Table of Contents
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
Overview of the Text 2
1 The Development of Catholic Social Thought 5
Definitions and Terms 6
The Major Documents of Catholic Social Teaching 7
History and Development 11
Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) 11
Christian Scriptures (New Testament) 12
The First Six Centuries - The Patristic Period 15
The Medieval Period (600-1453) 18
The Reformation and the Age of Conquest (1492-1740) 23
The Church Confronts the Industrial Age (1740-1958) 25
The Reactionary Period (1740-1878) 26
The Reform Period (1878-1958) 27
The Period of Transformation (1958-present) 28
Conclusion 32
Changes in the Theoretical Foundations of Catholic Social Teaching 32
Different Understandings of the Church 34
Questions for Reflection and Discussion 35
2 Faithful Citizenship: The Church and Politics 36
A Theological Basis for a Relationship between Faith and Politics 37
A Private Faith versus a Public Faith 37
The Politicization of the Church 40
John Courtney Murray and the Contemporary Relationship between Church and State 41
The Church and the World: The Social Mission of the Church 46
Christianity and Social Progress 46
Peace on Earth 48
Vatican II's Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World 49
Paul VI and A Call to Action 50
John Paul II: Unimplemented Innovations 51
Justice in the World 53
Paul VI's Evangelization in the Modern World 55
Benedict XVI: Charity Is Constitutive of the Church's Mission 56
Values and Principles That Guide the Church's Approach to Public Policy 57
1 Human Dignity, Realized in Community 58
2 The Common Good 59
3 Participation 60
4 Solidarity, Subsidiarity, and Socialization 60
5 Social Sin and Structures of Injustice 62
6 Option for the Poor 63
7 Human Rights 63
Torture: A Clear Violation of Human Rights 65
Immigration: A Case of Human Rights in Conflict 67
Political Advocacy 70
Conclusion 76
Questions for Reflection and Discussion 77
3 Economic Justice 78
César Chávez and La Causa 78
The Dignity of Work, the Priority of Labor, and the Rights of Workers 82
The Dignity of Human Work as Based in the Dignity of the Worker 84
The Priority of Labor over Capital 84
The Rights of Workers 85
A Spirituality of Work 87
The Social Purpose of Private Property and Material Possessions 87
The Preferential Option for the Poor 89
Authentic Development as a Response to Global Poverty 95
A Tough Read 98
Bono: Activist for a World without Poverty 99
Conclusion 101
Questions for Reflection and Discussion 102
4 War and Peace 103
A Brief History of Christian Thought on War and Peace 103
Pacifism/Nonviolence 103
Just War 104
Jus ad Bellum - Why and When Recourse to War Is Morally Permitted 105
Jus in hello - Restraints on How the War Is Fought, the Conduct during the War 105
Crusade/Holy War 106
Catholic Social Teaching on War and Peace during the World Wars 107
Benedict XV and World War I 107
Pius XI and the Rise of Totalitarianism 109
Pius XII and World War II 109
Catholic Social Thought on War and Peace in the First Half of the Twentieth Century 111
Catholic Social Teaching on War and Peace during the Cold War (1945-90) 114
The Catholic Peace Movement 116
John Paul II and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in the Post-Cold War World 131
Issues in Catholic Thought on War and Peace after September 11, 2001 132
Controversies and Developments in the Just War Tradition 133
Just Peacemaking as a Normative, Supplemental Paradigm 136
Questions for Reflection and Discussion 138
5 A Consistent Ethic of Life and Care for the Earth 139
Cardinal Bernardin and the Consistent Ethic 140
Rooted in Initiatives by the Laity 143
The Seamless Garment in Catholic Social Teaching 145
The Controversy over the Consistent Ethic 148
An Ecological Theology and Environmental Ethic 153
Dorothy Stang: Martyr of the Amazon 153
Catholic Social Teaching and the Environment 156
Key Themes in the Church's Teaching on the Environment 157
Some Questions regarding the Church's Environmental Ethic 160
Questions for Reflection and Discussion 163
6 Conclusion 165
Problems and Weaknesses of Catholic Social Teaching 165
Contributions and Strengths of Catholic Social Teaching 167
Notes 169
Selected Bibliography on Catholic Social Thought 207
Index 219
