While on Earth, Jesus taught us how we should treat others and how to create a more just world.  Over the centuries, these lessons, along with biblical tradition, have evolved into a body of principles and values that we now call Catholic social teaching.

Catholic social teaching, as we know it today, was catalyzed by Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical, Rerum Novarum, which focused attention on the mistreatment of workers in industrial Europe.  Many popes, bishops, clergy, and lay leaders subsequently followed Pope Leo XIII’s lead in exploring and understanding how our Catholic faith should inform our social mission.  Over the years they have written pastoral letters, pastoral statements and other encyclicals speaking to the social concerns of the day and how we as Catholics can and should respond.  From these efforts, the Church has identified seven principles that can guide our lives as Catholics.  Each of the following seven principles addresses key ideas that are essential to our faith tradition:

·         the life and dignity of the human person
·         the call to family, community and participation,
·         the need to protect human rights and meet our responsibilities,
·         the call to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first,
·         the dignity of work and the rights of workers,
·         solidarity with our human family, and
·         care for God’s creation.

These principles are the spiritual foundation for all the justice and peace missions of the Catholic Church. 
For more on these principles, see the Busy Person's Guide to Catholic Social Teaching.  You can also find many books on social justice issues in the Catholic Church in our Gift Shop.