Catholic Social Teaching Principles for Sustainable Development

The Catholic teaching emphasizes the importance of collective approach, human equality, and common good. According to this teaching, every individual has a right to participate in political, cultural, and economic life of a society for promoting human dignity. The principle of subsidiary highlights the need for government to function at the lowest level possible to deliver its effectiveness. The principle of human equality stresses that all individuals deserve to be treated with dignity and respect as they are an image of God. Finally, the principle of common good emphasizes that a community is regarded as good when all its individuals flourish in all respects.

Article on self and community on
principles of Catholic Social Thought
(CST)
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Principles of Catholic Teaching
Principles of Catholic Social Thought (CST) are related to Self and Community provides the
characteristics that are ideal (leocontent.acu.edu.au, Catholic Teaching, Retrieved on 11th
September 2017). The ideas of Catholic Social Though are interrelated and are able to draw
critically regarding self and community encompassing complementarity of their principles with
CST. It is able to explore ways in which human thrives for realising their potential. It allows
development of capability to judge as a full potential to human beings under their circumstances.
Ubuntu is an African word meaning a person is due to his or her own existence. Golden Rule is
more prevalent in Western world means that one should conduct their behaviour as others are
conducting themselves towards one’s own self. It is also Ethics of Reciprocity that can be found
in any religion, culture, ethical system with secular philosophy. Various researchers have
developed several thoughts pertaining to the topic, the principles distinctly can be evaluated as
follows;
 Principle of Respect for Human Dignity: According to Catholic Teaching every person
is taken as a creation of God’s image, as Jesus Christ (Massaro, 2015). Hence, every
person deserves respect for himself or herself from the community that he lives in,
simply for the virtue of being a human being. A person cannot be mistreated by
community for factors as age, poverty, disability, race, lack of success or any other
factors. Therefore, no person can be forfeited of their rights for being treated well as
God has given them given them the right. The way in which society is organised in law,
economics, politics, policy directly impacts human dignity and provides ways in which
an individual can grow in a community.
 Principle of Respect for Human Life: A human being from conception to natural death
has the right to constant dignity. Every human being deserves constant dignity for
himself from the community he belongs, which is a moral vision for creation of good
and justice for the society (Benhabib, 2008). Thus, here again there is an
interrelatedness of the community to that of self, which attaches value to human life.
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 Principle of Association: Human beings are not only sacred but also social which is why
they are linked to a community. A human attaches himself to an essence of diversity of
a community encompassing Father, Son and Spirit. God has three division but is only
one, containing diversity which provides liveliness not division. An isolated individual
has no existence and existence of self is essential by linking it to a specific community
(Milner, 2008).
 Principle of Participation: Human beings rather than concentrating on self has duty as
well as right towards shaping of the community. A community needs to strive together
for well-being and common good for those who do not have privileges as poor and
vulnerable (Anderson, 2010). Any human being is an integral part of the community,
they take active part in political, socio-economic and cultural development of life.
Human beings should not just learn from history rather help in shaping them.
 Principle of Preferential Option for Poor and Vulnerable: An individual’s life is related
to his community, hence needs to remove deepening divided between the rich and poor.
The needs of the poor has to be met first prior to meeting desires that the rich people
possesses (Cook, 2013). An individual’s participation in a community makes it essential
that he feels and takes some action for other members of the community as well.
Interrelatedness amongst self and community members makes it essential to care and
take course of action for each other.
 Principle of Solidarity: All human being belong to a particular community and hence
shares a loving relationship in the community. Loving neighbors can provide a global
dimension as it will resolve various misfortunes (leocontent.acu.edu.au, Catholic
Teaching, Retrieved on 11th September 2017). It assures committing to a common good
for all persons which is everyone’s responsibility. It is the moral test for the society as to
how it caters to fundamental rights for protecting dignity. Economy in a community is
built for its people hence needs to serve them in all possible ways. All workers
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possesses rights for gaining productive work, decent and fair wages as well as safe
working conditions, with rights to join unions. Individuals possesses right to have
private property as well as take economic initiative but with limits. An individual being
an element of the community cannot possess huge wealth whereas another individual
lacks basic necessities for living. Catholic teaching is in favor of collective approach.
 Principle of Subsidiary: A society’s success is determined by ways in which it can
assess help or support for an unaccomplished task. A state is created for benefit of
individuals and community hence possesses a moral obligation. It acts as an instrument
that promotes human dignity for protecting rights for creating greater common good.
Every person has the right to take part in a political institution for enabling government
to achieve its goals (Masolo, 2010). Government needs to function at the lowest level
for delivering their effectiveness appropriately. When lower levels needs of the
community cannot be satisfied then government needs to take action. Catholic teaching
is in favor of peace with action-oriented concepts that can be promoted by means of
confidence and mutual respect amongst nations and its people. Collaboration and justice
arrangement amongst individuals will help create an ambience of peace and harmony
which is dependent on rights of human beings.
 Principle of Human Equality: As discussed earlier that every human being deserves to
be treated with dignity and respect as he is an image of God (leocontent.acu.edu.au,
Catholic Teaching, Retrieved on 11th September 2017). Therefore, following from the
same discussion it can be said that equality is the basic right for all human beings. Thus,
every individual needs to participate in political, cultural, economic life of a society for
prevailing human dignity. All individual having a minimum level of participation in the
society can help develop it on a whole or exclude it unfairly. There is a notion that free
market conditions will lead to justice but it cannot be relied upon. Free market as well as
competition are elements of economic systems hence needs to be kept within limits.
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 Principle of Common Good: In community is regarded as good when all its individuals
flourish in all respects (Berns, 2012). Though this concept of common good seems to be
missing in action, it becomes the moral principle for inherently creating a good society.
Every individual is a part of a greater global human family, with responsibilities that are
cross national, economic, ideological and racial. For global justice to prevail, there
needs to be authentic development for promoting social, economic, personal, political
justice along with rights of nations. Extreme underdevelopment needs to be avoided and
also super development. Thus, all material and technical resources will yield no value in
absence of cultural, moral and spiritual dimension of individuals.
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Reference Lists
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An Online Journal for Teacher Research, 261-261.
Benhabib, S. (2008). Another cosmopolitanism. . Oxford University Press.
Berns, R. (2012). Child, family, school, community: Socialization and support. Nelson
Education.
Cook, E. D. (2013). The Common Good and Common Harm. The National Catholic Bioethics
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Masolo, D. A. (2010). Self and community in a changing world. Indiana University Press.
Massaro, T. (2015). Living justice: Catholic social teaching in action. . Rowman & Littlefield.
Milner, H. R. (2008). Disrupting deficit notions of difference: Counter-narratives of teachers and
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narratives of teachers and community in urban education, 1573-1598.
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