15. Catholic Social Teaching

Encyclical 'Caritas in Veritate'

Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict XVI's 2009 encyclical, addresses integral human development as propelled by charity in truth (caritas in veritate), the extraordinary force originating from God that drives courageous engagement for justice and peace. Its main themes revolve around charity as the heart of the Church's social doctrine—synthesizing personal and societal relationships, inseparable from justice (its "minimum measure") and the common good—while critiquing globalization's risks and calling for truth illumined by faith and reason to ensure ethical progress beyond mere technical solutions. Theologically significant, it proclaims Christ's love in society as a service to truth that liberates, weaving networks of grace to transform hearts, foster reciprocity, and elevate social action with salvific value, urging prayerful reliance on God's providence for true development.

Centesimus Annus, the 1991 encyclical by St. John Paul II, commemorates the centenary of Pope Leo XIII's Rerum Novarum, inviting a "re-reading" of its principles to address contemporary social and economic challenges while honoring its foundational role in Catholic social doctrine. Its main themes include the dignity of the human person and work as a vocation for self-fulfillment and the common good, the rights of workers to fair conditions, rest, associations like trade unions, and private property tempered by the universal destination of goods, alongside a condemnation of class struggle in favor of justice as the basis for peace. Theologically, it affirms the Church's mission to apply the Gospel to social realities, developing a living tradition that integrates faith with public life, promotes the "preferential option for the poor," and guides the "new evangelization" amid modern ideologies and transformations. Page Count: 1016 pages

Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church

Deus caritas est (2005) by Benedict XVI

Fratelli tutti Encyclical Letter

Fundamentals of Christian Sociology by Höffner, J.

Catholic Social Teaching

The Instruction on Certain Aspects of the "Theology of Liberation" (1984), issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, examines the biblical and theological validity of liberation theology while critiquing its deviations that reduce Christian liberation to political revolution or class struggle. It affirms liberation as a core scriptural theme—from the Exodus to Christ's redemption—ordered toward covenant, grace, and salvation, but warns against politicizing existence, relativizing sin, or sidelining the Church and sacraments in favor of partisan praxis. The document draws on papal teachings, such as those of John Paul II, to emphasize truths about Christ, the Church, and humanity as pillars of authentic theology. Theologically, it holds significant weight by safeguarding the faith from perversions, guiding theologians to address contemporary oppression faithfully within the Magisterium's interpretive authority.

The Instruction on Christian Freedom and Liberation (Libertatis conscientia), issued in 1986 by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith as a follow-up to Libertatis Nuntius, examines the Church's teaching on authentic freedom and liberation amid modern aspirations for human dignity, rights, and emancipation from oppression. It underscores that true liberation is fundamentally salvific—freeing humanity from sin and death through Christ's redemption—before extending to ethical and social dimensions that promote justice, love, and the right use of freedom, while critiquing distortions in contemporary liberation movements that prioritize material or ideological concerns over Gospel truth. Key themes include the heritage of Christian freedom in the People of God, the Gospel as a liberating force, and the need for reforms inspired by divine truth to avoid new forms of servitude. The document's theological significance lies in its discernment of risks to faith from erroneous liberation theologies, reaffirming redemption as the root of all liberating action and guiding Christian social practice toward a "civilization of love."

Laudato Si', Pope Francis's 2015 encyclical, is a profound call to care for "our common home," drawing on St. Francis of Assisi's canticle to frame Earth as a sister and mother sustaining humanity, while urgently addressing the ecological crisis through scientific data and ethical reflection. Its main themes encompass the intimate link between the poor and planetary fragility, the interconnectedness of all creation ("everything is connected"), critiques of throwaway culture, technological paradigms, and consumerism, alongside proposals for dialogue, policy changes, and lifestyles rooted in Christian spiritual experience. Theologically, it marks historic development by advancing an "integral ecology" that renews natural law tradition via "Green Thomism," emphasizing doxological theocentrism, the mystery of God the Father as Creator, the Trinitarian structure of creation, and a radical critique of modern anthropocentrism to restore humanity's rightful place within God's ordered cosmos.

Octogesima Adveniens is an apostolic letter issued by St. Paul VI in 1971 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Rerum Novarum, focusing on the profound social transformations of the modern era, including urbanization, economic disparities, and global inequalities that challenge humanity's future. Its main themes encompass the ambiguous pursuit of progress—which risks prioritizing quantitative growth over qualitative human relations and solidarity—the rights of emigrant workers, and the Christian duty to foster universal brotherhood amid rapid changes. Theologically, it holds significant importance by situating contemporary social problems within the Gospel's eternal truths, urging believers to integrate faith with action for justice, moral consciousness, and eschatological hope, thereby renewing the Church's social doctrine for a changing world.

Populorum Progressio 1967 by St. Paul VI

Samaritanus bonus, a 2020 letter from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, addresses the care of persons in critical and terminal phases of life, drawing inspiration from the Good Samaritan parable to emphasize Jesus Christ as the ultimate healer who tends to human suffering with consolation and hope. Its main themes include the comprehensive responsibility of physicians and caregivers to provide holistic medical, psychological, and spiritual support even when cure is impossible; the sacred and inviolable dignity of every human life as a gift from God, regardless of condition; and the firm rejection of euthanasia and assisted suicide as violations of this dignity. Theologically, it reaffirms the Church's mission to accompany the suffering toward salvation, imitating Christ's charity and fostering a "heart that sees" human weakness as a call to love, while countering modern cultural tendencies that undervalue life amid advancing medical technologies and permissive laws.

Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, promulgated by St. John Paul II in 1987, is a papal encyclical commemorating the twentieth anniversary of Pope Paul VI's Populorum Progressio, reaffirming the Church's social doctrine on the authentic development of peoples amid growing global inequalities and interdependence. Its main themes include the originality and ethical dimensions of development as addressed by Paul VI—such as the universality of the social question, the moral duty of solidarity, the notion that "development is the new name for peace," and critiques of both liberal capitalism and Marxist collectivism—while emphasizing the universal destination of goods and the preferential option for the poor. Theologically significant, the encyclical frames the Church's social teaching not as an ideology but as moral theology rooted in the Gospel, providing "principles for reflection, criteria for judgment, and directives for action" to guide Christian behavior and evangelization in addressing modern social realities.