II. The
“nature” of this social doctrine (in other words: “Social doctrine? Whazzat?”)
(#73-86)
a.
Knowledge illuminated by faith (73-75)
72. None of
the Church’s teaching about social justice is new, but it was not organized
coherently until recently (“recently” = starting in 1891). The clearest
assertion that the Church intends to talk about social issues was from Pope
Saint John Paul II, in Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, which is Latin for “we
care about this ‘social’ stuff.” Social life, social sin, social evils like
Socialism, social goods like social justice, social structures …
73. The
Church will not be shoved to the sidelines, limited to holy-holy dogmas of
faith. We will speak – and teach with authority – about moral questions
including justice. This teaching is
about motivations (foundational level) and social norms (directive level) and
forming conscience (deliberative level).
74. The
social doctrine is built squarely on Scripture and Tradition, like all our
other teaching throughout 2,000 years of history. It involves constant
interaction between faith and reason.
75. We’re
aiming for “integral” truth, truth about man as a whole, not about a spirit in
heaven and a body in the rough and tumble of real life on earth. Jesus offers
us rational knowledge enlightened by faith. We explain truths that are
accessible to all, that can be understood and shared by all.
b. In
friendly dialogue with all branches of knowledge(#76-78)
76. The
Church’s social doctrine is in friendly dialogue with other branches of
knowledge – in fact, with all branches of knowledge. Dialogue. Friendly.
All.
77. The
social doctrine is theology, not philosophy. (JCOK as of 3/4/2025: I have no
idea what that means.) But we draw on philosophy for clarity about “concepts
such as the person, society, freedom, conscience, ethics, law, justice, the
common good, solidarity, subsidiarity, the State.”
78. The
Church’s social doctrine is based on our understanding of man in a complex
network of relationships, and this understanding draws extensively from human
sciences and social sciences.
c. An
expression of the Church's ministry of teaching (#79-80)
79. This
paragraph matters a great deal. It’s the claim of authority for the Compendium.
It’s meaningless for non-Catholics; it’s immensely significant for Catholics.
It says that the social doctrine is not the work of some group of theologians
in an office somewhere in Rome; it’s the work of the Church. “The Church’s
social doctrine … is the thought of the Church, insofar as it is the work of
the Magisterium, which teaches with the authority that Christ conferred on the
Apostles and their successors: the Pope and the bishops in communion with him.”
(113)
This claim is
bolstered and clarified by note 113, which refers to the Catechism of the
Catholic Church (CCC), paragraph 2034. Here’s CCC 2034 in full: “The
Roman Pontiff and the bishops are ‘authentic teachers, that is, teachers
endowed with the authority of Christ, who preach the faith to the people
entrusted to them, the faith to be believed and put into practice.’(76) The
ordinary and universal Magisterium of the Pope and the bishops in communion
with him teach the faithful the truth to believe, the charity to practice, the
beatitude to hope for.”
Note 76 in
the CCC refers in turn to Lumen Gentium 25. LG is a “dogmatic
constitution” from Vatican II. A “dogmatic constitution” from an ecumenical
council is the highest authority recognized by the Catholic Church, outside
Scripture. Excerpt from LG 25: “Bishops, teaching in communion with the
Roman Pontiff, are to be respected by all as witnesses to divine and Catholic
truth. In matters of faith and morals, the bishops speak in the name of Christ
and the faithful are to accept their teaching and adhere to it with a religious
assent. This religious submission of mind and will must be shown in a special
way to the authentic magisterium of the Roman Pontiff, even when he is not
speaking ex cathedra; that is, it must be shown in such a way that his supreme
magisterium is acknowledged with reverence, the judgments made by him are
sincerely adhered to, according to his manifest mind and will. His mind and
will in the matter may be known either from the character of the documents,
from his frequent repetition of the same doctrine, or from his manner of speaking.”
80. The
social doctrine includes ideas passed back and forth between the Pope and
bishops. It has authority, and there’s an obligation to adhere to it. But
different pieces have different weight, and you have to look at context.
d. For
a society reconciled in justice and love (#81-82)
81. The
social doctrine not only proclaims a view of man but also denounces injustice
and violence. We have a duty to denounce. Much social teaching is determined by
important social questions, to which social justice is the proper answer.
82. The
social doctrine is religious and moral, which is familiar church stuff, but it
aims for some non-churchy stuff including humanism, liberation, and development
– all of which need some definition. Our goals include shaping society in
history with an eye on heaven.
e. A
message for the sons and daughters of the Church and for humanity (#83-84)
83. The
social doctrine is for all of us, not just the clergy. In fact, it implies
“responsibilities regarding the building, organization and functioning of
society, that is to say, political, economic and administrative obligations —
obligations of a secular nature — which belong to the lay faithful, not to
priests or religious.”
84. The
social doctrine is first for members of the Church, but it is also relevant to
all people of goodwill. (See respectful dialogue above.)
f.
Under the sign of continuity and renewal (#85-86)
85. The
teaching balances continuity and renewal. There’s an ongoing dialogue between
the past and the present. Jesus Christ is the same now and forever, but we need
to adapt to changes in history.
86. The
social doctrine is a “work site” where perennial truths interact with new
circumstances. The Church is Mother and Teacher and ikon of the Good Shepherd,
finding man where he is, and proclaiming a message of liberation,
reconciliation, justice, and peace.
III. The Church’s social doctrine in our
time: historical notes (#87-104)
a. The
beginning of a new path (#87-88)
87. The term
“social doctrine” goes back to Pope Pius XI, in Quadragesimo Anno in 1931, writing
on the 40th anniversary of Rerum Novarum (1891). This was in
no way a new concern, but it was a new path. It was a new development in an
ancient tradition, grounded in Scripture, apostolic teaching, the Fathers, and
the Doctors of the Church.
88. The
Industrial Revolution and the social changes it caused were the trigger for the
beginning and development of the social doctrine.
b. From
Rerum Novarum
to our own day (#89-103)
89. The first
great social question, labor, led to the first social encyclical, Rerum
Novarum. It inspired Christian activity in the social sphere and became the
point of reference for this activity.
90. The first
great social question that the Church addressed was labor. In Rerum Novarum,
Pope Leo XIII rejected socialism as a response to labor troubles, then laid out
“the Catholic doctrine on work, the right to property, the principle of
collaboration instead of class struggle as the fundamental means for social
change, the rights of the weak, the dignity of the poor and the obligations of
the rich, the perfecting of justice through charity, on the right to form
professional associations.”
This document
is key. It’s important regarding labor, of course; but also it provided a
pattern for developing doctrine. On the 100th anniversary of Rerum
Novarum, Pope Saint John Paul II explained the “original nucleus of
principles presented in Rerum Novarum. With this courageous and farsighted
text, Pope Leo XIII “gave the Church ‘citizenship status’ as it were, amid the
changing realities of public life”(147) and made an “incisive statement”(148)
which became “a permanent element of the Church’s social teaching.”(149) He
affirmed that serious social problems “could be solved only by cooperation
between all forces”(150) and added that, “in regard to the Church, her
cooperation will never be found lacking.”(151) Notes 147 to 150 are all
references to Centesimus Annus, paragraphs 5, 56, 56, and 60.
91. In 1931,
Pope Pius XI responded to the Depression and the new totalitarian regimes in
Europe, writing Quadragesimo Anno. He wrote about solidarity and cooperation,
and enunciated the principle of subsidiarity. He rejected “liberalism,
understood as unlimited competition between economic forces.”
92. Pope Pius
XI was an amazing and inspiring person. In 1931, he denounced Fascism in Italy
in his Italian encyclical Non Abbiamo Bisogno. In 1937, He denounced
Nazism in his German encyclical Mit Brennender Sorge. In 1938, he
declared, “Spiritually we are all Semites.” In 1937, he denounced Communism in
his encyclical Divini Redemptoris.
93. Pope Pius
XII led the Church during World War II. He did not use encyclicals; he taught
with radio addresses. He stressed the importance of the relationship between
morality and the law.
94. Pope John
XXIII urged us to heed the “signs of the times.” Three developments in his time
shaped his thought: recovery from World War II, the gradual breakup of
colonialism, and a tentative thaw in the Cold War. He insisted that the social
question was becoming universal, involving all countries. His encyclical Mater
et Magistra (1961) expresses a new determination to build an authentic
global community.
95. John
XXIII’s Pacem in Terris (1963) was the first encyclical addressed to
“all men of good will.” He urged the public authority of the world community to
“tackle and solve problems of an economic, social, political or cultural
character which are posed by the universal common good.” The public authority
of the world??
96. Pope John
XXIII summoned the Second Vatican Council, which transformed the Church in many
ways, including turning our face outward to the world. The Vatican document Gaudium
et Spes (Latin for “joy and hope,” but the English name for this pastoral
constitution is The Church in the Modern World) enunciated the social
doctrine and committed the Church to it with clarity and strength. “Gaudium
et Spes presents in a systematic manner the themes of culture, of economic
and social life, of marriage and the family, of the political community, of
peace and the community of peoples, in the light of a Christian anthropological
outlook and of the Church’s mission.”
97. The
Council asserted the immense importance of religious freedom, in Dignitatis
Humanae (1966). Religious freedom is based on the “dignity of the person”
and must be defended as a civil right that belongs to individuals and also to
communities.
98. In his
encyclical Populorum Progressio (1967), Pope Paul VI declared that “development
is the new name for peace.” This word, development, doesn’t thrive in English.
Latin: progressio. It refers to the growth and development of an
individual in all human ways, and it also refers to the healthy growth and
development of nations and societies. His teaching was and is deeply disturbing
to many conservative people, since he talks about world peace and a new
“humanism.”
99. Paul VI
established a Pontifical Commission, “Justice and Peace.” Their role is “to
stimulate the Catholic community to promote progress in needy regions and
international social justice.” They produced the Compendium.
100. The “new
things” of our age that require new thought include problems like urbanization,
sexism, unemployment, migration, population growth, the environment.
101. Work is
not just about money. It has dignity, because workers have dignity. It’s where
most people figure out their natural and supernatural vocation.
102.
“Development” (Pope Paul VI’s word for peace) has failed in the Third World and
become deformed in wealthy nations. Moral growth matters more than material
wealth.
103. The
doctrine is about love, under different names – friendship, “social charity,”
and now “solidarity” aiming for a new “civilization of love.”
c. In
the light and under the impulse of the Gospel (#104)
104. The
social doctrine is pastoral, not theoretical. That is, it’s about concrete
problems in our lives today. So as history unfolds, the Church’s teaching
grows.
