How Can Goods be Universal?
by CAPP-USA
The Universal Destination of Goods
The Universal Destination of Goods is a major theme of Catholic social teaching
To discuss the universal destination of goods we need to pick up where we left off in discussing the right to private property: YES – there is a right to private property…AND – human nature can lead to the distortion of that right when it is defined in isolation or with a certain exclusivity.
We must always recall that the right to private property is subject to modifications which may be imposed by the requirements of the common good and solidarity.
The Universal Destination of Goods is Prior to Private Property
This dualism is long-standing and key to comprehending Catholic social teaching, which “has always understood the right to private property within the broader context of the right common to all…the right to private property is subordinated to the right to common use, to the fact that goods are meant for everyone”. (Pope St. John Paul II, 14)
Indeed, “The universal destination of goods is not a figure of speech found in the Church’s social teaching. It is a reality prior to private property.” (Pope Francis, 3.1)
Why? Because, “[t]he goods of the earth are destined for the whole human race”. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2402) Therefore, “[f]or the sake of the common good, it requires respect for the universal destination of goods”. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2401)
And, it requires “respect for the right to private property” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2401) as well.
A Well Ordered Relationship
“[T]he logic of profit and that of the equal distribution of goods…do not contradict each other if their relationship is well ordered. Catholic social doctrine has always supported that equitable distribution of goods is a priority. Naturally, profit is legitimate and, in just measure, necessary for economic development.” (Pope Benedict XVI)
