And What’s Wrong with It<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n <\/p>\n
by CAPP-USA<\/span><\/h5>\n <\/p>\n
Let\u2019s first define democratic socialism.<\/span><\/p>\nWhat is Democratic Socialism?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
Analysis of numerous \u201cDemocratic Socialism\u201d and \u201cSocialist\u201d websites make clear a harmony in advocating for one or both of these positions:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n![\"What](\"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Zohran_Mamdani_Speaking_at_a_DSA_101_Meeting_at_the_Church_of_the_Village_in_NYC-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Zohran Mamdani | \u00a9 Bingjiefu He<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Government provides a range of basic services<\/strong>, such as health care, housing, food and higher education, for free or at a significant discount, and\/or;<\/span><\/p>\nGovernment control of vast sectors of the economy<\/strong> \u2013 in order to ameliorate perceived \u201cills\u201d (climate change, income inequality, etc.).<\/span><\/p>\nLet\u2019s state up front \u2013 Catholic Social Teaching rejects this.<\/span><\/p>\nPope Pius XI \u201cmade it clear that no Catholic could subscribe even to moderate Socialism\u201d. (Pope St. John XXIII, 34)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nWe\u2019ll explain why.
<\/span><\/p>\nThree Problems with Democratic Socialism<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\nDEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM VIOLATES ANTHROPOLOGY<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Democratic socialism reduces mankind into economic elements<\/strong>. The Catholic Church rejects that human beings can be so understood.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n“Socialism\u2026wholly ignoring and indifferent to [the] sublime end of both man and society, affirms\u00a0that human association has been instituted for the sake of\u00a0material advantage alone.” (Pope Pius XI, 118)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nAs Pope St. John Paul II points out, \u201cIt is not possible to understand man on the basis of economics alone\u201d. (Centesimus Annus, 24)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n“[M]an, endowed with a social nature, is placed on this earth so that\u2026he may fully cultivate and develop all his faculties unto the praise and glory of his Creator”. (Pope Pius XI, 118)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\u201cMan is understood in a more complete way<\/strong> when he is situated within the sphere of culture\u201d, and \u201c[a]t the heart of every culture lies the attitude man takes to the greatest mystery: the mystery of God\u2026When this question is eliminated, the culture and moral life of nations are corrupted.\u201d (Pope St. John Paul II, 24)<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\nUnder socialism, freedom \u201cis replaced by a burdensome system of bureaucratic control which dries up the wellsprings of initiative and creativity\u201d. (Pope St. John Paul II, 25)<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\nSocialism ultimately fails due to \u201can understanding of human freedom which detaches it from obedience to the truth, and consequently from the duty to respect the rights of others.\u201d (Pope St. John Paul II, 17)<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\nBasically, socialism ultimately fails because of the \u201cspiritual void brought about by atheism\u201d. (Pope St. John Paul II, 24)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nLearn About Human Dignity<\/a><\/p>\n\nDemocratic socialism reduces mankind into economic elements.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nDEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM VIOLATES PRIVATE PROPERTY<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\u201cThe first and most fundamental principle<\/strong>\u2026if one would undertake to alleviate the condition of the masses, must be the inviolability of private property.\u201d (Pope St. John Paul II, 15)<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nIn 1891 Pope Leo XIII already found that socialism violates rights to private property and thereby hurts the working person. Democratic Socialism is \u201cemphatically unjust\u201d for it \u201cwould rob the lawful possessor, distort the functions of the State, and create utter confusion in the community.\u201d (Rerum Novarum, 4)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n“One hundred years later Pope St. John Paul II endorsed this masterful insight: \u201cThis right, [to private property] which is fundamental for the autonomy and development of the person, has always been defended by the Church up to our own day\u201d. (Centesimus Annus, 30)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\u201cBy defining the nature of the socialism of his day as the suppression of private property, Leo XIII arrived at the crux of the problem.\u201d (Pope St. John Paul II, 12)<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\nSocialism \u201cmust be utterly rejected, since it only injures those whom it would seem meant to benefit, is directly contrary to the natural rights of mankind, and would introduce confusion and disorder into the commonweal.\u201d (Pope Leo XIII, 24)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nLearn About Private Property Rights<\/a><\/p>\nDEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM VIOLATES SUBSIDIARITY<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Pope Pius XI identified how socialism violates the key Catholic Social Teaching principle of Subsidiarity, \u201cThat most weighty principle, which cannot be set aside or changed, remains fixed and unshaken in social philosophy.\u201d (Quadragesimo Anno, 79)<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u201cThe State\u2026must not extend their ownership beyond<\/strong> what is clearly required by considerations of the common good properly understood, and even then there must be safeguards. Otherwise private ownership could be reduced beyond measure, or, even worse, completely destroyed.\u201d (Pope St. John XXIII, 117)<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n\u201cJust as it is gravely wrong to take from individuals what they can accomplish by their own initiative and industry and give it to the community, so also it is an injustice and at the same time a grave evil and disturbance of right order to assign to a greater and higher association what lesser and subordinate organizations can do<\/strong>.\u201d (Pope Piux XI, 79)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nLearn About Subsidiarity<\/a><\/p>\nThe Bottom Line<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\nTHE CHURCH AFFIRMS MANY ENDS OF DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM<\/strong><\/h3>\n\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\nCatholic Social Teaching and democratic socialism share common end goals<\/strong> like Solidarity and the Common Good. <\/span><\/p>\nIndeed, democratic socialism \u201cinclines toward and in a certain measure approaches the truths which Christian tradition has always held sacred; for it cannot be denied that its demands at times come very near those that Christian reformers of society justly insist upon.\u201d (Pope Piux XI, 13)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nIn fact, \u201cIt can come even to the point that imperceptibly these ideas of the more moderate socialism will no longer differ from the desires and demands of those who are striving to remold human society on the basis of Christian principles\u201d! (Pope Piux XI, 114)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nNOT THE MEANS!<\/strong><\/h3>\n\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\nHowever, Democratic Socialism essentially reduces mankind into economic elements \u2014 losing an important insight into the basic idea of human anthropology and failing to appreciate man\u2019s true grandeur.<\/span><\/p>\nThis means democratic socialism \u201ccannot be reconciled with the teachings of the Catholic Church<\/strong> because its concept of society itself is utterly foreign to Christian truth\u201d. (Pope Piux XI, 117)<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\nDemocratic socialism \u201cis based\u2026on a theory of human society\u2026 irreconcilable with true Christianity.\u201d (Pope Piux XI, 120)<\/a> \u201cWe have found all their forms, even the most modified, to wander far from the precepts of the Gospel.\u201d (Pope Piux XI, 128)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nA CLOSING INSIGHT<\/strong><\/h3>\n\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n\u201cBy intervening directly and depriving society of its responsibility, the Social Assistance State leads to a loss of human energies and an inordinate increase in public agencies which are dominated more by bureaucratic ways of thinking than by concern for serving their clients, and which are accompanied by an enormous increase in spending. In fact, it would appear that needs are best understood and satisfied by people who are closest to them and who act as neighbors to those in need\u201d. (Pope St. John Paul II, 48)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nWhat Does the Church Say About Capitalism<\/a><\/p>\nMarxism vs. CST: Where They Overlap<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nWhat is Socialism?<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nCapitalism vs. Socialism<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nWas Jesus a Socialist?<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nSocialist Countries and Welfare States<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nCatholic Social Teaching: Antidote to Extremism<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nKarl Marx and the Catholic Church<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_button button_url=”\/socialism\/” button_text=”More About Socialism” button_alignment=”center” module_class=”hover-btn-border” _builder_version=”4.24.3″ custom_button=”on” button_text_size=”30px” button_text_color=”#054368″ button_border_width=”0px” button_border_radius=”0px” button_font=”|600||on|||||” 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Catholic social teaching is built on three foundational principles –\u00a0<\/strong>Human Dignity<\/strong>,\u00a0Solidarity\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Subsidiarity.\u00a0<\/strong>Human Dignity, embodied in a correct understanding of the human person, is the greatest. The others flow from it. Good governments and good economic systems find ways of fostering the three principles.<\/p>\n[\/et_pb_slide][et_pb_slide heading=”Human Dignity” button_link=”\/human-dignity\/” image=”https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Human-Dignity.png” use_bg_overlay=”off” use_text_overlay=”off” _builder_version=”4.19.0″ header_font=”||||||||” background_color=”#ffffff” button_on_hover=”on” link_option_url=”\/human-dignity\/” custom_css_slide_image=”width: 200px !important;||margin: 0 auto !important;” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_transition=”on”]<\/p>\n
This means a correct understanding of the human person and of each person\u2019s unique value. All Catholic social teaching flows from this: the inherent dignity of every person that comes from being made in God\u2019s image.\u00a0<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_slide][et_pb_slide heading=”Solidarity” button_link=”\/solidarity\/” image=”https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Solidarity.png” use_bg_overlay=”off” use_text_overlay=”off” _builder_version=”4.19.0″ header_font=”||||||||” background_color=”#ffffff” button_on_hover=”on” link_option_url=”\/solidarity\/” custom_css_slide_image=”width: 200px !important;||margin: 0 auto !important;” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_transition=”on”]<\/p>\n
Solidarity is not \u201ca feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of others. It is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good\u201d. (Pope St. John Paul II, 38)<\/a> Love of God and love of neighbor are, in fact, linked and form one, single commandment.<\/p>\n[\/et_pb_slide][et_pb_slide heading=”Subsidiarity” button_link=”\/subsidiarity\/” image=”https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Subsidiarity.png” use_bg_overlay=”off” use_text_overlay=”off” _builder_version=”4.19.0″ header_font=”||||||||” background_color=”#ffffff” button_on_hover=”on” link_option_url=”\/subsidiarity\/” custom_css_slide_image=”width: 200px !important;||margin: 0 auto !important;” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_transition=”on”]<\/p>\n
Subsidiarity \u201cis a fundamental principle of social philosophy, fixed and unchangeable, that one should not withdraw from individuals and commit to the community what they can accomplish by their own enterprise and industry. So, too, it is an injustice and at the same time a grave evil and a disturbance of right order to transfer to the larger and higher collectivity functions which can be performed and provided for by the lesser and subordinate bodies\u201d. (Pope Pius XI)<\/a><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_slide][\/et_pb_slider][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” admin_label=”Image & Text” module_id=”newsletter” module_class=”mosaic_width” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ background_color=”#eb7525″ z_index=”950″ display_conditions=”W3siaWQiOiI2MmUwMjk2ZS1lYmY5LTQwYWYtYmM0Mi0zZmEzYzUyNGNlYTEiLCJjb25kaXRpb24iOiJwYWdlIiwiY29uZGl0aW9uU2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiZGlzcGxheVJ1bGUiOiJpc05vdCIsImR5bmFtaWNQb3N0cyI6W3sibGFiZWwiOiJDYXJpdGFzIGluIFZlcml0YXRlIiwidmFsdWUiOiI0NzIxNCJ9XSwicG9zdFR5cGVMYWJlbCI6IlBhZ2VzIiwiYWRtaW5MYWJlbCI6IlBhZ2VzIiwiZW5hYmxlQ29uZGl0aW9uIjoib24ifSwib3BlcmF0b3IiOiJPUiJ9XQ==” custom_margin=”||” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding_phone=”0px||0px||false|false” animation_direction=”left” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_module=”45073″ saved_tabs=”all” locked=”off” collapsed=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ make_equal=”on” module_class=”mosaic_width” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ custom_margin=”||” custom_padding=”0px||0px||true|false” animation_style=”fade” animation_delay=”200ms” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ module_class=”ds-vertical-align” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”Playfair Display||||||||” text_text_color=”#ffffff” header_font=”||||||||” header_text_align=”center” header_text_color=”#eb7525″ header_2_text_color=”#ffffff” header_3_text_color=”#ffffff” header_3_font_size=”30px” header_4_font=”Playfair Display|700|||||||” header_4_text_color=”#ffffff” header_4_font_size=”32px” text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”||” custom_padding=”||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
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Let\u2019s first define democratic socialism.<\/span><\/p>\n Zohran Mamdani | \u00a9 Bingjiefu He<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Government provides a range of basic services<\/strong>, such as health care, housing, food and higher education, for free or at a significant discount, and\/or;<\/span><\/p>\n Government control of vast sectors of the economy<\/strong> \u2013 in order to ameliorate perceived \u201cills\u201d (climate change, income inequality, etc.).<\/span><\/p>\n Let\u2019s state up front \u2013 Catholic Social Teaching rejects this.<\/span><\/p>\n Pope Pius XI \u201cmade it clear that no Catholic could subscribe even to moderate Socialism\u201d. (Pope St. John XXIII, 34)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019ll explain why. “Socialism\u2026wholly ignoring and indifferent to [the] sublime end of both man and society, affirms\u00a0that human association has been instituted for the sake of\u00a0material advantage alone.” (Pope Pius XI, 118)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n As Pope St. John Paul II points out, \u201cIt is not possible to understand man on the basis of economics alone\u201d. (Centesimus Annus, 24)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n “[M]an, endowed with a social nature, is placed on this earth so that\u2026he may fully cultivate and develop all his faculties unto the praise and glory of his Creator”. (Pope Pius XI, 118)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMan is understood in a more complete way<\/strong> when he is situated within the sphere of culture\u201d, and \u201c[a]t the heart of every culture lies the attitude man takes to the greatest mystery: the mystery of God\u2026When this question is eliminated, the culture and moral life of nations are corrupted.\u201d (Pope St. John Paul II, 24)<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n Under socialism, freedom \u201cis replaced by a burdensome system of bureaucratic control which dries up the wellsprings of initiative and creativity\u201d. (Pope St. John Paul II, 25)<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n Socialism ultimately fails due to \u201can understanding of human freedom which detaches it from obedience to the truth, and consequently from the duty to respect the rights of others.\u201d (Pope St. John Paul II, 17)<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n Basically, socialism ultimately fails because of the \u201cspiritual void brought about by atheism\u201d. (Pope St. John Paul II, 24)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Learn About Human Dignity<\/a><\/p>\n Democratic socialism reduces mankind into economic elements.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In 1891 Pope Leo XIII already found that socialism violates rights to private property and thereby hurts the working person. Democratic Socialism is \u201cemphatically unjust\u201d for it \u201cwould rob the lawful possessor, distort the functions of the State, and create utter confusion in the community.\u201d (Rerum Novarum, 4)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n “One hundred years later Pope St. John Paul II endorsed this masterful insight: \u201cThis right, [to private property] which is fundamental for the autonomy and development of the person, has always been defended by the Church up to our own day\u201d. (Centesimus Annus, 30)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBy defining the nature of the socialism of his day as the suppression of private property, Leo XIII arrived at the crux of the problem.\u201d (Pope St. John Paul II, 12)<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n Socialism \u201cmust be utterly rejected, since it only injures those whom it would seem meant to benefit, is directly contrary to the natural rights of mankind, and would introduce confusion and disorder into the commonweal.\u201d (Pope Leo XIII, 24)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Learn About Private Property Rights<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe State\u2026must not extend their ownership beyond<\/strong> what is clearly required by considerations of the common good properly understood, and even then there must be safeguards. Otherwise private ownership could be reduced beyond measure, or, even worse, completely destroyed.\u201d (Pope St. John XXIII, 117)<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cJust as it is gravely wrong to take from individuals what they can accomplish by their own initiative and industry and give it to the community, so also it is an injustice and at the same time a grave evil and disturbance of right order to assign to a greater and higher association what lesser and subordinate organizations can do<\/strong>.\u201d (Pope Piux XI, 79)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Learn About Subsidiarity<\/a><\/p>\n Catholic Social Teaching and democratic socialism share common end goals<\/strong> like Solidarity and the Common Good. <\/span><\/p>\n Indeed, democratic socialism \u201cinclines toward and in a certain measure approaches the truths which Christian tradition has always held sacred; for it cannot be denied that its demands at times come very near those that Christian reformers of society justly insist upon.\u201d (Pope Piux XI, 13)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n In fact, \u201cIt can come even to the point that imperceptibly these ideas of the more moderate socialism will no longer differ from the desires and demands of those who are striving to remold human society on the basis of Christian principles\u201d! (Pope Piux XI, 114)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n However, Democratic Socialism essentially reduces mankind into economic elements \u2014 losing an important insight into the basic idea of human anthropology and failing to appreciate man\u2019s true grandeur.<\/span><\/p>\n This means democratic socialism \u201ccannot be reconciled with the teachings of the Catholic Church<\/strong> because its concept of society itself is utterly foreign to Christian truth\u201d. (Pope Piux XI, 117)<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n Democratic socialism \u201cis based\u2026on a theory of human society\u2026 irreconcilable with true Christianity.\u201d (Pope Piux XI, 120)<\/a> \u201cWe have found all their forms, even the most modified, to wander far from the precepts of the Gospel.\u201d (Pope Piux XI, 128)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBy intervening directly and depriving society of its responsibility, the Social Assistance State leads to a loss of human energies and an inordinate increase in public agencies which are dominated more by bureaucratic ways of thinking than by concern for serving their clients, and which are accompanied by an enormous increase in spending. In fact, it would appear that needs are best understood and satisfied by people who are closest to them and who act as neighbors to those in need\u201d. (Pope St. John Paul II, 48)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n What Does the Church Say About Capitalism<\/a><\/p>\n Marxism vs. CST: Where They Overlap<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n What is Socialism?<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Capitalism vs. Socialism<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Was Jesus a Socialist?<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Socialist Countries and Welfare States<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Catholic Social Teaching: Antidote to Extremism<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Karl Marx and the Catholic Church<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_button button_url=”\/socialism\/” button_text=”More About Socialism” button_alignment=”center” module_class=”hover-btn-border” _builder_version=”4.24.3″ custom_button=”on” button_text_size=”30px” button_text_color=”#054368″ button_border_width=”0px” button_border_radius=”0px” 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button_text_size=”30px” button_text_color=”#054368″ button_border_width=”0px” button_border_radius=”0px” button_font=”|600||on|||||” button_icon=”5||divi||400″ button_on_hover=”off” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” button_text_color__hover_enabled=”on” button_text_color__hover=”#054368″][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Widget of Issues ” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”0px|0px|0px|0px||” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” saved_tabs=”all” locked=”off” collapsed=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_5,3_5,1_5″ use_custom_gutter=”on” module_class=” et_pb_row_fullwidth” _builder_version=”4.13.0″ width=”100%” width_tablet=”100%” width_phone=”” width_last_edited=”on|desktop” max_width=”100%” max_width_tablet=”100%” max_width_phone=”” max_width_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_margin=”0px|0px|0px|0px” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” custom_css_main_element=”width: 100% !important;” make_fullwidth=”on” global_module=”31023″ saved_tabs=”all” collapsed=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_slider show_image_video_mobile=”on” module_class=”three-principles” _builder_version=”4.19.5″ header_font=”Open Sans|700|||||||” header_text_color=”#084369″ header_font_size=”24px” header_line_height=”1.5em” body_text_color=”#084369″ width=”100%” width_last_edited=”off|desktop” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”|||” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”||||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_css_slide_image_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_css_slide_image_phone=”width: auto;||margin: 0 auto !important;”][et_pb_slide heading=”Three Key Principles” button_link=”https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/catholic-social-teaching-principles\/” image=”https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Three-Principles.png” use_bg_overlay=”off” use_text_overlay=”off” image_alt=”Three circles containing symbols of the three principles of catholic social teaching: human dignity, subsidiarity, and solidarity.” image_tablet=”” image_phone=”https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/3-Key-principle-icons-resized.png” image_last_edited=”on|phone” _builder_version=”4.19.5″ header_font=”||||||||” background_color=”#ffffff” button_on_hover=”on” z_index=”0″ overflow-x=”hidden” overflow-y=”hidden” link_option_url=”https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/catholic-social-teaching-principles\/” custom_css_slide_image=”width: 300px !important;||margin: 0 auto !important;” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_transition=”on”]<\/p>\n Catholic social teaching is built on three foundational principles –\u00a0<\/strong>Human Dignity<\/strong>,\u00a0Solidarity\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Subsidiarity.\u00a0<\/strong>Human Dignity, embodied in a correct understanding of the human person, is the greatest. The others flow from it. Good governments and good economic systems find ways of fostering the three principles.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_slide][et_pb_slide heading=”Human Dignity” button_link=”\/human-dignity\/” image=”https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Human-Dignity.png” use_bg_overlay=”off” use_text_overlay=”off” _builder_version=”4.19.0″ header_font=”||||||||” background_color=”#ffffff” button_on_hover=”on” link_option_url=”\/human-dignity\/” custom_css_slide_image=”width: 200px !important;||margin: 0 auto !important;” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_transition=”on”]<\/p>\n This means a correct understanding of the human person and of each person\u2019s unique value. All Catholic social teaching flows from this: the inherent dignity of every person that comes from being made in God\u2019s image.\u00a0<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_slide][et_pb_slide heading=”Solidarity” button_link=”\/solidarity\/” image=”https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Solidarity.png” use_bg_overlay=”off” use_text_overlay=”off” _builder_version=”4.19.0″ header_font=”||||||||” background_color=”#ffffff” button_on_hover=”on” link_option_url=”\/solidarity\/” custom_css_slide_image=”width: 200px !important;||margin: 0 auto !important;” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_transition=”on”]<\/p>\n Solidarity is not \u201ca feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of others. It is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good\u201d. (Pope St. John Paul II, 38)<\/a> Love of God and love of neighbor are, in fact, linked and form one, single commandment.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_slide][et_pb_slide heading=”Subsidiarity” button_link=”\/subsidiarity\/” image=”https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Subsidiarity.png” use_bg_overlay=”off” use_text_overlay=”off” _builder_version=”4.19.0″ header_font=”||||||||” background_color=”#ffffff” button_on_hover=”on” link_option_url=”\/subsidiarity\/” custom_css_slide_image=”width: 200px !important;||margin: 0 auto !important;” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_transition=”on”]<\/p>\n Subsidiarity \u201cis a fundamental principle of social philosophy, fixed and unchangeable, that one should not withdraw from individuals and commit to the community what they can accomplish by their own enterprise and industry. So, too, it is an injustice and at the same time a grave evil and a disturbance of right order to transfer to the larger and higher collectivity functions which can be performed and provided for by the lesser and subordinate bodies\u201d. (Pope Pius XI)<\/a><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_slide][\/et_pb_slider][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” admin_label=”Image & Text” module_id=”newsletter” module_class=”mosaic_width” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ background_color=”#eb7525″ z_index=”950″ display_conditions=”W3siaWQiOiI2MmUwMjk2ZS1lYmY5LTQwYWYtYmM0Mi0zZmEzYzUyNGNlYTEiLCJjb25kaXRpb24iOiJwYWdlIiwiY29uZGl0aW9uU2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiZGlzcGxheVJ1bGUiOiJpc05vdCIsImR5bmFtaWNQb3N0cyI6W3sibGFiZWwiOiJDYXJpdGFzIGluIFZlcml0YXRlIiwidmFsdWUiOiI0NzIxNCJ9XSwicG9zdFR5cGVMYWJlbCI6IlBhZ2VzIiwiYWRtaW5MYWJlbCI6IlBhZ2VzIiwiZW5hYmxlQ29uZGl0aW9uIjoib24ifSwib3BlcmF0b3IiOiJPUiJ9XQ==” custom_margin=”||” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding_phone=”0px||0px||false|false” animation_direction=”left” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_module=”45073″ saved_tabs=”all” locked=”off” collapsed=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ make_equal=”on” module_class=”mosaic_width” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ custom_margin=”||” custom_padding=”0px||0px||true|false” animation_style=”fade” animation_delay=”200ms” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ module_class=”ds-vertical-align” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”Playfair Display||||||||” text_text_color=”#ffffff” header_font=”||||||||” header_text_align=”center” header_text_color=”#eb7525″ header_2_text_color=”#ffffff” header_3_text_color=”#ffffff” header_3_font_size=”30px” header_4_font=”Playfair Display|700|||||||” header_4_text_color=”#ffffff” header_4_font_size=”32px” text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”||” custom_padding=”||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ module_class=”ds-vertical-align” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.21.0″ custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]What is Democratic Socialism?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
Analysis of numerous \u201cDemocratic Socialism\u201d and \u201cSocialist\u201d websites make clear a harmony in advocating for one or both of these positions:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\nThree Problems with Democratic Socialism<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM VIOLATES ANTHROPOLOGY<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Democratic socialism reduces mankind into economic elements<\/strong>. The Catholic Church rejects that human beings can be so understood.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n
DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM VIOLATES PRIVATE PROPERTY<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\u201cThe first and most fundamental principle<\/strong>\u2026if one would undertake to alleviate the condition of the masses, must be the inviolability of private property.\u201d (Pope St. John Paul II, 15)<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nDEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM VIOLATES SUBSIDIARITY<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Pope Pius XI identified how socialism violates the key Catholic Social Teaching principle of Subsidiarity, \u201cThat most weighty principle, which cannot be set aside or changed, remains fixed and unshaken in social philosophy.\u201d (Quadragesimo Anno, 79)<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nThe Bottom Line<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n
THE CHURCH AFFIRMS MANY ENDS OF DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n
NOT THE MEANS!<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n
A CLOSING INSIGHT<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n
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