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Putting Catholic Social Teaching

into action

A Key to Catholic Identity

The central message is simple: our faith is profoundly social. We cannot be called truly “Catholic” unless we hear and heed the Church's call to serve those in need and work for justice and peace.

Communities of Salt and Light, U.S. Bishops, 1993

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Basic Elements of the Church

� Scripture -- hearing the Good News

� Sacraments -- worship, prayer life, etc.

� Social Mission -- action for social justice

“This Gospel has a power to set us free, not just from sin

but from what sin has done to our society.”

1971 Synod on Justice - Our World and You

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Life and

dignity

rights and

responsibilities

family, community,participation

dignity of work; rights of workers

solidarity and peace

option for the poor

care for God’s

creation

Catholic Social Teaching

�Rooted in the Bible

�Continually developed tradition – from “above”and from “below”

�Theological reflection from early Church to present day

�Teaching documents

�Lived example of good people

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“When a man strips another of his clothes, he is called a thief. Should not someone who has power to clothe the naked but does not do so be a called the same? The bread in your larder belongs to the hungry. The cloak in your wardrobe belongs to the naked. The shoes you allow to rot belong to the barefoot. The money in your vaults belongs to the destitute. You do injustice to everyone whom you could help but do not.”

St Basil, 4th century

“Various peoples incite the passions of war by martial music. Christians employ only the Word of God, the instrument of peace.”

St Clement of Alexandria, (220 AD)

“I am a soldier of Christ, I cannot fight.”

St Martin of Tours (397 AD) remained in the Roman army for 2 years after his conversion, but when called to take part in a battle he resigned.

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St Telemachus – 5th century monk from the East, who tried to stop gladiators fighting in the Roman Colosseum, and was stoned to death by spectators.

The story is found in the Ecclesiastical History by Theodoret, Bishop of Cyrrhusin Syria (393-457 A.D.).

Francis visits the Sultan of Egypt during the Fifth Crusade, 1219(Fra Angelico – c.1429 – Lindenau Museum, Altenberg)

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Bartolomé de las Casas

16th century

Defender of rights of Latin American Indians and Slaves

Icon by Br Robert Lentz OFM 1992

1891 Rerum Novarum Leo XIII

1931 Quadragesimo Anno Pius XI

1961 Mater et Magistra John XXIII

1963 Pacem in Terris John XXIII

1965 Church in the Modern World Vatican II

1967 Populorum Progressio Paul VI

1971 Octogesima Adveniens Paul VI

1971 Justice in the World Synod of Bishops

1981 Laborem Exercens John Paul II

1988 Sollicitudo Rei Socialis John Paul II

1991 Centesimus Annus John Paul II

20092009 Caritas in VeritateCaritas in Veritate Benedict XVIBenedict XVI

20102010 Choosing the Common GoodChoosing the Common Good Bishops of England & WalesBishops of England & Wales

Main documents of Catholic Social Teaching

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1891 Rerum Novarum Leo XIII

1931 Quadragesimo Anno Pius XI

1961 Mater et Magistra John XXIII

1963 Pacem in Terris John XXIII

1965 Church in the Modern World Vatican II

1967 Populorum Progressio Paul VI

1971 Octogesima Adveniens Paul VI

1971 Justice in the World Synod of Bishops

1981 Laborem Exercens John Paul II

1988 Sollicitudo Rei Socialis John Paul II

1991 Centesimus Annus John Paul II

20092009 Caritas in VeritateCaritas in Veritate Benedict XVIBenedict XVI

20102010 Choosing the Common GoodChoosing the Common Good Bishops of England & WalesBishops of England & Wales

Main documents of Catholic Social Teaching

Catholic Social Teaching

�Rooted in the Bible

�Continually developed tradition – from “above”and from “below”

�Theological reflection from early Church to present day

�Teaching documents

�Lived example of good people

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“Renewal in the Church often isanticipated by the concrete actions of the faithful and thus anticipates the eventual official position of the hierarchy…”

Cardinal Peter Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Catholic Social Ministry conference, Washington 23 Feb 2011

1930s….

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1960s…

1990s… Catholic Poland did not allow for conscientious objection

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Franz Jägerstätter

Austria

Conscientious objection

Gertrud Luckner

Nazi Germany

Challenge to racism and discrimination

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Mairead Corrigan Maguire

Northern Ireland

Challenge to sectarian violence, ‘Peace People’

Oscar Romero

El Salvador

Solidarity with the poor, challenge to violence and injustice

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Dorothy Stang

USA, Brazil

Protection of rainforest and indigenous people

Niall O’Brien

Ireland and the Philippines

Social justice, land rights, nonviolent work for change

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East Timor

Challenge to violenceSolidarity with the poorEmpowerment of women

Maria Lourdes Martins Cruz

Wangari Maathai

Kenya

Environmental protection, grass-roots community work

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All the earth’s millions are good for nothing, are worthless,

compared to a human being. The person is Christ, and in the person

viewed and treated with faith we look on Christ the Lord.

Archbishop Oscar Romero (1917-1980)

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London Citizens’ action for a living wage at Tate Modern, December 2007.

Singing carols over ‘Shibboleth’, the art work by Doris Salcedo. Known as ‘the crack’ it represented the gap between rich and poor.

Bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me… Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen;your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.

Isaiah 1: 13, 15-17

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Justice in the World, 1971 Synod

Action on behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the world fully appear to us as a constitutive dimension of the preaching of the Gospel,

or, in other words, of the Church's mission for the redemption of the human race and its liberation from every oppressive situation.

The two feet of Christian social action

Acts of charity (help people in immediate need or crisis)

Food distribution

clothing collections

Visiting & liftsfor elderly

Tutoring

Coldweather

shelter

Hospice care

Acts of justice (work for long-term solutions by changing structures & attitudes)

Educate about CST and involve people in democracy

Lobby political reps.

Organise citizens’groups on common issues.

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“When I give food to the poor they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food they call me a Communist.”

Dom Helder Camara

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Solidarity

“It is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good; that is to say, to the good of all ...because we are all

really responsible for all.”

Pope John Paul II, On Social Concern, 1987

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The Common Good

“…is the good of ‘all of us’,

made up of individuals, families and intermediate groups who together constitute society…”

Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate #7

Option for the Poor

“Decisions must be judged in the light of what they do for the poor, what they do to the poor, and what they enable the poor to do for themselves… all

economic decisions, policies and institutions… must be at the service of all people, especially the poor.”

US Bishops, Economic Justice for All, #24

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Subsidiarity

“In a centralised society, subsidiarity will mainly mean passing powers downwards; but it can also mean passing appropriate powers upwards, even to an international body, if that would better serve the common good…”

The Common GoodCatholic Bishops of England & Wales, 1996

What can CST do?

�Guide individual consciences about moral/ethical aspects of social issues

�Form the role of Church to announce, denounce, promote

�Influence structures of society by providing norms & principles, offering recommendations, endorsing movements

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Parish practice

• prayer, liturgy, sacraments, preaching & education, RCIA, confirmation programme, children’s liturgy…

• decision-making, how money is spent, employment policy, energy audit, access & use of buildings, inclusiveness & diversity…

• activities, hospitality, fairtrade, support for J & P organisations, exhibitions, Lent discussions…

• wider connections, ecumenism, interfaith, lobbying political reps, global twinning, missionary networks…

Using the calendar

Jan – Peace Sunday, Christian Unity Week, Poverty & Homelessness week, Holocaust Memorial Day

Feb – Ash Wednesday, Lent, Family Fast day, Fairtrade Fortnight

March – International Women’s Day, Oscar Romero anniversary

April – Holy Week, Easter

May – St Joseph the Worker, Pentecost, Bl. Franz Jägerstätter, International Day for COs

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June - Refugee Week, World Week for Peace in Palestine/Israel, UN Day for Victims of Torture

July – this year Olympics – 100 days truce

August – Hiroshima & Nagasaki Days

Sept – Racial Justice Sunday, UN International Day of Peace

Oct – St Francis, Black History month, Week of Prayer for World Peace, One World Week

Nov – Remembrance Sunday, Prisoners’ Sunday

Dec – World Migration Day, Human Rights Day, Advent & Christmas, Holy Innocents’ Day

Parish practice

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Pastoral cycle - see, judge, act

• See and analyse a problem to find out the facts.

• Judge what is happening in the light of Scripture and church teaching.

• Plan action, thinking globally, acting locally.

• Evaluate

Values…

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…applied to budgets and policies at national and local level

1. St Mellitus

2. Martin Dinnegan

3. Noel-Baker

4. Holy Trinity

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The work of transforming the world is central and essential (1971 Synod)

What will help us?

• Our own experience of the world

• Our ability to analyse the world / use the experiences of others

• Church social teaching drawn from the bible and tradition

�Theological reflection from early Church onwards

�Teaching documents

�Lived example of good people

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Acknowledgements

Some slides copied / adapted from:

• At Your Word Lord ppt 2005

• Office for Social Justice, Archdiocese of St Paul and Minneapolis ppt on Catholic social teaching

• Swamp cartoon by Cath Jackson from Working Together – a handbook for groups, Cafod, CIIR, Pax Christi, Sciaf, 1986