basic principles of the social doctrine of the church

8/13/2019 Basic Principles of the Social Doctrine of the Church

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3. BASIC PRINCIPLES OF THE SOCIAL

DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH

3.0 Need of Social Principle

As we pointed out earlier, the Social Doctrine of the Church is centered on

principles of reflection, criteria for judgment andguidelines for action. Hereafter, wereflect on social ethical principles.

Principleare a fundamental moral category in general ethics and in the different

kinds of ethics, including social ethics. In the Social Doctrine of the Church part of

Christian ethics -, its authoritatie documents speak of concrete social principles foraction.

E!"ical principle are !asic points of reference, action-guides, general moraldirecties, or standards of conduct for social commitment. "hey are closely connected

with alues, irtues and norms. #thical principles may !e descri!ed as e$pressions of

alues and foundations for specific ethical norms and rules#thical principles are not ar!itrary or merely positiistic moral guidelines, !ut

!asic rational orientations rooted in human nature and for Christians and other !elieers

in faith. "heologians %enedict Ashley and &ein '()ourke define ethical principles as

*general ethical rules deried from human e$perience and constantly tested and refined!y human e$perience.+ "hey add cogently that *moral decisions cannot !e deduced from

them, !ut they can !e used to guide intelligent analysis of concrete ethical situations+Health Care Ethics, /0."he SDC presents to us different principle for ocial co##i!#en! and ac!ion.

It is said that *the permanent principles of the Church(s social doctrine constitute the ery

heart of Catholic social teaching+ Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church , no.120 "his e$cellent Compendium /2230 of the 4ontifical Council for 5ustice and 4eace

presents e$tensiely the principles of human dignity, the common good, solidarity and

su!sidiarity. "hese four principles are *the foundation of all other principles+ and een of

the whole content of the Social Doctrine of the Church Compendium, no. 120.In the conte$t of social ethics, or of the Social Doctrine of the Church, we focus

our attention on the following !asic ethical principles6 respect for persons, justice and

love, solidarity and subsidiarity, the common good and participation, the universaldestination of the goods of the earth, and the preferential love for the poor.

3.$ Principle of Repec! for Peron

"he human person is considered the moral criterion of ethics. #thics tried to guide

us on the defense and promotion of the human person, his7her dignity and rights. Hence,


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the most !asic ethical principle, theprinciple of respect for persons, may !e formulated

as follows6 The human person ought to be respected alays.!Source of this constant

respect is human dignity."he word respectis a translation of the 8atin word respectus, which is deried

from the er! respicere, that is, to look again, to look attentiely and intensely. In his

popular !ook The "rt of #oving, #ric 9romm descri!ed respect a characteristic ofauthentic human loe0 as *the a!ility to see a person as he is, to !e aware of his uni:ue

personality.+ )espect implies reerence, esteem, and recognition. It implies esteem for

them, reerence to them, and recognition of their e$cellence. )espect for persons meansrespect for "%#an di&ni!' intelligence, freedom and loe0 and rights. 9or !elieers,

human dignity is grounded on three sources6 "he human person as the image of ;od< the

human person as a child of ;od redeemed !y Christ and renewed !y the Holy Spirit< and

the human person as destined to eternal life.In Christian perspectie, the human person is a creature and a child of ;od. He

and she are a!oe all things. "his is why respect for persons signifies to recogni=e and

treat them as children of ;od, as !rothers and sisters in Christ.

$hy do e have to respect persons % every person& >e hae to respect thehuman person !ecause eery human person possesses inner worth, incompara!le alue,

and e:ual dignity. #ery human !eing possesses human dignity< a uni:ue e$cellence ofnature characteri=ed !y intelligence, freedom and loe. Human dignity is essentially

e:ual in all humans. >e are all e:ual in essential or ontological dignity !y the mere

fact of !elonging to the human specie.#ndowed with human dignity and inaliena!le rights, *the human person is and

ought to !e the principle, the su!?ect and the end of all social institutions+ 'S, /@0.

"hus, no matter how misera!le a human !eing has !ecome through eil actions, through

moral indignity, he or she will always hae the essential dignity !elonging to eeryhuman !eing, including those who cannot e$ercise their rationality and the weak.

"he human person is a ocial (ein&. In social ethics, in the SDC, we focus our

attention on the nature of the human !eing as a social !eing !y nature. *%y his innermostnature, man is a social !eing and unless he relates himself to others, he can neither lie

nor deelop his potentialities+ 'S, /0.

In ethical and theological perspectie, respecting persons means considering themas su!?ects and not as o!?ects, as ends and not as means, as he or she !etter, as thou0 and

not as it. &ant(s categorical moral imperatie6 *"ct in such a ay that you alays ta(e

humanity, in yourself as ell as in every other person, as an end and never as a means.!

3.) Principle of *%!ice and lo+e ,*%!ice-Lo+e

)espect for persons inoles respect for human dignity, and respect for humandignity implies necessarily respect for human rights. After all, human dignity is also the

possession of human rights. Hence, the ethical principle of respect for persons is

mediated !y another ethical principle, namely, the principle of ?ustice.

*%!iceis the principle and the irtue par e$cellence of the social doctrine of the

Church, a ?ustice that is permeated !y loe, the form of all irtues. It entails to gie to

each person his7her due, that is, his7her rights, which are inaliena!le and iniola!le. "hese

rights include the right to life, the right to li!erty and the pursuit of happiness.

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"he principle of /%!ice may !e formulated as follows6 'ive to each person

his)her due, that is, his)her rights.!)ights are entitlements of eery person< they are

inherent in the person not gien !y the State or any other human association."he most fundamental human right is the right to life. Hence, there is a need of a

principle to defend human life. Principle of "%#an life6 Human life must be defended

and promoted from the moment of conception to natural death.!It is important to note that rights are co-relative of duties. 5ohn III wrote6

*"hose who claim their own rights, yet altogether forget or neglect to carry out their

respectie duties, are people who !uild with one hand and destroy with the other. "o oneman(s right there corresponds a duty in all other persons6 the duty, namely, of

acknowledging and respecting the right in :uestion+ 5ohn III,*T, no.B20.

"he principle of ?ustice asks us to respect the autonomy of persons, that is, to

respect their !odily integrity, their conscience, and their freedom. Principle of

a%!ono#'6 +espect the autonomy of the human person.!*oral autonomy is reali=ed

when our relationships with others are lied in key of mutual and hori=ontal respect+.

idal,#a educacin moral en la escuela, p. @0. Autonomy, howeer, is not a!solute.

9or !elieers, it is limited !y the principle of !eard"ipwe are stewards not ownersof our life and possessions0 and the principle of solidarity.

#ery human !eing has the essential duty to respect all other humans, that is, toloe them as e:ual persons6 respect is a :uality of genuine loe of neigh!or, which

includes ?ustice.

"he ethical principle of ?ustice is complemented and perfected !y the ethicalprinciple of loe of neigh!or6 love your neighbor as you love yourself-! love oneanother as have loved you.!

"he Sacred Scriptures speak of worship and ?ustice and not of one without the

other. It speaks of ?ustice as ?ustice7loe. "he supreme principle of Christian morality isloe, that is, loe of ;od and loe of neigh!or6 *Charity is the greatest social

commandment+ CCC, EE0. In social ethics, loe of neigh!or as fraternal loe is deeply

underlined6 *#ery one must consider his eery neigh!or without e$ception as anotherself, taking into account first of all his life and the means necessary to liing it with

dignity+ 'S, /F0. And yet, there can !e no loe without ?ustice.

Indeed, !"ere can (e no !r%e lo+e i!"o%! /%!ice . Charity without ?ustice is acaricature of ?ustice false charityG 5ustice is mini-charity and authentic charity is at least

*?ust+ charity. Columnist Asuncion Daid aram!a agrees with singer and philanthropist

%ono when he said6 *It(s not a!out charity, it(s a!out ?ustice... you(re good at charity

%ut ?ustice is the highest standard.+ Comments Daid aram!a6 *Sometimes, we seem tohae a surfeit of loe( and caring(< it(s almost saccharine. 5ustice is the highest

standard+ *5ustice the Highest standard,+ The *hilippine n/uirer6 April /F, /2210. %oth

are speaking not of true charity as loe of neigh!or, !ut of a false charity that coers upin?ustices. "rue charity includes necessarily ?ustice.

'n the other hand, !"ere can (e no f%ll /%!ice i!"o%! lo+e. 5ustice - meaning to

gie to each person his7her due is in itself a cold, imperfect and impersonal alue. Itslanguage is *mine,+ *yours.+ "hus, ?ustice needs the perfection of loe meaning to gie

to others of what is in some way *mine+ !ut also in some way *theirs.+ "he language of

loe is *ours.+ 5ustice indeed needs loe6 *there will always !e the serice of loe< +

*8oe caritas will always proe necessary, een in the most ?ust society.+ "here will

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always !e people who suffer, who are lonely and only charity can gie *loing personal

concern+ %enedict I, Deus Caritas Est, /E, !0. As 5ohn 4aul II said, *"he soul of

?ustice is charity.+ Address to JKI. atican City6 arch B, < :uoted !yKCC%7JSCC, n "ll Things Charity0 " *astoral Challenge for the 1e 2illennium.

>ashington, D. C., .

5ustice needs loe to !e full ?ustice, and loe cannot e$ist without ?ustice. In theteachings of the Sacred Scriptures as well as in Christian tradition, ?ustice and loe are

intertwined. Cf. 9austo %. ;ome=, '. 4., *Some Kotes on %i!lical "eachings on

5ustice,+*hilippiniana Sacra, ol. 8I, Ko. /, 5anuary-April /221, pp. 3F-E2.0 Hence,we speak not of ?ustice alone, not of loe alone, !ut of ?ustice7loe, of charita!le or

fraternal ?ustice. "he ?ustice of the follower of Christ is like Christ(s a charita!le

?ustice or a fraternal ?ustice. It is, 5esus tells us, the ?ustice of the 9ather of the 4rodigal

Son, and not of the elder son cf. #(@6-B/0< it is the ?ustice of the one who needsla!orers in his ineyard and pays the same salary to all, including the workers who went

last, and not the ?ustice of the la!orers who went to work first cf. 2t/26-10. "he

?ustice of 5esus Christ is the ?ustice of his 9ather and ours who is ?ust with a ?ustice

permeated !y loe, compassion and generosity.9urthermore, !"ere i no !r%e pra'er i!"o%! /%!ice-lo+e ."he great prophetsin

the 'ld "estament proclaimed that worship without ?ustice is not true worship cf. Ho1610. "he 4rophet 5esus of Ka=areth continues teaching us that prayer without ?ustice7loe

is not saing6 *I was hungry and you gae me food >hat you did to the least of my

!rothers and sisters, you did it to me+ cf. 2tchapter /@0. "he Holy #ucharist, %read and>ine of the poor, which is the center of our Christian life is the memorial of Christ(s

death and resurrection, the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, and the Sacrament of the

eucharistic %read !roken for others and shared in loe with all, primarily with the poor,

the pro$ies of Christ. "he #ucharist is a call to charity, compassion and solidarity withthe poor6 *If you want to honor the !ody of Christ, do not despise him when He is naked+

St. 5ohn Chrysostom0< *to receie in truth the %ody and %lood of Christ gien up for us,

we must recogni=e Christ in the poorest, his !rethren+ CCC, BF0. As the International#ucharistic Congress in ;uadala?ara, e$ico 'cto!er /2230 put it6 *Share one(s ta!le

and ass with the poor, in the serice of charity. Com!ine spiritual commitment with the

needs of the poor+ In3enit 1es6 'cto!er , /2230.In one of the petitions of the 4ur 5ather, we ask our 9ather6 *;ie us this day our

daily !read.+ 'ur daily !read is the %read of the #ucharist, !ut also the !read needed !y

our !odies, and therefore, a call to share this !read with the poor6 *"his petition of the

8ord(s 4rayer cannot !e isolated from the para!les of the poor 8a=arus and that of the8ast 5udgment+ CCC, /EB0. "he Catechism for 5ilipino Catholicscomments6 *%read is

human only when it is shared and supports communion with others. "his !read calls for a

collectie conersion that responds to the scandalous hunger and staration sowidespread, and so unnecessary, in the word today, and een in our own 4hilippines

C5C, no. /F20.

9our other principles are connected with the principles of respect for persons and?ustice7loe, namely, the principles of solidarity, the common good, the uniersal

destination of the goods of the earth and the preferential loe for the poor. oreoer, the

priority of ?ustice7loe is the preferential loe for the poor.Cf. 8uis ;on=ale=-Cara?al,

Entre la utopia y la realidad. Curso de 2oral Social, Santander6 Sal "errae, EE, p. /F0.

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3.3 Principle of Solidari!' and S%(idiari!'

"he ethical principle of ?ustice is complemented and perfected !y the ethical

principle of loe of neigh!or in the form of solidarity S+S, BE0. "he Social Doctrine of

the Church speaks of the principle of solidarity closely linked to the principle ofsu!sidiarity.

"he principle of olidari!'may !e formulated as follows6 #ove all persons %

members of the human family 6, principally the most pro7imate and the neediest.!"he principle of solidarity represents *one of the fundamental principles of the

Christian iew of social and political organi=ations+ CA, 20. "he primacy of loe sheds

light on this principle, which also includes ?ustice. Cf. Compendium, no. 89:;.Solidarity

is a firm and perseering determination to commit oneself to the common good< that is tosay, to the good of all and of each indiidual, !ecause we are all really responsi!le for

all+ S+S, BE0. Solidarity, denied !y indiidualism, means the unity of all human !eings

and their o!ligation to cooperate with one another in the !uilding of a human and humane

world. In Christian perspectie, solidarity is authentic e$pression of loe of neigh!or.

"he principle of solidarity is rooted in fraternity, and this, in filiation6 we are children of;od and, therefore, we are !rothers and sisters in Christ. *Solidarity helps us to see the

other(- whether a person, people or nation not ?ust as some kind of instrument, with a

work capacity and physical strength to !e e$ploited at low cost and then discarded whenno longer useful, !ut as our neigh!or(, a helper( cf. ;en /6E-/20 to !e made a sharer,

on a par with ourseles, in the !an:uet of life to which all are e:ually inited !y ;od+

S+S, B0.

Solidarity is grounded on the inherent social nature of the human person, on thee:ual dignity and rights of all persons and it is directed to an eer-growing unity of the

human family. In Christian perspectie, *solidarity seeks to go !eyond itself, to take on

the specifically Christian dimension of total gratuity, forgieness and reconciliation'ne(s neigh!or must therefore !e loed, een if an enemy, with the same loe with

which the 8ord loes him or her< and for the person(s sake one must !e ready for

sacrifice, een the ultimate one6 to lay down one(s life for the !rethren+ cf.


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In5amiliaris ConsortioE0, 5ohn 4aul II applies the principle of su!sidiarity

to the relationship of the family and the State. "he State cannot and must not take away

from the family the functions proper to it see5C, no. [email protected] to CCC, *"he principle of su!sidiarity is opposed to all forms of

collectiism. It sets limits for state interentions. It aims at harmoni=ing the relationships

!etween indiiduals and societies. It tends toward the esta!lishment of true internationalorder+ CCC, EE@0. *5ust as it is necessary in each state that relations with the pu!lic

authority has with its citi=ens, families and intermediate associations !e controlled and

regulated !y the principle of su!sidiarity, it is e:ually necessary that the relationships thate$ist !etween the worldwide pu!lic authority and the pu!lic authorities of indiidual

nations !e goerned !y the same principle. "his means that the worldwide pu!lic

authority must tackle and sole pro!lems of an economic, social, political or cultural

character which are posed !y the uniersal common good+ *T, 32-30. Cf.Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, nos. [email protected]

"herefore, *solidarity without su!sidiarity can easily degenerate into a >elfare

State(, while su!sidiarity without solidarity runs the risk of encouraging forms of self-

centered localism+ Compendium, no. [email protected] the principle of solidarity, two other principles are deried !eside the

principle of the common good0, namely, the principle of the universal destination of thegoods of the earth, and the principle of the preferential love for the poor. Cf. 8uis

;on=ale=-Cara?al,Entre la utopia y la realidad. Curso de 2oral Social, Santander6 Sal

"errae, EE, p. /F0.

3.1 Principle of !"e Co##on 2ood and Par!icipa!ion

According to the SDC, the principle of the common good stems *from the dignity,unity and e:uality of all peoples.+ Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church,

no. 130 Its practice is the responsi!ility of all persons and the State CCC, 2< cf.

Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, nos. 1E-10. 'rdered to the integralwell-!eing of all persons and of the national and international communities, the principle

of the common good is most important. In fact, the common good is the o!?ect of social

?ustice."he principle of !"e co##on &oodmay !e formulated !y its definition6 The

sum total of social conditions hich allo people, either as groups or as individuals, to

reach the fulfillment more fully and more easily! 'S, /1< cf.22, 1@


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inaliena!le rights of the human person. Society should permit each of its mem!ers

to fulfill his ocation. In particular, the common good resides in the conditions for

the e$ercise of the natural freedoms indispensa!le for the deelopment of thehuman ocation, such as the right to act according to a sound norm of conscience

and to safeguard priacy, and rightful freedom also in matters of religion( 'S,

//0.+*"he common good re:uires thesocial ell6beingand developmentof the group

itself. Deelopment is the epitome of social duties. Certainly, it is the proper

function of authority to ar!itrate, in the name of the common good, !etweenarious particular interests< !ut it should make accessi!le to each what is needed

to lead a truly human life6 food, clothing, health, work, education and culture,

suita!le information, right to esta!lish a family, and so on.+

*"he common good re:uires peace, that is, the sta!ility and security of a ?ustorder. It presupposes that authority should ensure !y morally accepta!le means

thesecurityof society and its mem!ers. It is the !asis of the right to legitimate

personal and collectie defense.+ "here is the possi!ility of a defensive just arG0

"he co##on &ood refer !o !"e na!ion and alo !o !"e orld. In his encyclical2ater et 2agistra no. F0, 5ohn III e$plains the common good on the

national level6Considering the common good on the national leel, the following points

are releant and should not !e oerlooked6 to proide employment for as many

workers as possi!le< to take care of the least priileged groups een among theworkers themseles< to maintain a !alance !etween wages and prices< to make

accessi!le the goods and serices for a !etter life to as many persons as possi!le. %arclay0. *Ko one can !e poor

in spirit while liing like the rich man+ 5. 8. artMn Descal=o0.A releant :uote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church6

Hence, those who are oppressed !y poerty are the o!?ect of a preferential loe on

the part of the Church which, since her origin and in spite of the failings of manyof her mem!ers, has not ceased to work for their relief, defense and li!eration,

through numerous works of charity which remain indispensa!le always and

eerywhere CCC, /33E0.At the end, we shall be examined on our love or lack of love for the poor.

5esus( 4ara!le of the 8ast 5udgment urges us to do good deeds for the poor, to share

something with them. 'ur own salation will !e decided !y the way we treated the poor

around us.5esus, then, is present in the poor and we hae to see him in the poor t /@6B3-

BF, 3-3B0. He is present in the poor and in those who are close to the poor. I remem!er

the words of %ossuet6 *"he poor are the citi=ens of heaen< all the others, all of us mayo!tain this nationality only if we truly honor the poor and lie for them.+

3.5 O!"er Principle of !"e Social Doc!rine of !"e C"%rc"

As we study the different documents of the Social Doctrine of the Church, we

shall encounter other important principles. I mention hereafter some of them6 the

principle of truthfulness *the truth will make us free,+ 5esus said0< the principle of

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freedom*to !e free means to do good, to loe+0, and theprinciple of peace*!e at peace

with eery!ody+0.

'ther principles6 Dialogue is preferable that struggle! #ibertatis conscientia,no.FB0. 8ikewise, reform is preferred to revolution 4", 1, 1/0. Cf. 8uis ;on=ale=-

Cara?al,Entre la utop?a y la realidad, Santander6 Sal "errae, E, pp. /-B2

basic principles of the social doctrine of the church

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