Follow moral but not always social teaching: where does it say?

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Flopfoot

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I’ve heard that we must follow all moral teachings of the Church but when it comes to social teachings we may follow our own conscience. Does anyone know if this is right and where it says it (eg Catechism, encyclical etc.?)

Because my friend wanted to speak against ABC in a talk he is giving to a Catholic youth group and the older people ‘workshopping’ his talk said not to say that because people can decide about it with their own conscience. I think they are getting it mixed up with a social teaching and he wants to show them that actually all Catholics must follow moral teachings such as no artificial contraception.
 
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Flopfoot:
I’ve heard that we must follow all moral teachings of the Church but when it comes to social teachings we may follow our own conscience. Does anyone know if this is right and where it says it (eg Catechism, encyclical etc.?)
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This is completely wrong. Canons 750, 752 and 753 describe the levels of assent required for various magisterial teachings.

Besides, social teachings are moral teachings, because they make statements about the morality of various aspects of society and the social order.
 
The confusion arises when there are many ways of fulfilling a social teaching and there it is valid to have a prefered way and argue it against the others.
 
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Flopfoot:
I’ve heard that we must follow all moral teachings of the Church but when it comes to social teachings we may follow our own conscience. Does anyone know if this is right and where it says it (eg Catechism, encyclical etc.?)

Because my friend wanted to speak against ABC in a talk he is giving to a Catholic youth group and the older people ‘workshopping’ his talk said not to say that because people can decide about it with their own conscience. I think they are getting it mixed up with a social teaching and he wants to show them that actually all Catholics must follow moral teachings such as no artificial contraception.
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The Catechism is an excellent source, and it clearly states (under the section on the Sixth Commandment) that contraception is alwasy a gravely disordered act and is never acceptable.

This is not a “social teaching” and it’s not something people can decide on their own.
 
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