This document discusses the key themes of Catholic social teaching, including the life and dignity of the human person. It explains that Catholic social teaching is based on the belief that human life is sacred and that the dignity of each person is founded on them being created in the image of God. The document outlines some of the main threats to human life and dignity that Catholic social teaching addresses, such as abortion, euthanasia, war, and conflict. It states that Catholic teaching calls for the protection of all human life and resolving disputes through peaceful means.

1. Catholic Social
Teaching
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Father Kevin Queally, TOR
Saint Mary Our Lady of Grace
Saint Petersburg, Florida

2. “Far too many Catholics
are not familiar with
the basic content of
Catholic social
teaching.

3. More fundamentally,
many Catholics do not
adequately understand
that the social teaching
of the Church is an
essential part of
Catholic faith.

4. This poses a serious
challenge for all
Catholics, since it
weakens our capacity
to be a Church that is
true to the demands of
the Gospel.

5. We need to do more to
share the social
mission and message
of our Church.”
Sharing Catholic Social
Teaching: Challenges
and Directions,
U.S. Catholic Bishops

7. Justice in the World
Synod of Bishops, 1971
First time a Synodal
statement was entitled
“A Message to the
People of God.”

8. 6. “Action on behalf of
justice and
participation in the
transformation of the
world fully appear to us
as a constitutive
dimension of
preaching the Gospel,
…

9. …or, in other words, of
the Church’s mission of
the redemption of the
human race and its
liberation from every
oppressive situation.”

11. What reasons do Christians
give for Human Dignity?
“Every person, from the first
moment of his life in the womb,
has an inviolable dignity,
because from all eternity God
willed, loved, created, and
redeemed that person and
destined him [or her] for eternal
happiness.

12. Human dignity (continued)
If human dignity were based
solely on the successes and
accomplishments of
individuals, then those who are
weak, sick, or helpless would
have not dignity. Christians
believe that human dignity is, in
the first place, the result of
God’s respect for us.

13. Human dignity (continued)
He looks at every person and
loves him [or her] as though he
[or she] were the only creature
in the world. Because God has
looked upon even the least
significant child of Adam [and
Eve], that person possesses an
infinite worth, which must not
be destroyed by [men].”

14. YOUCAT, 280
From the Youth
Catechism prepared by
Pope Benedict as a gift
for the participants in
World Youth Day, 2011,
in Madrid, Spain.

16. THEMES OF CATHOLIC
SOCIAL TEACHING
“The Church's social teaching is a
rich treasure of wisdom about
building a just society and living
lives of holiness amidst the
challenges of modern society.
Modern Catholic social teaching
has been articulated through a
tradition of papal, conciliar, and
episcopal documents.

17. THEMES OF CATHOLIC
SOCIAL TEACHING
The depth and richness of this
tradition can be understood
best through a direct reading of
these documents. In these brief
reflections, we highlight several
of the key themes that are at
the heart of our Catholic social
tradition.” -USCCB

19. Life and Dignity of the
Human Person
The Catholic Church proclaims that
human life is sacred and that the
dignity of the human person is the
foundation of a moral vision for
society. This belief is the
foundation of all the principles of
our social teaching. In our society,
human life is under direct attack
from abortion and euthanasia.

20. Life and Dignity of the
Human Person
The value of human life is being
threatened by cloning, embryonic
stem cell research, and the use of the
death penalty. The intentional
targeting of civilians in war or
terrorist attacks is always wrong.
Catholic teaching also calls on us to
work to avoid war. Nations must
protect the right to life by finding
increasingly effective ways to prevent
conflicts and resolve them by
peaceful means.

21. Life and Dignity of the
Human Person
Nations must protect the right to life
by finding increasingly effective
ways to prevent conflicts and
resolve them by peaceful means. We
believe that every person is
precious, that people are more
important than things, and that the
measure of every institution is
whether it threatens or enhances the
life and dignity of the human person.