Catholic Social Teaching

1181 Words5 Pages
The purpose of this discussion is to reflect on Catholic Social Doctrine. I will give an overview of the historical development and a brief outline of the fundamental principles of Catholic Social Teaching. What is Catholic Social Doctrine? ‘Catholic Social Teaching refers to the limited body of literature written in the modern era that is a response of papal and Episcopal teachers to the various political, economic and social issues of our time.’ These documents reflect on what is happening on a global level and how worldwide events can affect people. They consider how society is organised and as mentioned in the above quote look at economic, political and social issues. In later years the environment and advancement in technology and communications have become new and important issues. The thoughts expressed in Catholic Social teaching consist of ‘a set of principles and guidelines which have emerged over the centuries as Christians tried to work out in practice how best to put into practice the virtues of love, justice and solidarity.’ They present not only a vision of a just society, but also suggest ways in which a just society can be achieved. The values and principles expressed in Catholic Social Teaching are grounded in Christian scripture and the Church’s lived tradition. The Modern era of Catholic Social Teaching begins with Rerum Novarum. This encyclical was issue by Pope Leo XIII on the 15TH May 1891, at a time when there was much poverty and ‘because of the industrial revolution, workers were being exploited by profit hungry employers.’ In the years that followed Pope Leo XIII successors wrote and published numerous encyclicals that reflected on social issues of their era. Forty years after Rerum Novarum, in 1931, in response to the economic depression that was happening, Pope Pius XI issued the encyclical Quadragesimo Anno (The
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