Our Starting Point
Philosophically, Catholic social thought is neither liberal nor
conservative. It is, in Pope John Paul II's words, a Gospel of Life.
The Catholic vision of society starts with the principle of the dignity
of human life. We believe that every human being is created in God's
image and likeness, and endowed by God with dignity and worth.
Rejecting the prejudices and status priorities of his society, Jesus
touched the leper, befriended the tax collector, conversed with the
Samaritan woman, healed people with mental illnesses, made time for
children, and befriended both rich and poor. In turn, he called on us to
follow his example. We must treat the person who is hungry, thirsty,
alien, sick, or in prison, with the same respect and dignity we would
give Christ (Matthew 25: 31-46).
When the Church analyzes public policy, she starts with the dignity of
the individual. Because every individual child of God is precious, we
oppose abortion, capital punishment, racism, euthanasia, and cloning.
Because God's creations deserve respect and dignity, we believe that
education, health care, housing, and food are fundamental human rights.
In order that poor people born in developing countries might live a more
dignified life, we support debt relief, foreign aid, and a right to
immigrate.
Jesus not only treated those he met with dignity, but also, in the
prophetic tradition of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezequiel, and Amos, he called
for justice for the most vulnerable people of his day: widows, orphans,
and foreigners. Quoting Isaiah, Jesus announced to his Nazarene
neighbors that he came to "bring good news to the poor" and to "free the
oppressed" (Luke 4: 16-21).
Catholic Social Teaching calls us too to exercise a "preferential
option" for the poor and vulnerable"-that is, when choices must be made,
we are to side with the people who are most weak, poor, or vulnerable.
They deserve our special attention simply because they have the fewest
resources with which to defend their own God-given dignity.
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