Why The False Dichotomy?

[Galadriel]

I'm thrilled at the election of our new Pope Francis, and many of us have by now read/heard the stories of how he has a special compassion and dedication to the poor and suffering.

However something that irks me is certain reporters or commentators suggesting that Pope Francis may be more "progressive" since he cares for the poor and will somehow downplay, change, or de-emphasize the Church's teachings on sexual morality (i.e., homosexuality, abortion, contraception, etc.).

I never understood this FALSE dichotomy between doctrinal orthodoxy and love of the poor.

When Christianity first began in the Roman Empire, when the pagans would leave unwanted babies out in the streets--Christians picked them up, took them in and cared for them. In the non-Christian Roman worldview, where forgiveness and mercy were signs of weakness, it was Christians who taught to love thy neighbor, to take care of the sick and poor with compassion.

The Church has founded hospitals and charities since the Middle Ages, and Catholic Charities in particular continue to be the largest organized charitable organization in the world.

Blessed Mother Teresa, one of the most outspoken defenders of the impoverished and suffering (if you never heard or read her Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, please do so--she clearly condemns abortion) is a modern shining example for us all. Did Blessed Teresa's adherence to the doctrines of the Church stop her from being a godsend to the poor?

There are plenty of Christians (Catholic, Protestant, Eastern Orthodox) who adhere to the tenets of the faith without compromise who serve the poor throughout the world--sometimes even making it their life's work.

So why the false dichotomy? Why does it have to be either/or?

Catholic Social Justice is NOT the same as secular "social justice."

I don't believe we have to change anything or place one virtue above another. Caring for the poor is GOOD. Caring for morality and truth are GOOD. We need BOTH. I believe this is what Pope Francis is trying to teach us, because I see people divided. I see people who barely practice or believe Catholicism proclaiming that because Pope Francis loves and serves the poor that somehow we will now do away with holding to the doctrines and morality of the faith.

That makes no sense.

The secular world and our fallen away brethren want the self-congratulatory pat on the back by championing "social justice" for its own sake.

The secular world and our fallen away brethren will never be able to offer the right solutions to the world's problems, because they lack the appropriate foundation--Our Lord Jesus Christ (both His teachings and His grace). We will never be happy until we align our wills with the Divine Will, and we will not be saved unless we take up our crosses and follow Christ.

I guess that's my soapbox for today

 

[Belle Du Jour]

Interesting post Galadriel

I find it interesting that many people who are politically conservative on moral issues have no problem looking down on the poor or those who need assistance.

You said: Catholic Social Justice is NOT the same as secular "social justice."
I'd actually like to learn more about social justice from a Catholic perspective. I know it isn't the same stuff that conservatives and other talk about Please share some links/resources if you know of any.

 

[Galadriel]

Interesting post @Galadriel

I find it interesting that many people who are politically conservative on moral issues have no problem looking down on the poor or those who need assistance.

You said: Catholic Social Justice is NOT the same as secular "social justice."
I'd actually like to learn more about social justice from a Catholic perspective. I know it isn't the same stuff that conservatives and other talk about Please share some links/resources if you know of any.

I think that's part of the problem, Belle Du Jour

For some odd reason (at least in the U.S.) we've beholden ourselves to mere political parties/alliances and have missed the big picture (which is why I don't subscribe to any political party). We are called to aid the suffering, show compassion and mercy, and most especially to practice charity through saving souls (i.e., through preaching and teaching the Gospel).

In answer to your question, there is actually a section in the Catechism which addresses this (I've bolded the key points for the sake of brevity):

III. THE SOCIAL DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH
2419 "Christian revelation . . . promotes deeper understanding of the laws of social living."199 The Church receives from the Gospel the full revelation of the truth about man. When she fulfills her mission of proclaiming the Gospel, she bears witness to man, in the name of Christ, to his dignity and his vocation to the communion of persons. She teaches him the demands of justice and peace in conformity with divine wisdom.
2420 The Church makes a moral judgment about economic and social matters, "when the fundamental rights of the person or the salvation of souls requires it."200 In the moral order she bears a mission distinct from that of political authorities: the Church is concerned with the temporal aspects of the common good because they are ordered to the sovereign Good, our ultimate end. She strives to inspire right attitudes with respect to earthly goods and in socio-economic relationships.
2421 The social doctrine of the Church developed in the nineteenth century when the Gospel encountered modern industrial society with its new structures for the production of consumer goods, its new concept of society, the state and authority, and its new forms of labor and ownership. The development of the doctrine of the Church on economic and social matters attests the permanent value of the Church's teaching at the same time as it attests the true meaning of her Tradition, always living and active.201
2422 The Church's social teaching comprises a body of doctrine, which is articulated as the Church interprets events in the course of history, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, in the light of the whole of what has been revealed by Jesus Christ.202 This teaching can be more easily accepted by men of good will, the more the faithful let themselves be guided by it.
2423 The Church's social teaching proposes principles for reflection; it provides criteria for judgment; it gives guidelines for action:
Any system in which social relationships are determined entirely by economic factors is contrary to the nature of the human person and his acts.203
2424 A theory that makes profit the exclusive norm and ultimate end of economic activity is morally unacceptable. The disordered desire for money cannot but produce perverse effects. It is one of the causes of the many conflicts which disturb the social order.204
A system that "subordinates the basic rights of individuals and of groups to the collective organization of production" is contrary to human dignity.205 Every practice that reduces persons to nothing more than a means of profit enslaves man, leads to idolizing money, and contributes to the spread of atheism. "You cannot serve God and mammon."206
2425 The Church has rejected the totalitarian and atheistic ideologies associated in modem times with "communism" or "socialism." She has likewise refused to accept, in the practice of "capitalism," individualism and the absolute primacy of the law of the marketplace over human labor.207 Regulating the economy solely by centralized planning perverts the basis of social bonds; regulating it solely by the law of the marketplace fails social justice, for "there are many human needs which cannot be satisfied by the market."208 Reasonable regulation of the marketplace and economic initiatives, in keeping with a just hierarchy of values and a view to the common good, is to be commended.
IV. ECONOMIC ACTIVITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
2426 The development of economic activity and growth in production are meant to provide for the needs of human beings. Economic life is not meant solely to multiply goods produced and increase profit or power; it is ordered first of all to the service of persons, of the whole man, and of the entire human community. Economic activity, conducted according to its own proper methods, is to be exercised within the limits of the moral order, in keeping with social justice so as to correspond to God's plan for man.209
2427 Human work proceeds directly from persons created in the image of God and called to prolong the work of creation by subduing the earth, both with and for one another.210 Hence work is a duty: "If any one will not work, let him not eat."211 Work honors the Creator's gifts and the talents received from him. It can also be redemptive. By enduring the hardship of work212 in union with Jesus, the carpenter of Nazareth and the one crucified on Calvary, man collaborates in a certain fashion with the Son of God in his redemptive work. He shows himself to be a disciple of Christ by carrying the cross, daily, in the work he is called to accomplish.213 Work can be a means of sanctification and a way of animating earthly realities with the Spirit of Christ.
2428 In work, the person exercises and fulfills in part the potential inscribed in his nature. The primordial value of labor stems from man himself, its author and its beneficiary. Work is for man, not man for work.214
Everyone should be able to draw from work the means of providing for his life and that of his family, and of serving the human community.
2429 Everyone has the right of economic initiative; everyone should make legitimate use of his talents to contribute to the abundance that will benefit all and to harvest the just fruits of his labor. He should seek to observe regulations issued by legitimate authority for the sake of the common good.215
2430 Economic life brings into play different interests, often opposed to one another. This explains why the conflicts that characterize it arise.216 Efforts should be made to reduce these conflicts by negotiation that respects the rights and duties of each social partner: those responsible for business enterprises, representatives of wage- earners (for example, trade unions), and public authorities when appropriate.
2431 The responsibility of the state. "Economic activity, especially the activity of a market economy, cannot be conducted in an institutional, juridical, or political vacuum. On the contrary, it presupposes sure guarantees of individual freedom and private property, as well as a stable currency and efficient public services. Hence the principal task of the state is to guarantee this security, so that those who work and produce can enjoy the fruits of their labors and thus feel encouraged to work efficiently and honestly. . . . Another task of the state is that of overseeing and directing the exercise of human rights in the economic sector. However, primary responsibility in this area belongs not to the state but to individuals and to the various groups and associations which make up society."217
2432 Those responsible for business enterprises are responsible to society for the economic and ecological effects of their operations.218 They have an obligation to consider the good of persons and not only the increase of profits. Profits are necessary, however. They make possible the investments that ensure the future of a business and they guarantee employment.
2433 Access to employment and to professions must be open to all without unjust discrimination: men and women, healthy and disabled, natives and immigrants.219 For its part society should, according to circumstances, help citizens find work and employment.220
2434 A just wage is the legitimate fruit of work. To refuse or withhold it can be a grave injustice.221 In determining fair pay both the needs and the contributions of each person must be taken into account. "Remuneration for work should guarantee man the opportunity to provide a dignified livelihood for himself and his family on the material, social, cultural and spiritual level, taking into account the role and the productivity of each, the state of the business, and the common good."222 Agreement between the parties is not sufficient to justify morally the amount to be received in wages.
2435 Recourse to a strike is morally legitimate when it cannot be avoided, or at least when it is necessary to obtain a proportionate benefit. It becomes morally unacceptable when accompanied by violence, or when objectives are included that are not directly linked to working conditions or are contrary to the common good...

 

[Galadriel]

In continuation,

There are two papal encyclicals, Rerum Novarum (Leo XIII) and Quadragesimo Anno (Pius XI), which champion an alternative to capitalism and socialism (sometimes called the "third way")--Distributism.

Distributism adheres to the value that property ownership is a fundamental right, and whether you're a big business owner, small business owner, a sole proprietor, or a farm owner, your production and goods should be able to be produced and spread without central planning or dictation from the state. Neither should your business or your job (if you're an employee) be subject to the whims of laizzes-faire capitalism. Distributism highly encourages shopping at the local level, supporting your local economy/community, small business and especially family owned business.
Employees have the right to fair wages (it is unjust to pay someone below a living wage, even if it is contractual/agreed upon).

Also included is the concept of subsidiarity, which states that a social or economic task should be completed by the lowest or most immediate authority that is able to do it effectively. So for example, if a city's school board can effectively govern education within its jurisdiction, do we really need a federal "Department of Education" in Washington giving us cookie cutter instructions and passing laws on how to teach?

 

[JaneBond007]

Nah, that's just them stirring the pot and wanting controversy to happen for ratings. It's also part of an agenda developing to change the structure and operation of the church regarding women in the priesthood. We already know (here) that cardinals can be women without violating the doctrines of the Church. We already know via our catechism that homosexuals are loved, protected and seen as brethern in the Church. There are catholic support groups that are in agreement with clhurch teachings. We know that they are not sinful for being homosexuals, but that the very nature of it is disordered. Lastly, we are constantly aware and abide in our teachings that the very act itself of homosexuality is a grave sin, even though we are called to love each other without prejudice.

This agenda is to destroy the very foundation of the Church and attempt to make it seem discriminatory. Jumping the bandwagon...if you can't get in and overturn everything here, try there...."minorities, poor, women...the married." It's becoming ridiculous and even harmful to their own movement. IMHO, state what you want...just don't step on toes to get it. Now have your equal rights and go sit down. That's exactly how I feel cuz I'm tired of what I see developing. SMH. Catholic social justice and secular social justice....you're right about that one!!!!