Catholic social thought: core principles and applications

Social Catholic

Catholics, Capitalism, and Socialism

The Catholic Church has become less directly involved in the political and governmental affairs of the world following the industrial revolution, but the critiques and commentaries of the Church and especially of the Pope on the methods of government and political ideologies that currently exist are still highly influential. As the modern world grew ever more fast-paced, it at once dehumanized many individuals through economic factors and beliefs in social Darwinism, while at the same time democracies were emerging and political freedoms were, at least ostensibly, expanding. This was the backdrop -- or perhaps the source and/or effect -- of capitalism, which later led to socialism as a reactionary element in some parts of the world. The Popes of the modern era, though less directly politically potent than their predecessors, did not push these issues past their point of purview.

Pope Leo XIII, who oversaw the Church as it crossed from the nineteenth century into the twentieth, was very interested in the social implications of capitalism. He did not really see all men as having been created equal; he observed that for most individuals life was a fairly bitter and hardscrabble struggle while for others it was far easier, but he did not feel it was necessary or even correct to adjust this set of circumstances (Mich 20). Though there were problems with capitalism, Leo XIII saw that the system was not about to go away, and seemed in many ways to prefer it to the socialism that threatened to disturb what he perceived as the natural order. God had endowed each individual with certain qualities, making them better or worse and even establishing natural rights to property (Mich 21).

Pope Paul VI took a very different view of things, which is understandable given the vastly different time in which he was Pope. During the progressive era of the 1960s and 70s, as the world was still emerging from a global war and grappling with the tensions of the Cold War, increasing attention was being paid to the so-called "developing" world, and Pope Paul VI saw it as an incumbent duty to assist those in developing countries and instill social justice and economic stability -- through development -- as a means of achieving equality and peace (Mich 156-8). He placed huge restrictions on the rights to private property, showing a far more favorable attitude towards socialism than Leo XIII and disdaining the free market and "natural right" mentality that dominated capitalism (Mich 158). Though Leo XIII did not particularly like capitalism, he saw the inherent inequalities and private property rights upon which the system was built as a part of the natural order of the world, limiting the degree to which his social stance was corrective of these problems. Pope Paul VI was less equivocal, stating quite clearly and directly which side of the political ideological fence he was on.

Both Leo XIII and Paul VI made major contributions to the social teachings and position of the Catholic Church, simply by their brining attention to these details. It is even arguable that the Popes' lack of direct political involvement in the world's governments allowed for a more objective and human-based view, which only grew as time progressed.

Vatican II

Vatican II, officially known as the Second Vatican Council, was a meeting of many leaders of the Catholic Church to discuss both theological and social issues pertaining to the Church in the modern era. Convened by Pope John XXIII in the 1960s and continued by his successor Paul VI, the main goal of the Second Vatican Council was to establish the Church's role and meaning in the modern world, which it recognized as fundamentally changed from the role of the Church in previous eras. Many different topics of concern were examined during the many phases of Vatican II, and the Council produced a number of documents on these varying subjects that help to define Church doctrine and perspectives on the modern world. When it comes to the social thought and action of the Catholic Church following Vatican II, one of the most important documents produced by the Council is the Gaudium et Spes, which had many ramifications for the Church.

One of the most salient features of the Gaudium et Spes is its praise of modern advancements and progress in technological and scientific fields, which led to the potential for a better quality of life for all of humanity (Mich 386). The modern world has features and policies that make a long, healthy, and fulfilling life possible for vast numbers of individuals who in bygone centuries would have endured much harder and more uncertain lives in the face of hunger, disease, and a lack of social and economic opportunities for betterment. The Catholic Church in the Gaudium et Spes recognized that modern advances had dramatically changed the interrelationships and interactions of the world.