History
A starting point for discussing today’s Catholic social teaching is Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical,
Rerum Novarum (Of New Things)
. It dealt with the conditions of workers, and the growing tensions between communism and capitalism at that time. Leo XIII was not writing in isolation. His ideas were rooted in ancient human experience. The pope’s inspiration came in part from the Bible’s history of humanity. He was influenced by the Hebrew prophets, and especially by the teachings of Jesus. Besides, he reflected the thinking of Christian leaders during the 2,000 years since the death and resurrection of Jesus. Leo XIII was also aware of the experiences of his predecessors as pope. He was counselled by bishops and other leading Catholics. His 1891 encyclical is both something new and a summary of much that had gone before.
Base in Holy Scripture
Catholic social teaching can be summarized in Christ’s teaching: “Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” (Matt 25-40). Overall, its underlying anthropology can be called communitarian liberalism. This stresses that personal freedom and full human development can be achieved only in and through interpersonal relationships that build up healthy communities and societies. Marked by biblical thought and natural law reasoning, this teaching has never been a closed system. Its stress on both the group and the individual reflects its continuous dialogue with marxist and liberal thought.
Not Top Down
Catholic social teaching, or social catholicism, is formally stated in the papal social encyclicals, but it did not develop as top-down or formal hierarchical teaching. “Social Catholicism,” John Coleman SJ has noted, “was always much more than ‘official Catholic Social Teaching’ as found in the encyclicals. Unofficial social thought and action profoundly fed into and was spawned by the ‘high’ tradition as its originating charter.”
A history of this teaching is incomplete without full recognition of the contributions of many unofficial individuals and groups who were moved by concern for peace and justice. They include theologians, philosophers, social activists and many others. Indeed, John Coleman argues that the work of these unofficial social thinkers always has had more direct impact on contemporary thought than official pronouncements by popes and bishops. Coleman refers to the writings of Jacques Maritain, Pierre Mounier, Barbara Ward and John Courtney Murray SJ, and to the work of various social movements, including labour unions, journals of opinion, spiritual social justice movements (such as Pax Christi), and some political parties. Many other persons and groups could be added.
Papal Writing
For its part, official papal teaching is vast. Following Leo XIII, Pius X dealt mainly with church reforms and Benedict XV was mostly concerned with World War I and its aftermath. Then, in 1931, Pius XI returned to Leo XIII’s social themes in with his own famous encyclical,
Quadragesimo Anno (Forty Years After)
issued on the anniversary of Rerum Novarum. Pius XII, in turn, expanded this social teaching, especially through messages on special occasions and to specialized groups. After 1958, John XXIII introduced a new era and a new style. He broke new ground in two major social encyclicals,
Mater et Magistra (Mother and Teacher)
and
Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth)
. They were addressed to all people of good will, and had a sense of optimism about the modern world. Paul VI followed with major statements such as his 1967 encyclical,
Populorum Progressio (On the Development of People)
. He directly challenged how economic and social development are planned and directed in the modern industrial societies, at the expense of poor nations. Paul VI also innovated important papal statements made during visits outside Rome, such as to the United Nations in New York in 1965, and at Medellín in Colombia in 1968. He also launched the Synod of Bishops which has become an occasion for major social teachings. John Paul I’s brief pontificate has been followed by John Paul II’s long one. He has continued and expanded the papal challenge to both capitalism and communism. To this end, he has made integral humanism, human solidarity and human rights his major concerns: in encyclicals-
in statements summing up Synods of Bishops – such as
Christifidelis Laicii
after the 1987 Synod on the laity; and in major statements during visits around the world.
Second Vatican Council
While the central position of the popes in Catholic social teaching is recognized, the importance of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) is less acknowledged. On the one hand, Vatican II drew from and built on all church experience prior to its opening. On the other, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Vatican II updated the church’s self-awareness in several major areas. One has to do with how the church understands itself as a divine mystery embodied in a human community that is moving through history. Another deals with relations between this people of God and the rest of humanity. Vatican II affirmed: "The joy and hope, the grief and anguish of the people of our time, especially those who are poor or afflicted in any way, are the joy and hope, the grief and anguish of the followers of Chist as well." Central here is Vatican II teaching on freedom of religion. Also, Vatican II stressed that the laity (those not ordained) are called by their vocation to seek holiness by engaging in temporal affairs and directing them according to God’s will. It may take years for the contributions of Vatican II to Catholic social teaching to be understood and appreciated.
Synod of Bishops
As a major post-Vatican II institution, the Synod of Bishops has made important contributions to social teaching, and especially the 1971 Synod on the theme of Justice in the World. It stated categorically: “Action on behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the world fully appear to us as a constitutive dimension of the preaching of the Gospel, or in other words, of the church’s mission for the redemption of the human race and its liberation from every oppressive situation.”
Teaching by Bishops
The social teaching of bishops’ conferences and of individual bishops also must be noted. If unity in social teaching can be sought in papal and council documents, diversity in its day-to-day application is a concern of local bishops in communion with the pope. Indeed, through the work of bishops and others in dioceses throughout the world, especially since the conclusion of Vatican II in 1965, Catholic social thought has ceased to be mainly centred on Europe.
The Canadian bishops (CCCB) have written extensively on a wide range of social issues over the past half-century or more. Many of these documents have been produced in collaboration with Canadian ecumenical partners. A CCCB brief, “Ethical Reflections on Canada’s Socio-Economic Order” was presented to the Royal Commission on the Economic Union and Development, in December 1983. An internal note described it as “the most complete single exposition of the ethical principles of the Canadian Catholic hierarchy relative to the goals of a just socio-economic order and the means to achieve them” It included references to other major CCCB texts, such as: “Northern Development: At What Cost?” 1975; “From Words to Action,” 1976; “A Society to be Transformed,” 1977; “Unemployment: The Human Costs,” 1980; and “Ethical Reflections on the Economic Crisis,” 1982.
More recent CCCB texts dealing with social issues can be found on
www.cccb.ca
the website of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
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