Social Responsibility and Economic Inequality

Integral Development, Universal Purpose of Earthly Goods and Private Property

• Authentic Development: Addresses all aspects of human life including personal, communal, material, and spiritual needs.
• Universal Destination of Goods: The goods of creation belong to everyone, not just a select few.
• Right to Access Resources: Individuals deserve access to resources to fulfill their needs and develop their potential.
• Private Property Rights: Subordinate to the universal destination of goods and the common good.

Private Property and Social Responsibility

• Property Benefits for Everyone: Private property should benefit the entire community, not solely the owner.
• Responsibility of the Wealthy: Wealthy individuals have a duty to assist the poor and marginalized.
• St. Ambrose's Teaching: Giving to the needy is returning what is rightfully theirs.

Economic Inequality and Global Welfare

• Exploitation by Industrialized Nations: Developed countries have exploited underdeveloped nations for economic gain.
• Pius XI's Views: Supported limits on private ownership and free competition.
• Access to Resources and Global Welfare: Economically deprived nations should have access to resources and contribute to global welfare.

The Value of Human Work

• Human Dignity and Work: Human work is essential to uphold human dignity, cultivate happiness, and enhance society.
• Church Teachings: Work is valued and viewed as participation in God's creative work, promoting peace and justice.
• Example of Jesus Christ: Jesus Christ exemplified the sanctity of work through his teachings and miracles.
• St. Paul's Encouragement: Christians are urged to engage consistently in work as a mission towards salvation.

Work and Poverty

• Essential Role of Hard Work: Hard work is vital for wealth accumulation and poverty reduction.
• Systemic Issues: Systemic problems often impede economic improvement.

Capitalism and Labor

• Church's Critique of Capitalism: Capitalism's profit-driven focus contradicts the Church's teachings.
• Unjust Practices: Child labor and exploitative working conditions are considered unjust.
• Solutions for Fair Labor: Solutions include recognizing workers' rights, fair wages, and promoting unionization.

Church's Perspective

• Pope John Paul II's "Laborem Exercens": Outlines workers' rights and duties.
• Moral Dimensions of Work: Emphasizes the moral dimensions of labor and the dignified treatment of workers.

Social and Ecological Justice and Love

• Justice and Love: Justice involves giving others what they deserve, while love transcends this by recognizing their real needs.
• Three Types of Justice:
  • Commutative: Fairness in exchanges.
  • Distributive: Equitable distribution of goods.
  • Social: Societal duties.
• Social Justice: Focuses on right relationships and fulfilling God's command to love, especially for the poor and marginalized.
• Ecological Justice: Calls for responsible stewardship of God's creation.
• Pope Francis' "Integral Ecology": Addresses both environmental care and the deeper causes of ecological damage, such as greed and waste.
• Humanity's Renewal: Key to restoring balance with nature.

Love of Preference for the Poor

• " love of preference for the poor": Providing special care and attention to those who are less fortunate or in need.
• Motivation for Action: Helping those in need helps to balance societal inequalities and demonstrate compassion.

Referencial Option for the Poor

• Loving the Poor: A Christian Imperative: Loving the poor is a fundamental Christian value.
• Being Poor in Spirit: A blessing, as reflected in the teachings of Jesus and his disciples.
• St. Vincent de Paul: Dedicated his life to serving the poor and marginalized.
  • Founded the Congregation of the Mission and the Daughters of Charity.
• Mother Teresa: Demonstrated selfless dedication to serving the poor, sick, and dying in Calcutta.
• Social Justice and the Poor: Social justice is about fairness for all, rooted in God's concern.
  • It is a requirement for achieving salvation.
• The Referential Option for the Poor: The Church's teaching involves ensuring the needs of the poor are met first.
  • Not about favoring the poor over the rich but recognizing their vulnerability.

Peace and Non-active Violence

• Authentic Peace: More than just the absence of conflict; it is a profound outcome of love.
• Jesus Christ's Message: "Peace be with you" - promotes love and harmony to bring about social justice
• Church's Promotion of Nonviolence: The Church advocates for peaceful means to achieve justice.
• People Empowerment: Crucial for social justice through peaceful and nonviolent means.
• Pope Paul VI's Vision: "We are all called to be brothers."
  • Working together without violence and deceit to build a peaceful world.

The Church and Political Community

• Church's Mission: To address both spiritual and material needs of all baptized individuals.
• Changing Society: Strives to change society through discourse and conscientization to combat injustices and corruption.
• Collaboration with the State: Essential when human dignity is threatened.
• Church's Political Involvement: Justified when seeking justice nonviolently, as seen during the Philippines' People Power Revolution.
• Christian Social Activity: Blends ethical, nonviolent activism with prayer for lasting societal change.

Laudato Si' by Pope Francis

• Key Societal and Environmental Concerns: Addresses the correlation between environmental challenges and social justice.
• Global Response to Crises: Emphasizes the urgent need for a global response to issues like biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution.
• "Common Home": Refers to Earth, calling for care and action.
• Sustainable and Compassionate World: Urges collaboration for a better future.

SEE, JUDGE, ACT

• SEE: Encourages people to observe and reflect on current issues.
  • "See" the pain of the poor and marginalized impacted by environmental damage.
• JUDGE: Emphasizes the moral dimension of environmental crises through a faith-based lens.
  • Urges individuals to integrate their spiritual beliefs with practical actions.
• ACT: Calls for immediate action to address ongoing crises.
  • Unity and decisive actions through advocacy, community support, or direct assistance.

Explore the ethical dimensions of private property and its relationship with social responsibility. This quiz delves into the universal destination of earthly goods, the rights to access resources, and the responsibilities of wealthier individuals towards the marginalized. Engage with key teachings, including those of St. Ambrose, to understand economic inequality's impact on global welfare.