Social Justice

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Earth Day April 22 celebrative ideas  

Earth Day Reflection 2013

Guide to Safer Household Cleaners

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World Day of Social Justice 2013 (pdf)

Bottled Water - Do We Need It? (powerpoint presentation)

KEY PRINCIPLES IN CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING

HUMAN DIGNITY

Human beings are created in the image of God. Therefore, each person has a basic dignity and is good, regardless of race, class, ethnicity, gender or nationality. Respecting a person’s dignity means that every person should have access to the basic necessities of life, which enable them to live humanly. Each person’s dignity must be upheld by the social order. Human dignity also carries with it certain rights and responsibilities, including the right to shape our lives as individuals and communities. This principle goes hand in hand with the principle of solidarity.

SOLIDARITY

People are social by nature. They are not self-sufficient and autonomous from others. Part of being human is to be social. The human family depends on each other. We are all part of God’s household – everyone is included.

COMMON GOOD

The Common Good is not just the sum total of individual goods. Rather, there are goods that are only experienced in common, as shared, or they are not experienced at all. The Common Good includes all those conditions of social living, economic, political, and cultural which make it possible for women and men to live a truly human life. The Common Good means that the good of each person is connected to the good of others. The Common Good cannot tolerate hunger, homelessness, unemployment or other injustice. It is the role of the State to promote the Common Good. The State is required to intervene actively in society, including the economy, to promote and ensure justice.

SUBSIDIARITY

Everyone should be involved in decisions that affect their lives. Decisions should be made as close as possible to the level of individual initiative in communities and institutions. This principle is to prevent the centralisation of power at the expense of personal initiative. Families, local community groups and small businesses should have their voices heard in society. Larger government structures have a necessary and important role when greater social coordination and regulation are necessary for the Common Good.

THE UNIVERSAL PURPOSE OF MATERIAL THINGS

All gifts of nature, natural resources, and technology must serve the dignity of the person, support the community and contribute to the Common Good. The goods of this world are meant for all. Although Catholic Social Teaching has consistently upheld the right to private property as a fundamental human right, it also teaches that this right is not absolute. No one has the right to amass excessive wealth when others lack the necessities of life.

THE PREFERENTIAL OPTION FOR THE POOR

The obligation to attend to those who are poor is central in the Old testament and in the Gospels. It calls for a commitment from individuals and communities at every level to engage actively in a struggle to overcome the social injustices, especially through national and international structures, which impoverish and marginalise people. In her social teachings the Church holds strongly to the truth that the moral fabric of a nation is determined by how well it provides for the poorest people in the nation. Those who are poor are supposed to be the first concern of policy-makers and decision-makers. Catholic Social Teaching urges those who are poor to organise and demand change and sees them as “teachers” for those who are not poor.

THE DIGNITY OF WORK

The dignity of work flows from the dignity of the human person and the rights of each person to participate in using his/her gifts and skills to provide for their livelihood and that of their family.

THE PURPOSE OF GOVERNMENT

The purpose of government is the promotion of the Common Good. Therefore, governments are required to actively participate in society to promote and ensure justice.

ECOLOGICAL RESPONSIBILITY

There is a growing understanding in Catholic Social Teaching that the primary sacred community is the universe itself, not just the human person. The natural and non-human world have inherent rights that must be respected by humans. Earth’s resources must be used in ways that allow for regeneration and sustainability.

LINK OF LOVE AND JUSTICE

Love of neighbour is an absolute demand for justice, because charity must show itself in actions and structures which respect human dignity, protect human rights and facilitate human development. To promote justice is to transform structures which block love.