Offical Church Documents
(http://www.osjspm.org/social_teaching_documents)
Papal Encyclical - Saved by Hope
Our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI issued a new encyclical, Spe salvi (Saved
by hope) Friday, November 30. Addressed to "the Bishops, Priests and Deacons,
Men and Women Religious, and All the Lay Faithful" the Holy Father outlines
the concept of faith-based hope in the New Testament and early church and notes
the importance of Christian faith and hope in the modern age. In the encyclical
letter, Pope Benedict analyzes the false utopian dreams of the modern age and
points out the untold suffering they have caused human beings.
Spe salvi is the second encyclical of Pope Benedict. His first, "Deus caritas est," (God is love) explored the meaning of Christian love and how it is expressed in everyday life. He issued it December 25, 2005.
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Rerum Novarum (On the Condition
of Labor) -- Pope Leo XIII, 1891
This seminal work on modern Catholic social thought addresses the plight
of the industrial workers in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. It
calls for the protection of the weak and the poor through the persuit of
justice while excluding socialism and class struggle as legitimate principles
of change. It affirms the dignity of work, the right to private property,
and the right to form and join professional associations.
Quadragesimo Anno (After Forty Years) -- Pope
Pius XI, 1931
Writing in response to the alarming concentration of wealth and power in the
socio-economic realm, Pius XI calls for the reestablishment of a social order
based on the principle of subsidiarity. In commemorating the 40th anniversary
of Rerum Novarum, this encyclical reaffirms the need for a social order animated
by justice.
Mater et Magistra (Christianity
and Social Progress) -- Pope John XXIII, 1961
Applying the teachings of his predecessors to modern problems, and affirming
the role of the Church as a teacher, and as a nurturing guardian of the
poor and oppressed, John XXIII calls for a greater awareness of the need
for all peoples to live as one community with a common good. Special
attention is focused on the plight of the farmers and farm workers
in depressed rural, agricultural economies.
Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth) -- Pope
John XXIII, 1963
Covering the entire spectrum of relations between individuals, between
the individual and the community, and between nations, John XXIII affirms
the inviolability of human rights. Peace, based on mutual trust, can be
well-founded only if undergirded by a unity of right order in human affairs
arising from a genuine respect for and adherence to the law of God.
Gaudium et Spes (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the
Modern World)
Vatican Council II, 1965
Calling for a new sense of service by the Church in a rapidly changing
world, the Council presents the ethical framework of the Church's commitment
to pastoral work in the world. This servant Church addresses itself to
the real concerns and problems faced by Christians living in the modern
age and calls for a development based on an unqualified accceptance of
the inherent dignity of the human person.
Populorum Progressio (On the Development of Peoples) -- Pope
Paul VI, 1967
Calling attention to the worsening marginalization of the poor, Paul VI
presents the various dimensions of an integral human development and the
necessary conditions for growth in the solidarity of peoples. Only with
an accompanying theological reflection on liberation from injustice and
genuine human values can there be true development towards a more human
condition.
Octogesima Adveniens (A
Call to Action) -- Pope Paul VI, 1971
Realizing the need for a genuine renewal in domestic and international
societal structures, Paul VI calls on Christians to live up to the duty
of participation in social and political reform as a way of discovering
the truth and living out the Gospel.
Laborem Exercens (On Human
Work) -- Pope John Paul II, 1981
Exhorting Christians everywhere to be involved in the transformation of existing
socio-economic systems, John Paul II presents work as a fundamental dimension
of human existence through which the "social question" must be viewed.
The meaning of work can only be properly understood when the dignity of labor
is taken as an underlying premise.
Solicitudo Rei Socialis (On Social Concern) -- Pope
John Paul II, 1987
Expanding on the notion of development in Populorum Progressio, John Paul
II reviews the state of world development in the past two decades. The moral
nature of development leading humanity to the "fullness of being" is
emphasized.
Centesimus Annus (The Hundredth Year) -- Pope John Paul II, 1991
Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life) -- Pope John Paul II, 1995
Fides et Ratio (Faith and Reason) -- Pope John Paul II, 1998
Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love) -- Pope Benedict XVI, 2005
Other Papal and Vatican Statements
The Participation of Catholics in Political Life-- Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 2002
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