A history of the first 70 years of Vatican teaching on media and communications, tracing major themes and tensions through the four major periods of its life.

¶ For further reading, you might consider also reading the brief "“Two Things to Know about Laudato Si‘ and Technology,” which explains two key ways that Pope Francis has changed teaching on technology in his work after the period covered in this article in Laudato Si'. 

¶ For an even deeper dive, read “What’s in a Tech? Factors in Evaluating the Morality of Our Information and Communication Practices,” which is a critical assessment of the work done in the first 70 years that was published before Laudato Si', but anticipates some directions that Pope Frances takes in the encyclical.

Evangelii Gaudium es un auténtico programa del pontificado del papa Francisco. La dimensión social de la fe es clave en este documento por ser garantía de autenticidad de la evangelización. A la hora de formular la visión de Francisco de esta dimensión social podemos destacar varios puntos. En el estilo de EG se aprecia una apropiación original de las intuiciones de la teología de la liberación y una recuperación del modelo de magisterio de Pablo VI. En su contenido se aprecia una clara denuncia del sistema económico liberal actual y una propuesta para incluir a los pobres en la sociedad.

One of the great ironies of Western political history involves the term “social justice.” Although a core idea within liberalism and socialism for at least 175 years, the background and origin of “social justice” was a cultural and political conservatism. The irony of the “cultural appropriation” of social justice by liberalism and socialism has recently redoubled. Suggestive of a seemingly undeniably intangible good—that is, of just, fair, well-ordered, and harmonious social relations—social justice is now implicated in fierce and sometimes violent antagonisms. Social justice crystallizes in two words some of the most contentious issues roiling North American politics today. But contemporary social justice bears little resemblance to the original social justice or even more recent movements that have gone by the same name.

Laudato si', with its articulation of a familial ecology reflecting Francis's Latin American context, expands the subject of solidarity in Catholic social teaching and thought. Yet, this ecological vision of family fails to attend to the problem of gender subordination latent in Catholic social teaching, including in its approaches to ecology. A vision of solidarity that eradicates gender and ecological subordination must elaborate a familial ecology characterized by both mercy and equality.

In Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict XVI describes the Christian vocation to overcome the obstacles that hinder the establishment of authentic fraternity in the world. Through the theme integral human development, the pope maps a theological grammar for Catholic social doctrine that takes charity in truth as its principle and purpose. This understanding of charity in truth is developed in continuity with the teachings of Paul VI and John Paul II, and as an explicit continuation of the interpretive tradition of Populorum Progressio. In this essay I focus on the aspect of that interpretive tradition having to do with the theologies of liberation. My central claim is that the magisterial response to the liberation theology movement is important background for our interpretation and reception of Caritas in Veritate. In the first section of this essay I briefly introduce three texts that show the relationship between the themes “liberation,” “development,” and “authentic human advancement” in the thought of Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict, and I outline the figuration of those themes in anticipation of Caritas in Veritate. Second, taking my cue from Caritas in Veritate, I sketch a retrospective “doctrinal grammar” of human advancement toward authentic fraternity as it unfolds in Paul VI’s and John Paul II’s social teachings on development and liberation. In section three I describe…

Widespread architectural and artistic changes to the interiors of Catholic churches in the United States, commonly attributed to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, are in fact traceable to the foundational principles of the American Liturgical Movement.

Rutilio Grande, S.J. was the first Jesuit assassinated in El Salvador on March 12, 1977.  He was killed for having done the works which Jesus commands with regard to one's neighbor as a priest in the Roman Catholic Church.  This volume of his writings and homilies illustrates how he applied the social and ecclesial teachings of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) in his ministry with the poor and marginalized of El Salvador.  His use of the social sciences to understand the problems in his context, his prophetic denunciation of power and wealth, and his ministry to empower lay people to lead their faith communities all speak to the Holy Spirit working through the courage of a true servant leader.

“Are there objective moral values which can unite human beings and bring them peace and happiness?” People seem to assume there are indeed such values when they recoil against genocide, rape, child abuse, slavery and human trafficking, senseless destruction of the environment, involuntary “medical” testing, corruption, and terrorism. This recoil is generally perceived to be not merely some learned or innate moral sentiment, but an indicator that some actions are truly wrong — wrong not merely because of the emotional responses they arouse; wrong not merely on the basis of a consensual agreement between people or societies; but truly wrong, meaning in violation of some standard for human action that is applicable to and (at least in principle) accessible to all human persons. Even if there is great difficulty specifying norms about wrong human actions, and even if the norms have needed revision, there is a common conviction that certain moral norms exist. This fundamental conviction that there is some sort of standard against which human actions can be evaluated, and that it is accessible and applicable to all, is the essence of the view that there is a universal ethic.

Benedict XVI in "Caritas in Veritate" advances a positive view of businesses that are hybrids between several traditional categories. He expects that the “logic of gift” that animates civil society infuses the market and the State with relations typical for it – reciprocity, gratuitousness, and solidarity. His theological rationale offers an answer to two questions that have largely re-mained open in the literature – why hybridization occurs and why it is desirable. A rational reconstruction of hybrid enterprise that goes beyond a simple taxonomy of types benefits from the Pope‟s call for an intrinsic integration of institutions and processes traditionally attributed to disparate spheres. The relational model of the Trinity defines the unity in diversity that accounts for the benefits of truly hybrid businesses, and the “logic of gift” serves as the agent of integration.

This essay is an interreligious study of spirituality of work. It considers the normative/doctrinal teachings on work in Bhagavadgita and Catholic Social Teaching. It will begin by exploring a Hindu spirituality of work based on Bhagavadgita. The paper will analyze salient ideas and relevant passages in the text that tackle the religio-spiritual significance of our daily engagement in the world through paid work from a Hindu perspective. A discussion on major themes in Catholic Social Teaching that resonate with Bhagavadgita’s tenets on spirituality of work will follow. These themes will serve as analytical elements that will frame an interreligious spirituality of work from the two points of view. This study will demonstrate that, as far as spirituality of work is concerned, there is more convergence than divergence between Catholicism and Hinduism. Spirituality of work can be a unifying force, a locus for cross-cultural dialogue, and a bridge between different beliefs in the workplace.

This article examines the importance of strengthening virtue ethics approach in Catholic social teaching for a Chinese Christian community through putting the Catholic tradition and Confucian tradition into dialogue. Through examining the virtue features in the Confucian and Christian traditions, it is found that they share a number of commensurable elements. This study contributes to the on-going reflection on inculturation in the Hong Kong Church, dialogue between Chinese culture and Christianity. Moreover, strengthening virtue ethics approach in CST is important in moving the hearts of Chinese Christians and transforming them to engage in social justice endeavor, leading to common good and solidarity with the vulnerables. It can complement the principle-based approach in CST. Employing virtue ethics method to approach CST, it would emphasize both rational and emotive approaches rather than primarily cognitive principles, leading to a more holistic formation and integrative way of planning pastoral action. It also offers concrete ways of practice through practicing various virtues. Moreover, it can integrate spirituality and morality, and linking personal ethic with social ethic. It is an attempt to contribute to the renewal of ethical methods of Catholic social ethics.

La primera encíclica del papa Francisco, Lumen Fidei, es un texto escrito principalmente por Benedicto XVI que Francisco
ha hecho suyo. Aunque es una encíclica sobre cuestiones de antropología teológica –la virtud teologal de la fe– el documento
tiene implicaciones sociales interesantes. Para captar estas implicaciones hemos de ensanchar nuestro concepto de lo que
es social. No sólo la fe supone una contribución al bien común desde un punto de vista de estructura socio-económica y
política. La fe supone también una transformación de la cultura moderna. Pero sobre todo la fe, en cuanto que implica relación
(eclesial, de anuncio…) y que ella misma es relación con Dios, ilumina toda relación humana base de la vida en sociedad.

Analyzing the roots of Catholic libertarian positions on the economy allows one to compare the foundational anthropological assumptions behind different economic perspectives today. Catholics have radically different ways of engaging economics in the public sphere. On the one hand, a Catholic politician like Paul Ryan claims that Ayn Rand was an important influence upon him as he publicly discussed dividing America between " makers " and " takers. " Ryan and the thinkers who influence him believe that the common good emerges from vigilant pursuit of one's individual good. On the other side of the understanding of the human person we have a long tradition of Catholic Social doctrine that argues the individual good emerges from the common good, and not vice versa. The social nature of human beings should be formed and managed with the genuine and common good of the human race foremost in mind. A deep concern for the well-being of all is necessary for the goodness and development of the individual. This essay delineates both theological anthropologies, compares them in terms of foundational understandings of freedom, justice, and individualism, and finds them fundamentally irreconcilable.

This article was first published in the in Encyclopedia of Catholic Social Thought, Social Science, and Social Policy, ed. Michael L. Coulter, Stephen M. Krason, Richard S. Myers, and Joseph A. Varacalli.  (Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, Scarecrow Press, 2007).

Katolicy-mężczyźni z niepełnosprawnością fizyczną o koncepcjach niepełnosprawności w kontekście praktyk religijnych. Wtórna analiza danych jakościowych Summary: The article presents a report on the secondary analysis of raw qualitative data regarding the concept of disability from the perspective of 16 males with congenital physical disability (spina bifida, cerebral palsy) and acquired disabilities after an accident. The project was performed as a secondary quality data analysis based on analytical induction, a methodological construct called the conceptual framework according to Imenda (2014) and was data-driven research according to Wolcott (1992) and Spradley (2016; 2016). The analysis was grounded in the context of religious practices undertaken by the participants (prayer, pilgrimage, retreat).

En la actualidad se da una crisis de identidad en la vida consagrada provocada por una comprensión de la eclesiología del Vaticano II que la reduce al binomio ordenado-laico. Las respuestas a esta crisis van en la dirección de ver a la vida consagrada como memoria Iesu en la Iglesia a través de la entrega de uno mismo en la vida de los votos. El magisterio social ha tardado tiempo en integrar plenamente a la vida consagrada en la acción social de la Iglesia recogiendo la integridad de su identidad. La mejor expresión de esta integración está en el Compendio de la Doctrina Social de la Iglesia. Sin embargo, esta integración debe incluir la opción por los pobres y el trabajo por la justicia. Con esos elementos es posible pensar la forma en que la vida consagrada es memoria Iesu para la Iglesia en su acción social.

This article was first published in the in Encyclopedia of Catholic Social Thought, Social Science, and Social Policy, ed. Michael L. Coulter, Stephen M. Krason, Richard S. Myers, and Joseph A. Varacalli.  (Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, Scarecrow Press, 2007).

RESUMEN: La corriente de la teología pública como proyecto para la participación de la teología en la construcción social es muy prometedora pero requiere una profundización en sus bases filosóficas. dentro de la teología pública privilegiamos el acercamiento de david Tracy como el más sólido de cara a una profundización filosófica. Vemos así cómo en el fondo del proyecto de teología pública hay co-nexiones con la hermenéutica de Gadamer y con la teoría social de Habermas. En el caso de Gadamer, Tracy lo cita explícitamente como fuente importante. En el caso de Habermas se aprecia una influencia creciente y mutua sobre Tracy. El identificar estas dos influencias filosóficas nos permite reconocer una serie de tensiones internas a la teología pública que condicionan su desarrollo futuro. AbSTRAcT: PublicTheology as a project for Theology's participation in social life is a promising current, however it needs to deepen into its philosophical basis. Inside public Theology we will focus particularly in david Tracy's approach as the more appropriate in order to deepen into the Philosophy behind it. we can see, therefore, how at the bottom of public Theology's project there are strong connections with Gadamer's hermeneutics and Habermas' social theory. On the one hand, Tracy explicitly recognizes Gadamer's inspiration. On the other hand, we can appreciate a growing relationship between Tracy's and Habermas' positions. Identifying these two philosophical influences allows us to recognize some inner tensions inside public theology that will condition its future developments. Toda teología se apoya, implícita o explícitamente, en alguna posición filosófica. Para pensar a Dios y su relación con el hombre, necesitamos hacerlo dentro de las coordenadas en que comprendemos la realidad. Pero no sólo es que la filosofía esté presente de fondo, es que para que una teología pueda hablar a la realidad y responder a las situaciones que se le presenten, debe formularse según una visión de la realidad y del hombre que le permita dialogar con éstos. Importa, por ello, dedicar un tiempo a reflexionar sobre las filosofías que acompañan y que pueden ayudar al desarrollo de la labor teológica en general. En nuestro caso nos haremos esta pregunta con referencia a una corriente que, a pesar de estar en un estado aún inicial de desarrollo, se presenta muy prometedora ante el creciente pluralismo de las sociedades modernas. Se trata de la llamada teología pública. Por haber surgido la teología pública en el entorno anglosajón y haberse desarrolla-do hasta ahora en parte en el contexto protestante, esta preocupación por la filosofía ha estado en ella menos presente de lo que estaría en contextos continentales, por lo que a veces se ha tendido a presentarla sin demasiados apoyos filosóficos. Esa tendencia hace que su discurso a menudo quede en el aire y que resulte difícil llegar a conclusiones o posiciones concretas, complicando aún más el diálogo con las ciencias sociales. Todo esto influye en que la teología pública sea menos eficaz para cumplir aquello que es

In a well-known essay written in 1988, the theologian Charles Curran argued that there was a significant split between the theological methods of official Catholic social teaching and official Catholic teaching on sexual matters, and by extension other areas of personal ethics such as medical ethics. 1 This was an argument he had been developing for years, and in his later writings, Curran claims that the same split can be found in the teaching of Pope John Paul II.

This paper focus on the possibility of founding a political
theology on the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola,
according to Gaston Fessard’s (1897-1978) interpretation of St.
Ignatius and Hegel. Following the Ignatian model, Fessard
emphasized the importance of defining religious experience as an
incarnation of the theological truth in life. In a similar way, for a
Christian, political decisions should reflect the social doctrine of the
Church. The discussion is timely and relevant because it emphasizes
the possibility of building a political theology in close relationship
with the doctrine of the church. Recently, Dominique Bertrand has
showed that Saint Ignatius itself had a system of correspondence
meant to offer discernment of spirit for political and economic
decisions.
In recent years, there has been a revival of the practice of lay
Spiritual Exercises. In this context, this article seeks to examine the
possibility of establishing a political theological framework according
to the methods proposed by Fessard. It examines the limitations and
pitfalls of such a political theology and the relations between this new
method and the social doctrine of the church.
Fessard shows exactly how this principle of discernment can
be used to lighten different political situations. For example, during
France’s Occupation Fessard wrote a moral guide dedicated to the
archbishop of Paris; the Jesuit was well known in catholic circles
concerning the resistance against the Nazi. Although Fessard argues
that social doctrine of the church is the abstract guide for concrete
political decisions, in practice Fessard himself criticized the same
social doctrine of the church as being corrupt in several respects. This
weakens his argument in favor of a Christian theology of politics
based on spiritual discernment.

Pese a la influencia del catolicismo en el mundo popular peruano, son pocos los estudios sobre su participación en los movimientos obreros. Basado en diversas fuentes documentales, en este artículo se exploran algunas facetas y aportes del pensamiento social católico, junto con ciertas iniciativas desarrolladas para enfrentar la cuestión obrera entre 1891 y 1931. Para ello, se analiza la influencia de la encíclica Rerum Novarum y la adaptación del social cristianismo en el contexto latinoamericano y peruano. Luego, se examinan las ideas de algunos representativos líderes católicos respecto a las consecuencias de la modernización económica y la expansión capitalista en Perú. Finalmente, se estudian los Círculos de Obreros Católicos (COC),
los cuales desarrollaron una experiencia asociativa donde se buscó generar una cultura y una identidad obrera cristiana que contribuyera a la mejora de las condiciones laborales de este sector y que contrarrestara la influencia de las ideologías radicales.

The thesis includes a qualitative research of Hungarian entrepreneurs, who are committed towards Christian and Buddhist values. Christian and Buddhist value-orientations are investigated and compared by qualitative methods. It introduces the core operating values of spiritually value-oriented entrepreneurs.

Defining the relationship between CST and corporate social responsibility (CSR) depends, of course, on what one views as the central themes and claims of CSR. This article will take a broad view of CSR, so as to discuss as comprehensively as possible the points of contact between CST and CSR.

The starting point for this analysis is based on two phenomena. The first one is Pope Francis' commitment to political issues, which is considerably stronger than that of any other post-Vaticanum II popes. The second one is the statement made by the cardinal P. Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, claiming, in the context of moral theology , that Pope Francis is carrying forward a 'new paradigm of Catholicism'. The aim of this paper is to find the answer to the question about the potential consequences of 'a new paradigm' for the Catholic political theory and socio-political engagement of the Church.

Kérygma" es un anuncio o noticia proclamada por alguien con autoridad, de viva voz, con palabra confiable, fehaciente y definitiva, de un mensaje esperado y que nos incumbe. Tal, la función del "heraldo" ("kéryx") en la Antigüedad y el Medioevo. En el Nuevo Testamento, el heraldo o mensajero no es otro que el mismo Jesucristo, "que nos invita a dejarnos amar por Dios y a amarlo con el amor que él mismo nos comunica". Pero el sentido del anuncio no queda allí; tiene una implicancia que 1 En: A.A.V.V.: Anunciando Evangelii Gaudium en nuestras comunidades educativas, cap. IV: "La Dimensión Social de la Evangelización", pp. 155-161, Buenos Aires, Santillana, 2014, [ISBN 978-950-46-4026-4].

The three social encyclicals on international development-Populorum Progressio, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, and Caritas in Veritate-propose "integral human development" as their central motif. The three encyclicals are insistent on the centrality of basic human physical and social needs to development, but their focus on saintliness or sanctification as the ultimate goal of integral human development, which clearly distinguishes them from mainstream development economics, has not been adequately analyzed. This paper will describe how this focus on sanctity is developed in the three encyclicals, and then outline three lines of enquiry raised by it. First, the paper will explain how human material and social well-being could be related to saintliness as the object of integral development. Recent discussion among moral theologians about the relationship between well-being and moral goodness can help explain this connection, but also raises important questions unanswered in the encyclicals. Second, the paper will examine how the centrality given to saintliness draws on twentieth-century debates about the relationship between nature and grace, and so I will explain the relevance of this debate for the topic of development and how it raises questions about the distinctiveness of Christian efforts at promoting development. Third, the paper will illustrate the interrelationship between the sanctity needed for the pursuit of development and the sanctity that is its ultimate goal, which can be illuminated by and has implications for ongoing discussions of social sin and social grace. The paper will argue that the important but under-appreciated theme of sanctity as the ultimate goal of development, found in recent documents of Catholic social teaching, is fruitful for further theological reflection and practical application.

As Nigeria inches towards the next general elections, members of the Catholic Theological Association of Nigeria (CATHAN), at their annual Conference in April 2018, resolved to move beyond agonising about the current state of the nation. We determined to start organising. This document provides helpful criteria for Christians to make informed and conscientious choices when voting. For instance, what are the principal things to consider before casting one’s votes? What are things one must not consider before voting? How should people of faith, especially Christians, participate in political processes when “no political party and too few candidates share a consistent concern for human life and dignity”? This document has been designed to be a politico-theological reflection on and update of the 1979 teaching of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria’s, titled "Civic and Political Responsibility of the Christian: Joint Pastoral Letter of the Nigerian Catholic Bishops” (February 10, 1979).

Meaningful work is both a moral issue and an economic one. Studies show that workers’ experience of meaninglessness in their jobs contributes to job dissatisfaction which has negative effects to business. If having a meaningful work is essential for the well-being of workers, providing them with one is an ethical requirement for business establishments. The essay aims to articulate an account of meaningful work in the Catholic social teachings (CST). CST rejects the subjectivist and relativist notion of work which affirms the absolute freedom of individuals to choose their commitment and goals, even if this includes experiencing satisfaction in dehumanizing work. First, the paper will present a summary account of some of the current views on meaningful work from the objective-normative approach. This will be followed by a systematic treatment of the meaning and value of work in the CST, the similarities and differences it has with alternative views, and its implications for the way we promote meaningful work. The paper will argue that by recognizing the subjective and objective dimensions of work and affirming that although the two are inseparable, the former takes priority over the latter; CST develops a holistic, comprehensive, and coherent account of meaningful work which overcomes some of the difficulties that are usually encountered in dealing with this issue from a purely objective approach.

Some have noted ways in which Senator Bernie Sanders and Pope Francis sound alike, inferring that the Catholic Church is opening to Socialism.  In this article, I sketch seven ways in which any robust understanding of socialism is precluded by Catholic teaching.

At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century the Catholic "Rivista internazionale di scienze sociali e discipline ausiliarie" paid significant attention to Italian public debate about labour and social legislation, conveying a point of view which seemed relatively "progressive" inside Italian Catholicism. The prism of the periodical in analyzing Italy's nascent Welfare State was that of subsidiarity: public intervention had to fix issues where the private sector clearly appeared unable to achieve results for the common good on its own. Giuseppe Toniolo was the main figure among this group, together with those young Christian-Democrats who where influenced by Romolo Murri's ideas.

This article assesses whether the contemporary consensus of just war thinking to allow only for defence as just cause for war between states should also be applied to the practice of targeted killing of non-state actors. It argues that it should not and puts forward an argument for a just cause of retribution for war between states and culpable unjust individuals. Grounded in a retributive reading of Thomas Aquinas, which considers the death penalty to be the domestic parallel to just war, the article argues that the prudential and charitable concerns which underpin the defence limitation for war between states do not apply to war between states and individuals in the same way. Importantly, however, for retributive targeted killings to be morally justifiable, such uses of force must follow a right intention. In consequence, while targeted killings as retribution are justifiable in principle, only rarely do real-world circumstances make such uses of force morally justifiable in practice.