Catholic Social Teaching

'The joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the people of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted, are the joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well.' —Gaudium et Spes, Vatican Council II in 1965

Scarboro Missions follows and promotes Catholic Social Teaching — a body of teaching on economic, political, social and cultural issues developed by the Catholic Church. While the roots lie in early Christianity and Scripture, modern Catholic Social Teaching began with Pope Leo XIII's social encyclical Rerum Novarum (The Condition of Labor) in 1891. It includes the social encyclicals of various popes, documents of the Second Vatican Council as well as statements of local and regional conferences of bishops. An introduction to Catholic Social Teaching is given here with various links to do further exploration.

• "Strong Words" — Ten Building Blocks of Catholic Social Teaching
• Catholic Social Teaching Documents
• Scarboro Missions Magazine Articles on the Social Teaching of the Church
• Links to Catholic Social Teaching on the Internet
• An Appeal to Everyone

'The Church, in fact, has something to say about specific human situations, both individual and communal, national and international. She formulates a genuine doctrine for these situations, ... which enables her to analyze social realities, to make judgments about them and to indicate directions to be taken for the just resolution of the problems involved.... In effect, to teach and to spread her social doctrine pertains to the Church's evangelizing mission and is an essential part of the Christian message, since this doctrine points out the direct consequences of that message in the life of society and situates daily work and struggles for justice in the context of bearing witness to Christ the Saviour.'
—Centesimus Annus, Pope John Paul II in 1991

Catholic Social Teaching Documents

Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis has an excellent easy-to-use web-site of Catholic Social Teaching Documents, which offers a choice of full text or notable quotations. Under Catholic Social Teaching, they offer as well key themes and a thematic index for notable quotes.

Universal Documents:

• Rerum Novarum (The Condition of Labor) — Pope Leo XIII in 1891
• Quadragesimo Anno (The Reconstruction of the Social Order) — Pope Pius XI in 1931
• Mater et Magistra (Christianity and Social Progress) — Pope John XXIII in 1961
• Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth) — Pope John XXIII in 1963
• Gaudium et Spes (The Church in the Modern World) — Vatican II in 1965
• Populorum Progressio (The Development of Peoples) — Pope Paul VI in 1966
• Octogesima Adveniens (A Call to Action) — Pope Paul VI in 1971
• Justice in the World (Justicia in Mundo) — Synod of Bishops in 1971
• Evangelii Nuntiandi (Evangelization in the Modern World) — Pope Paul VI in 1975
• Redemptor Hominis (Redeemer of Humankind) — Pope John Paul II in 1979
• Laborem Exercens (On Human Work) — Pope John Paul II in 1981
• Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (The Social Concerns of the Church) — Pope John Paul II in 1987
• Centesimus Annus (The Hundredth Year) — Pope John Paul II in 1991
• Tertio Mellennio Adveniente (As the Third Millenium Draws Near) — Pope John Paul II in 1994
• Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life) — Pope John Paul II in 1995
• Ecclesia in America — Pope John Paul II in 1999
• Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love) — Pope Benedict XVI in 2005
• Spe Salvi (Saved by Hope) — Pope Benedict XVI in 2007
• Sacramentum Caritatis (Apostolic Exhortation on the Eucharist), section "The Eucharist, a mystery to be offered to the world" — Pope Benedict XVI in 2007
• Caritas in Veritate (In Charity and Truth) — Pope Benedict XVI in 2009
• Catechism of the Catholic Church: The section on the Seventh Commandment contains the primary guidance on Catholic Social Teaching including the universal destination and private ownership of goods, respect for the integrity of creation, economic activity and social justice, justice and solidarity among nations, love for the poor...

Regional Documents

• Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops: Public statements including ‘Our Relationship with the Environment: The Need for Conversion’ in March 2008; ‘The Christian Ecological Imperative’ in October 2003; 'That None Be Excluded' on the April 2001 Summit of the Americas; and 'The Struggle Against Poverty: A Sign of Hope in our World' on October 17, 1996.
• Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario: Documents include 1998 guidelines on 'Choosing a Government' and the updated 2007 pastoral letter 'Taking Stock: An Examination of Conscience'. They also published ‘A Guide for Discussion and Action’ for Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical Caritas in Veritate.
• Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Quebec: May 1st, 2009 Message ‘For a Better Redistribution of Wealth’; May 1st 2006 message ‘The Common Good: our action and interaction’; May 1st, 2001 message 'Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor'.
• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: Several good documents available including:
  • Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility (2007)
  • A Place at the Table: A Catholic Recommitment to Overcome Poverty and to Respect the Dignity of All God's Children (2002)
  • Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence, and the Common Good (2001)
  • Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions (1998)
  • Everyday Christianity: To Hunger and Thirst for Justice (1999)
  • Called to Global Solidarity: International Challenges for US Parishes' (1997)
  • A Catholic Framework for Economic Life (1996)
  • Renewing the Earth: An Invitation to Reflection and Action on Environment in Light of Catholic Social Teaching (1991)
  • Economic Justice For All (1986)
• Catholic Bishops of Appalachia: 1995 pastoral message on sustainable communities 'At Home in the Web of Life'
• African Synods: Closing Public Statement from 2009 Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops The Church in Africa at the Service of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace. Zambian Bishop Telesphore George Mpundu gave an intervention during the African Synod in 1994 on the promotion of justice and peace in Zambia and Africa.
• Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences: Final statements of plenary assemblies in 2000 ‘A Renewed Church In Asia: A Mission Of Love And Service’; in 2004 ‘The Asian Family toward a Culture of Integral Life’; and in 2009 ‘Living the Eucharist in Asia’.
• Latin American Bishops Conference (mainly in Spanish): Conclusions of major conferences: Rio de Janeiro (1955); Medellin (1968); Puebla (1979); Santo Domingo (1992); and Aparecida (2007)—only document in English.
• Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales: Statements include ‘Choosing the Common Good’ in 2010; ‘The Call of Creation’ in 2002 and 'The Common Good and the Catholic Church's Social Teaching' in 1996.
• New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference: Documents include the 2006 ‘Statement on Environmental Issues’ and the April 1997 pastoral letter ‘A Consistent Ethic of Life—Te Kahu-O-Te-Ora’

An Appeal to Everyone

'I wish to appeal with simplicity and humility to everyone, to all men and women without exception. I wish to ask them to be convinced of the seriousness of the present moment and of each one's individual responsibility, and to implement—by the way they live as individuals and as families, by the use of their resources, by their civic activity, by contributing to economic and political decisions and by personal commitment to national and international undertakings—the measures inspired by solidarity and love of preference for the poor. This is what is demanded by the present moment and above all by the very dignity of the human person, the indestructible image of God the Creator, which is identical in each one of us. '
—Solicitudo Rei Socialis, Pope John Paul II in 1987