Social Justice and the Catholic Perspective

Papal encyclical by Leo XIII, foundational in Catholic social teaching and giving Leo XIV his name.
Concept of Human Dignity: Derived from this document.
- Workers' Rights: Emphasizes the dignity of labor and the worker, a core principle of Catholic Social Teaching.
- Religion in Public Life: Argues public life requires understanding religion's role, particularly its pointer to transcendence (something beyond physical reality).
- Critique of Modernity: Calls out modernity's exclusive focus on economic relations, which reduces individuals to consumers, advocating for a broader understanding of human dignity beyond mere economic reality.

Scripture and Tradition: The overarching framework, encompassing:
- Papal Encyclicals: Official letters from the Pope (e.g., Rerum Novarum, Laudato Si).
- Bible: Christian Bible (Old and New Testaments) and Jewish Bible (Old Testament).
- Writings of the Saints: Exemplars of Christian life and thought (e.g., Paul Farmer).
- Catholic Social Teaching (CST): Doctrine on social issues.
- Catechism: A guide to Catholic doctrine (studied non-confessionally).
- Writings of Theologians:
  - Foundational Theology: Focuses on core doctrines like the Trinity (tripersonal God in relationship).
  - Moral Theology / Theological Ethics: Applies theological principles to moral questions, integrating insights from social sciences for a relational view of the human person.
- **Biblical Commentaries.

From Laudato Si, paragraph 156 (Pope Francis).
Definition: "The sum of those conditions of social life which allow social groups and their individual members relatively thorough and ready access to their own fulfillment."
Goal: To enable every individual to fulfill their human destiny and potential.
Practical Application: Calls for investments to guarantee equity in employment, education, and housing.

Definition: A shift from mere compassion to concrete action and living in solidarity with the marginalized (e.g., Paul Farmer's medical practice).
Action-oriented: Physically joining the poor in their struggle for liberation, demanding a new social order based on relationship and guaranteed conditions for dignified participation for everyone.
Pontoon and Terris (Pope John XXIII) is noted as a clear defense of the right to healthcare.

Clock Time: Fixated on the clock; fragmented, commodifiable ("time is money"), instrumental, and calculative.
God's Time (Catholic perspective): Uncontrollable, unmanageable; a merging of past, present, and future; transient. It implies always having time for genuine relationships.