Catholic Social Teaching (CST) is central to the Catholic faith and finds common ground with people of goodwill all around the world. It offers a way of being in the world that reflects God’s covenant of love and justice for all humanity. It is rooted in the teaching of Jesus who identified himself with the “least of these,” the stranger, the hungry, the poor and oppressed. It is grounded in the confession of faith that human dignity comes from God and therefore each person is of inestimable worth and is interrelated with all creation.
CST helps us to go deeper into understanding the issues of justice. We are encouraged to look at social justice issues and the impact they have on society. We are called to understand what is happening and why it is happening. But it cannot stop there, it also requires us to act, to do something to help bring about a more equitable just world.
Below you will find the principles of CST linked with several of our projects that illustrate that principle and how the work of our partners create positive change in people’s lives for the common good.
Dignity of the human person
The confession of faith that all humanity has been made in the image of God underpins the dignity of the human person. The way we act toward each other expresses that each person is important and that the lives and welfare of all people are priorities.
Rights and responsibilities
Human dignity is protected, and a healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met. These rights include the right to life, food, shelter, education and employment, along with political and cultural rights.
Human Life and Development Research Centre (India)
Option for the poor
As a community of faith, we have the obligation to reach out to those most in need. The Gospel specifically calls us to act on behalf of the most vulnerable and marginalized members of society.
Solidarity
We are one human family, regardless of our differences. Answering the call to love our neighbours will promote a culture of respect and lead to peace in our communities around the world. At the core of the virtue of solidarity is the pursuit of justice and peace.
Centro Montalvo (Dominican Republic)
Common good
Every person should have access to the goods and resources of society so that they can live fulfilling lives. The common good is reached when we work together to improve the wellbeing of people in our society and the wider world. How we organize our society in economics and politics, in law and policy directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community.
Syria – Support for forcibly displaced people
Dignity of work and rights of workers
The ability to work to earn a living is a right of all people. All workers have the right to a fair wage, to organize themselves, and to work in good conditions. The economy serves people and not the other way round.
Care for God’s creation
We are called to be good stewards of what has been entrusted to us. Through protecting the environment in which we live, we respect the goodness of nature, a gift God has given.
Participation and Subsidiarity
Human life is not only sacred, but also communal in its very essence. All people have a right to participate in the economic, political and cultural life of society. Subsidiarity is a form of organizing in which effective decision making is conducted at the most local level possible.
Role of government
The state has a positive moral function as an instrument to promote human dignity, protect human rights, and build the common good. Its purpose is to assist citizens in fulfilling their responsibility to others in society.
@canadianjesuitsinternational
Planned Giving
Photo: Fe y Alegría Peru
