Catholic Social Teaching: Principles, Justice, and Society

What is human happiness?

The fulfillment a person experiences when living in harmony with God, others, and creation.

What is interdependence?

Human beings share a mutual reliance on each other to flourish.

What is society?

A community of people who united by shared relationships, culture, and responsibility for the common good.

What is justice?

A cardinal virtue that involves giving others their due rights and respecting their dignity.

What is the common good?

The sum total of social conditions that allow all people to reach their full potential and flourish.

What is charity?

The theological virtue of love for God and neighbor.

What is social sin?

Attitudes, organizations, and people that foster unjust treatment on a communitarian level.

What is commutative justice?

Governs relationships between individuals and requires fairness in exchanges.

What is distributive justice?

Governs how society allocates benefits and burdens fairly among its members.

What is social (or legal) justice?

Governs how laws, institutions, and social structures operate to ensure fairness, protect human dignity, and promote the common good.

What is contributive justice?

Governs the emphasizes on each person's duty to participate in social, economic, and political life.

What does Saint Augustine mean by 'You have made us for Yourself'?

Human beings are created for God, and nothing else can fully satisfy the human heart. Materialistic objects and relationships cannot satisfy the human desire for more. Only when humans find God and his will, will they be fully content in their lives.

How are human beings and society interdependent?

Human beings shape society, and society shapes human beings. Both need each other to flourish, humans need structure, and society needs people for the structure to exist. People provide work, commitment, and dedication, while society provides an environment for that to happen.

Give an example of commutative justice.

Paying a worker agreed wages.

Give an example of distributive justice.

Government funding public schools fairly.

Give an example of social/legal justice.

Obeying laws that promote public safety.

Give an example of contributive justice.

Voting or volunteering for the community.

From a Catholic standpoint, how are justice and charity related to one another? What sorts of mistakes arise when we misunderstand this relationship?

Justice gives each person what is rightfully due to them, while charity goes beyond justice by loving others for God’s sake. Charity does not replace justice but perfects it, meaning one cannot truly practice charity while ignoring injustice. When this relationship is misunderstood, people may use charitable acts to excuse unjust behavior or systems, or they may reduce justice to cold legalism without compassion. True Christian living requires both justice as a foundation and charity as its fulfillment.

How are personal and social sin related?

Personal sins contribute to social sin, and sinful social structures in turn encourage and reinforce personal wrongdoing. Social sin does not exist apart from individual choices, but when many personal sins accumulate, they become embedded in laws, institutions, and cultural norms. Thus, individuals are responsible for their actions, while society shares responsibility when it tolerates or promotes sinful patterns that make personal sin easier or seem acceptable.

What three kinds of principles does Catholic Social Teaching (CST) offer?

Understanding, discernment & judgement, action.

What is the Magisterium?

The teaching authority of the Catholic Church, consisting of the Pope and bishops, responsible for interpreting and preserving the truths of faith.

What is Natural Law?

Moral law written into human nature, allows people to know what is right and wrong through reason.

What are the three characteristics of Natural Law?

Universal, permanent, unchanging.

When does modern Catholic Social Teaching begin?

1891

What was the title of the first social encyclical?

Rerum Novarum by Pope Leo XIII.

What social issues did the first social encyclical address?

• Poor working conditions/exploitation

• Unjust wages/poverty among laborers

• Rights of workers to organize/form unions

• Tensions between labor/capital

• The need for the state to protect the common good while respecting private property

What are the seven themes of Catholic Social Teaching?

1. Life and Dignity of the Human Person,

2. Call to family, Community, and Participation,

3. Rights and Responsibilities

4. Option for the Poor and Vulnerable

5. Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers,

6. Solidarity

7. Care for God's Creation.

What is the principle of subsidiarity?

Social issues should be handled at the lowest level capable of addressing them effectively.

What does the principle of 'rights and responsibilities' state?

Every person has fundamental rights, such as the right to life, food, shelter, and education But we also carry a corresponding responsibility to respect the rights of others and promote the common good.

What issues arise from focusing only on one side of the right-responsibility correlation?

Ignoring responsibilities leads to selfishness; ignoring rights leads to injustice.

On what are human rights based?

Human rights are based on the inherent dignity of every person as created in the image and likeness of God.

What are the three characteristics of human rights?

Universal, inviolable, inalienable.

According to Pope St. John Paul II, which right is essential to all others?

The right to life, because without life, no other rights can be exercised or protected.

What is civil society?

The network of institutions between individuals and the state that help people live together, pursue the common good, and participate in social, political, and economic life.

What are the different levels of society that can have social responsibilities?

• Individuals.

• Families.

• Local communities.

• Businesses and organizations.

• Governments.

• Global institutions.

What is true freedom of conscience?

Ability to know what is right and wrong and to act according to that moral understanding, guided by reason and God’s law, without coercion. It means making responsible choices that respect truth, justice, and the rights of others.

What is conscientious objection?

Refusing to comply with a law that violates moral truth. It is an exercise of conscience, but it must be guided by principles of justice and respect for others’ rights.

What are the conditions for conscientious objection to be justified?

The law is gravely unjust, peaceful means used, willingness to accept consequences.

What does the principle of the 'Preferential Option for the Poor' state?

Society and its institutions should prioritize the needs of the poor and vulnerable, ensuring their rights are protected and that they have access to the resources and opportunities necessary for a dignified life.

According to the textbook, why is the preferential option for the poor “just common sense”?

Those with the greatest need require the greatest care.

What are the four forms of poverty?

• Material

• Spirit

• Soul

• Addiction

What are some of the causes of material poverty?

The lack of sufficient material means to meet basic human needs.

Examples include unjust systems, lack of education, unemployment, war, natural disaster, and corruption.

In what sense can poverty also have a positive dimension?

It can foster a sense of humility, dependence on God, and solidarity with others.

What are all forms of poverty a sign of?

A deep violation of human dignity, a turning away from God's love and provision, and a failure to live in solidarity and communion with others.

What is a contemporary way of defining poverty of the soul?

Loss of meaning, isolation, consumerism.

The word humility is a contemporary way of defining poverty of soul. Humility is a virtue that avoids extreme ambition & pride, focusing on the acknowledgment that God is the author of all that is good.

In Biblical tradition, what is a sabbatical year?

Every 7 years debts forgiven, land rested, and slaves were set free.

In Biblical tradition, what is a jubilee year?

Every 50 years ancestral land is restored and Hebrew slaves freed (indentured servants).

According to the parable of the Good Samaritan, who is your neighbor?

Anyone in need, regardless of difference. (everyone)

How is your treatment of the poor connected with the way you will be judged by God?

How we treat the poor reflects our love for Christ. He says that you are judged on how you should serve him in the least of his people.

What are four factors contributing to world hunger?

1. poverty
2. conflict
3. climate change
4. unequal distribution

What are two moral responses to the hunger problem?

Catholic Social Teaching responds to hunger through charity and justice: charity meets immediate needs by feeding the hungry, while justice addresses the root causes by promoting fair systems, wages, and access to food so everyone’s dignity is protected.

How does Pope Francis describe the problem of world hunger?

Pope Francis describes world hunger as a moral scandal and a grave injustice, emphasizing that it is not caused by a lack of food but by inequality, waste, and unjust economic systems that prevent food from reaching everyone, a “culture of waste.”

What are the corporal works of mercy?

• Feed the hungry

• Give drink to the thirsty

• Clothe the naked

• Shelter the homeless

• Visit the sick

• Visit the imprisoned

• Bury the dead

What are the spiritual works of mercy?

• Instruct the ignorant

• Counsel the doubtful

• Admonish sinners

• Bear wrongs patiently

• Forgive offenses willingly

• Comfort the afflicted

• Pray for the living and the dead

What is almsgiving?

Giving money or goods to the poor as an act of charity.

What did Cardinal Dolan suggest is the best way out of poverty?

A living wage and education is the best way out of poverty.

What is the principle of the Universal Destination of Goods?

The goods of the earth should be divided to ensure freedom & dignity of the human person, so that all might meet basic human needs.

How can we reconcile the right to private property with the Universal Destination of Goods?

The right to private property is respected/encouraged, but it is not absolute; it must be used in a way that serves the common good, since the Universal Destination of Goods teaches that the Earth’s resources are meant for everyone, especially to meet basic human needs.

What does the principle of 'Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers' state?

Work is for the person, not the person for work. It is a means for people to participate in God’s creation, grow as human beings, and contribute to the common good & worker should have fair wages, safe conditions, rest, and the ability to participate in decisions that affect their lives.

What are the two dimensions of work?

1. Objective - the task

2. Subjective - the worker

Which dimension of work is more important? Why?

The subjective dimension of work is more important because it focuses on the dignity and well-being of the person doing the work. Work is not just about producing goods or services; it is meant to help people grow, support their families, and fulfill their human potential.

Which has priority, the worker or capital?

Worker over capital.

Economic systems/businesses exist to serve people, not the other way around, and that human dignity and well-being must always come before profit or material gain.

According to Scripture, where does work come from and how did the fall of Adam and Eve affect it?

Work is given by God; it is burdened by sin after the Fall, became laborious and burdensome, involving toil, struggle, and hardship, rather than being a joyful cooperation with God’s creation.

What are the duties of work?

• Providing for oneself and one’s family.

• Serving the common good.

• Respecting human dignity.

• Developing one’s talents.

• Participating in God’s creation.

What are the benefits of work?

• Meeting basic needs.

• Personal fulfillment.

• Contributing to society.

• Upholding human dignity.

• Spiritual growth.

In what sense is work a share in the cross of Christ?

Work unites human suffering with Christ's sacrifice.