Witnessing Faith

Moral Priorities #3──Applying the Themes of Catholic Social Teaching

by Sr. Joan Hart, SSND

For the past several months, readers of this web page have been considering the seven central themes of Catholic social teaching. Now comes the task of translating the theory into action on issues of the day. The U.S. Catholic bishops have given us some direction in their recent statement on Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility. As voting citizens, we are called to examine a whole gamut of issues in their relationship to our faith. No single issue should determine how we vote. No single candidate agrees with us on all the issues.

Moral Priorities #3 - Pursuing Social Justice

"Action on behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the world fully appear to us as a constitutive dimension of the preaching of the gospel…" From Justice in the World, Roman Synod of Bishops, 1971

Thus did the bishops of the world make explicit 35 years ago the understanding that action for justice is an essential part of the preaching of the gospel. The United States bishops include in their document of 2003 on Faithful Citizenship a lengthy section on "Pursuing Social Justice."

They begin by stating that "Economic decisions and institutions should be assessed on whether they protect or undermine the dignity of the human person." They support "policies that create jobs for all who can work with decent working conditions and adequate pay that reflects a living wage." They also support "efforts to overcome barriers to equal pay and employment for women and those facing unjust discrimination." They reaffirm the Church's traditional support of the "right of workers to choose to organize, join a union, bargain collectively, and exercise these rights without reprisal."

The bishops seek in welfare reform measures the reduction of poverty and dependency. They support increasing child tax credits and making them fully refundable.

They oppose efforts to undermine faith-based institutions and their freedom to serve those in need. They insist that any proposal to change social security must provide a decent and reliable income for retired or disabled workers. They consider affordable and accessible health care "an essential safeguard of human life, a fundamental human right and an urgent national priority."

They term the lack of safe, affordable housing "a national crisis." They call food security for all "the first priority for agriculture policy." They advocate especially for the needs of farm workers "whose pay is generally inadequate, whose housing and working conditions are generally deplorable, and who are particularly vulnerable to exploitation." They seek basic protection for immigrants, "including due process rights, access to basic public benefits, and fair naturalization and legalization opportunities."

The bishops defend the inalienable right of all persons to receive "a quality education."

They call us to address the growing "culture of violence" in our society. They oppose the use of the death penalty, and believe that "a Catholic ethic of responsibility, rehabilitation and restoration can become the foundation for the necessary reform of our criminal justice system." They urge our society to continue to combat discrimination based on sex, race, ethnicity, disabling condition, or age. They support "judiciously administered" affirmative action programs as tools to overcome discrimination.

Finally, they support policies that protect the land, water, and air we share, in keeping with our call to care for the earth.

These are the social justice issues the bishops call us to examine in the course of election campaigns.

Which of these issues are priorities for you?

What steps will you take to become better informed about elected officials' and candidates' positions on these social justice issues?

How will these issues influence the way you consider candidates?

From Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility (C) October 10, 2003 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops