Join our Articles community

What is CST? Articles

What is Truth?

The Church’s understanding of human rights is rooted in the fact that we are made in the image of God.

Read More
Social Justice Quotes
Social justice “upholds the fundamental human right to a dignified life”. (Pope Francis)…
Jesus teaches the Sermon on the Mount
Bible Quotes that Establish Catholic Social Teaching
Catholic social teaching is not a modern invention. It is rooted in Scripture, and these scripture quotes illustrate where the principles come from.…
Pope Francis greets crowds in St. Peter's square.
Catholic Quotes about the Church's Social Teaching
“The social message of the gospel must not be considered a theory, but above all else a basis and motivation for action.” (Pope St. John…
What is Freedom?
Genuine freedom is not simply the ability to do whatever you want; it is the ability to choose the good.…
What is Truth?
The Church's understanding of human rights is rooted in the fact that we are made in the image of God.…
Freedom Quotes from the Catholic Church
"When human beings set themselves against God, they...do not become free, but alienated from themselves."…
Quotes about Truth from the Church
"[O]nly the freedom which submits to the Truth leads the human person to his true good. The good of the person is to be in…
Justice Quotes from the Church
“Justice is the primary way of charity”. (Pope Benedict XVI, 60)…
The Role of Laity According to Vatican II Pt. 2
The laity’s role is special! "In a word, ‘Christians must be to the world what the soul is to the body’." (Lumen Gentium, 38)…
The Role of Laity According to Vatican II Pt. 1
The laity’s role is special! "In a word, ‘Christians must be to the world what the soul is to the body’." (Lumen Gentium, 38)…
Top Pope John XXIII Quotes
The top Pope St. John XXIII quotes from his great social encyclical, Mater et Magistra.…
Catholic Social Thought and Reviving the Social Order
The answer is solidarity and subsidiarity, those two lynchpins of Catholic Social Thought.…
What is Christian Humanism?
Christian humanism is acknowledging our God-given dignity and our purpose to serve Him through our fellow man.…
Social Justice Issues and CST
Social justice is what results when “associations or individuals…obtain what is their due, according to their nature and their vocation.”…
How to be a Real Social Justice Warrior?
Social justice is what results when “associations or individuals…obtain what is their due, according to their nature and their vocation.”…
Three circles containing symbols of the three principles of catholic social teaching: human dignity, subsidiarity, and solidarity.
Are there 7 "themes" of catholic social teaching?
The USCCB lists 7 themes of Catholic social teaching. Are there seven themes? No. Let's break it down.…
Cardinal Parolin visits New York for the Pro Pontifice Dinner hosted by CAPP-USA and sponsored by Fordham
Cardinal Parolin's Address to CAPP, September 2022
I am delighted to be with you this evening at this dinner offered by the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation and made possible by the…
Cardinal Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, attends one of the CAPP events.
Cardinal Parolin's Address to CAPP, December 2021
Youth are subjected to having to make continuous decisions that affect their lives (majors, professions, emotional relationships, politics, integration into civil society, purchase decisions, drugs,…
Cardinal Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, attends one of the CAPP events.
A Compass for Young Generations
One of the primary tasks of the Social Doctrine of the Church is intervening in the debate, primarily cultural, to show the irreducible falsehood of…
A New Methodology for a New Economy
There is a widespread understanding among business leaders and economic think-tanks that business will need to be radically different.…
Cardinal Tomasi's Address to CAPP, December 2021
Vatican II approach: “To see (to study the facts); To judge (to apply moral, theological, and spiritual perspective); And to act (to take those tangible…
A man gives to a poor homeless person begging on the street.
Charity vs. Justice
The controversy over the primacy of ‘charity or justice’ is reminiscent of earlier controversies about ‘faith or works’ answered by St. James 2,000 years ago:…
Deacon Mike Leman of the Diocese of Cheyenne, Wisconsin
Catholic Social Teaching: Antidote to Extremism
A friend said, “Catholic Social Teaching is just the Church’s way of pushing socialism on us.” I hear this often.…
A Catholic priest carries the Eucharist in the monstrance during adoration, with incense and praise and worship.
The Role of Laity in CST Part 4
Implementing Catholic social teaching results in confusion and error if our consciences are improperly formed.…
Subsidiarity comes from human dignity
The Role of Laity in CST Part 3
“Any tendency to treat religion as a private matter must be resisted. Only when their faith permeates every aspect of their lives do Christians become…
The Role of Laity in CST Part 2
“Freedom…demands the courage to engage in civic life and to bring one’s deepest beliefs and values to reasoned public debate”. (Pope Benedict XVI)…
A businessman looks out his office over the city.
The Role of Laity in CST Part 1
Let’s explore the role of laity in implementing Catholic social teaching.…
Solidarity means a radical gift of self, a love that imitates Christ. We all have dignity and must give God to others.
Practicing CST is Personal and Spiritual
The practice of Catholic social teaching is both personal and spiritual. “Working for a just distribution of the fruits of the earth and human labor…
What is Charity?
“Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love…
What is Social Justice?
Social justice is what results when “associations or individuals…obtain what is their due, according to their nature and their vocation.”…
Waving flags at the capitol representing government, politics, democracy, and state responsibilities.
Catholic Social Teaching is not Left or Right
Just as “Christian charitable activity must be independent of parties and ideologies” (Pope Benedict XVI) Catholic social teaching is not an endorsement of or for…
The ‘Health of Nations’ in Light of CST and Pope Francis
We have the opportunity, not simply to reevaluate our economic, political, and social orders, but actually to change them for the better.…
CAPP was founded by Pope St. John Paul II in 1993 to promote the knowledge and practice of Catholic social teaching.
The New Evangelization
The Church calls for a new evangelization and tells us that “to spread her social doctrine pertains to the Church’s evangelization mission and is an…
Francis is the third of the three modern popes to shape catholic social teaching.
What is the Church's Role in Catholic Social Teaching
While the Church fully realizes that society must be structured appropriately, she is just as clear that this is NOT the job of the Church.…
Catholic Social Teaching vs. Secular Social Theory
Is Catholic social teaching just another social theory? No! We would be remiss if we gave the impression that Catholic social teaching is just an…
Factory workers represrnting dignified work, economics, and integral development.
What is Integral Development?
“Authentic human development concerns the whole of the person in every single dimension”. (Pope Benedict XVI)…
The stock market in New York representing capitlaism, consumerism, and economics.
Gratuitousness: Catholic Social Teaching’s Solution for Capitalism
“Concretely, in economic activity” this means that business women and men “engage in economic activity for the sake of the common good and they experience…
The Critical Importance of the Principle of Subsidiarity
This principle of subsidiarity is crucial to fully understanding Catholic social teaching and, while we may have heard the term “subsidiarity” before, we really need…
Pope Francis waves to crowd in St. Peter's square.
10 Questions About Catholic Social Teaching
Catholic social teaching seeks to apply the essence of Christian moral principles to life in society. It is not an economic or political program, but…
We Cannot Choose Which Parts Of The Truth We Believe In
I must remind you and me that we are all called to maintain, defend and advocate for the fullness of the Truth, despite the…

Related Categories