Catholic Social Teaching

"Society ensures social justice when it respects the dignity and the rights of the person as the proper end of society itself. Furthermore, society pursues social justice, which is linked to the common good and to the exercise of authority, when it provides the conditions that allow associations and individuals to obtain what is their due. All persons enjoy equal dignity and fundamental rights insofar as they are created in the image of the one God, are endowed with the same rational soul, have the same nature and origin, and are called in Christ, the one and only Savior, to the same divine beatitude." (Compendium of the Catechism, q. 411-412)

Magisterial Texts

Catechism of the Catholic Church (esp. paragraphs 1877-1948)

 Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et spes (Vatican Council II, 1965)

Declaration of Religious Freedom, Dignitatis humanae (Vatican Council II, 1965)

Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, 2004):

Chapter 1 - God's Plan of Love for Humanity
Chapter 2 - The Church's Mission and Social Doctrine
Chapter 3 - The Human Person and Human Rights
Chapter 4 - Principles of the Church's Social Doctrine
Chapter 5 - The Family, the Vital Cell of Society
Chapter 6 - Human Work
Chapter 7 - Economic Life
Chapter 8 - The Political Community
Chapter 9 - The International Community
Chapter 10 - Safeguarding the Environment
Chapter 11 - The Promotion of Peace
Chapter 12 - Social Doctrine and Ecclesial Action

Considerations regarding proposals to give legal recognition to unions between homosexual persons (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 2003)

Doctrinal Note on some questions regarding the participation of Catholics in political life (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 2002)

Instruction on certain aspects of the "Theology of Liberation" (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 1984)

Declaration on Masonic Associations (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 1983)

Official Statements of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops regarding Faithful Citizenship

Papal Encyclicals

Immortale Dei On the Christian constitution of states (Leo XIII, 1885)

Rerum novarum On capital and labor (Leo XIII, 1891)

Quadragesimo anno On reconstruction of the social order (Pius XI, 1931)

Divini Redemptoris On atheistic communism (Pius XI, 1937)

Mater et Magistra On Christianity and social progress (John XXIII, 1961)

Pacem in terris On establishing universal peace in truth, justice, charity, and liberty (John XXIII, 1963)

Populorum progressio On the development of peoples (Paul VI, 1967)

Humanae vitae On the regulation of birth (Paul VI, 1968)

Laborem exercens On human work (John Paul II, 1981)

Sollicitudo rei socialis On the twentieth anniversary of Populorum progressio (John Paul II, 1987)

Centesimus annus On the one-hundredth anniversary of Rerum novarum (John Paul II, 1991)

Evangelium vitae On the value and inviolability of human life (John Paul II, 1995)

Deus caritas est On Christian love (Benedict XVI, 2005)

Caritas in veritate On integral human development in charity and truth (Benedict XVI, 2009)

Links prepared by David Wallace, DRE. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it