The CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING

is the body of social principles and moral teaching that is articulated in the papal, conciliar, and other official documents issued since the late nineteenth century deals with the economic, political, and social order. These teachings are rooted in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures as well as in traditional philosophical and theological teachings of the Church.
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KEY SOCIAL JUSTICE DOCUMENTS

Rerum Novarum Quadragesimo Anno Mater et Magistra Pacem in Terris Gaudium et Spes Populorum Progressio Octogesima Adveniens Justice in the World Laborem Exercens Solicitudo Rei Socialis Centesimus Annus Evangelium Vitae

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THE METHOD

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judge
reflection/action process

see

act
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1. Observe
-Seeing, hearing, and experiencing the lived reality of individuals and communities.

- Carefully and intentionally examining the primary data of the situation. What are the people in this situation doing, feeling, and saying? What is happening to them and how do they respond?
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Reflection/Action Worksheet

1. Observe :
What do you know about this issue or what did you observe? What specifc facts can you cite about this issue or experience? What did you learn or observe? How do you feel in the face of this issue or experience? How does it touch you personally?
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2. Judge (the heart of the process)

a. Social

Analysis - Obtaining a more complete picture of the social situation by exploring its historical and structural relationships. In this step, we attempt to make sense of the reality that was observed in Step 1. Why are things this way? What are the root causes?
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2. Judge:

a. Social Analysis

Why does this situation exist? What are the root causes? Economic factors -- Who owns? Who controls? Who pays? Who gets? Who gets left out? Why? Political factors Who decides? For whom do they decide? How do decisions get made? Who is left out of the process? Why? Social Factors Who is left out? Who is included? Why? Historic Factors What past events influence the situation today? Cultural Factors What values are evident? What do people believe in? Who influences what people believe?
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2. Judge (the heart of the process)

b. Theological

Reflection Analyzing the experience in the light of scripture and the Catholic social tradition? How do biblical values and the principles of Catholic social teaching help us to see this reality in a different way? How do they serve as a measuring stick for this experience?
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2.Judge b. Theological Reflection

What lessons or values from scripture can help us to interpret this experience?
E.g. the prophets, the Beatitudes, the example of Jesus himself, and the parables he told.

What key principles from Catholic Social Teaching apply to this situation?
E.g. human dignity, the common good, human rights, the option for the poor.

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3. Act
Planning and carrying out actions aimed at transforming the social structures that contribute to suffering and injustice.
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3. Act
Do you have enough information and analysis to act? If not, what additional research is needed? If you were to act to change this situation, what root causes would you attack? How would you transform the structures and relationships that produce this situation? How can you act to support the empowerment of those
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who are poor or disadvantaged?

judge
reflection/action process

observe

act
081107 prepared by: Joan Christi S. Trocio

SEE
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prepared by: Joan Christi S. Trocio

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prepared by: Joan Christi S. Trocio

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prepared by: Joan Christi S. Trocio

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prepared by: Joan Christi S. Trocio

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prepared by: Joan Christi S. Trocio

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prepared by: Joan Christi S. Trocio

PRINCIPLES OF CATHOLIC SOCIAL JUSTICE

1998 Document of the United States Conference of Bishops Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions Reflections of the U.S. Catholic Bishops

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PRINCIPLES OF CATHOLIC SOCIAL JUSTICE

Purpose: to alert Catholics to the fact that the Churchs teaching on social justice is an essential part of the Catholic faith.

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KEY THEMES OF THE CATHOLIC SOCIAL JUSTICE DOCUMENTS

UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS

Human dignity Respect for life Call to family, community, and participation Rights and responsibilities Common good Preferential Option for the poor Dignity of work and the rights of workers Solidarity Stewardship

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Dignity of the Human Person

Belief in the inherent dignity of the human person is the foundation of all Catholic social teaching

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Dignity of the Human Person

every human being is created in the image of God and redeemed by Jesus Christ, therefore is invaluable and worthy of respect as a member of the human family (p1)

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Respect for human life

Every person, from the moment of conception to natural death, has inherent dignity and a right to life consistent with that dignity (pp1-2)

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Call to family, Community and Participation

in a global culture driven by excessive individualism, our tradition proclaims that the person is not only sacred but social The FAMILY is the social institution that must be supported and strengthened, not underminedwe believe people have a right to participate in the society (pp 4-5)
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Rights and Responsibilities

Human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met. (p 5)

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Common Good

Three essential elements

Respect for the person Social well-being and development of the group Peace and security (p 25)

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Preferential Option for the Poor

The moral test of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable members.

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Dignity of work and the rights of workers

Society must pursue economic justice, i.e. the economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work help us to make a living and to participate in Gods creation. The dignity of work is safeguarded when workers rights are respected.
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Principle of Solidarity
that we are our brothers and sisters keepers, wherever they live loving our neighbor has global dimensions in an interdependent world. (p 5) The firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good.
Pope John Paul II

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Principle of Stewardship
we are called to protect the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of Gods creation. (p6)

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Notable quotations on development

Individual initiative alone and the mere free play of competition could never assure successful development. One must avoid the risk of increasing still more the wealth of the rich and the dominion of the strong, whilst leaving the poor in their misery and adding to the servitude of the oppressed. On the Development of Peoples, #33
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Notable quotations on development

Economic development must ... not be left to the sole judgment of a few individuals or groups, possessing excessive economic power, or of the political community alone, or of certain powerful nations. The Church in the Modern World, #65
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Acknowledgment
Office for Social Justice, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis328 West Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul,
MN 55102 651.291.4477

Catholic Social Teaching: 1891-present by Charles Curran, 2002 Catholic Social Teachings, by Michael Pennock, 2000 Forming the Filipino Social Conscience by Vitaliano Gorsope, 1997 Catechism on the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church by Vitaliano Gorospe, 1954
081107 prepared by: Joan Christi S. Trocio