Catholic Social Teaching - Class 1

Our instructors began tonight’s lecture with a historical overview of modern Catholic Social Teaching, explaining that its foundation is found in scripture and early church tradition. The demands of the Hebrew prophets for a just society were grounded in their relationship with God. Jesus, who’s preaching and vision of a just society was grounded in His relationship with God, announced the good news to the poor and oppressed and denounced the injustices hindering the realization of the Kingdom of God. Today, Catholic social teaching begins and ends with the teaching of Jesus.

 

In the early Christian communities, as we learn in Acts, they believed in the breaking of bread, the equal distribution of goods, and the material care of the needy. They preached the reign of God and practiced direct service to the poor, needy, orphans, sick and widows. Saint Paul said that the Eucharist was nullified (or invalidated) when the poor are overlooked. In the Middle Ages, monasteries served as the hub of social service, providing hospitals for the sick, and shelters for orphans and widows, food for the poor, and ministry to prisoners. The Patristic writers wrote extensively about the rich tradition of social obligation to the poor. Saint Thomas Aquinas developed a strong tradition of social obligation based in natural law.

 

The rise of early capitalism and emergence of secular states began to erode the web of social obligations, affiliations, and protections at the heart of medieval and early modern society. The Industrial Revolution caused a radical shift from the stable agricultural economies of the US and Western Europe. People flocked from the countryside to the cities to find work, where they lived in squalid and inhuman conditions. The property owners and factory owners prospered while workers subsisted on starvation wages. There was no incentive to look out for workers’ health.

 

The Catholic Church in the meantime was reeling from the effects of the Protestant Reformation, the French Revolution, and the secular humanism of the enlightenment. It had been stripped of its property, power, authority, and prestige, and it had adopted a defensive posture against the modern world and secular values of freedom, workers’ rights, and social change; aligning itself with the wealthy elites and aristocracy of Europe. The laity influenced the Church's position and understanding of the working class, because the people were aware of the conditions of farmers as a result of the Irish famine: They wanted to help. Catholic social teaching has evolved as a living tradition which arose as the Church attempted to examine the underlining causes of injustice and to recognize the suffering of the poor.

 

The awaking of Social Catholicism profoundly influenced the writing of Rerum Novarum, which sought to raise the consciousness of society to the suffering of exploited factory workers under the capitalist system of production. It argued for the need to transform the structures that result in exploitation. In Rerum Novarum the Catholic Church officially stood up for the rights of workers and the formation of unions. It responded to the effects of the industrial revolution on workers and their families and communities. It denounced the evils of unbridled capitalism, advocated the right to a living wage, just working conditions, and the right to form unions. It spoke of the right of the state to intervene in social and economic life for the common good, and it continued to examine the underlying causes of injustice and to call for structural change.

 

Vatican II was a watershed event in social thought and doctrines developed around Biblical teaching. The new openness affected the churches approach to social change, moving away from the church militant and opening up to the modern world. This turning towards the world rather than retreating to an internal fortress was brought about by the recognition that God is at the heart of human history and is part of the human experience. Salvation was now seen as part of the human experience, and people were free to believe or not believe; no longer damned if they were outside the church. There was recognition of other faiths and a new understanding of social sin separate from personal sin.

 

Today, Catholic Social Teaching is a body of doctrine developed by the Catholic Church on matters of poverty and wealth, economics, social organization and the role of the state. Its foundations are widely considered to have been laid by Pope Leo XIII's 1891 encyclical letter Rerum Novarum. Catholic Social Teaching is distinctive in its consistent critiques of modern social and political ideologies both of the left and of the right. The principles of Catholic Social Teaching, though in most cases far older in origin, first began to be combined together into a system in the late nineteenth century. Since then, successive popes have added to and developed the Church's body of social teaching, principally through the medium of encyclical letters. The major documents of modern Catholic Social Teaching include the following:

Rerum Novarum (On the Condition of Labor) was written by Pope Leo XIII in 1891. It addressed industrialization, urbanization, poverty, family wages, and workers’ rights. This document spoke out about the conditions of the working class, such as long hours, unsafe conditions, and child labor. It also criticized capitalism for its tendency toward greed and the conditions of workers and it’s under emphasis of the dignity of workers.

 

Quadragesimo Anno (The Reconstruction of the Social Order) was written by Pope Pius XI in 1931. It addressed the Great Depression, and communist and fascist dictatorships. This document also stressed the positive role of the state and subsidiarity as a guide to government interventions.

 

Mater et Magistra (Christianity and Social Progress) was written by Pope John XXIII in 1961. It addressed the technical advances that were not benefiting the poorer nations. This document discussed the concept of global justice between rich and poor nations.

 

Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth) was written by Pope John XXIII in 1963. It addressed the arms race and the threat of nuclear war, human rights, and social responsibilities. This document stressed that peace is dependent on upholding the rights of individuals.

 

Gaudium et Spes (Constitution on the Church in the Modern World) was released by the Second Vatican council in 1963. It addressed how younger generations were questioning traditional values. This document suggested that the Church must carefully scrutinize the signs of the times.

 

Populorum Progressio (On the Development of Peoples) was written by Pope Paul VI in 1967. It addressed the widening gap between the rich and poor nations. This document wanted the world to embrace the idea that development was the new word for peace.

 

Octogesima Adeniens (A Call to Action) was written by Pope Paul VI in 1971. It addressed the urbanization and marginalizing of vast multitudes, asking Lay Catholics to focus on political action to combat injustices. This document presented the idea that a call to action should not be limited to governments.

 

Justitia in Mundo (Justice in the World) was released by a Synod of Bishops in 1971. It addressed structural injustices and oppression.  This document emphasized that justice is a constitutive dimension of the teaching of the gospels. It calls for structural changes because it’s not a call for those at the fringe, or just a few people in the parish, it’s for all.

 

Evangelii Nuntaiandi (Evangelization in the Modern World) was written by Pope Paul VI in 1975. It addressed evangelism and re-affirmed the role of spreading the Gospel to everyone. This document inspired a new emphasis to preach and teach which is a grace and vocation proper to the Catholic Church.

 

Laborem Exercens (On Human Work) was written by Pope John Paul II in 1981. It addressed the treatment of workers as instruments of production and called for workers to be valued more than profit. It was a response to the shipyard strike in Poland which led to the formation of a trade unions and the air traffic controllers strike in America.

 

Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (On Social Concern) was written by Pope John Paul II in 1987. It addressed the glaring differences between the economies of the Northern and Southern hemispheres.

 

Centesimus Annus ( Hundredth Year ) was written by Pope John Paul II in 1991, on the hundredth anniversary of Rerum Novarum. It addressed the advantages and limitations of a market economy that emphasis profit over the dignity of the workers.