What are the 7 themes of Catholic social teaching in the Catechism of the Catholic Church?

Answer 1

The seven major themes of Catholic Social Teaching are: * Life and Dignity of the Human Person * Call to Family, Community, and Participation * Rights and Responsibilities * Option for the Poor and Vulnerable * The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers * Solidarity * Care for God's Creation Here is a short list of Papal and Vatican Documents on Catholic Social Teaching: * Rerum Novarum (On the Condition of Labor) -- Pope Leo XIII, 1891 * Quadragesimo Anno (After Forty Years) -- Pope Pius XI, 1931 * Mater et Magistra (Christianity and Social Progress) -- Pope John XXIII, 1961 * Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth) -- Pope John XXIII, 1963 * Gaudium et Spes (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World) Vatican Council II, 1965 * Populorum Progressio (On the Development of Peoples) -- Pope Paul VI, 1967 * Octogesima Adveniens (A Call to Action) -- Pope Paul VI, 1971 * Laborem Exercens (On Human Work) -- Pope John Paul II, 1981 * Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (On Social Concern) -- Pope John Paul II, 1987 * 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 * Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church - Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, 2004 * Doctrinal Note on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life - Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 2002

Answer 2

Major Themes of Catholic Social Teaching Life and Dignity of the Human Person · The human person is central, the clearest reflection of God among us. · Each person possesses a basic dignity that comes from God, not from any human quality or accomplishment · The test of every human institution or policy is whether it enhances or threatens human life and human dignity Call to Family, Community, and Participation · No community is more central than the family; it is the basic cell of society. It is where we learn and act on our values. What happens in the family is at the basis of a truly human life. · We have the right and responsibility to participate in and contribute to the broader communities in society. The state and other institutions of political and economic life, with both their limitations and obligations, are instruments to protect the life, dignity, and rights of the human person. Catholic social teaching does offer clear guidance on the role of government. When basic human needs are not being met by private initiative, then people must work through their government, at appropriate levels, to meet those needs. · A central test of political, legal, and economic institutions is what they do to people, what they do for people, and how people participate in them. Rights and Responsibilities of the Human Person · Flowing from our God-given dignity, each person has basic rights and responsibilities. · These include: the rights to freedom of conscience and religious liberty, to raise a family, to immigrate, to live from unfair discrimination, and to have a share of earthly goods sufficient for oneself and one's family. People have a fundamental right to life and those things that make life truly human: food, clothing, housing, healthcare, education, security, social services, and employment. · Corresponding to these right are duties and responsibilities-to one another, to our families, and to the larger society-to respect the rights of others and work for the common good. Option for the Poor · Poor and vulnerable people have a special place in Catholic social teaching. A basic moral test of a society is how its most vulnerable members are faring. · Our tradition calls us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first (Mt. 25:31-46). · We must seek creative ways to expand the emphasis of our nation's founders on the individual rights and freedom by extending democratic ideals to economic life and thus ensure that the basic requirements for life with dignity are accessible to all. The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers · Work is more than earning a living. It is an expression of our dignity and a form of continuing participation in God's creation. · People have a right to decent and productive work, to decent and productive work, to decent and fair wages, to private property and economic initiative. · Traditionally, workers have the strong support of the church in forming and joining unions and workers associations of their choosing in the exercise of their dignity and rights. · In Catholic teaching, the economy exists to serve people, not the other way around. Solidarity · We are one human family, whatever, our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. · We are our brothers' and sisters' keepers. In a limited world, our responsibilities to one another cross national and other boundaries. · Solidarity is the contemporary expression of the traditional Catholic image of the Mystical Body. "Loving our neighbor" has global dimensions in an interdependent world. Care for God's Creation · Called to be co-creators with God and to have "dominion" over the earth, we are called to be good stewards of what God has entrusted to us. · It is a requirement of our faith that we protect creation and each other from the harm that we can bring. · The environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions to it that we simply cannot ignore.