Key Terms
a letter from the Pope to the Church on issues related to human rights, social justice, and peace
social encyclical
Lived during the persecution of Christians by Emperor Valerian. The Prefect of Rome demanded that this saint, "keeper of the treasures of the church", hand over the riches. He spent three days gathering all of the poor and neglected in the area, brought them to the prefect, and announced: "This is the Church's treasure!" He was burned for the act.
St. Lawrence Martyr
climate change & care for the environment, global impact especially on the poor of widespread indifference & selfishness
Laudato Si (Pope Francis, 2015)
Governs exchanges between individuals & private groups
Commutative Justice
First Principle of Catholic Social Teaching
Life and Dignity of the Human Person
sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and easily
common good
Born in Peru to a Spanish father and a freed slave of African descent, this saint was a lay Dominican. He cared for the sick in the monastery infirmary. As a person of mixed race, he was often persecuted. He offered all of the ridicule up to God as a sacrifice.
addresses specific attacks against human life, such as abortion, euthanasia, and capital punishment
Evangelium Vitae (St. John Paul II, 1995)
Governs what the greater community owes individuals based on their contributions and needs
Distributive Justice
Second Principle of Catholic Social Teaching
Call to family, Community, and Participation
Source of human's social nature
Holy Trinity
This saint was born into privilege with agnostic parents, but led a life of deep prayer and simplicity. He drew many people to himself through his cheerful disposition and vibrant personality. He was politically active, but even more, humbly spent time in the slums to serve the neediest of his city. Thousands of people came to his funeral when he died from polio at a young age.
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati
reiterates importance of common good & addresses problems with the nuclear arms race
Pacem in Terris (St. John XXIII, 1963)
Governs what individuals owe their country & society
Legal Justice
Fourth Principle of Catholic Social Teaching
Preferential Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
collective effect of many personal sins over time, which corrupts society and its institutions by creating "structures of sin"
social sin
Once an atheist and socialist, she was drawn to the Catholic Church as "the church of the immigrants, the church of the poor," and converted to Catholicism. She lived a life of solidarity with the poor. She began the Catholic Worker movement, the hallmark of which was a newspaper to make public the social teaching of the Church and suggest ways to transform society in peaceful, just ways.
Dorothy Day
addresses the dignity of the worker & looks at the rights and obligations of both workers and employers
Rerum Novarum (Pope Leo XIII, 1891)
a virtue of loving God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God
Charity
Fifth Principle of Catholic Social Teaching
The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
Large organizations or governments should not interfere with or take over responsibilities that can be administered by individuals and local organizations
Subsidiarity
This saint was known for upholding the dignity of life, even at its very beginnings. As a wife, mother, and doctor, she saw her work in the medical profession as truly a mission, and she gave special attention to mothers, babies, and the elderly. Her pregnancy with her fourth child had complications. She chose to forgo measures that would save her life but endanger the life of her unborn child. Soon after giving birth to a daughter, she passed away.
St. Gianna Beretta Molla
offers a summary of the Church's social teaching, addressing and analyzing economic, political, and social realities
Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (Pontifical Council for Justice & Peace, 2004)
Name two examples of charity and two examples of justice
Answers vary
Seventh Principle of Catholic Social Teaching
Care for God's Creation