Principles, Prophecy, and a Pastoral Response An Overview of Modern Catholic Social Teaching
The following excerpt from this publication provides the Table of Contents, Introduction, Chapter 4 (with related questions for reflection and action), and sample references from Appendix A of the full document. An excerpt from the Spanish resource is available here. Order the document.
CCHD Mission Statement
Introduction
Chapter One—Life and Dignity of the Human Person
Chapter Two—Call to Family, Community, and Participation
Chapter Three—Rights and Responsibilities of the Human Person
Chapter Four—Option For and With the Poor and Vulnerable
Chapter Five—Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
Chapter Six—Solidarity
Chapter Seven—Care for God's Creation
Final Reflection
Appendix A—Catholic Social Teaching in Major Vatican Documents
Appendix B—Catholic Social Teaching in Major U.S. Bishops' Documents
Appendix C—Sacred Scripture and Catholic Social Teaching
Appendix D—Annotated Bibliography
Rev. Robert J. Vitillo
Executive Director, Catholic Campaign for Human Development
It seems quite fitting that the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) would start preparing the revised edition of this booklet, Principles, Prophecy, and a Pastoral Response, during the Great Jubilee Year 2000, when Pope John Paul II called on all Catholics and other people of good will to follow the biblical tradition of setting relationships right in society by following the call to justice.
Catholic social teaching has the capacity to
- Inspire people with the principles of justice
- Strengthen them in taking prophetic stands in their families, local communities, and society as a whole
- Help them mobilize themselves into effective action to bring about positive social change that affirms the sacredness of life and the God-given dignity of all God's children
Thus, we recall the words of Pope Paul VI in 1971 on the eightieth anniversary of Pope Leo XIII's watershed social encyclical
On the Condition of Workers (Rerum Novarum):
It is not enough to recall principles, state intentions, point to crying injustices and utter prophetic denunciations; these words will lack real weight unless they are accompanied . . . by effective action.
1
Since
On the Condition of Workers, Pope Leo XIII's 1891 social encyclical, a significant number of papal letters, council and synodal documents, and statements by the U.S. Catholic bishops have offered commentary and Gospel-based insight on the human condition and have provided appropriate critiques, exhortations, and observations.
Words, however, are never sufficient in themselves. They must lead to effective action in the community, rooted in the Word of God, which was spoken to us through the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and through his continued presence among us through the grace of the Spirit. Thus, on the hundredth anniversary of
On the Condition of Workers, Pope John Paul II echoed his predecessors' appeal for action in response to Catholic social teaching:
Today more than ever, the Church is aware that her social message will gain credibility more immediately from the witness of actions than as a result of its internal logic and consistency.
2
This booklet has been prepared in an effort to enlighten people about the values and principles at the heart of Catholic social teaching and then to challenge them toward action in their homes, in their communities, and with all whom they meet. Some settings where this resource may be particularly useful include, but are not limited to, small faith-sharing groups, the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, Journey to Justice retreats, religious education programs, campus ministry activities, and courses that address the issues of poverty and injustice.
The material is based on the themes highlighted in the November 1990 pastoral message of the U.S. Catholic bishops entitled
A Century of Social Teaching: A Common Heritage, a Continuing Challenge (Washington, D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, 1990), and this booklet has been updated in light of more recent papal and episcopal teachings on social matters. Since the first printing of this booklet, the Church has also highlighted a seventh theme of Catholic social teaching relating to environmental justice. Accordingly, this revised edition incorporates guidance and reflections on "care for God's creation."
Each chapter of this booklet is divided into the following sections:
- Description of a theme as presented in A Century of Social Teaching
- Direct quotations from the body of Catholic social teaching
- Examples of how community-based self-help groups are taking action on each theme
The examples in each section are drawn from projects that have been funded and assisted by CCHD, the U.S. bishops' action-education program to combat poverty in this country. The Campaign was founded by the bishops in 1970 as a way for Catholics to put Catholic social teaching into action. In their 1999 pastoral message
In All Things Charity: A Pastoral Challenge for the New Millennium, the U.S. Catholic bishops recognized CCHD for its "strong and effective thirty-year history" of supporting community-based self-help and economic development projects, which are capable of effecting "the permanent, broad, and deep changes in society that are rightfully wanted and needed by those living in poverty."
3
For many years, CCHD has adopted, as a distinctive motto, these words from Pope Paul VI: "If you want peace, work for justice." These words offer not only a sound methodology to accomplish social change but also a beacon of hope to those who thirst for justice. I would like to express deep appreciation and thanks to John Dardis, SJ, for his work
In Words and Deeds: 100 Years of Catholic Social Teaching, on which some of the material in this booklet was based, and to the national staff members of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development who updated and expanded the information included in this second edition.
- Paul VI, On the Occasion of the Eightieth Anniversary of the Encyclical Rerum Novarum (Octogesima Adveniens) (1971), no. 48 (emphases added).
- John Paul II, On the Hundredth Anniversary of Rerum Novarum (Centesimus Annus) (1991), no. 57.
- U.S. Catholic Bishops, In All Things Charity: A Pastoral Challenge for the New Millennium (Washington, D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, 1999), 32.
Theme
"Poor and vulnerable people have a special place in Catholic social teaching. A basic moral test of a society is how its most vulnerable members are faring. This is not a new insight; it is the lesson of the parable of the Last Judgment (see Mt 25). Our tradition calls us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first. As Christians, we are called to respond to the needs of all our sisters and brothers, but those with the greatest needs require the greatest response."
—U.S. Catholic Bishops, A Century of Social Teaching, 6-7
Principles
"In protecting the rights of private individuals, however, special consideration must be given to the weak and the poor. For the nation, as it were, of the rich is guarded by its own defenses and is less in need of governmental protection."
—Pope Leo XIII, On the Condition of Workers
(Rerum Novarum [1891]), no. 54
"The Gospel instructs us in the preferential respect due to the poor and the special situation they have in society: the more fortunate should renounce some of their rights so as to place their goods more generously at the service of others."
—Pope Paul VI, On the Occasion of the Eightieth Anniversary of
Rerum Novarum (Octogesima Adveniens [1971]), no. 23
"Love of preference for the poor, and the decisions which it inspires in us, cannot but embrace the immense multitudes of the hungry, the needy, the homeless, those without medical care and, above all, those without hope of a better future."
—Pope John Paul II, On Social Concern
(Sollicitudo Rei Socialis [1987]), no. 42
Practice
The phrase "option for and with the poor and vulnerable" is relatively new in the Church's social teachings. The bishops of Latin America introduced the expression "option for the poor" in 1979 at the Third General Conference of the Latin American Episcopate in Puebla, Mexico, when they stated their commitment to the poor: "We affirm the need for conversion on the part of the whole church to a preferential option for the poor, an option aimed at their eternal liberation."
Two years later, the phrase made its first appearance in church literature at the level of its highest teaching authority, when Pope John Paul II (who gave the opening address at the Puebla meeting) used it in his apostolic exhortation On the Family (Familiaris Consortio): "The Christian family is . . . called upon to offer everyone a witness of generous and disinterested dedication to social matters through a ‘preferential option' for the poor and disadvantaged" (no. 47).
In 1986, the U.S. bishops adopted the phrase "option for the poor" for the first time in their pastoral letter Economic Justice for All, citing the expression on eight separate occasions. The pastoral letter offered a clear, concise definition of the option for the poor. It also presented another moral imperative to stand "with the poor":
The prime purpose of this special commitment to the poor is to enable them to become active participants in the life of society. It is to enable all persons to share in and contribute to the common good. The "option for the poor," therefore, is not an adversarial slogan that pits one group or class against another. Rather it states that the deprivation and powerlessness of the poor wounds the whole community. The extent of their suffering is a measure of how far we are from being a true community of persons. These wounds will be healed only by greater solidarity with the poor and among the poor themselves. (no. 88)
While the phrase "option for and with the poor" is a recent formulation in the Church's social teaching, it is as old as the Hebrew scriptures. Among the oldest biblical ordinances are laws designed to protect widows, orphans, and strangers. The biblical command is equated with what it means to know God. Involvement with the poor is as central to the Gospel as Jesus' steadfast and intimate identification with the poor.
In his encyclical letter On Social Concern, Pope John Paul II cited positive signs of "the growing awareness of the solidarity of the poor among themselves." Furthermore, regarding our role, he stated, "The Church feels called to take her stand beside the poor, to discern the justice of their requests, and to help satisfy them . . ." (no. 39; emphasis added).
The strength and persistence of this basic theme about giving priority to those who are poor has resonated throughout more than one hundred years of Catholic social teaching. In 1969, the theme took on a unique dimension when the U.S. bishops launched the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. Called "an extraordinary initiative" by the then-president of the NCCB/USCC, Cardinal John Dearden of the Archdiocese of Detroit, the Campaign was intended, according to the bishops' 1970 resolution that made CCHD an annual campaign, "to eradicate conditions which impose poverty and trap generation after generation in an agonizing cycle of dependency and despair. In our time the legitimate aspirations of the poor for self-determination cannot be ignored."
CCHD's grant-making philosophy is consistent with Leo XIII's "special consideration" for the poor and with John Paul II's "option for and beside [or with] the poor," in that the Campaign restricts its funding to projects that "must benefit a poverty group." The first funding criterion states, "At least 50 percent of those benefitting from the project must be from the low-income community . . . who must have the dominant voice in the project."
CCHD also seeks to live out this principle in its educational programs, such as the Journey to Justice retreat process. During the retreat and follow-up phase, participants grapple with this foundational theme of a preferential option for and with the poor. A key objective of the Journey to Justice process is to help participants see the world in a way that builds strong and caring communities.
Questions for Discussion and Action
Chapter 4—Option For and With the Poor and Vulnerable
- What events of Jesus' life support the Christian belief that persons living in poverty have a special place?
- How does the principle of a preferential option for and with the poor fit with the American ideal of fairness and equal opportunity?
- How can you respond to the preferential option for and with the poor in your everyday life?
- How does it feel to be poor in the United States? If you don't know, how would you find out what life is like for a poor child or adult in the United States?
The major Vatican documents of Catholic social teaching (1891-1999) are listed below in chronological order; each is described with a brief summary and a list of key words associated with it.
Roman Synod of Bishops. Justice in the World (Justitia in Mundo). 1971.
- Proposes lines of action regarding the Church's own witness to justice.
- Emphasizes that work for justice and for the interaction of people is an integral part of the Church's mission.
- Reinforces the right of nations to full development.
- Highlights the situation in the world that has caused so many to suffer serious injustice.
Key Words—Domination; liberation; unjust systems and structures; arms race; inequality; migrants; refugees; denial of human rights; responsibility; duties of a Christian citizen; education for justice; cooperation.
John Paul II. On Social Concern (Sollicitudo Rei Socialis). 1987.*
- Reaffirms the Church's social role and the principles of previous social teaching.
- Surveys the world today and emphasizes a number of major problems.
- Emphasizes the spiritual character of development and the Church's role in promoting development and defending human rights.
- Provides a theological reading of the world and calls for solidarity as the true Christian response to suffering.
Key Words—Continuity; crisis; inequality; authentic development; justice; poverty; conflict; interdependence; human dignity; structures of sin; solidarity; human rights; ecology; evangelization.
* The asterisked documents may be ordered from the USCCB Office for Publishing Services: 3211 Fourth Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20017-1194; www.usccb.org/opps, or call 800-235-USCC. Papal documents may be viewed and retrieved from the official Vatican website at http://www.vatican.va. Other documents may be accessed at http://www.osjspm.org/cst.