Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church: Chapter Two
by Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
CHAPTER TWO
THE CHURCH'S MISSION AND SOCIAL DOCTRINE
I. EVANGELIZATION AND SOCIAL DOCTRINE
a. The Church, God's dwelling place with men and women
60. The Church, sharing in mankind's joys and hopes, in its anxieties and sadness, stands with every man and woman of every place and time, to bring them the good news of the Kingdom of God, which in Jesus Christ has come and continues to be present among them[73]. In the midst of mankind and in the world she is the sacrament of God's love and, therefore, of the most splendid hope, which inspires and sustains every authentic undertaking for and commitment to human liberation and advancement. The Church is present among mankind as God's tent of meeting, "God's dwelling place among men" (cf. Rev 21:3), so that man is not alone, lost or frightened in his task of making the world more human; thus men and women find support in the redeeming love of Christ. As minister of salvation, the Church is not in the abstract nor in a merely spiritual dimension, but in the context of the history and of the world in which man lives[74]. Here mankind is met by God's love and by the vocation to cooperate in the divine plan.
61. Unique and unrepeatable in his individuality, every person is a being who is open to relationships with others in society. Life together in society, in the network of relationships linking individuals, families and intermediate groups by encounter, communication and exchange, ensures a higher quality of living. The common good that people seek and attain in the formation of social communities is the guarantee of their personal, familial and associative good[75]. These are the reasons for which society originates and takes shape, with its array of structures, that is to say its political, economic, juridical and cultural constructs. To man, "as he is involved in a complex network of relationships within modern societies"[76], the Church addresses her social doctrine. As an expert in humanity[77], she is able to understand man in his vocation and aspirations, in his limits and misgivings, in his rights and duties, and to speak a word of life that reverberates in the historical and social circumstances of human existence.
b. Enriching and permeating society with the Gospel
62. With her social teaching the Church seeks to proclaim the Gospel and make it present in the complex network of social relations. It is not simply a matter of reaching out to man in society - man as the recipient of the proclamation of the Gospel - but of enriching and permeating society itself with the Gospel[78]. For the Church, therefore, tending to the needs of man means that she also involves society in her missionary and salvific work. The way people live together in society often determines the quality of life and therefore the conditions in which every man and woman understand themselves and make decisions concerning themselves and their vocation. For this reason, the Church is not indifferent to what is decided, brought about or experienced in society; she is attentive to the moral quality - that is, the authentically human and humanizing aspects - of social life. Society - and with it, politics, the economy, labour, law, culture - is not simply a secular and worldly reality, and therefore outside or foreign to the message and economy of salvation. Society in fact, with all that is accomplished within it, concerns man. Society is made up of men and women, who are "the primary and fundamental way for the Church"[79].
63. By means of her social doctrine, the Church takes on the task of proclaiming what the Lord has entrusted to her. She makes the message of the freedom and redemption wrought by Christ, the Gospel of the Kingdom, present in human history. In proclaiming the Gospel, the Church "bears witness to man, in the name of Christ, to his dignity and his vocation to the communion of persons. She teaches him the demands of justice and peace in conformity with divine wisdom"[80].
As the Gospel reverberates by means of the Church in the today of men and women[81], this social doctrine is a word that brings freedom. This means that it has the effectiveness of truth and grace that comes from the Spirit of God, who penetrates hearts, predisposing them to thoughts and designs of love, justice, freedom and peace. Evangelizing the social sector, then, means infusing into the human heart the power of meaning and freedom found in the Gospel, in order to promote a society befitting mankind because it befits Christ: it means building a city of man that is more human because it is in greater conformity with the Kingdom of God.
64. With her social doctrine not only does the Church not stray from her mission but she is rigorously faithful to it. The redemption wrought by Christ and entrusted to the saving mission of the Church is certainly of the supernatural order. This dimension is not a delimitation of salvation but rather an integral expression of it[82]. The supernatural is not to be understood as an entity or a place that begins where the natural ends, but as the raising of the natural to a higher plane. In this way nothing of the created or the human order is foreign to or excluded from the supernatural or theological order of faith and grace, rather it is found within it, taken on and elevated by it. "In Jesus Christ the visible world which God created for man (cf. Gen 1:26-30) - the world that, when sin entered, 'was subjected to futility' (Rom 8:20; cf. Rom 8:19-22) - recovers again its original link with the divine source of Wisdom and Love. Indeed, 'God so loved the world that he gave his only Son' (Jn 3:16). As this link was broken in the man Adam, so in the Man Christ it was reforged (cf. Rom 5:12-21)"[83].
65. Redemption begins with the Incarnation, by which the Son of God takes on all that is human, except sin, according to the solidarity established by the wisdom of the Divine Creator, and embraces everything in his gift of redeeming Love. Man is touched by this Love in the fullness of his being: a being that is corporeal and spiritual, that is in a solidary relationship with others. The whole man - not a detached soul or a being closed within its own individuality, but a person and a society of persons - is involved in the salvific economy of the Gospel. As bearer of the Gospel's message of Incarnation and Redemption, the Church can follow no other path: with her social doctrine and the effective action that springs from it, not only does she not hide her face or tone down her mission, but she is faithful to Christ and shows herself to men and women as "the universal sacrament of salvation"[84]. This is especially true in times such as the present, marked by increasing interdependence and globalization of social issues.
c. Social doctrine, evangelization and human promotion
66. The Church's social doctrine is an integral part of her evangelizing ministry. Nothing that concerns the community of men and women - situations and problems regarding justice, freedom, development, relations between peoples, peace - is foreign to evangelization, and evangelization would be incomplete if it did not take into account the mutual demands continually made by the Gospel and by the concrete, personal and social life of man[85]. Profound links exist between evangelization and human promotion: "These include links of an anthropological order, because the man who is to be evangelized is not an abstract being but is subject to social and economic questions. They also include links in the theological order, since one cannot disassociate the plan of creation from the plan of Redemption. The latter plan touches the very concrete situations of injustice to be combated and of justice to be restored. They include links of the eminently evangelical order, which is that of charity: how in fact can one proclaim the new commandment without promoting in justice and in peace the true, authentic advancement of man?"[86].
67. The Church's social doctrine "is itself a valid instrument of evangelization" [87] and is born of the always new meeting of the Gospel message and social life. Understood in this way, this social doctrine is a distinctive way for the Church to carry out her ministry of the Word and her prophetic role[88]. "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"[89]. This is not a marginal interest or activity, or one that is tacked on to the Church's mission, rather it is at the very heart of the Church's ministry of service: with her social doctrine the Church "proclaims God and his mystery of salvation in Christ to every human being, and for that very reason reveals man to himself"[90]. This is a ministry that stems not only from proclamation but also from witness.
68. The Church does not assume responsibility for every aspect of life in society, but speaks with the competence that is hers, which is that of proclaiming Christ the Redeemer[91]: "Christ did not bequeath to the Church a mission in the political, economic or social order; the purpose he assigned to her was a religious one. But this religious mission can be the source of commitment, direction and vigour to establish and consolidate the community of men according to the law of God"[92]. This means that the Church does not intervene in technical questions with her social doctrine, nor does she propose or establish systems or models of social organization[93]. This is not part of the mission entrusted to her by Christ. The Church's competence comes from the Gospel: from the message that sets man free, the message proclaimed and borne witness to by the Son of God made man.
d. The rights and duties of the Church
69. With her social doctrine, the Church aims "at helping man on the path of salvation"[94]. This is her primary and sole purpose. There is no intention to usurp or invade the duties of others or to neglect her own; nor is there any thought of pursuing objectives that are foreign to her mission. This mission serves to give an overall shape to the Church's right and at the same time her duty to develop a social doctrine of her own and to influence society and societal structures with it by means of the responsibility and tasks to which it gives rise.
70. The Church has the right to be a teacher for mankind, a teacher of the truth of faith: the truth not only of dogmas but also of the morals whose source lies in human nature itself and in the Gospel[95]. The word of the Gospel, in fact, is not only to be heard but is also to be observed and put into practice (cf. Mt 7:24; Lk 6:46-47; Jn 14:21,23-24; Jas 1:22). Consistency in behaviour shows what one truly believes and is not limited only to things strictly church-related or spiritual but involves men and women in the entirety of their life experience and in the context of all their responsibilities. However worldly these responsibilities may be, their subject remains man, that is, the human being whom God calls, by means of the Church, to participate in his gift of salvation.
Men and women must respond to the gift of salvation not with a partial, abstract or merely verbal acceptance, but with the whole of their lives - in every relationship that defines life - so as not to neglect anything, leaving it in a profane and worldly realm where it is irrelevant or foreign to salvation. For this reason the Church's social doctrine is not a privilege for her, nor a digression, a convenience or interference: it is her right to proclaim the Gospel in the context of society, to make the liberating word of the Gospel resound in the complex worlds of production, labour, business, finance, trade, politics, law, culture, social communications, where men and women live.
71. This right of the Church is at the same time a duty, because she cannot forsake this responsibility without denying herself and her fidelity to Christ: "Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!" (1 Cor 9:16). The warning that St. Paul addresses to himself rings in the Church's conscience as a call to walk all paths of evangelization, not only those that lead to individual consciences but also those that wind their way into public institutions: on the one hand, religion must not be restricted "to the purely private sphere"[96], on the other, the Christian message must not be relegated to a purely other-worldly salvation incapable of shedding light on our earthly existence[97].
Because of the public relevance of the Gospel and faith, because of the corrupting effects of injustice, that is, of sin, the Church cannot remain indifferent to social matters[98]: "To the Church belongs the right always and everywhere to announce moral principles, including those pertaining to the social order, and to make judgments on any human affairs to the extent that they are required by the fundamental rights of the human person or the salvation of souls"[99].
II. THE NATURE OF THE CHURCH'S SOCIAL DOCTRINE
a. Knowledge illuminated by faith
72. The Church's social doctrine was not initially thought of as an organic system but was formed over the course of time, through the numerous interventions of the Magisterium on social issues. The fact that it came about in this manner makes it understandable that certain changes may have taken place with regard to its nature, method and epistemological structure. With significant allusions already being made in Laborem Exercens[100], a decisive clarification in this regard was made in the Encyclical Sollicitudo Rei Socialis: the Church's social doctrine "belongs to the field, not of ideology, but of theology and particularly of moral theology"[101]. It cannot be defined according to socio-economic parameters. It is not an ideological or pragmatic system intended to define and generate economic, political and social relationships, but is a category unto itself. It is "the accurate formulation of the results of a careful reflection on the complex realities of human existence, in society and in the international order, in the light of faith and of the Church's tradition. Its main aim is to interpret these realities, determining their conformity with or divergence from the lines of the Gospel teaching on man and his vocation, a vocation which is at once earthly and transcendent; its aim is thus to guide Christian behaviour"[102].
73. The Church's social doctrine is therefore of a theological nature, specifically theological-moral, "since it is a doctrine aimed at guiding people's behaviour"[103]. "This teaching ... is to be found at the crossroads where Christian life and conscience come into contact with the real world. [It] is seen in the efforts of individuals, families, people involved in cultural and social life, as well as politicians and statesmen to give it a concrete form and application in history"[104]. In fact, this social doctrine reflects three levels of theological-moral teaching: the foundational level of motivations; the directive level of norms for life in society; the deliberative level of consciences, called to mediate objective and general norms in concrete and particular social situations. These three levels implicitly define also the proper method and specific epistemological structure of the social doctrine of the Church.
74. The Church's social doctrine finds its essential foundation in biblical revelation and in the tradition of the Church. From this source, which comes from above, it draws inspiration and light to understand, judge and guide human experience and history. Before anything else and above everything else is God's plan for the created world and, in particular, for the life and destiny of men and women, called to Trinitarian communion.
Faith, which receives the divine word and puts it into practice, effectively interacts with reason. The understanding of faith, especially faith leading to practical action, is structured by reason and makes use of every contribution that reason has to offer. Social doctrine too, insofar as it is knowledge applied to the circumstantial and historical aspects of praxis, brings "fides et ratio" [105] together and is an eloquent expression of that rich relationship.
75. Faith and reason represent the two cognitive paths of the Church's social doctrine: Revelation and human nature. The "knowing" of faith understands and directs the life of men and women according to the light of the historical-salvific mystery, God's revelation and gift of himself to us in Christ. This understanding of faith includes reason, by means of which - insofar as possible - it unravels and comprehends revealed truth and integrates it with the truth of human nature, found in the divine plan expressed in creation[106]. This is the integral truth of the human person as a spiritual and corporeal being, in relationship with God, with other human beings and with other creatures[107].
Being centred on the mystery of Christ, moreover, does not weaken or exclude the role of reason and hence does not deprive the Church's social doctrine of rationality or, therefore, of universal applicability. Since the mystery of Christ illuminates the mystery of man, it gives fullness of meaning to human dignity and to the ethical requirements which defend it. The Church's social doctrine is knowledge enlightened by faith, which, as such, is the expression of a greater capacity for knowledge. It explains to all people the truths that it affirms and the duties that it demands; it can be accepted and shared by all.
b. In friendly dialogue with all branches of knowledge
76. The Church's social doctrine avails itself of contributions from all branches of knowledge, whatever their source, and has an important interdisciplinary dimension. "In order better to incarnate the one truth about man in different and constantly changing social, economic and political contexts, this teaching enters into dialogue with the various disciplines concerned with man. It assimilates what these disciplines have to contribute"[108]. The social doctrine makes use of the significant contributions of philosophy as well as the descriptive contributions of the human sciences.
77. Above all, the contribution of philosophy is essential. This contribution has already been seen in the appeal to human nature as a source and to reason as the cognitive path of faith itself. By means of reason, the Church's social doctrine espouses philosophy in its own internal logic, in other words, in the argumentation that is proper to it.
Affirming that the Church's social doctrine is part of theology rather than philosophy does not imply a disowning or underestimation of the role or contribution of philosophy. In fact, philosophy is a suitable and indispensable instrument for arriving at a correct understanding of the basic concepts of the Church's social doctrine, concepts such as the person, society, freedom, conscience, ethics, law, justice, the common good, solidarity, subsidiarity, the State. This understanding is such that it inspires harmonious living in society. It is philosophy once more that shows the reasonableness and acceptability of shining the light of the Gospel on society, and that inspires in every mind and conscience openness and assent to the truth.
78. A significant contribution to the Church's social doctrine comes also from human sciences and the social sciences[109]. In view of that particular part of the truth that it may reveal, no branch of knowledge is excluded. The Church recognizes and receives everything that contributes to the understanding of man in the ever broader, more fluid and more complex net work of his social relationships. She is aware of the fact that a profound understanding of man does not come from theology alone, without the contributions of many branches of knowledge to which theology itself refers.
This attentive and constant openness to other branches of knowledge makes the Church's social doctrine reliable, concrete and relevant. Thanks to the sciences, the Church can gain a more precise understanding of man in society, speak to the men and women of her own day in a more convincing manner and more effectively fulfil her task of incarnating in the conscience and social responsibility of our time, the word of God and the faith from which social doctrine flows[110].
This interdisciplinary dialogue also challenges the sciences to grasp the perspectives of meaning, value and commitment that the Church's social doctrine reveals and to "open themselves to a broader horizon, aimed at serving the individual person who is acknowledged and loved in the fullness of his or her vocation"[111].
c. An expression of the Church's ministry of teaching
79. The social doctrine belongs to the Church because the Church is the subject that formulates it, disseminates it and teaches it. It is not a prerogative of a certain component of the ecclesial body but of the entire community; it is the expression of the way that the Church understands society and of her position regarding social structures and changes. The whole of the Church community - priests, religious and laity - participates in the formulation of this social doctrine, each according to the different tasks, charisms and ministries found within her.
These many and varied contributions - which are themselves expressions of the "supernatural appreciation of the faith (sensus fidei) of the whole people" [112] - are taken up, interpreted and formed into a unified whole by the Magisterium, which promulgates the social teaching as Church doctrine. To the Church's Magisterium belongs those who have received the "munus docendi", or the ministry of teaching in the areas of faith and morals with the authority received from Christ. The Church's social doctrine is not only the thought or work of qualified persons, but is the thought of the Church, insofar as it is the work of the Magisterium, which teaches with the authority that Christ conferred on the Apostles and their successors: the Pope and the Bishops in communion with him[113].
80. In the Church's social doctrine the Magisterium is at work in all its various components and expressions. Of primary importance is the universal Magisterium of the Pope and the Council: this is the Magisterium that determines the direction and gives marks of the development of this social doctrine. This doctrine in turn is integrated into the Magisterium of the Bishops who, in the concrete and particular situations of the many different local circumstances, give precise definition to this teaching, translating it and putting it into practice[114]. The social teaching of the Bishops offers valid contributions and impetus to the Magisterium of the Roman Pontiff. In this way, there is a circulating at work that in fact expresses the collegiality of the Church's Pastors united to the Pope in the Church's social teaching. The doctrinal body that emerges includes and integrates in this fashion the universal teaching of the Popes and the particular teaching of the Bishops.
Insofar as it is part of the Church's moral teaching, the Church's social doctrine has the same dignity and authority as her moral teaching. It is authentic Magisterium, which obligates the faithful to adhere to it[115]. The doctrinal weight of the different teachings and the assent required are determined by the nature of the particular teachings, by their level of independence from contingent and variable elements, and by the frequency with which they are invoked[116].
d. For a society reconciled in justice and love
81. The object of the Church's social doctrine is essentially the same that constitutes the reason for its existence: the human person called to salvation, and as such entrusted by Christ to the Church's care and responsibility[117]. By means of her social doctrine, the Church shows her concern for human life in society, aware that the quality of social life - that is, of the relationships of justice and love that form the fabric of society - depends in a decisive manner on the protection and promotion of the human person, for whom every community comes into existence. In fact, at play in society are the dignity and rights of the person, and peace in the relationships between persons and between communities of persons. These are goods that the social community must pursue and guarantee. In this perspective, the Church's social doctrine has the task of proclamation, but also of denunciation.
In the first place it is the proclamation of what the Church possesses as proper to herself: "a view of man and of human affairs in their totality"[118]. This is done not only on the level of principles but also in practice. The Church's social doctrine, in fact, offers not only meaning, value and criteria of judgment, but also the norms and directives of action that arise from these[119]. With her social doctrine the Church does not attempt to structure or organize society, but to appeal to, guide and form consciences.
This social doctrine also entails a duty to denounce, when sin is present: the sin of injustice and violence that in different ways moves through society and is embodied in it[120]. By denunciation, the Church's social doctrine becomes judge and defender of unrecognized and violated rights, especially those of the poor, the least and the weak[121]. The more these rights are ignored or trampled, the greater becomes the extent of violence and injustice, involving entire categories of people and large geographical areas of the world, thus giving rise to social questions, that is, to abuses and imbalances that lead to social upheaval. A large part of the Church's social teaching is solicited and determined by important social questions, to which social justice is the proper answer.
82. The intent of the Church's social doctrine is of the religious and moral order[122]. Religious because the Church's evangelizing and salvific mission embraces man "in the full truth of his existence, of his personal being and also of his community and social being"[123]. Moral because the Church aims at a "complete form of humanism"[124], that is to say, at the "liberation from everything that oppresses man" [125] and "the development of the whole man and of all men"[126]. The Church's social doctrine indicates the path to follow for a society reconciled and in harmony through justice and love, a society that anticipates in history, in a preparatory and prefigurative manner, the "new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells" (2 Pet 3:13).
e. A message for the sons and daughters of the Church and for humanity
83. The first recipient of the Church's social doctrine is the Church community in its entire membership, because everyone has social responsibilities that must be fulfilled. The conscience is called by this social teaching to recognize and fulfil the obligations of justice and charity in society. This doctrine is a light of moral truth that inspires appropriate responses according to the vocation and ministry of each Christian. In the tasks of evangelization, that is to say, of teaching, catechesis and formation that the Church's social doctrine inspires, it is addressed to every Christian, each according to the competence, charisms, office and mission of proclamation that is proper to each one[127].
This social doctrine implies as well responsibilities regarding the building, organization and functioning of society, that is to say, political, economic and administrative obligations - obligations of a secular nature - which belong to the lay faithful, not to priests or religious[128]. These responsibilities belong to the laity in a distinctive manner, by reason of the secular condition of their state of life, and of the secular nature of their vocation[129]. By fulfilling these responsibilities, the lay faithful put the Church's social teaching into action and thus fulfil the Church's secular mission[130].
84. Besides being destined primarily and specifically to the sons and daughters of the Church, her social doctrine also has a universal destination. The light of the Gospel that the Church's social doctrine shines on society illuminates all men and women, and every conscience and mind is in a position to grasp the human depths of meaning and values expressed in it and the potential of humanity and humanization contained in its norms of action. It is to all people - in the name of mankind, of human dignity which is one and unique, and of humanity's care and promotion of society - to everyone in the name of the one God, Creator and ultimate end of man, that the Church's social doctrine is addressed[131]. This social doctrine is a teaching explicitly addressed to all people of good will[132], and in fact is heard by members of other Churches and Ecclesial Communities, by followers of other religious traditions and by people who belong to no religious group.
f. Under the sign of continuity and renewal
85. Guided by the perennial light of the Gospel and ever attentive to evolution of society, the Church's social doctrine is characterized by continuity and renewal[133].
It shows above all the continuity of a teaching that refers to the universal values drawn from Revelation and human nature. For this reason the Church's social doctrine does not depend on the different cultures, ideologies or opinions; it is a constant teaching that "remains identical in its fundamental inspiration, in its 'principles of reflection', in its 'criteria of judgment', in its basic 'directives for action', and above all in its vital link with the Gospel of the Lord"[134]. This is the foundational and permanent nucleus of the Church's social doctrine, by which it moves through history without being conditioned by history or running the risk of fading away.
On the other hand, in its constant turning to history and in engaging the events taking place, the Church's social doctrine shows a capacity for continuous renewal. Standing firm in its principles does not make it a rigid teaching system, but a Magisterium capable of opening itself to new things, without having its nature altered by them[135]. It is a teaching that is "subject to the necessary and opportune adaptations suggested by the changes in historical conditions and by the unceasing flow of the events which are the setting of the life of people and society"[136].
86. The Church's social doctrine is presented as a "work site" where the work is always in progress, where perennial truth penetrates and permeates new circumstances, indicating paths of justice and peace. Faith does not presume to confine changeable social and political realities within a closed framework[137]. Rather, the contrary is true: faith is the leaven of innovation and creativity. The teaching that constantly takes this as its starting point "develops through reflection applied to the changing situations of this world, under the driving force of the Gospel as the source of renewal"[138].
Mother and Teacher, the Church does not close herself off nor retreat within herself but is always open, reaching out to and turned towards man, whose destiny of salvation is her reason for being. She is in the midst of men and women as the living icon of the Good Shepherd, who goes in search of and finds man where he is, in the existential and historical circumstances of his life. It is there that the Church becomes for man a point of contact with the Gospel, with the message of liberation and reconciliation, of justice and peace.
III. THE CHURCH'S SOCIAL DOCTRINE IN OUR TIME:
HISTORICAL NOTES
a. The beginning of a new path
87. The term "social doctrine" goes back to Pope Pius XI [139] and designates the doctrinal "corpus" concerning issues relevant to society which, from the Encyclical Letter Rerum Novarum [140] of Pope Leo XIII, developed in the Church through the Magisterium of the Roman Pontiffs and the Bishops in communion with them[141]. The Church's concern for social matters certainly did not begin with that document, for the Church has never failed to show interest in society. Nonetheless, the Encyclical Letter Rerum Novarum marks the beginning of a new path. Grafting itself onto a tradition hundreds of years old, it signals a new beginning and a singular development of the Church's teaching in the area of social matters[142].
In her continuous attention to men and women living in society, the Church has accumulated a rich doctrinal heritage. This has its roots in Sacred Scripture, especially the Gospels and the apostolic writings, and takes on shape and body beginning from the Fathers of the Church and the great Doctors of the Middle Ages, constituting a doctrine in which, even without explicit and direct Magisterial pronouncements, the Church gradually came to recognize her competence.
88. In the nineteenth century, events of an economic nature produced a dramatic social, political and cultural impact. Events connected with the Industrial Revolution profoundly changed centuries-old societal structures, raising serious problems of justice and posing the first great social question - the labour question - prompted by the conflict between capital and labour. In this context, the Church felt the need to become involved and intervene in a new way: the res novae ("new things") brought about by these events represented a challenge to her teaching and motivated her special pastoral concern for masses of people. A new discernment of the situation was needed, a discernment capable of finding appropriate solutions to unfamiliar and unexplored problems.
b. From Rerum Novarum to our own day
89. In response to the first great social question, Pope Leo XIII promulgated the first social Encyclical, Rerum Novarum[143]. This Encyclical examines the condition of salaried workers, which was particularly distressing for industrial labourers who languished in inhumane misery. The labour question is dealt with according to its true dimensions. It is explored in all its social and political expressions so that a proper evaluation may be made in the light of the doctrinal principles founded on Revelation and on natural law and morality.
Rerum Novarum lists errors that give rise to social ills, excludes socialism as a remedy and expounds with precision and in contemporary terms "the Catholic doctrine on work, the right to property, the principle of collaboration instead of class struggle as the fundamental means for social change, the rights of the weak, the dignity of the poor and the obligations of the rich, the perfecting of justice through charity, on the right to form professional associations"[144].
Rerum Novarum became the document inspiring Christian activity in the social sphere and the point of reference for this activity[145]. The Encyclical's central theme is the just ordering of society, in view of which there is the obligation to identify criteria of judgment that will help to evaluate existing socio-political systems and to suggest lines of action for their appropriate transformation.
90. Rerum Novarum dealt with the labour question using a methodology that would become "a lasting paradigm" [146] for successive developments in the Church's social doctrine. The principles affirmed by Pope Leo XIII would be taken up again and studied more deeply in successive social encyclicals. The whole of the Church's social doctrine can be seen as an updating, a deeper analysis and an expansion of the original nucleus of principles presented in Rerum Novarum. With this courageous and farsighted text, Pope Leo XIII "gave the Church 'citizenship status' as it were, amid the changing realities of public life" [147] and made an "incisive statement" [148] which became "a permanent element of the Church's social teaching"[149]. He affirmed that serious social problems "could be solved only by cooperation between all forces" [150] and added that, "in regard to the Church, her cooperation will never be found lacking"[151].
91. At the beginning of the 1930s, following the grave economic crisis of 1929, Pope Pius XI published the Encyclical Quadragesimo Anno[152], commemorating the fortieth anniversary of Rerum Novarum. The Pope reread the past in the light of the economic and social situation in which the expansion of the influence of financial groups, both nationally and internationally, was added to the effects of industrialization. It was the post-war period, during which totalitarian regimes were being imposed in Europe even as the class struggle was becoming more bitter. The Encyclical warns about the failure to respect the freedom to form associations and stresses the principles of solidarity and cooperation in order to overcome social contradictions. The relationships between capital and labour must be characterized by cooperation[153].
Quadragesimo Anno confirms the principle that salaries should be proportional not only to the needs of the worker but also to those of the worker's family. The State, in its relations with the private sector, should apply the principle of subsidiarity, a principle that will become a permanent element of the Church's social doctrine. The Encyclical rejects liberalism, understood as unlimited competition between economic forces, and reconfirms the value of private property, recalling its social function. In a society in need of being rebuilt from its economic foundations, a society which itself becomes completely "the question" to deal with, "Pius XI felt the duty and the responsibility to promote a greater awareness, a more precise interpretation and an urgent application of the moral law governing human relations ... with the intent of overcoming the conflict between classes and arriving at a new social order based on justice and charity"[154].
92. Pope Pius XI did not fail to raise his voice against the totalitarian regimes that were being imposed in Europe during his pontificate. Already on 29 June 1931 he had protested against the abuse of power by the totalitarian fascist regime in Italy with the Encyclical Non Abbiamo Bisogno[155]. He published the Encyclical Mit Brennender Sorge, on the situation of the Catholic Church under the German Reich, on 14 March 1937[156]. The text of Mit Brennender Sorge was read from the pulpit of every Catholic Church in Germany, after having been distributed in the greatest of secrecy. The Encyclical came out after years of abuse and violence, and it had been expressly requested from Pope Pius XI by the German Bishops after the Reich had implemented ever more coercive and repressive measures in 1936, particularly with regard to young people, who were required to enrol as members of the Hitler Youth Movement. The Pope spoke directly to priests, religious and lay faithful, giving them encouragement and calling them to resistance until such time that a true peace between Church and State would be restored. In 1938, with the spreading of anti-Semitism, Pope Pius XI affirmed: "Spiritually we are all Semites"[157].
With the Encyclical Letter Divini Redemptoris[158], on atheistic communism and Christian social doctrine, Pope Pius XI offered a systematic criticism of communism, describing it as "intrinsically perverse"[159], and indicated that the principal means for correcting the evils perpetrated
by it could be found in the renewal of Christian life, the practice of evangelical charity, the fulfilment of the duties of justice at both the interpersonal and social levels in relation to the common good, and the institutionalization of professional and interprofessional groups.
93. In the Christmas Radio Messages of Pope Pius XII[160], together with other important interventions in social matters, Magisterial reflection on a new social order guided by morality and law, and focusing on justice and peace, become deeper. His pontificate covered the terrible years of the Second World War and the difficult years of reconstruction. He published no social encyclicals but in many different contexts he constantly showed his concern for the international order, which had been badly shaken. "During the war and the post-war period, for many people of all continents and for millions of believers and nonbelievers, the social teaching of Pope Pius XII represented the voice of universal conscience. ... With his moral authority and prestige, Pope Pius XII brought the light of Christian wisdom to countless men of every category and social level"[161].
One of the characteristics of Pope Pius XII's interventions is the importance he gave to the relationship between morality and law. He insisted on the notion of natural law as the soul of the system to be established on both the national and the international levels. Another important aspect of Pope Pius XII's teaching was his attention to the professional and business classes, called to work together in a special way for the attainment of the common good. "Due to his sensitivity and intelligence in grasping the 'signs of the times', Pope Pius XII can be considered the immediate precursor of Vatican Council II and of the social teaching of the Popes who followed him"[162].
94. The 1960s bring promising prospects: recovery after the devastation of the war, the beginning of decolonization, and the first timid signs of a thaw in the relations between the American and Soviet blocs. This is the context within which Blessed Pope John XXIII reads deeply into the "signs of the times"[163]. The social question is becoming universal and involves all countries: together with the labour question and the Industrial Revolution, there come to the fore problems of agriculture, of developing regions, of increasing populations, and those concerning the need for global economic cooperation. Inequalities that in the past were experienced within nations are now becoming international and make the dramatic situation of the Third World ever more evident.
Blessed Pope John XXIII, in his Encyclical Mater et Magistra[164], "aims at up-dating the already known documents, and at taking a further step forward in the process of involving the whole Christian community"[165]. The key words in the Encyclical are community and socialization[166]: the Church is called in truth, justice and love to cooperate in building with all men and women an authentic communion. In this way economic growth will not be limited to satisfying men's needs, but it will also promote their dignity.
95. With the Encyclical Pacem in Terris[167], Blessed Pope John XXIII brings to the forefront the problem of peace in an era marked by nuclear proliferation. Moreover, Pacem in Terris contains one of the first in-depth reflections on rights on the part of the Church; it is the Encyclical of peace and human dignity. It continues and completes the discussion presented in Mater et Magistra, and, continuing in the direction indicated by Pope Leo XIII, it emphasizes the importance of the cooperation of all men and women. It is the first time that a Church document is addressed also to "all men of good will"[168], who are called to a great task: "to establish with truth, justice, love and freedom new methods of relationships in human society"[169]. Pacem in Terris dwells on the public authority of the world community, called to "tackle and solve problems of an economic, social, political or cultural character which are posed by the universal common good"[170]. On the tenth anniversary of Pacem in Terris, Cardinal Maurice Roy, the President of the Pontifical Commission for Justice and Peace, sent Pope Paul VI a letter together with a document with a series of reflections on the different possibilities afforded by the teaching contained in Pope John XXIII's Encyclical for shedding light on the new problems connected with the promotion of peace[171].
96. The Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes [172] of the Second Vatican Council is a significant response of the Church to the expectations of the contemporary world. In this Constitution, "in harmony with the ecclesiological renewal, a new concept of how to be a community of believers and people of God are reflected. It aroused new interest regarding the doctrine contained in the preceding documents on the witness and life of Christians, as authentic ways of making the presence of God in the world visible"[173]. Gaudium et Spes presents the face of a Church that "cherishes a feeling of deep solidarity with the human race and its history"[174], that travels the same journey as all mankind and shares the same earthly lot with the world, but which at the same time "is to be a leaven and, as it were, the soul of human society in its renewal by Christ and transformation into the family of God"[175].
Gaudium et Spes presents in a systematic manner the themes of culture, of economic and social life, of marriage and the family, of the political community, of peace and the community of peoples, in the light of a Christian anthropological outlook and of the Church's mission. Everything is considered from the starting point of the person and with a view to the person, "the only creature that God willed for its own sake"[176]. Society, its structures and development must be oriented towards "the progress of the human person"[177]. For the first time, the Magisterium of the Church, at its highest level, speaks at great length about the different temporal aspects of Christian life: "It must be recognized that the attention given by the Constitution to social, psychological, political, economic, moral and religious changes has increasingly stimulated ... the Church's pastoral concern for men's problems and dialogue with the world"[178].
97. Another very important document of the Second Vatican Council in the corpus of the Church's social doctrine is the Declaration Dignitatis Humanae[179], in which the right to religious freedom is clearly proclaimed. The document presents the theme in two chapters. The first, of a general character, affirms that religious freedom is based on the dignity of the human person and that it must be sanctioned as a civil right in the legal order of society. The second chapter deals with the theme in the light of Revelation and clarifies its pastoral implications, pointing out that it is a right that concerns not only people as individuals but also the different communities of people.
98. "Development is the new name for peace"[180], Pope Paul VI solemnly proclaims in his Encyclical Populorum Progressio[181], which may be considered a development of the chapter on economic and social life in Gaudium et Spes, even while it introduces some significant new elements. In particular, it presents the outlines of an integral development of man and of a development in solidarity with all humanity: "These two topics are to be considered the axes around which the Encyclical is structured. In wishing to convince its receivers of the urgent need for action in solidarity, the Pope presents development as 'the transition from less humane conditions to those which are more humane' and indicates its characteristics"[182]. This transition is not limited to merely economic or technological dimensions, but implies for each person the acquisition of culture, the respect of the dignity of others, the acknowledgment of "the highest good, the recognition of God Himself, the author and end of these blessings"[183]. Development that benefits everyone responds to the demands of justice on a global scale that guarantees worldwide peace and makes it possible to achieve a "complete humanism" [184] guided by spiritual values.
99. In this regard, in 1967, Pope Paul VI establishes the Pontifical Commission "Iustitia et Pax", thus fulfilling the wishes of the Council Fathers who considered it "most opportune that an organism of the Universal Church be set up in order that both the justice and love of Christ toward the poor might be developed everywhere. The role of such an organism would be to stimulate the Catholic community to promote progress in needy regions and international social justice"[185]. By initiative of Pope Paul VI, beginning in 1968, the Church celebrates the first day of the year as the World Day of Peace. This same Pontiff started the tradition of writing annual Messages that deal with the theme chosen for each World Day of Peace. These Messages expand and enrich the corpus of the Church's social doctrine.
100. At the beginning of the 1970s, in a climate of turbulence and strong ideological controversy, Pope Paul VI returns to the social teaching of Pope Leo XIII and updates it, on the occasion of the eightieth anniversary of Rerum Novarum, with his Apostolic Letter Octogesima Adveniens[186]. The Pope reflects on post-industrial society with all of its complex problems, noting the inadequacy of ideologies in responding to these challenges: urbanization, the condition of young people, the condition of women, unemployment, discrimination, emigration, population growth, the influence of the means of social communications, the ecological problem.
101. Ninety years after Rerum Novarum, Pope John Paul II devoted the Encyclical Laborem Exercens [187] to work, the fundamental good of the human person, the primary element of economic activity and the key to the entire social question. Laborem Exercens outlines a spirituality and ethic of work in the context of a profound theological and philosophical reflection. Work must not be understood only in the objective and material sense, but one must keep in mind its subjective dimension, insofar as it is always an expression of the person. Besides being a decisive paradigm for social life, work has all the dignity of being a context in which the person's natural and supernatural vocation must find fulfilment.
102. With the Encyclical Sollicitudo Rei Socialis[188], Pope John Paul II commemorates the twentieth anniversary of Populorum Progressio and deals once more with the theme of development along two fundamental lines: "on one hand, the dramatic situation of the modern world, under the aspect of the failed development of the Third World, and on the other, the meaning of, conditions and requirements for a development worthy of man"[189]. The Encyclical presents differences between progress and development, and insists that "true development cannot be limited to the multiplication of goods and service - to what one possesses - but must contribute to the fullness of the 'being' of man. In this way the moral nature of real development is meant to be shown clearly"[190]. Pope John Paul II, alluding to the motto of the pontificate of Pope Pius XII, "opus iustitiae pax" (peace is the fruit of justice), comments: "Today, one could say, with the same exactness and the same power of biblical inspiration (cf. Is 32:17; Jas 3:18), opus solidaritatis pax (peace is the fruit of solidarity)"[191].
103. On the hundredth anniversary of Rerum Novarum, Pope John Paul II promulgates his third social encyclical, Centesimus Annus[192], whence emerges the doctrinal continuity of a hundred years of the Church's social Magisterium. Taking up anew one of the fundamental principles of the Christian view of social and political organization, which had been the central theme of the previous Encyclical, the Pope writes: "What we nowadays call the principle of solidarity ... is frequently stated by Pope Leo XIII, who uses the term 'friendship' ... Pope Pius XI refers to it with the equally meaningful term 'social charity'. Pope Paul VI, expanding the concept to cover the many modern aspects of the social question, speaks of a 'civilization of love"'[193]. Pope John Paul II demonstrates how the Church's social teaching moves along the axis of reciprocity between God and man: recognizing God in every person and every person in God is the condition of authentic human development. The articulate and in-depth analysis of the "new things", and particularly of the great breakthrough of 1989 with the collapse of the Soviet system, shows appreciation for democracy and the free economy, in the context of an indispensable solidarity.
c. In the light and under the impulse of the Gospel
104. The documents referred to here constitute the milestones of the path travelled by the Church's social doctrine from the time of Pope Leo XIII to our own day. This brief summary would become much longer if we considered all the interventions motivated, other than by a specific theme, by "the pastoral concern to present to the entire Christian community and to all men of good will the fundamental principles, universal criteria and guidelines suitable for suggesting basic choices and coherent practice for every concrete situation"[194].
In the formulation and teaching of this social doctrine, the Church has been, and continues to be, prompted not by theoretical motivation but by pastoral concerns. She is spurred on by the repercussions that social upheavals have on people, on multitudes of men and women, on human dignity itself, in contexts where "man painstakingly searches for a better world, without working with equal zeal for the betterment of his own spirit"[195]. For these reasons, this social doctrine has arisen and developed an "updated doctrinal 'corpus' ... [that] builds up gradually, as the Church, in the fullness of the word revealed by Christ Jesus and with the assistance of the Holy Spirit (cf. Jn 14:16,26; 16:13-15), reads events as they unfold in the course of history"[196].
[73] Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 1: AAS 58 (1966), 1025-1026.
[74] Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 40: AAS 58 (1966), 1057-1059; John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 53-54: AAS 83 (1991), 859-860; John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 1: AAS 80 (1988), 513-514.
[75] Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 32: AAS 58 (1966), 1051.
[76] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 54: AAS 83 (1991), 859.
[77] Cf. Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio, 13: AAS 59 (1967), 263.
[78] Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 40: AAS 58 (1966), 1057-1059.
[79] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptor Hominis, 14: AAS 71 (1979), 284.
[80] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2419.
[81] Cf. John Paul II, Homily at Pentecost for the First Centenary of Rerum Novarum (19 May 1991): AAS 84 (1992), 282.
[82] Cf. Paul VI, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi 9, 30: AAS 68 (1976), 10-11; John Paul II, Address to the Third General Conference of Latin American Bishops, Puebla, Mexico (28 January 1979), III/4-7: AAS 71 (1979), 199-204; Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction Libertatis Conscientia, 63-64, 80: AAS 79 (1987), 581-582, 590-591.
[83] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptor Hominis, 8: AAS 71 (1979), 270.
[84] Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, 48: AAS 57 (1965), 53.
[85] Cf. Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Evangelii Nuntiandi, 29: AAS 68 (1976), 25.
[86] Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Evangelii Nuntiandi, 31: AAS 68 (1976), 26.
[87] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 54: AAS 83 (1991), 860.
[88] Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 41: AAS 80 (1988), 570-572.
[89] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 5: AAS 83 (1991), 799.
[90] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 54: AAS 83 (1991), 860.
[91] Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2420.
[92] Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 42: AAS 58 (1966), 1060.
[93] Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 41: AAS 80 (1988), 570-572.
[94] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 54: AAS 83 (1991), 860.
[95] Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Declaration Dignitatis Humanae, 14: AAS 58 (1966), 940; John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Veritatis Splendor, 27, 64, 110: AAS 85 (1993), 1154-1155, 1183-1184, 1219-1220.
[96] John Paul II, Message to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (2 December 1978): AAS 71 (1979), 124.
[97] Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 5: AAS 83 (1991), 799.
[98] Cf. Paul VI, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, 34: AAS 68 (1976), 28.
[99] Code of Canon Law, canon 747, § 2.
[100] Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Laborem Exercens, 3: AAS 73 (1981), 583-584.
[101] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 41: AAS 80 (1988), 571.
[102] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 41: AAS 80 (1988), 571.
[103] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 41: AAS 80 (1988), 572.
[104] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 59: AAS 83 (1991), 864-865.
[105] Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Fides et Ratio: AAS 91 (1999), 5-88.
[106] Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Declaration Dignitatis Humanae, 14: AAS 58 (1966), 940.
[107] Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Veritatis Splendor, 13, 50, 79: AAS 85 (1993), 1143-1144, 1173-1174, 1197.
[108] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 59: AAS 83 (1991), 864.
[109] In this regard, the foundation of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences is significant; in the motu proprio establishing the Academy one reads: "Social science research can effectively contribute to improving human relations, as has been shown by the progress achieved in various sectors of society especially during the century now drawing to a close. This is why the Church, ever concerned for man's true good, has turned with growing interest to this field of scientific research in order to obtain concrete information for fulfilling the duties of her Magisterium": John Paul II, Motu Proprio Socialium Scientiarum (1 January 1994): AAS 86 (1994), 209.
[110] Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 54: AAS 83 (1991), 860.
[111] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 59: AAS 83 (1991), 864.
[112] Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, 12: AAS 57 (1965), 16.
[113] Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2034.
[114] Cf. Paul VI, Apostolic Letter Octogesima Adveniens, 3-5: AAS 63 (1971), 402-405.
[115] Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2037.
[116] Cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction Donum Veritatis, 16-17, 23: AAS 82 (1990), 1557-1558, 1559-1560.
[117] Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 53: AAS 83 (1991), 859.
[118] Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio, 13: AAS 59 (1967), 264.
[119] Cf. Paul VI, Apostolic Letter Octogesima Adveniens, 4: AAS 63 (1971), 403-404; John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 41: AAS 80 (1988), 570-572; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2423; Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction Libertatis Conscientia, 72: AAS 79 (1987), 586.
[120] Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 25: AAS 58 (1966), 1045-1046.
[121] Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 76: AAS 58 (1966), 1099-1100; Pius XII, Radio Message for the fiftieth anniversary of Rerum Novarum: AAS 33 (1941), 196-197.
[122] Cf. Pius XI, Encyclical Letter Quadragesimo Anno: AAS 23 (1931), 190; Pius XII, Radio Message for the fiftieth anniversary of Rerum Novarum: AAS 23 (1931), 196-197; Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 42: AAS 58 (1966), 1079; John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 41: AAS 80 (1988), 570-572; John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 53: AAS 83 (1991), 859; Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,
Instruction Libertatis Conscientia, 72: AAS 79 (1987), 585-586.
[123] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptor Hominis, 14: AAS 71 (1979), 284; cf. John Paul II, Address to the Third General Conference of Latin American Bishops, Puebla, Mexico (28 January 1979), III/2: AAS 71 (1979), 199.
[124] Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio, 42: AAS 59 (1967), 278.
[125] Paul VI, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, 9: AAS 68 (1976), 10.
[126] Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio, 42: AAS 59 (1967), 278.
[127] Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2039.
[128] Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2442.
[129] Cf. John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici, 15: AAS 81 (1989), 413; Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, 31: AAS 57 (1965), 37.
[130] Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 43: AAS 58 (1966), 1061-1064; Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio, 81: AAS 59 (1967), 296-297.
[131] Cf. John XXIII, Encyclical Letter Mater et Magistra: AAS 53 (1961), 453.
[132] Beginning with the Encyclical Pacem in Terris of John XXIII, the recipient is expressly identified in this manner in the initial address of such documents.
[133] Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 3: AAS 80 (1988), 515; Pius XII, Address to Participants in a Convention of the Catholic Action movement (29 April 1945), in Discorsi e Radiomessaggi di Pio XII, vol. VII, 37-38; John Paul II, Address at the international symposium "From Rerum Novarum to Laborem Exercens: towards the year 2000" (3 April 1982): Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II, V, 1 (1982), 1095-1096.
[134] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 3: AAS 80 (1988), 515.
[135] Cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction Libertatis Conscientia, 72: AAS 79 (1987), 585-586.
[136] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 3: AAS 80 (1988), 515.
[137] Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 46: AAS 83 (1991), 850-851.
[138] Paul VI, Apostolic Letter Octogesima Adveniens, 42: AAS 63 (1971), 431.
[139] Cf. Pius XI, Encyclical Letter Quadragesimo Anno: AAS 23 (1931), 179; Pius XII, in his Radio Message for the fiftieth anniversary of Rerum Novarum: AAS 33 (1941), 197, speaks of "Catholic social doctrine" and, in the Encyclical Letter Menti Nostrae of 23 September 1950: AAS 42 (1950), 657, of "the Church's social doctrine". John XXIII retains the expression "the Church's social doctrine" (Encyclical Letter Mater et Magistra: AAS 53 [1961] , 453; Encyclical Letter Pacem in Terris: AAS 55 [1963] , 300-301) and also uses "Christian social doctrine" (Encyclical Letter Mater et Magistra: AAS 53 [1961] , 453) or even "Catholic social doctrine" (Encyclical Letter Mater et Magistra: AAS 53 [1961] , 454).
[140] Cf. Leo XIII, Encyclical Letter Rerum Novarum: Acta Leonis XIII, 11 (1892), 97-144.
[141] Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Laborem Exercens, 3: AAS 73 (1981), 583-584; John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 1: AAS 80 (1988), 513-514.
[142] Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2421.
[143] Cf. Leo XIII, Encyclical Letter Rerum Novarum: Acta Leonis XIII, 11 (1892), 97-144.
[144] Congregation for Catholic Education, Guidelines for the Study and Teaching of the Church's Social Doctrine in the Formation of Priests, 20, Vatican Polyglot Press, Rome 1988, p. 24.
[145] Cf. Pius XI, Encyclical Letter Quadragesimo Anno, 39 AAS 23 (1931), 189; Pius XII, Radio Message for the fiftieth anniversary of Rerum Novarum: AAS 33 (1941), 198.
[146] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 5: AAS 83 (1991), 799.
[147] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 5: AAS 83 (1991), 799.
[148] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 56: AAS 83 (1991), 862.
[149] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 60: AAS 83 (1991), 865.
[150] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 60: AAS 83 (1991), 865.
[151] Leo XIII, Encyclical Letter Rerum Novarum: Acta Leonis XIII, 11 (1892), 143; cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 56: AAS 83 (1991), 862.
[152] Cf. Pius XI, Encyclical Letter Quadragesimo Anno: AAS 23 (1931), 177-228.
[153] Cf. Pius XI, Encyclical Letter Quadragesimo Anno: AAS 23 (1931), 186-189.
[154] Congregation for Catholic Education, Guidelines for the Study and Teaching of the Church's Social Doctrine in the Formation of Priests, 21, Vatican Polyglot Press, Rome 1988, p. 24.
[155] Cf. Pius XI, Encyclical Letter Non Abbiamo Bisogno: AAS 23 (1931), 285-312.
[156] The official German text can be found in AAS 29 (1937), 145-167.
[157] Pius XI, Address to Belgian Radio Journalists (6 September 1938), in John Paul II, Address to international leaders of the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith (22 March 1984): L'Osservatore Romano, English edition, 26 March 1984, pp. 8, 11.
[158] The official Latin text can be found in AAS 29 (1937), 65-106.
[159] Cf. Pius XI, Encyclical Letter Divini Redemptoris: AAS 29 (1937), 130.
[160] Cf. Pius XII, Christmas Radio Messages: on peace and the international order, 1939, AAS 32 (1940), 5-13; 1940, AAS 33 (1941), 5-14; 1941, AAS 34 (1942), 10-21; 1945, AAS 38 (1946), 15-25; 1946, AAS 39 (1947), 7-17; 1948, AAS 41 (1949), 8-16; 1950, AAS 43 (1951), 49-59; 1951, AAS 44 (1952), 5-15; 1954, AAS 47 (1955), 15-28; 1955, AAS 48 (1956), 26-41; on the order within nations, 1942, AAS 35 (1943), 9-24; on democracy, 1944, AAS 37 (1945), 10-23; on the function of Christian civilization, 1 September 1944, AAS 36 (1944), 249-258; on making a return to God in generosity and brotherhood, 1947, AAS 40 (1948), 8-16; on the year of the great return and of great forgiveness, 1949, AAS 42 (1950), 121-133; on the depersonalization of man, 1952, AAS 45 (1953), 33-46; on the role of progress in technology and peace among peoples, 1953, AAS 46 (1954), 5-16.
[161] Congregation for Catholic Education, Guidelines for the Study and Teaching of the Church's Social Doctrine in the Formation of Priests, 22, Vatican Polyglot Press, Rome 1988, p. 25.
[162] Congregation for Catholic Education, Guidelines for the Study and Teaching of the Church's Social Doctrine in the Formation of Priests, 22, Vatican Polyglot Press, Rome 1988, p. 25.
[163] Cf. John XXIII, Encyclical Letter Pacem in Terris: AAS 55 (1963), 267-269, 278-279, 291, 295-296.
[164] Cf. John XXIII, Encyclical Letter Mater et Magistra: AAS 53 (1961), 401-464.
[165] Congregation for Catholic Education, Guidelines for the Study and Teaching of the Church's Social Doctrine in the Formation of Priests, 23, Vatican Polyglot Press, Rome 1988, p. 26.
[166] Cf. John XXIII Encyclical Letter Mater et Magistra: AAS 53 (1961), 415-418.
[167] Cf. John XXIII, Encyclical Letter Pacem in Terris: AAS 55 (1963), 257-304.
[168] John XXIII, Encyclical Letter Pacem in Terris, Title: AAS 55 (1963), 257.
[169] John XXIII, Encyclical Letter Pacem in Terris: AAS 55 (1963), 301.
[170] Cf. John XXIII, Encyclical Letter Pacem in Terris: AAS 55 (1963), 294.
[171] Cf. Cardinal Maurice Roy, Letter to Paul VI and Document on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Pacem in Terris, L'Osservatore Romano, English edition, 19 April 1973, pp. 1-8.
[172] Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes: AAS 58 (1966), 1025-1120.
[173] Congregation for Catholic Education, Guidelines for the Study and Teaching of the Church's Social Doctrine in the Formation of Priests, 24, Vatican Polyglot Press, Rome 1988, p. 28.
[174] Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 1: AAS 58 (1966), 1026.
[175] Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 40: AAS 58 (1966), 1058.
[176] Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 24: AAS 58 (1966), 1045.
[177] Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 25: AAS 58 (1966), 1045.
[178] Congregation for Catholic Education, Guidelines for the Study and Teaching of the Church's Social Doctrine in the Formation of Priests, 24, Vatican Polyglot Press, Rome 1988, p. 29.
[179] Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Declaration Dignitatis Humanae: AAS 58 (1966), 929-946.
[180] Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio, 76-80: AAS 59 (1967), 294-296.
[181] Cf. Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio: AAS 59 (1967), 257-299.
[182] Congregation for Catholic Education, Guidelines for the Study and Teaching of the Church's Social Doctrine in the Formation of Priests, 25, Vatican Polyglot Press, Rome 1988, p. 29.
[183] Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio, 21: AAS 59 (1967), 267.
[184] Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio, 42: AAS 59 (1967), 278.
[185] Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 90: AAS 58 (1966), 1112.
[186] Cf. Paul VI, Apostolic Letter Octogesima Adveniens: AAS 63 (1971), 401-441.
[187] Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Laborem Exercens: AAS 73 (1981), 577-647.
[188] Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis: AAS 80 (1988), 513-586.
[189] Congregation for Catholic Education, Guidelines for the Study and Teaching of the Church's Social Doctrine in the Formation of Priests, 26, Vatican Polyglot Press, Rome 1988, p. 32.
[190] Congregation for Catholic Education, Guidelines for the Study and Teaching of the Church's Social Doctrine in the Formation of Priests, 26, Vatican Polyglot Press, Rome 1988, p. 32.
[191] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 39: AAS 80 (1988), 568.
[192] Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus: AAS 83 (1991), 793-867.
[193] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 10: AAS 83 (1991), 805.
[194] Congregation for Catholic Education, Guidelines for the Study and Teaching of the Church's Social Doctrine in the Formation of Priests, 27, Vatican Polyglot Press, Rome 1988, p. 33.
[195] Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 4: AAS 58 (1966), 1028.
[196] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 1: AAS 80 (1988), 514; cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2422.
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