PRINCIPLES GUIDING SOCIAL LIFE

ACCORDING TO CATHOLIC SOCIAL

TEACHING
 Human beings are social. This means humans are meant to stay together in a community. In
the process of staying together, there are guiding principles or values that should determine how
they should live together.
These guiding principles in every discipline, are determined by a de definition of humans. For
example, Philosophers who define humans as rational beings, find guiding principles of social
life in a contract drawn based on reason.
 Catholic Social Teaching, as a discipline defines human beings as creation and image of God.
Therefore, Society, according to CST, is guided by principles that are rooted in the
understanding of human nature which is the image of God.
In this lecture, we are going to explore 7 principles that should guide human life in a society
according to CST definition of a human being. The values or principles are:
1. The human dignity
2. Promotion of common good
3. Participation
4. Solidarity
5. Liberation and Preferential option for the poor
6. Subsidiarity
7. Stewardship
 1.HUMAN DIGNITY
 Human dignity is the highest order of respect towards humans. Human
beings have dignity and deserve to be treated with ultimate respect. At
individual or institutional level, systems, laws and policies need to be
formulated and structured to serve humans because they have dignity.
For CST, human dignity is not something which humans acquire or earn.
Human dignity is not something which a person can lose, for example, for
being sick or being criminal. It is something that is natural to humans. By
the virtue that each and every human being is a creation of God, created in
God’s image (Gen.1:27), that alone set a human being apart from all other
creatures.
In this regard, every time a human being encounter another human, he/she
encounters an image of God. Being the image of God, humans are beyond
what is perceived by our senses. Humans are beyond (transcend) what is
perceived, therefore, humans are transcendental because they go beyond
the matter, as they have origin in God and are image of God.
 No person or institution can claim to grant a human being his/her dignity.
Instead, every person or institution has a duty to respect and treat humans
with the highest respect as images of God. Humans owe their dignity to
God who created them as God’s own image.
 All earthly institutions, ranging from family, Churches, States exist for
the purpose of serving human dignity. The Catholic Church’s effort, for
example, in pursuing justice and peace, are designed to protect and
promote the dignity of every person.
 The equality of human beings is grounded or founded on the value of
dignity that is founded on human nature as creation and image of God.
Therefore, any attitude, activity, institution or law that treat people
differently due to aspects like race, color, gender or religion is itself
going against the human nature and consequently, against the will of God
who is the Creator. It is not one race or gender or members of specific
religion that has human dignity, instead, who ever bears the nature of
being human has dignity and be treated as such.
 Social institutions like racism, ethnicism, nationalism or any that treat
people differently, where others are privileged and others are
disadvantaged, violet equality of humans that is grounded in the
transcendental origin of humans, who is God
In other words human dignity is inalienable, meaning that no person or
institution can take it away. All human rights like right to life, education,
health, are built on human dignity.
The dignity of humans is the main theme that runs through the bible
and Magesterium (Encyclicals, Council documents, Episcopal
Pastoral letters). For example, in Malawi, Catholic Bishops write
letters, not out of hatred for any person or government, but are driven
by their commitment to protect and respect for human dignity.
Bishops call for whoever is crushing human dignity.
 The most popular Pastoral Letter, ‘Living Our Faith’ in 1992 is a
good example to demonstrate the concern of the Church towards
human dignity. When the regime led by Kamuzu Banda failed to
respect human dignity, Catholic Bishops wrote the Pastoral Letter to
call the regime to respect human dignity. That resulted to new
dispensation of democracy.
 The 1891Rerum Novarum, first Encyclical on labour issues in
Europe was also a concern for human dignity that was at stake.
 Social life, therefore, must be lived in respect of human dignity that
has its origin in human nature as creatures created in the Image and
likeness of God (Gen. 1:27).
2. PRINCIPLE OF COMMON GOOD
 There is one fundamental anthropological truth that humans are born
as unfinished project. From CST perspective, humans are created with
potentialities,/capabilities that when nurtured properly they realize that
potential (power) into reality.
 In order for human potentials to be realized humans need a good
environment (political, social, emotional, psychological, intellectual
and spiritual). These conditions that contribute to humans to achieve
their God given potential are what we would call ‘common good.’
 Common good are conditions that make it possible for each and
every human being able to achieve their natural potential to grow
physically, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually as God
intended them to be.
These conditions we call common good are not always clear and
distinct. Humans have to use their intelligence to search them together
within their socio-political and cultural environment and promote them
so that all members of the society benefit from them.
 The primary function of a state is the promotion of common good.
The state has a duty to promote basic human rights, securing public
order and peach and enhancing the general welfare of all people.
 Individual members of the state have also obligation to contribute to
the common good by bringing their interests, talents, capabilities into
harmony with needs of a community and ensuring that their personal
goods, services and talents are put at the service of the community.
 Individuals have obligation to contribute to the community because
they received from the community. Without the community, no one
would achieve his/her potential, for example, as a doctor, engineer,
author, parent, etc. Everyone is what he/she is because the community
assisted a person to achieve his/her potential. Much as one receives
from the community, one is equally obliged to contribute to the
community.
Individuals have to contribute to create a conducive environment and
State too has an obligation to assist individuals to actualize their
potential. When individuals and society work in harmony to realize
humans potential, then common good is said to have been achieved.
3. LIBERATION AND
PREFERENTIAL OPTION FOR
THE POOR
 To be straight to the point, the poor in Catholic Social Teaching context are those
people ‘who are economically disadvantage’ in a society. These are people who are
living in poverty whilst others are living in opulence (riches, abundance, kutapa
kutaya)
Often people living in poverty are economically disadvantage due to their social
status or position (male/female, white/black, ethnicity, race, etc.) and suffer oppression
and are made to feel powerless for they take their poverty as their natural destiny.
When one suffers or economically disadvantaged because of their position in
society, that is called structural poverty caused by oppressive structures.
 ‘Preferential option for the poor,’ as a concept is been introduced around 1970s and
popularized by South America’s liberation theology. However, as reality, the Church
has been siding with the poor in society from its beginning and God in the scripture
has been siding with the poor. The theme of God siding the poor runs from the books
of Moses, Prophets and Wisdom literature to New Testaments in gospels and Pastoral
letters of Paul and others.
 Therefore, siding with the poor of the society is the distinguishing mark of the
Church and God in the scripture.
 That we have the poor in each and every society is a fact. The origin of
poverty is often attributed to different reasons. For example, others believe
poverty is due to being lazy. Others believe poverty is a curse from God.
Others believe poverty is because of sin.
 Catholic Social Teaching principle of liberation and preferential Option
for the poor, argue that poverty is the result of social structures of evil in
which people are made to be poor by the way society is humanly arranged.
For example, if one gender is favored than the other when it comes to
employment, when one tribe is favored in terms of public position
appointment than the other, those not favored are going to suffer from
economic disadvantage. In this regard, one’s social position makes one to
disadvantage.
Therefore, liberation and preferential option for the poor is a commitment
to actively engage in struggle, search and eliminate social injustices that
impoverish other members of the community.
 Individuals and institutions like Church have the obligation to eliminate
conditions that perpetuate poverty of certain section of the community and
liberate members from structures that impoverish them. Such structures
could be political, cultural and or religious in nature.
 From CST perspective, individuals and social institutions have the
obligation towards Liberation and preferential option for the poor because
they model human life on God as they were created in God’s image.
 The God who humans model their life, has been on the side of the poor
from the beginning as evidenced in the scriptures. For example, God
liberated the Children of Israel when they were enslaved in Egypt. They
were disadvantage for being born children of Israel.
 Therefore, preferential option for the poor is a commitment to participate
in the God’s mission of liberating humans from structures that impoverish
them.
 One way to participate in the transformation of social structures of
injustice, following liberation theology, is the conscientization. This
involves making the oppressed as well as the oppressors who are not aware
of the oppressive nature of social structure, aware of the evil enshrined in
the structures.
 Other ways to conscientization is by hermeneutics (analyzing texts) and
deconstruction (analyzing texts to find origin of evil structures) so that when
people know may take active part in transforming social structures that are
responsible for oppression and establish structures that serve common good.
4. STEWARDSHIP
 For CST, human being are creation of God in God’s image. As
God’s image, they are expected to reflect characters of their maker
who creates and sustain creation.
 After creating humans, God entrusted humans a responsibility to
care for the creation as stewards (caretakers). Therefore, the
responsibility to care for creation is given by the Creator from the
beginning.
 The responsibility commits individuals and societies to commit to
the responsible use and preservation of creation. For, being images of
God, who is a creator, humans are therefore, and rightly co-creators
with God.
 As co-creators and stewards of creation, humans have an obligation
to maintain harmony in nature. Whilst it is human obligation from
the creator, anthropologically, it is also for the survival of humanity
in general. Therefore, stewardship is not limited to Catholics but is
itself a human responsibility, as obligation from the Creator and for
the survival of humans.
5.PRINCIPLE OF PARTICIPATION
 Humans, by their very nature are created to be in the community and flourish
only within the community. No person can exist and flourish in isolation from
others, as rightly put by John Mbiti that ‘I am because we are.’ Humans need
each other for survival, therefore, social beings.
 The Creator gave humans resources but in a raw form. Hence, a need to use
intelligence and creativity to make raw resources consumable. This calls for
working on them.
Being social, humans are to work as a team in which if one scores, all celebrate
a win. As a team, they can only win when they work together and everyone
plays his/her role. The goal they work together towards achieving the common
good, like hunters who work together to get a bounty which all will partake.
Therefore, the principle of participation obliges individuals to participate in the
search for common good and when found, has to be shared among all. Each is
obliged to work according to his/her capacity.
Therefore, CST obliges each and every person to participate actively and
positively in social life. There should never be by-standers watching.
As to the methodology of participation, we will come back the principle of
participation again in the coming lectures.
 6. PRINCIPLE OF SOLIDARITY
 All humans, according to the foundation of CST which is bible, are equal.
Their equality is founded on their origin that they all come from God and
are images of God. Therefore, humans share brotherhood/sisterhood
through the Creator.
Solidarity, therefore, compels individuals to be concerned with each other
and share lives with one another. Much as we owe our lives and
achievements to others, humans have also the same obligation to the
society. As we are held hand to walk, we need to hold others hand to walk
as well.
The joys and sorrows of others are our joys and sorrows because we
belong to each other through Creator.
 In brief, the principle of solidarity emphasizes human equality,
brotherhood and sisterhood. Therefore, in terms of action, it obliges
individuals and state who are better or strong to look after those that are
weak and disadvantaged, not as charity but because of
brotherhood/sisterhood humans share.
We will come back to this principle again in our coming lectures.
 7. PRINCIPLE OF SUBSIDIARITY
 God is the Creator of all humans. God creates each and every person for a specific
reason with specific capabilities. No one was created to be liability and no one is self-
sustaining. Each and every one has a role to play in a society.
 Whilst recognizing the capacity of every one’s capacity to contribute to the society,
CST recognizes also that individuals are gifted in specific and different ways.
 It is only when one is able to do what he/she can do that one realizes his/her
potential. Therefore, it is to hinder others to realize their potential when one or group
of people do what the weak could do on their own.
 The principle of subsidiarity obliges the strong and those who are better placed to
restrain from doing for the weak what the weak can do themselves. The principle
obliges the strong to come and supplement where the less gifted or the weak ends
than doing everything for them.
More importantly, the strong, whether individuals or nations, have to allow the weak
individuals and nations to express themselves freely and creatively. Doing things for
the weak which they can do on their own infringes their freedom to realize who they
are and is itself a disrespect of their Creator.
Therefore, in a society, everyone, whether poor, young or lame, be given opportunity
to do what they can, to realize their potential but where they lack, the strong have
obligation to assist. That is the principle is subsidiarity.
 CONCLUSION
 Catholic Social Teaching is part of Church’s moral theology. Its concern is social
life (that include, among other things, political, economic, cultural and justice).
 Catholic Social Teaching is centered around the nature of human person as
defined by the Bible as image of God and human’s social nature (destined to live
and flourish in the community).
Catholic Social Teaching focuses on what is good to individual human beings
and at the same time good to the community. The two are sides of the same coin,
for one cannot exist without the other. Therefore, CST teaches how people should
stay together in order to realize their potential as wished by their Creator. The
guiding principles CST believes would help humans realize their potential are
what we discussed above.
The basis of Church’s authority to teach on social issues is its mandate from the
scripture and its wisdom she has learnt through experience in the history of its
existence.
 After discussing principle or values that guide social life, our next lecture
will be to start looking at the application of principles in a society:
SOCIETY, MORAL RESPONSIBILITY, AND THE CHURCH’S ETHICAL
PRINCIPLES FOR SOCIETY