What are the four permanent pillars of Catholic Social Teaching?
Grounded in the Gospel and articulated from Pope Leo XIII's Rerum Novarum to modern encyclicals, Catholic Social Teaching rests upon four foundational pillars: 1) The Dignity of the Human Person (every human is created in God's image and has inherent worth); 2) The Common Good (the sum total of social conditions allowing all people to achieve fulfillment); 3) Subsidiarity (matters ought to be handled by the smallest, lowest, or least centralized competent authority rather than overgrown state bureaucracy); and 4) Solidarity (active commitment to the welfare and brotherhood of all people).
Sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 1877-1948
- Micah 6:8
Awaiting review by the chaplaincy. Written in our own words; the Church's own texts are the authority.