What exactly is Catholic Social Justice?

[coolduude]

Hi all,

Being on a liberal college campus (and a Jesuit one at that!) I often hear the term “social justice” thrown around. I consider myself conservative so I did some research on the topic before posting here. It seems that many conservatives feel strongly about social justice, though not in a positive way. According to critics, social justice is a guise for socialism or Marixism (same thing, right?) where government programs strong arm individuals into doing charitable things. For instance, my campus is on the path to ban bottled water. It was framed as a social justice and human rights issue; it now has immense support around the school. But what the proponents fail to realise is that by taking away a choice they limit my freedom. By limiting my freedom, they are in fact infringing my very own human rights. It’s quite the messy situation.

There is such a thing as Catholic social justice, correct? If so, how is it different from the obviously left-wing social justice that can be found on college campuses? What exactly is Catholic social justice?

Here are some links to read about the left’s idea of social justice (from a conservative viewpoint):
libertarianchristians.com/2011/09/08/whats-wrong-with-social-justice/
americanthinker.com/2010/05/the_ugly_side_of_social_justic.html
michellemalkin.com/2010/04/16/when-social-justice-is-a-code-phrase/

Thanks for the help,
coolduude

 

[Castello]

The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (is it not cool that the Church has it all for us right there!)

vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html

 

[GEddie]

Marxism and socialism are not quite the same; not all supporters of state-driven “social justice” believe or preach the Marxist class struggle, etc. There is a continuum in the world, with the USA being at the extreme farthest from socialism, and most other Western nations having programs we would consider socialist, but never Marxist.

The term “social justice” itself originates in
leftward politics of past decades. However, that said, there is a Catholic social justice, and there are Vatican documents on the topic.

Banning bottled water, IMO, is a gesture that goes over the top. While meant as a symbolic act, it abridges everybody’s freedom while helping nobody.

ICXC NIKA

 

[Abu]

**Do We Need Social Justice Or Social Engineering?**This question is answered by Fr Torraco of EWTN on Nov-24-2003 to a Question:
What is “Social Justice”? When was this concept introduced in Catholic moral doctrine?
Answer by Fr.Stephen F. Torraco on Nov-24-2003:
“The term ‘social justice’ was introduced into Catholic teaching in the 19th century. On the one hand, it is intended, at least in part, to avoid the error of reducing what Aristotle calls “general justice” (devotion to the common good of one’s country) to LEGAL justice. On the other hand, consciously or not, the term “social justice” aptly reflects the political philosophy of the modern philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, according to whom justice is fundamentally a matter of achieving the proper institutions and external settings that would effectively mold human beings into model citizens. In other words, for Rousseau, justice is not rooted in nature as it is for Aristotle and for the Church’s teaching. It is something that has to be attained by ‘social engineering.’

“Unfortunately, in the minds of many if not most, consciously or not, the term ‘social justice’ is viewed more in a Rousseaunian than an Aristotelian way. From the vantage point of both Aristotle and the Church’s teaching, the phrase ‘social justice’ is redundant because justice is already social: it is the social virtue par excellence.”

 

[Buck_Crosswhite]

Social Justice is when Liberals stay away from me and don’t try to talk to me.

 

[Swiss_Guy]

Catholic social justice shows a preferential option for the poor, and respect for the dignity of a human person. That’s the basic idea; everyone should be able to get along. Social justice has always been at the heart of Catholic social teaching. While social justice has always been considered something that liberals are best at ensuring, modern day liberals now justify their agenda in the name of social justice, while not respecting the human person. I don’t know how your bottled water thing could be justified by claiming social justice when all it does is make it inconvenient to get water.

And yeah, Marxism Communism and Socialism are all the same.

 

[Deo_Gratias42]

Social Justice = The spiritual and corporal works of mercy. Social Justice is just some liberal buzzword that’s been overly liberalized.

 

[Abu]

Swiss Guy #5
Catholic social justice shows a preferential option for the poor, and respect for the dignity of a human person.

Often misdirected, as Fr James A Schall, S.J. points out, as it needs to be “directed instead to the real possibilities for a poor people to overcome their own problems with the intelligent aid of those who know how to produce wealth in the first place.” *Does Catholicism Still Exist?, *Alba House, 1994, p 178].

This is what respects the dignity of the the individual.

 

[Swiss_Guy]

Often misdirected, as Fr James A Schall, S.J. points out, as it needs to be “directed instead to the real possibilities for a poor people to overcome their own problems with the intelligent aid of those who know how to produce wealth in the first place.” *Does Catholicism Still Exist?, *Alba House, 1994, p 178].

This is what respects the dignity of the the individual.

Yes.

 

[tafan]

Catholic social justice shows a preferential option for the poor, and respect for the dignity of a human person. . That’s the basic idea

I would extend the list of your basics:

1. Respect for the dignity of the human person
2. Preferential option for the poor
3. Subsidiarity
4. Solidairty

Those would be the basics, and I like that you bolded the preferential option for the poor; as we conservatives often forget about this one (count me as guilty at times).

 

[Fr_of_Jazz]

Often misdirected, as Fr James A Schall, S.J. points out, as it needs to be “directed instead to the real possibilities for a poor people to overcome their own problems with the intelligent aid of those who know how to produce wealth in the first place.” *Does Catholicism Still Exist?, *Alba House, 1994, p 178].

This is what respects the dignity of the the individual.

Exactamundo!

Individual and group initiative is always presumed in Catholic social teaching when it comes to assisting the poor.

Creating an entitlement-based society in which people just expect free stuff from the government produces situations like Greece where people are rioting for their freebees when they know the country is BROKE!

 

[Abu]

Fr of Jazz #10
Individual and group initiative is always presumed in Catholic social teaching when it comes to assisting the poor.

Creating an entitlement-based society in which people just expect free stuff from the government produces situations like Greece where people are rioting for their freebees when they know the country is BROKE!

Exactly, and yet we’ve had so-called Catholics trying to extol the Welfare State when it has been condemned by the Church and the ruins it has encouraged are everywhere.