Session 1 The History of Catholic Social Teaching – Catholic social teaching, rooted in the Bible and Church tradition, addresses human relationships and societal harmony. It emphasizes the Ten Commandments and the call to love God and neighbor, guiding Christian behavior and promoting the common good. This teaching, developed through papal encyclicals and church fathers, addresses all human affairs, emphasizing the dignity of the human person and the common good. It began with Rerum Novarum in 1891, addressing the labor question during the Industrial Revolution, and later applied these principles to new challenges, including economic crises, totalitarian regimes, and global inequalities.
Session 2 The History of Catholic Social Teaching part 2 – The Church’s social teaching, rooted in the dignity of the human person, addresses societal issues like employment, politics, economics, and the environment. As a branch of moral theology, it emphasizes the interconnectedness of all people and the need for solidarity. The Church views social life as an expression of the human person and aims to ensure it reflects God’s goodness. The Church teaches that human life is sacred and inviolable, valuing every person created in God’s image. This dignity extends to all relationships, including those within the family and society, requiring respect for others’ rights. The Church also highlights the inherent dignity of each person and the corresponding duties to uphold human rights, rooted in God’s creation.
Session 3 The Principles of Catholic Social Teaching – The Catholic Church’s social teachings emphasize four principles: the dignity of the human person, the common good, subsidiarity, and solidarity. The common good, a fundamental principle, is the total of social conditions that allow individuals and groups to reach fulfillment. It requires cooperation from all members of society, prioritizing the good of others and ensuring access to essential services. The state must ensure the common good, which is a means to achieve the ultimate end of the person: God. This involves harmonizing sectoral interests with justice and ensuring the universal destination of goods, meaning all people have a natural right to the use of the earth’s resources for their sustenance and spiritual growth. This principle prioritizes equitable distribution of goods and requires a juridical order to specify its exercise. The Church’s social doctrine emphasizes the universal destination of goods, asserting that resources are meant for everyone’s benefit. While private property is recognized, it should be used responsibly for the common good. This principle extends to new technologies and scientific knowledge, which should serve humanity’s primary needs, particularly those of the poor and marginalized.
Session 4 The Principle of Subsidiarity – The principle of subsidiarity, a key tenet of Catholic social teaching, advocates for empowering individuals and smaller groups to address their needs. It supports government assistance when needed but warns against overreach and the absorption of smaller groups into larger ones. This principle fosters a strong social fabric, promotes individual dignity, and encourages grassroots initiatives. The church champions individual freedom, initiative, and the importance of smaller organizations in serving the common good. It advocates for decentralization, limiting government intervention to exceptional circumstances, and ensuring public assistance supports private initiative and the family. The church stresses a balance between public and private spheres, with the former serving the latter. The principle of subsidiarity emphasizes participation in decision-making for the common good, encouraging it at all societal levels, from local communities to international organizations, and involving all individuals, especially the disadvantaged. The church advocates for a bottom-up approach to governance, where power is distributed, and citizens actively shape their communities.
Session 5: The Four Values of Catholic Social Teaching – The final class on Catholic social teaching focuses on solidarity, emphasizing humans’ social nature and the need for ethical relationships. As a moral virtue, solidarity requires commitment to the common good and overcoming sin’s structures. It involves recognizing interdependence, promoting unity, and ensuring well-being for all, including future generations. True freedom involves personal growth and rejecting negativity while considering the common good. Justice, defined as giving what’s due, includes commutative, distributive, and legal justice, with social justice improving societal institutions for the common good. Charity, the highest virtue, guides actions towards truth, freedom, and justice, inspiring efforts to remove obstacles to individual progress.