Church must get involved in politics

I believe that if the people study the encyclicals they will see that the Church urges its leaders and members to get involved in politics for the right reasons. This is especially true in the writings of Pope Paul VI and Pope Francis.

Modern Catholic social teaching is the body of social principles and moral teaching that is articulated in the papal, conciliar and other official documents issued since the late nineteenth century dealing with the economic, political and social order.

Here is a list based on the suggestions of the Office for Social Justice (US Bishops Conference) which includes the following documents.

Rerum Novarum (On the Condition of Labor) – Pope Leo XIII, 1891

This encyclical began the papal tradition of modern Catholic social teaching.

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 pursuit 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, i.e. labor unions.

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 establishment 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 (Chirstianity 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 the 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 adherence to the law of God.

Guadium 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 Church 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 acceptance of the inherent dignity of the human person.

Popularum Progression (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 on 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 structure, 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.

Justicia in Mundo (Justice in the World) – Synod of Bishops, 1971

Calling attention to the structural roots of injustice afflicting human relations, the bishops declare that action in the pursuit of justice and participation in the transformation of the world are constitutive elements in the Church’s mission of preaching the Gospel.

Centisimus Annus (The Hundredth Year) – Pope John Paul II, 1991

The social encyclical issued by John Paul II in May 1991 is a landmark event in contemporary religious thought about human freedom and its embodiment in culture, economics and politics.  Written to honor the centenary of Rerum Novarum, this encyclical is both a look back, at the res novae, the “new things” that seized the attention of Leo XIII, and a look ahead to the new facts of public life at the end of the 20th century and the turn of the third Christian millennium.

The encyclical is divided into six chapters comprising 62 numbered paragraphs. Businessmen would be especially interested in Chapter IV, paragraphs 30 to 43 entitled “Private Property and the Universal Declaration of Material Goods.”

Even Pope Francis urges the involvement of the faithful in politics. In his daily homily on Sept. 16, 2013, he used the account of the Roman Centurion (Luke 7:1-10). He spoke to those holding public office. He used the quote, “‘A good Catholic doesn’t meddle in politics.’ That’s not true. That is not a good path. A good Catholic meddles in politics, offering the best of himself – so that those who govern can govern. But what is the best that we can offer to those who govern? Prayer!”

*      *      *

Young Writers’ Hangout via Zoom on Feb 12 & 26, 2-3 pm. with Carla Pacis and Jacqui Franquelli.

Contact [email protected]. 0945.2273216

Email: [email protected]