The Church recognises that the nations’ economies no longer exist in isolation, so the ‘social question’ of the late 19th century which led to Pope Leo XIII’s Encyclical ‘Rerum Novarum’, has now become a question of solidarity both within and between nations. The principles enunciated in Rerum Novarum are now applied to the world economy as a whole. The structural injustices, such as ‘usurious financial systems’, iniquitous commercial relations and the arms race’ embedded in the world economy, need to be dismantled. The Church recognises that this task needs to be taken up by lay faithful to foster the development of poorer countries, and the donation of direct aid with respect to the extra-ordinary needs of famine, natural disasters, etc. The aim of all intervention should be towards the full development of human society: the reduction of poverty, the growth in cultural identity, and openness to the transcendent. Therefore, all such action by the lay faithful should conform to the message of the Gospel and the Church’s teaching. This has become a contentious issue since so much of foreign development aid is now managed through large combinations of charities, thus forcing Catholic Charities to team up with those which perhaps do not subscribe to Catholic teaching.
This commitment to the poor is a necessary part of Catholic life. Jesus identifies with the poor in the parable of the final judgement, an attitude visible throughout His public life. The duty to the poor of the world is both an act of mercy, but at heart also an act of justice, since all alms giving is a form restitution of what was theirs. The inequalities of the world, and the tide of human misery that is attached to this, are the consequences of original sin.
The care of the poor is described as a work of mercy. Traditionally, there have been seven corporal acts of mercy: feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead. The misery of the world elicited the compassion of Christ who closely identified Himself with the marginalised and destitute. Consequently all those oppressed by poverty should become the object of a preferential love on the part of the Church.
The Seventh Commandment: Thou shall not steal (CCC2426-2436)
The Church teaches that the purpose of all economic activity should be orientated towards the good of humanity, both individually and communally. The pursuit of profit for its own sake, without recourse to the moral order, fails to grasp that work is part of God’s divine plan, and so subject to His laws. Human work is a duty given to humanity by God when He told Adam to subdue the earth, both with and for one another. This work is part of the continuous unfolding of creation, but work also possesses a redemptive side which is discovered through its hardness, a facet identifiable by everyone. This aspect of work is a consequence of the fall and can unite the believer to the work of Jesus Christ, who was ultimately crucified on the Cross. Human work can therefore become a means of sanctification (the negative side of work), as well as a means of imbuing the material world with the Spirit of Christ (the positive side of work).
The value of human work is discovered through God’s providence, and is therefore orientated towards humanity and so everyone should be able, through work, to provide the means for their dependents (described as the just wage). Since work has both a creative and sanctifying value, everyone has the right to economic initiative, whether through the establishment of a business or through employment, but such rights are both subject to the common good, both as a limitation on illegal business practices and as a protection for the rights of employment.
The Church recognises that inevitably there will be conflict between different economic interests. These conflicts require both negotiation between economic groups, business leaders and labour organisations, and the active responsibility of the state, to ensure stability and the rule of law. The role of the state in maintaining security builds the necessary confidence in the rule of law to allow for sustained economic activity, and the encouragement to work efficiently and honestly. The state should refrain where possible and allow the exercise of the rights of workers and employers to be negotiated at individual or business levels, the reason being that this is the only way to foster a sense of common responsibility.
The Seventh Commandment: Thou shall not steal (cont) (CCC2415-2425)
The respect due to every human person should be extended to the whole of God’s creation. The dominion given to mankind over the earth and the animal kingdom by God is not absolute, so the use of animals for food and clothing is legitimate, as are the mineral and vegetative resources of the world.It is, however, contrary to God’s will for animals to suffer unnecessarily, nor for the integrity of creation to be destroyed through greed. Belief in God should naturally lead to a spiritual ecology.
The social doctrine of the Church is established first, on the revelation of Jesus Christ who explains the full meaning of our common humanity and, secondly, on the laws of social living that stem from this revelation. The vertical relationship between believer and Jesus Christ includes a horizontal relationship between believers and beyond to every person. This is the foundation on which the Church makes moral judgements about the economic and social issues of the day. The day to day expression of the common good within each society should have a strong relationship with the good of our ultimate end. The supernatural destiny of humanity reflects backwards into daily communal life on earth.
The Church’s concern for social issues is a relatively new phenomenon in the life of the Church, which relates to the industrialisation and the growth of cities in the 19th century. The first Papal Encylical on social issues was published in 1896 entitled Rerum Novarum (of new things) and was concerned with the conditions of the working class in front of the new phenomenon of capitalism. This Encylical has been followed by others, most notably those written by Pope John Paul II, on the social and economic issues of the day. They all apply the traditional teaching of the Church on the dignity of the human person, and provide the criteria for judgement on specific issues, both for the individual and for the community. The Church rejects both rampant capitalism, whereby the human person is reduced to monetary value, and the communist state whereby the free association of individuals for legitimate business and social purposes is prohibited.
