Principles of Catholic Social Teaching
11 Economic Activity
Economic life should not seek only to multiply goods produced and increase profit, but should be primarily organized to serve people and society. Economic activity should operate within the limits of moral order and justice. Social disputes need to be resolved through negotiations between employers and workers, respecting the rights and duties of each party.
Economic Systems
Definition
There are two basic economic systems derived from two political systems: liberalism and socialism. Liberalism gives rise to capitalism, while socialism leads to a collectivized economy. Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum critiques these two economic systems.
The Church’s teaching affirms that economic development must remain under the control of humanity and not in the hands of a few powerful groups. The Catholic Church does not 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 from their investments, but this does not mean they can deny employees a living wage and fair contracts. The economy must serve the individual, not vice versa.
2 The State’s Role in the Economy
The State’s role is to determine the legal framework for economic relations and safeguard the fundamental conditions for a free economy. The State must implement both the principle of subsidiarity and the principle of solidarity, ensuring minimum support for unemployed workers.
The State should not interfere in the internal operations of businesses, but should create conditions for the free exercise of economic activity, leading to job opportunities and access to wealth.
3 Consumerism and Genuine Human Development
While desiring a better life is not wrong, a lifestyle based solely on consumption is flawed. Humanity is not meant to spend life in constant pursuit of enjoyment. Respecting all dimensions of our being, we must subordinate material and instinctive needs to our spiritual selves.
Genuine human development prioritizes being over having. The mere accumulation of goods and services is insufficient for human happiness. Moral orientation and spiritual cultivation are vital for self-mastery and an attitude of giving to others.
4 Love for the Poor
St. John Chrysostom stated, “Do not let the poor participate in our goods? That is to rob them and to kill them.” We must adapt moral norms and practices for the common good and justice. Giving to the poor is not merely an act of charity, but a duty 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 chief witness to fraternal charity and a practice of justice pleasing to God.
12 Sociology and the Etiology of Hunger
Critically analyze the real causes of hunger in the world, including:
- Globalization
- Food insecurity
- The euphemism of “malnutrition”
- The “demographic winter” and its correlation with the loss of wealth
- The deceit of debt cancellation for impoverished countries
Propose solutions based on the concept of development solidarity.
Topic Structure
Item 9: Treatise on Marriage and Family
Marriage and Family
- Definition and nature
- Errors affecting marriage and family
Education
- Education according to Catholic Social Teaching
- Holders of the educational mission: educating and educators
Item 11: The Human Family and the Universal Common Good
- Public authority
- The necessity of 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
- The origin of power and the sovereignty of the people
- Obedience to authority and government
- State sovereignty
- Forms of government
- Democracy
- Church and State
Item 12: The Economy
- The universal destination of goods
- Use of property
- Private property
- Social function of property
- The spread of ownership
- Labor
- Labor compensation
- Union activity
- Relations with capital
- Economic activity
- Economic systems
- The role of the state in the economy
- Consumerism and genuine human development
- Love of the poor