1en prlnclples ln Lhe soclal Leachlng of Lhe Church Pere are Len bulldlngblocks upon whlch Lhe Churchs

enLlre soclal Leachlng resLs

1 1he prlnclple of Lhe ulgnlLy of Lhe Puman erson
Lvery human belng ls creaLed ln Lhe lmage of Cod and redeemed by !esus ChrlsL and Lherefore ls
lnvaluable and worLhy of respecL as a member of Lhe human famlly2
1hls ls Lhe bedrock prlnclple of CaLhollc soclal Leachlng Lvery person ? regardless of race sex age
naLlonal orlgln rellglon sexual orlenLaLlon employmenL or economlc sLaLus healLh lnLelllgence
achlevemenL or any oLher dlfferenLlaLlng characLerlsLlc ? ls worLhy of respecL lL ls noL whaL you do or
whaL you have LhaL glves you a clalm on respecL lL ls slmply belng human LhaL esLabllshes your dlgnlLy
Clven LhaL dlgnlLy Lhe human person ls ln Lhe CaLhollc vlew never a means always an end
1he body of CaLhollc soclal Leachlng beglns wlLh Lhe human person buL lL does noL end Lhere
lndlvlduals have dlgnlLy buL lndlvlduallsm has no place ln CaLhollc soclal LhoughL 1he prlnclple of
human dlgnlLy glves Lhe human person a clalm on membershlp ln a communlLy Lhe human famlly
2 1he prlnclple of 8especL for Puman Llfe
Lvery person from Lhe momenL of concepLlon Lo naLural deaLh has lnherenL dlgnlLy and a rlghL Lo llfe
conslsLenL wlLh LhaL dlgnlLy3
Puman llfe aL every sLage of developmenL and decllne ls preclous and Lherefore worLhy of proLecLlon
and respecL lL ls always wrong dlrecLly Lo aLLack lnnocenL human llfe 1he CaLhollc LradlLlon sees Lhe
sacredness of human llfe as parL of any moral vlslon for a [usL and good socleLy
3 1he rlnclple of AssoclaLlon
Cur LradlLlon proclalms LhaL Lhe person ls noL only sacred buL also soclal Pow we organlze our socleLy
? ln economlcs and pollLlcs ln law and pollcy ? dlrecLly affecLs human dlgnlLy and Lhe capaclLy of
lndlvlduals Lo grow ln communlLy4
1he cenLerplece of socleLy ls Lhe famlly famlly sLablllLy musL always be proLecLed and never
undermlned 8y assoclaLlon wlLh oLhers ? ln famllles and ln oLher soclal lnsLlLuLlons LhaL fosLer growLh
proLecL dlgnlLy and promoLe Lhe common good ? human persons achleve Lhelr fulflllmenL
4 1he rlnclple of arLlclpaLlon
We belleve people have a rlghL and a duLy Lo parLlclpaLe ln socleLy seeklng LogeLher Lhe common good
and wellbelng of all especlally Lhe poor and vulnerable3
WlLhouL parLlclpaLlon Lhe beneflLs avallable Lo an lndlvldual Lhrough any soclal lnsLlLuLlon cannoL be
reallzed 1he human person has a rlghL noL Lo be shuL ouL from parLlclpaLlng ln Lhose lnsLlLuLlons LhaL
are necessary for human fulflllmenL

1hls prlnclple applles ln a speclal way Lo condlLlons assoclaLed wlLh work Work ls more Lhan a way Lo
make a llvlng lL ls a form of conLlnulng parLlclpaLlon ln Cods creaLlon lf Lhe dlgnlLy of work ls Lo be
proLecLed Lhen due baslc rlghLs of workers musL be respecLed ? Lhe rlghL Lo producLlve work Lo decenL
and falr wages Lo organlze and [oln unlons Lo prlvaLe properLy and Lo economlc lnlLlaLlve6
3 1he rlnclple of referenLlal roLecLlon for Lhe oor and vulnerable
We belleve LhaL we Louch ChrlsL when we Louch Lhe needy 1he sLory of Lhe lasL [udgmenL7 plays a
very lmporLanL role ln Lhe CaLhollc lalLh LradlLlon lrom lLs earllesL days Lhe Church has LaughL LhaL we
wlll be [udged by whaL we choose Lo do or noL Lo do ln regard Lo Lhe hungry Lhe LhlrsLy Lhe slck Lhe
homeless Lhe prlsoner 1oday Lhe Church expresses Lhls Leachlng ln Lerms of Lhe preferenLlal opLlon for
Lhe poor
Why a preferenLlal love for Lhe poor? Why puL Lhe needs of Lhe poor flrsL? 8ecause Lhe common good ?
Lhe good of socleLy as a whole ? requlres lL 1he opposlLe of rlch and powerful ls poor and powerless lf
Lhe good of all Lhe common good ls Lo prevall preferenLlal proLecLlon musL move Loward Lhose
affecLed adversely by Lhe absence of power and Lhe presence of prlvaLlon CLherwlse Lhe balance
needed Lo keep socleLy ln one plece wlll be broken Lo Lhe deLrlmenL of Lhe whole
6 1he rlnclple of SolldarlLy
CaLhollc soclal Leachlng proclalms LhaL we are our broLhers and slsLers keepers wherever Lhey llve
We are one human famlly Learnlng Lo pracLlce Lhe vlrLue of solldarlLy means learnlng LhaL `lovlng our
nelghbor has global dlmenslons ln an lnLerdependenL world8
1he prlnclple of solldarlLy leads Lo cholces LhaL wlll promoLe and proLecL Lhe common good
SolldarlLy calls us Lo respond noL slmply Lo personal lndlvldual mlsforLunes Lhere are socleLal lssues
LhaL cry ouL for more [usL soclal sLrucLures lor Lhls reason Lhe Church ofLen calls us Loday noL only Lo
engage ln charlLable works buL also Lo work Lowards soclal [usLlce
7 1he rlnclple of SLewardshlp
1he CaLhollc LradlLlon lnslsLs LhaL we show our respecL for Lhe CreaLor by our sLewardshlp of
creaLlon9
1he sLeward ls a manager noL an owner ln an era of rlslng consclousness abouL our physlcal
envlronmenL our LradlLlon ls calllng us Lo a sense of moral responslblllLy for Lhe proLecLlon of Lhe
envlronmenL ? croplands grasslands woodlands alr waLer mlnerals and oLher naLural deposlLs
SLewardshlp responslblllLles also look Loward our use of our personal LalenLs our aLLenLlon Lo personal
healLh and our use of personal properLy
8 1he rlnclple of SubsldlarlLy

1hls rlnclple deals chlefly wlLh Lhe responslblllLles and llmlLs of governmenL and Lhe essenLlal roles of
volunLary assoclaLlons10
1he prlnclple of subsldlarlLy puLs a proper llmlL on governmenL by lnslsLlng LhaL no hlgher level of
organlzaLlon should perform any funcLlon LhaL can be handled efflclenLly and effecLlvely aL a lower level
of organlzaLlon by persons or groups LhaL are closer Lo Lhe problems and closer Lo Lhe ground
Cppresslve governmenLs are always ln vlolaLlon of Lhe prlnclple of subsldlarlLy overacLlve governmenLs
also someLlmes vlolaLe Lhls prlnclple11
Cn Lhe oLher hand lndlvlduals ofLen feel helpless ln Lhe face of daunLlng soclal problems
unemploymenL people sleeplng ln doorways or begglng on sLreeL corners Slnce Lhese problems have
socleLal dlmenslons no one person or one group can do much abouL Lhem Whlle glvlng due regard Lo
subsldlarlLy Lhe governmenL enLlLy LhaL collecLs Laxes should help lndlvlduals smaller communlLles and
Lhe naLlonal communlLy Lo do someLhlng abouL such soclal problems When we pay Laxes Lherefore
we are conLrlbuLlng Lo Lhe esLabllshmenL of soclal [usLlce
9 1he rlnclple of Puman LquallLy
LquallLy of all persons comes from Lhelr essenLlal dlgnlLy Whlle dlfferences ln LalenLs are a parL of
Cods plan soclal and culLural dlscrlmlnaLlon ln fundamenLal rlghLs are noL compaLlble wlLh Cods
deslgn12
1reaLlng equals equally ls one way of deflnlng [usLlce also undersLood classlcally as renderlng Lo each
person hls or her due underlylng Lhe noLlon of equallLy ls Lhe slmple prlnclple of falrness one of Lhe
earllesL eLhlcal sLlrrlngs felL ln Lhe developlng human person ls a sense of whaL ls falr and whaL ls noL
10 1he rlnclple of Lhe Common Cood
1he common good ls undersLood as Lhe soclal condlLlons LhaL allow people Lo reach Lhelr full human
poLenLlal and Lo reallze Lhelr human dlgnlLy13
1he soclal condlLlons Lhe Church has ln mlnd presuppose respecL for Lhe person Lhe soclal wellbelng
and developmenL of Lhe group and Lhe publlc auLhorlLys malnLenance of peace and securlLy 1oday
ln an age of global lnLerdependence Lhe prlnclple of Lhe common good polnLs Lo Lhe need for
lnLernaLlonal sLrucLures LhaL can promoLe Lhe [usL developmenL of persons and famllles across reglonal
and naLlonal llnes
WhaL consLlLuLes Lhe common good ls always golng Lo be a maLLer for debaLe 1he absence of senslLlvlLy
Lo Lhe common good ls a sure slgn of decay ln a socleLy As a sense of communlLy ls eroded concern for
Lhe common good decllnes A proper communlLarlan concern ls Lhe anLldoLe Lo unbrldled lndlvlduallsm
whlch llke unresLralned selflshness ln personal relaLlons can desLroy balance harmony and peace
wlLhln and among groups nelghborhoods reglons and naLlons