Principles of Teachings from Catholic Thought: A Detailed Analysis

This essay delves into the fundamental principles of Catholic social thought, emphasizing their importance in fostering self-understanding and community development. It highlights five key principles: solidarity, which promotes treating everyone as brothers and sisters; participation, advocating for the involvement of all community members in political, social, and economic activities; care for God's creation, stressing the need to respect all creatures; human dignity, asserting the sanctity of human life and the avoidance of actions like suicide and abortion; and subsidiary, which calls for consultation between decision-makers and those affected by their decisions. The essay argues that these principles provide a framework for creating a just and harmonious society by encouraging individuals to embrace virtues of love, respect, and responsibility towards one another and the environment.

Running head R C S AC S R M CA C: P IN IPLE OF TE HING F O THOLI THOUGHT
Teaching from the Catholic principles
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Article on principles of Catholic teachings
The Catholic social thought has special pillars that guides individuals and members of the
society and embrace the godly behaviors according to Novak, (2017). The following are the five
main principles and how they assist in understanding one self and the community at large.
1. Solidarity
The Catholic teachings embraces treating everyone as brother and sister. Brady,
(2017) argues that solidarity as a principle means being together in times of sorrow and
assisting each other to ensure that everyone prospers regardless of where they stay in the
world. The teaching views the world as one family, one should not dump an individual in
times of need because of where he or she comes from but promote each other through the
love of Christ. As an individual, one should develop a virtue of love to the other people.
It is not good to abandon simply because of his or her race, tribe but treat everyone as a
member of one family. On the part of the community, the principle of solidarity assists in
understanding that even if people come from different societies, they are bound as one
and have a responsibility to be each other brother’s keeper. Every creature comes from
God and it is important to love each other.
2. The principle of participation
The participation principle agitates for the involvement of everyone in the
activities going on in the society. The above principle suggests that every member of the
community should be given a chance to take part in the political, social and economic
development of the society. In understanding the society, the principle teaches that it is
always unfair to ignore other members of the society whether politically, economically
during the development of the society according to Clark, (2014). Ignoring other groups

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of people have a serious consequence. For an example, one part of the society will be
much developed than the other, thus causing unequal balance in the society. Another
evident thing is that there will be constant wrangles between the people allowed to
participate in the developed and the once who have been ignored. However, the Catholic
teaching does not embrace such circumstances. It is important for the society to remain
united as one. The principle helps in understanding on self in that, it makes an individual
understand that no matter where one comes from or the color of their skin, their efforts
are important in realizing the development in the society.
3. Taking care of God’s creation
The principle of taking care of God’s creation as a Catholic teaching means that
every creature on earth belongs to God and each of them deserves more attention as the
other. In many circumstances, human beings tend to use other creatures to meet their
daily needs but fail to acknowledge that they are also God’s creation who should some
rights including food for the stomach. The above rule assist one to understand that, he or
she may not fulfill his purpose without engaging other creatures, however, there should
an extent of care to the creature. Apart from that this principle, Hrynkow & Creamer,
(2015: p.235) says that, in teaching the relationship between the self and the community,
it shows that the other creatures should not be abused but treated as equal to others.
4. Human dignity
The principle of human dignity articulates for the respect of human being’s life.
Using this principle, it is evident that the life of the human being is much sacred and
should and should be treated with much dignity in reference to Massaro, (2015). Every
human being is wonderfully made in the image and likeness of the Almighty Father and

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every born baby should be treated with a lot of respect because it is a gift that has come
from God. The aim of this social teaching is that human being should avoid some
behaviors that interfere with the life of one another. For instance, the action such as
suicide, abortion, and punishment such as hanging a human being as a penalty should be
avoided as the highest terms possible. In reviewing self-life using this teaching one
should protect an individual’s life and his or her life at the personal level through
restraining from actions such as abortion and suicide. On the other hand, as a community,
there are structures such as the judicial system. This principle advises that it should
restrain from the punishment of hanging human life because it is a serious need in the
world as religion is concerned.
5 The principle of subsidiary
Hughes, (2017) argues that the above principle means that there is a connection
between the authority who makes the decision and the people whom the decision is going
to be subjected to in the society. From the above scenario, it means that there should
always be a consultation between the decision makers and the people who get affected by
the action from the decision. It is good to find a way of creating friendliness between
those who lead and the subjects. However, in understanding the community, subsidiary
principle stresses on controlling the influence that comes from the people outside the
community. When the decision is made by the leaders in a society, the only people who
get affected by the decision is the ordinary members of the society citing the work of
Thompson, (2015). The concept suggests that there should be no constant disagreements
every time the decision is made by the leaders. However, the wrangles occur because
most of the time, there are no consultations between the authority and the subject. The

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subsidiary principle teaches oneself that, when he or she gets to the leadership, he should
embrace dialogue because sometimes whatever, he is fed with sometimes may not be
true, consultations are what would assist in knowing the mind of the subjects.

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References
Brady, B. V. (2017). Essential Catholic Social Thought 2nd edition. Orbis Books.
Clark, M. J. (2014). The vision of Catholic social thought: The virtue of solidarity and
the praxis of human rights. Fortress Press.
Hrynkow, C., & Creamer, D. (2015). Catholic social thought bearing fruit: the case of
Sister Cyril Mooney and Loreto Day School Sealdah, Kolkata,
India. International Studies in Catholic Education, 7(2), 222-237.
Hughes, H. S. (2017). The Obstructed Path: French Social Thought in the Years of
Desperation 1930-1960. Routledge.
Massaro, T. (2015). Living justice: Catholic social teaching in action. Rowman &
Littlefield.
Novak, M. (2017). Catholic Social Thought and Liberal Institutions: Freedom with
Justice. Routledge.
Shadle, M. A. (2018). Interrupting Capitalism: Catholic Social Thought and the
Economy. Oxford University Press.
Thompson, J. M. (2015). Introducing catholic social thought. Orbis Books.