Economy, Society, and the Church’s Social Doctrine
11 Economic Activity
Economic life’s purpose is not solely to multiply goods and increase profits. It is primarily organized to serve individuals and society. Therefore, economic activity should operate within the boundaries of moral order and social justice. Disputes between employers and workers should be resolved through negotiations that respect the rights and duties of each party.
Economic Systems
Definition: Two primary economic systems exist, derived from liberalism and socialism: capitalism (from liberalism) and the collectivized economy (from socialism). Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum critiques these systems. The Church teaches that economic development must remain under human control, not in the hands of powerful economic groups. The Catholic Church doesn’t propose a specific economic model but emphasizes that while markets and businesses are positive, they must be oriented towards the common good. Employers are entitled to profit, but this doesn’t justify denying employees a living wage or fair contracts.
2 The State’s Role in the Economy
The State’s responsibility is to establish the legal framework for economic relations, safeguarding the conditions for a free economy. It must implement the principles of subsidiarity and solidarity, ensuring minimum support for unemployed workers. The State should not interfere in the internal operations of businesses but should create conditions that foster economic activity, leading to job creation and access to wealth.
3 Consumerism and Genuine Human Development
Desiring a better life is not inherently wrong. However, a lifestyle that equates having with being is flawed. Humans are not meant solely for enjoyment and material consumption. We must subordinate material and instinctive needs to our spiritual selves, respecting all dimensions of our being. Genuine human development prioritizes being over having, recognizing that accumulating goods and services alone does not guarantee happiness. Moral orientation and spiritual cultivation are vital for self-mastery and generosity towards others.
4 Love for the Poor
St. John Chrysostom stated, “Not to enable the poor to share in our goods is to steal from them and deprive them of life.” We must align our actions with the common good and justice. Providing for the poor’s essential needs is not just charity but an act of justice. The corporal works of mercy include feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead. Charity towards the poor is a primary witness to fraternal love and a practice of justice.
12 Sociology and Etiology of Hunger
Critically analyze the root causes of global hunger, including globalization, food insecurity, the euphemism of “malnutrition,” the demographic winter and its correlation with the devaluation of human life as a productive economic factor, the deception of debt cancellation for impoverished nations, and a proposal for development based on solidarity.
Topic Structure
Item 9: Treatise on Marriage and Family
9.1 Marriage and Family: Definition and natural errors affecting marriage and family.
9.2 Education: Education according to the Church’s Social Doctrine. Holders of the educational mission: Educating and educators.
Item 11:
- The human family and the universal common good
- The need for a public authority
- International trade
- Globalization
- External debt
- Exile and immigration, ethnic and religious tensions
- Humanitarian interference
- Peace and war
- Politics and Authority
- Political society and the State
- Origin of power and sovereignty of the people
- Obedience to authority and government
- State sovereignty
- Forms of government
- Democracy
- Church and State
Item 12:
12.1 The Economy: Universal destination of goods, use of property, private property, social function of property, the spread of ownership, labor, labor compensation, union activity, relations between labor and capital, economic activity.
12.2 Economic systems, the role of the state in the economy, consumerism and genuine human development, love for the poor.