Principles of Catholic Social Doctrine and Anthropology
Pius XII and the Post-War Era
The pontificate of Pius XII was shaped by a major economic crisis after World War II and the consolidation of State interventionism. Politically, the key events were World War II (1939–1945), the division of the world into two blocks with the Cold War, and the beginning of the European Union through the Treaty of Rome. His main messages were expressed through five documents:
- Summi Pontificatus (1939): Spoke against totalitarian states.
- Neli’alba (1942): Addressed the general lack of moral principles.
- Con sempre (1942): Dealt with the true order of a State.
- Benignitas et humanitas (1944): Reflected on true democracy.
- Humani generis (1950): Concerned itself with false opinions threatening to undermine the foundations of Catholic doctrine.
Theological Principle
The Theological Principle is one of the four permanent and universal first-degree principles of the Social Doctrine of the Church. Regarding God’s features, He is real, creator of the universe, and provident—meaning He does not just create, He sustains and takes care of His creatures—and personal. Regarding God’s essence, He is the supreme truth, goodness, and beauty—the three transcendentals that man naturally longs for. Regarding God’s relationship with man, He is the supreme end of human freedom, the basis of human dignity and perfection, and the ultimate guarantee of all human rights. Finally, knowledge about God is reached through the human faculties of faith and reason, recognizing Him as the first cause.
Christological Principle
The Christological Principle is one of the four permanent and universal first-degree principles of the Social Doctrine of the Church. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is our Master, teaching us how to live according to God’s will through His example and doctrine. He is our Redeemer and Savior, having offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice to God to atone for our sins past, present, and future. He is our King, providing us with guidance and protection under His divine rule. It is worth noting that Quas primas (1925), an encyclical by Pope Pius XI, had as its objective to establish the Feast of Jesus Christ’s kingdom.
Solidarity
Solidarity is a second-degree principle of the Social Doctrine of the Church and a direct derivation of the anthropological principle. All men share the status of creatures of God, and all baptized Christians share the grace of being children of God. Men constitute a unity and are therefore morally obliged to mutual service and cohesion—hence the name “solidarity,” pointing at the physical and spiritual integrity of a solid body, which is human society. Solidarity contradicts the legacy of the Enlightenment, which consolidated the exaltation of individualism without any kind of restrictions. Solidarity follows the hierarchy of service described by St. Augustine as ordo amoris (“the order of love”). The Church rejects the idea that our obligations extend to all human beings equally. Instead, our obligations to our family are stronger than those to our local community; our obligations to our local community are stronger and more direct than those to the nation as a whole; and the obligations we have to our nation are stronger than any obligations we might have to an unknown foreigner or a foreign nation. This rule does not imply that we should not help as many people as we could, but that we should do it following a proper order.
Common Good
The Common Good is a second-degree principle of the Social Doctrine of the Church. It is the sum of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to have access to their own fulfillment—both material and spiritual. It consists of three essential elements:
- Respect for the person and the exercise of his personal freedom.
- A proper social well-being and development, including food, clothing, health, culture, and education.
- Peace, understood as the stability and security of a just order.
The common good must always be subordinated towards the progress of persons. Its most complete realization is found in the political community: it is the role of the State to defend and promote the common good of civil society, its citizens, and intermediate bodies.
Social Justice
Social Justice is a second-degree principle of the Social Doctrine of the Church. It aims to inspire positive legal systems to guarantee the common good both nationally and internationally. The whole SDC is based on the demand of justice, universally interpreted as “the habit by which everyone, with constant and permanent will, gives each one his rights.” Social Justice performs three functions: it establishes a suitable legal framework, denounces situations of entrenched injustice, and proposes solutions through the conscience of leading minorities with a sense of service.
Human Desire in Anthropology
In the context of Anthropology, self-information means that by receiving truth, goodness, and beauty, the person enriches and forms himself internally. The Anthropology section identifies four types of human desire:
- Mimetic desire: We desire things because others desire them (Subject → Mediator → Object).
- Transcendental desire: The desire to go beyond ourselves, seeking truth, good, beauty, and God.
- Whimsical desire: Unstable, superficial, or impulsive desire based on feeling rather than reason.
- Communicative desire: The desire to share immaterial goods such as knowledge, truth, love, faith, or beauty.
The main idea is that man is not just a biological or economic being, but a rational person with body and soul, intelligence and will, freedom and responsibility.
The Church’s Teaching on the Family
The family is the original cell of social life. It is the natural society in which husband and wife are called to give themselves in love and in the gift of life. Authority, stability, and a life of relationships within the family constitute the foundations for freedom, security, and fraternity within society. The family is the community in which one can learn moral values, begin to honor God, and make good use of freedom (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2207). The principle of subsidiarity should be applied: the State should help families, but not subtract activities which may be performed alone or together with other families.
The Church’s Position on IVF
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is the most common practice for extra-corporeal assisted reproduction. The Catholic Church supports technical means that facilitate the openness to fertility, such as naprotechnology, but does not support technical means that replace sexual intercourse. The IVF method involves human manipulation, discrimination—when embryo selection applies—and the killing of embryos. It is done with genetic material external to the couple and trespasses the right to enjoy one’s own family identity.