitalism. In fact, although decisively condemning "socialism", the church, since Leo XIII's Rerum Novarum, has always distanced itself from capitalistic ideology, holding it responsible for grave social injustices. In Quadragesimo Anno Pius XI, for his part, used clear and strong words to stigmatize the international imperialism of money.[12]
- ^ Enrique Nardoni (2004). Rise Up, O Judge: A Study of Justice in the Biblical World. Translated by Sean Martin. Baker Books.[page needed]
- ^ John Paul II, 1999 Apostolic Exhortation, Ecclesia in America, 55.
- ^ Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est, 28.
- ^ Austen, Ivereigh (2015). The great reformer: Francis and the making of a radical pope (1st ed.). New York. ISBN 978-1-250-07499-7. OCLC 889324005.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "Catechism of the Catholic Church - Paragraph # 2425". www.scborromeo.org. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ^ Ellen C. Mayock, Domnica Radulescu (2010). Feminist Activism in Academia: Essays on Personal, Political and Professional Change. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-5770-0. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
Catholic institutions are often dependent upon the generosity of benefactors who are politically and religiously conservative, wary of or outright disapproving of feminism. Catholic traditions and current official church stands are at odds with many feminist positions.
- ^ Lynne Bravo Rosewater, Lenore E. Walker (1985). A Handbook of Feminist Therapy: Women's Issues in Psychotherapy. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-0-8261-4970-1. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
Other feminist concerns, such as changes in sexist language, have been an issue for almost a decade in the Roman Catholic Church and most other churches as well.
- ^ Catechism of the Catholic Church. Burns & Oates. 2002. ISBN 978-0-86012-324-8. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
2123 'Many... of our contemporaries either do not at all perceive, or explicitly reject, this intimate and vital bond of man to God. Atheism must therefore be regarded as one of the most serious problems of our time.'
- ^ Adamiak, Stanisław; Chojnacka, Ewa; Walczak, Damian (1 December 2013). "Social Security in Poland – cultural, historical and economical issues". Copernican Journal of Finance & Accounting. 2 (2): 11–26. doi:10.12775/CJFA.2013.013 – via apcz.umk.pl.
- ^ See encyclical Mit brennender Sorge, 1937
- ^ Adamiak, Stanisław; Walczak, Damian (7 April 2014). "Catholic social teaching, sustainable development and social solidarism in the context of social security". Copernican Journal of Finance & Accounting. 3 (1): 9–18. doi:10.12775/CJFA.2014.001 – via apcz.umk.pl.
- ^ Popiołek, Piotr (2021). "Catholic Social Doctrine Isn't a Surrogate for Capitalism". Church Life Journal. Retrieved 27 September 2022.