The Nature and Development of the

Social Teaching of the Catholic Church

By: Henry L. Bernardo

The social teaching of the

Church is at the heart of who we are
as members of the Church and
followers of Christ for “faith
without works is dead” (James
2:26). We must take it seriously and
proclaim and share it more
effectively. It must be proclaimed
from the “housetops” (Mt. 10:27).

The social teaching of the

Church deals with the dignity,
rights and duties of the human
person organized into society. It is
based on the Church’s God given
duty and authority to teach and The social teaching of interpret the message of the
Gospel in the midst of daily the Church is an human experiences in order
to help create a more humane application of the world. Hence, STC is the
entire teaching of the Gospel message to ecclesiastical magisterium
(Church teaching authority) that social reality. helps realize the salvation
promised by Christ by applying revealed truth and Christian
moral principles to the social order. In other words, it is an application of the Gospel message
to social reality. The purpose of the Church’s social teaching is to present to men God’s plan for
secular reality. It aims to enlighten our mind with truth, form our conscience, and guide us in
building up the earthly city according to the divine plan. The Catholic Church accomplishes this
task by providing “accurate formulation” of the product of years of careful reflection on the
complex realities of human existence by publishing official documents such as encyclicals and
pastoral letters. This social teaching of the Church is part of a much broader and older Catholic
social tradition that goes back to the Old Testament and draws upon everything in the life and
thought of the Church.

A. Foundation of the STC

The social teaching of the Church is first of all, founded on the recognition that God loves
us and wills the salvation of every human person whose dignity is rooted on being His own
“image and likeness”. As explained in the previous chapter, the salvation promised by Christ is
not simply the kind of salvation that promises salvation of
the soul from sin so that a person will experience eternal life All our relationships must be
with God after death. Jesus promised us a “concrete” based on love and justice.
salvation in our own social context. Jesus said that he came
“to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and to give new sight to the blind;
to free the oppressed and announce the Lord’s year of mercy” (Lk. 4:18). In other words, He
came to make love and justice reign in our world. He presents to us a God who is with us, lives
with us and calls us to be instruments of love and justice to the world. We are all called to love
– love God above all things and love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Love summarizes all the
laws. But we cannot love without being just for justice is the prerequisite of love. All our
relationships must therefore, be based on love and justice. This is the foundation of Christian
morality and consequently, of the social teaching of the Church (for the social teaching of the
Church is part of morality).

God’s promise of kaginhawahan (salvation that is concrete) and the commandment for us
to make love and justice as the basis of all our relationships are the foundations and reasons why
we have the social teaching of the Church. This social teaching of the Church challenges us and
guides us to live responsibly and build a loving and just society.

B. Sources of the STC

The basic sources of social teaching of the Church are the Sacred Scriptures, Sacred
Tradition, and Natural Law as interpreted and authenticated by the magisterium or the teaching
authority of the Church and applied to the present-day experiences of people. But running
parallel to these sources are the contributions derived from human reason and experience. The
STC is developed by using the resources of human wisdom and modern sciences through the
assistance of learned priests, religious, laity, theologians, scientists, technologists, and other
thinkers.

1. Sacred Scriptures
The demands and moral principles of the STC are derived from the written revealed Word
of God, i.e. the Sacred Scriptures. Both the Old Testament and New Testament serve as sources of
the basic contents of STC. OT's emphasis on solidarity, justice, and righteousness, for instance, is
a source of inspiration for the STC. In the New Testament, Christ's own words and example are
indispensable if the STC has to remain truly Christian and loyal to the teachings of Christ.

2. Sacred Tradition
Sacred Tradition is a source not only of the social
teaching of the Church but of all the Church's teachings.
Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scriptures form one sacred
deposit of faith. The deposit of faith is the body of saving
truth entrusted by Christ to the Apostles and handed over by
them to be preserved and proclaimed. The word "tradition"
is taken from the Latin 'tradere' meaning to hand over or to deliver. Sacred Tradition is primarily
not written but is lived and is handed over by the life of the community. The perpetual handing
over of the deposit of faith is called the "living tradition". Living tradition is the transmission of
the teachings and example of Jesus Christ from generation to generation.

3. Natural Law
Natural law includes moral principles that can be known through the use of reason.
Simply put, it is what our reason dictates. It consists of laws that all human beings with proper
use of reason can know and adhere to regardless of faith, race, educational background, etc. It is
common to all and it does not change. It is written on every human conscience hence every
human person is obliged to recognize and respect it. The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of
the Church (CSDC) describes natural law as "the light of intellect infused within us by God" . . .
Because of this "we know what must be done and what must be avoided" (CSDC, 140).

The Church's teaching authority (the magisterium) is the guardian and interpreter of all
official teachings of the Church. It is not above the
Word of God but serves it and explains it faithfully in
accord with a divine commission and with the help of
the Holy Spirit.

Basically, the social teaching of the Church may

be found in the following: (Montemayor, 1988, p. 2):
a. Papal pronouncements/proclamations
particularly those on matters of faith and
morals.
b. Apostolic letters, most particularly,
encyclical letters. An encyclical is originally a letter meant to be passed around. Its
name came from two Greek words: “en” which means “in” and “kyklos”, circle which
were combined to form “enkyklike” or “to go in circle”. Encyclical letters, therefore,
are letters that are meant to be passed around until it goes back to the original sender.
But today it’s a lot different. Although the same name is used to refer to those letters,
the process has changed because of advancements in printing and communication
technology.
c. Code of Canon Law
d. Pronouncements made by Ecumenical councils. An ecumenical council is the meeting
of all the bishops of the Catholic Church (with the pope, the bishop of Rome, as the
convenor) and other invited church dignitaries and theologians to discuss and resolve
matters of faith, morals, and church policies.
e. Pronouncements made by the Synod of Bishops. A synod of bishops is a meeting of
bishops selected from different parts of the world in order to assist the Pope on certain
matters.

The content of the social teaching of the Church may be grouped into three:
a. Truth – STC contains truth, both moral and religious truth that Christians have to
know and believe.
b. Principles – principles are what one has to do or put into practice.
c. Values – these are what Christians hold as important and therefore, must be respected,
defended and cherished.

The Church’s social teaching is comprehensive in its scope but limited in its immediate
practical application. The Church never provides concrete solutions to particular social problems.
What she gives are only guiding principles and they are in general terms. It is for individuals
and groups to decide how best to apply those principles in particular circumstances. There are
some elements in this teaching however, which are direct applications of the moral law and
therefore, strictly binding to conscience and never open to debate. An example of this is the
Church’s condemnation of genocide or the deliberate encouragement of racial hatred.
C. History of the Development of STC
Although there are official proclamations containing STC, Pope Leo XIII
this body of doctrine is not limited to a collection of official
documents of the Church. The term “social doctrine” or social
teaching was first officially used by Pope Pius XI in his encyclical
Quadragesimo Anno. This term was used to refer to a “corpus” of
doctrinal teaching of the Church “concerning issues relevant to
the society.” The social teaching of the Church is based both on
written and oral tradition and it is a lived and living tradition. It
is not, however, something new. The STC has its roots in the Old
Testament, particularly in the teachings of the Prophets, and in the
New Testament, particularly in the life and teachings of our Lord
Jesus Christ himself, in the Fathers of the Church, and in the
medieval doctors like St. Thomas Aquinas. However, the modern
day presentation of STC began only with the monumental work of Pope Leo XIII in his encyclical
Rerum Novarum (The Condition of Labor) issued in 1891.
The dawning of industrialization during the 18th century ushered in a new world. The
Industrial Revolution that took place produced changes in the social, political, economic and
cultural setup and with it, a new social group was formed and rapidly increased in number
together with the increase in the number of factories and industries. This group is what may be
called as the “paid workers”. These are the people who work for a fee or salary. What they “sell”
is their skill. But this era was also characterized by low and unjust wages, very long working
hours, want of vacations, insufficient safety measures in the workplace, overtaxing of women,
sexual discrimination, and child labor. What made the situation worse was the fact that the social
structure at that time was generally unprepared for this sudden change. No clear and sufficient
policies and leadership were available to safeguard and coordinate the rights and duties of both
the employers and the workers/employees.

It was during this time that the Church felt the need to become socially involved in a new
way. Pope Leo XIII thought that the Church cannot remain silent in the midst of the glaring
injustices. Leaders of the Church started to give special attention to the plight of the workers.
They taught that workers do not only have duties, they also have rights that must be respected
and protected.

As a concrete response to the problem in labor, Pope Leo XIII promulgated the first social
encyclical entitled Rerum Novarum (On the Condition of Labor) in 1891. This document “lists
errors that give rise to social ills, excludes socialism as a remedy and expounds with precision
and in contemporary terms the Catholic doctrine on work, the right to property, the principle of
collaboration instead of class struggle as the fundamental means for social change, the rights of
the weak, the dignity of the poor and the obligations of the rich, the perfecting of justice through
charity, and the right to form professional association” (CSDC, 89). It also enumerated the moral
principles that should govern, among other things, the rights of workers, the right to private
property, care for the poor, duties of workers and employers, the role of public authorities and
the return to Christian morality
 Rerum Novarum courageously set the general tone that STC
would take, by focusing on the condition of labor. Pope Pius XI, the
successor of Pope Leo XIII, issued the encyclical letter Quadragesimo
Anno (On Social Reconstruction) in the year 1931 as a commemoration
of the 40th anniversary of Rerum Novarum. In this encyclical letter, the
pope decries the effect of greed and concentrated economic power on
working people and society. He pointed out that the demands of the
common good and social justice oblige the whole society to work for an
equitable distribution of goods. It is also here that the Pope reiterated
and confirmed the right and duty of the Catholic Church to make its
special contribution in resolving the problems of society. Another
important document issued by Pope Pius XI was Divini Redemptoris Pope Pius XI

in 1937 which exposed the errors and evils of communism that was more and more becoming
popular at that time.

In 1939, as the world plummeted into the Second World War, Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII wrote his first social encyclical entitled Summi Pontificatus
(On the Unity of Human Society). In this encyclical, Pope Pius XII
highlighted the Church’s opposition against racial hostility,
totalitarianism and the idea of the state becoming “something ultimate to
which everything else should be subordinated”. He also emphasized the
need for the state to recognize and respect freedom of religion.

Mater et Magistra (Christianity and Social Progress) was another

important social encyclical. It was issued in 1961 by Pope John XXIII just
before the Second Vatican Council. This encyclical adapts and affirms
the teaching of the previous social documents. It also focused the world’s
attention to the worldwide problem of the widening gap between the rich
and the poor, the arms race and the plight of farmers. This encyclical was the first official Church
document that systematically tackles the problem of agriculture. Its discussion on the problem
of agriculture and the plight of the farmers is wide and in-depth, that’s why, it is being considered
as the “magna carta of agriculture”. Basically, though, the emphasis of this document is
international justice.

If Mater et Magistra is the magna carta of agriculture, Pacem

in Terris (Peace on Earth), an encyclical letter which was also issued
by Pope John XXIII in 1963, is, on the other hand, the “magna carta
of human rights”. In this encyclical, the Pope affirms the full range
of human rights as the basis of peace. The Pope also called for a
world order based on Christian ideals. He encouraged
disarmament, recognized equality of dignity and right to self-
development of each nation, advocated reviewing of policies for
allocation of resources and policies that concern multinational
corporations. This encyclical also promoted the United Nations
Organization as the worldwide public authority and proposed a
society based on subsidiarity.
 The next document is Gaudium et Spes (The Church in the Modern World). It is not an
encyclical letter but rather a pastoral constitution issued by the Second Vatican Council in 1965.
It emphasized human dignity as the basis for political and economic decisions. The council,
through this document, also warns and laments the growing worldwide poverty and the threat
of nuclear war. It also sees peace as an ordering of society built on justice and encourages
Christians to work for structures that would make a more just and peaceful world.

In 1967, Pope Paul VI issued the encyclical letter Populorum

progressio (On Development of Peoples). It was here that the Pope
coined the phrase “development is another term for peace” and that
“authentic development is not limited to economic growth”. He decried
sinful structures that promote inequality and stifles the fights of poor
individuals and nations for full human development. Through this
encyclical, the Pope also teaches that resources be shared through aid,
technical assistance, and fair trade relations. In a nutshell, the core of
this encyclical is the right of individuals and nations to development.
Pope Paul VI

Another encyclical by Pope Paul VI was Octagesima Adveniens

(A Call to Action) which was issued in 1971. As its Latin name suggests,
it was issued during the 80th anniversary of the publication of Rerum Novarum. Basically, it is a
synthesis of guidelines related to political activity. This encyclical calls for political action for
change and economic justice and an objective analysis of the situation of one’s society with the
aim of identifying action for justice.

During that same year, another important document was issued this time by the Synod of
Bishops. The document entitled, Justice in the World, highlighted the mission of all members
of the People of God to work for justice in the world. According to them, “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” (#16). The
bishops also show their adherence to the UN Declaration of Human Rights. Aside from
emphasizing action for justice as a constituent part of being a Christian, the bishops also require
from Christians, particularly the leaders, policies and lifestyle that model justice so as to be
credible in preaching justice. They also discuss the reality of social sin that presently exists in
every nation.

Four years later, Pope Paul VI issued Evangelii Nuntiandi (Evangelization Today, 1975)
which emphasizes that fighting for justice and people’s liberation from different forms of
oppression constitute essential elements of Christian evangelization. The encyclical integrates
personal and societal transformation and sees social justice as integral to faith.

Pope John Paul II issued his first social encyclical letter, Redemptor Hominis (Redeemer
of Mankind) in 1979. Here, he reiterates the importance of human rights as the fundamental
principle for all programs, systems and regimes. He also called for a redirection of investments
for armaments into investments for food at the service of life and need for a greater emphasis for
the care of the environment.
 In 1981, Pope John Paul II issued Laborem Exercens
(On Human Work), an encyclical letter that tackles the modern
meanings and problems of human work and the duties of all
the members of the Church towards it. He extends and adapts
the Rerum Novarum of Leo XIII to the present situation of labor.
He asks for commitment to justice through the fostering of just
wages, joint ownership and sharing in management and profits
of labor.

In Solicitudo Rei Socialis (Social Concerns of the

Church, 1987) Pope John Paul II tackles the concepts of option
Pope John Paul II
for the poor, sinful structures, conversion to solidarity, and
reform of world trade and financial systems. He recognizes the great injustice of the few having
so much and the many having almost nothing and the different situations of sin that worsen and
perpetuate the situation. He also suggests plans of action towards integral human development.

The Centesimus Annus (The 100th Year) of Pope John Paul II in 1991, commemorates the
100th year of Rerum Novarum. In this encyclical, the Pope evaluates what happened one hundred
years after Rerum Novarum. He calls for disarmament, development of public policies for
employment and job security, establishment of institutions for arms control and simplification of
lifestyle, particularly of those who are rich for the sake of the poor, not only individuals but also
nations.

In preparation for the Jubilee 2000, Pope John Paul II issued in 1994 the encyclical letter
Tertio Millenio Adveniente (The Jubilee Year 2000). In this encyclical letter, Pope John Paul II
invites all Christians to a commitment to justice and peace, pro-poor policies and structures,
substantial reduction or outright cancellation of the international debt, and to the solution of the
problems involving unity and human rights particularly those of women. For the Pope, this is
the Christian way of celebrating the Jubilee year, the year of the Lord’s mercy. A year after, Pope
John Paul II issued Evangelium Vitae (Gospel of Life) as recognition of the sacred value of human
life. Among the many controversial moral issues, he discussed, he denounced the violence
against life done to millions of human beings who are victims of war and poverty especially
children who are forced into poverty, malnutrition and hunger because of an unjust distribution
of resources.

For the faithful in Asia, Pope John Paul II wrote his Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Asia
( Jesus Christ the Savior and His Mission of Love and Service in Asia). It was published in
November 6, 1999 in the event of the Pope’s visit to India. The said document deals on the Asian
religious, cultural, social, economic, and political realities viz a viz the Catholic Church in Asia.
It also points out that the Asian Church’s mission is a mission of communion and dialogue not
only within the Catholic Church but among fellow Christians and members of other religions.
Like other social documents, it reiterates and clarifies the social teaching of the Church
particularly on the dignity of the human person, preferential option for the poor, education,
peacemaking, globalization, foreign debt, and environment.

Highlighting the need for the lay people to participate in the social questions of our time,
the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, through the inspiration and approval of
Pope John Paul II, published the document “The Participation of Catholics in the Political Life”
in 2002. This document attempts to shed light on one of the most important aspects of the unity
of Christian life - coherence between faith and life, Gospel and culture, as recalled by the Second
Vatican Council. It thus exhorts Christians to “fulfill their duties faithfully in the spirit of the
Gospel.” It inspires Christians to be “proud of the opportunity to carry out their earthly activity
in such a way as to integrate human, domestic, professional, scientific, and technical enterprises
with religious values, under whose supreme direction all things are ordered to the glory of
God”(#9).

In 2004, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in Vatican published the
Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (CSDC). As its title suggests, it is a
compilation and a systematic presentation of the social teaching of the Church. It provides a
"concise but complete overview of the Church's social teaching". It aims to help the readers
"understand the motives that prompt the Church to intervene with her doctrine in the social
sector; to sustain and foster the activity of Christians in the social sector and to help the readers
see the reasons for an encounter, for dialogue and for cooperation in serving the common good".

Pope Benedict XVI published his first encyclical Deus

Caritas Est (God is Love) in 2005. The first part of this document
focuses on the theological-philosophical reflection on “love” and
the inherent link between God’s love and human love. The
second part underscores the necessity of loving others as a central
element of the social teaching of the Church. It also describes the
social teaching of the Church as a body of doctrines that helps in
the attainment of social justice by forming consciences through
the purification and illumination of reason. He also published the
encyclical Caritas in Veritate (Integral Human Development in
Charity and Truth) in 2009. This document intends to renew the
message and challenges of Populorum Progressio and reminds Pope Benedict XVI
us that charity or love is at the heart of the social teaching of the
Church and charity “needs to be understood, confirmed and practiced in the light of truth . . .
Only in truth does charity shine forth, only in truth can charity be authentically lived. Truth is
the light that gives meaning and value to charity” (CiV, 2,3). Consequently, by using charity and
truth as lens, the document focused on various social concerns such as global poverty, injustice
and the need for authentic human development.

The documents published by Pope Francis

extensively discuss social justice, human dignity,
environment, economics, and the rights and welfare of
the poor. His first encyclical was published in 2013
entitled Lumen Fidei ( The Light of Faith). The first draft
of this encyclical was written by Pope Benedict XVI
when he was still the pope. Pope Francis added his own
contributions and published it. Understandably, this Pope Francis
encyclical supplements Pope Benedict XVI’s Caritas et
Veritate. It highlights the role of faith in guiding the activities of modern man. It holds that
without faith “we will lose our mutual trust and be united only by fear”. Thus, faith must
illuminate all social relations. He identifies areas of modern life that must be guided by faith such
as the family, the youth, universal brotherhood, respect of nature, and even suffering and death.
It teaches that social relationships must be based not only on equality but also on a “universal
brotherhood” that recognizes each person’s unique dignity as a child of God. This kind of respect
must also be accorded to nature. Finally, it also teaches that suffering and death is part of life and
inevitable, but they are also moments of “growth in faith”.
Shortly after Lumen Fidei, Pope Francis published another document entitled Evangelii
Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), in 2013. The pope emphasized the importance of living our life
“based on knowing and experiencing God’s love, mercy and salvation offered to all”. We must
live according to the principle of love of our neighbor which is expressed in sharing the Gospel,
helping the poor, and working for social justice.
In 2015, Pope Francis published a landmark encyclical entitled Laudato Si (On Care for
Our Common Home). This encyclical aims to unite the people of the world in caring for the only
planet we have as our “common home”. For this reason, it does not only quote the Bible and
Church documents but also draws inspiration and information from other religious traditions,
scientific findings, and other secular sources. It examines the situation and problems in our
environment particularly the lack of dialogue and interrelationship between humans and nature
that further cause more ecological destructions. It also offers possible “lines of approach and
action” that could help provide an integral ecology for us and the future generations (further
discussions on this document is available in Chapter 12).
After Laudato Si, Pope Francis published three important documents consecutively,
namely, Amoris Laetitia (Love in the Family) in 2016, Gaudete et Exsultate (Call to Holiness in
Today’s World) in 2018, and Christus Vivit (Christ is Alive) in 2019. Amoris Laetitia examines the
present situation and challenges of modern families and provides essential Church teachings on
marriage and family life. Gaudete et Exsultate highlights the universal call to holiness. The pope
emphasized that all the faithful are called to become witnesses of faith in our present social
context. Whatever condition or state we are in, we are called by the Lord – each in his or her own
way – to be holy. Christus Vivit is a document addressed particularly to the youth but also to the
entire people of God. It highlights the message of the Word of God to the young people and
provides the young with role models, most specially, Jesus as a youth. The document also
discusses the present situation, experiences and challenges to the youth, youth ministry, Christian
vocation and discernment. The pope continuously underscores the special role of the youth in
the Church not only as missionaries but above all by being, not just the future of the Church but
as the “now” of the Church.
The most recent encyclical published by Pope Francis is the encyclical Fratelli Tutti (On
Fraternity and Social Friendship) which was published on October 3, 2020. In this document,
Pope Francis emphasized the need to build a more just, peaceful, and humane world – a world
where there is no war, indifference, and discrimination, and provides general principles that we
can follow to help build a better world for ourselves and for the next generation. He highlighted
the global problems that cause injustice, discrimination, division, indifference, and war, and
denounced the social evils that perpetuate those problems. He also emphasized the sacredness
of human life and proposed the global abolition of death penalty which he considered as an
inadmissible form of punishment.