Catholic Social Teaching
What Is Catholic Social Teaching?
Catholic Social Teaching begins with a simple and uncompromising truth: every human life is sacred.
From conception to natural death - from womb to tomb - each person is created in the image and likeness of God. The Church’s defense of life is neither selective nor partisan. It reflects a consistent ethic of life that rejects violence, abandonment, and any expression of a throwaway culture.
This conviction flows from the Eucharist, which is the source and summit of the Catholic faith (CCC 1324).
In the Eucharist, we receive the Body of Christ and are sent forth to recognize that same Body in the vulnerable, the unborn, the poor, the stranger, the elderly, and the imprisoned. Communion with Christ commits us to communion with one another. We cannot worship the Lord at the altar and ignore Him in those who suffer.
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.” (Psalm 34:18)
“Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)
Catholic Social Teaching is the Church’s effort to live these truths not only in personal charity, but in the social and economic realities that shape human life.
It is not a political ideology.
It is the Gospel applied to public life.
The Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching
1. The Life and Dignity of the Human Person
Every person is sacred from conception to natural death. All social decisions must protect and promote human dignity.
2. Call to Family, Community, and Participation
The human person is created for communion. Healthy families and vibrant communities are essential to human flourishing.
3. Rights and Responsibilities
Human dignity gives rise to fundamental rights, including religious freedom, and corresponding responsibilities toward the common good.
4. Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
The Gospel commands special concern for those who are poor, displaced, elderly, unborn, disabled, or marginalized.
5. The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
Work participates in God’s creative action. Workers must be treated as persons, not commodities.
6. Solidarity
We are one human family. We are responsible for one another.
7. Care for God’s Creation
Creation is a gift entrusted to us. Stewardship of the earth is inseparable from protecting human life.
A Lived Expression of the Church’s Commitment
The Season of Faithful Witness seeks to live this consistent ethic of life in our time.
When we defend unborn children, support mothers and families, address racism and poverty, welcome immigrants, promote peace, and strengthen the civic foundations that safeguard human dignity and participation, we are not departing from Catholic teaching — we are drawing directly from it.
Rooted in prayer, nourished by the Eucharist, and guided by the Church’s social doctrine, we seek to embody a culture of life that honors every person and builds what the tradition calls a civilization of love.
This is not about partisanship.
It is about discipleship.
It is about allowing our communion with Christ to shape how we live together in the world.