The Common Good in Catholic Social Teaching
Is For All
Respects the Human Person
Peace
The Sole Reason for Government
Promotes Development
A Result, Not A Principle
The “common good” is a critical concept. It as an aspirational result: “the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily”. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1906)
The common good in Catholic social teaching “consists of three essential elements“
- “Respect for the person, as such”. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1907) The Church goes on to cite the obligation for public authorities to respect fundamental and inalienable rights.
- The “social well-being and development of the group”. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1908) The Church goes on to call ‘development’ the epitome of all social duties and insists public authorities “arbitrate…between various particular interests” to attain it.
- Peace (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1909) The Church notes the proper responsibility of public authorities to ensure the security of society, through morally acceptable means.
It is the Sole Reason for the Existence of Governments
“The political community exists…for the sake of the common good, in which it finds its full justification and significance, and the source of its inherent legitimacy”.
Applies to Future Generations
“The notion of the common good also extends to future generations…Once we start to think about the kind of world we are leaving to future generations, we look at things differently; we realize that the world is a gift which we have freely received and must share with others…Intergenerational solidarity is not optional, but rather a basic question of justice, since the world we have received also belongs to those who will follow us.” (Pope Francis, 159)
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“An integral ecology is inseparable from the notion of the common good, a central and unifying principle of social ethics. The common good is ‘the sum of those conditions of social life which allow social groups and their individual members relatively thorough and ready access to their own fulfilment.” (Pope Francis, 156)
“The global economic crises have made painfully obvious the detrimental effects of disregarding our common destiny, which cannot exclude those who come after us. We can no longer speak of sustainable development apart from intergenerational solidarity …Since the world has been given to us, we can no longer view reality in a purely utilitarian way, in which efficiency and productivity are entirely geared to our individual benefit.” (Pope Francis, 159)
Not An End In Itself
The common good is not an end in itself; it is never sought “for its own sake, but for the people who belong to the social community and who can only really and effectively pursue their good within it”. (Pope Benedict XVI, 7)
Indeed, “civil society exists for the common good” (Pope Leo XIII, 51) and “every civil authority must strive to promote the common good”. (Pope St. John XXIII, 56)
The Common Good in Catholic Social Teaching is Also Spiritual
“Social and psychological alienation and the many neuroses that afflict affluent societies are attributable in part to spiritual factors…
There cannot be holistic development and universal common good unless people’s spiritual and moral welfare is taken into account”.
The Common Good in Catholic Social Teaching: A Summary
The common good is not “simply the sum total of particular interests; rather it involves an assessment and integration of those interests on the basis of a balanced hierarchy of values; ultimately it demands a correct understanding of the dignity and the rights of the person.” (Pope St. John Paul II, 47)
Indeed, “[t]he common good, since it is intimately bound up with human nature, can never exist fully and completely unless the human person is taken into account at all times.” (Pope St. John XXIII, 55)
“The notion of the common good also extends to future generations…” (Pope Francis, 159)
The Common Good in Catholic Social Teaching: FAQs
Q: To whom does the common good apply in Catholic social teaching?
A: The common good “is concerned with the interests of all” (Pope Leo XIII, 51) “without favoring any individual citizen or category of citizen.” “[E]very single citizen has the right to share in it—although in different ways, depending on his tasks, merits and circumstances.” (Pope St. John XXIII, 56)
Pope Francis has also made it clear that the common good applies to future generations. (Laudato Si, 159)
Q: In Catholic social teaching, does the common good entail a responsibility of each individual?
A: Yes! According to his means and position in society, to participate “in promoting the common good…by taking charge of the areas for which one assumes personal responsibility”. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1914) And, it is in the “political community that the most complete realization [of the common good] is found”. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1910)
Q: Is the common good simply the sum total of individual interests?
A: No. The common good “involves an assessment and integration of these interests on the basis of a balanced hierarchy of values; ultimately it demands a correct understanding of the dignity and the rights of the person.” (Pope St. John Paul II, 47)
Indeed, “[t]he common good, since it is intimately bound up with human nature, can never exist fully and completely unless the human person is taken into account at all times.” (Pope St. John XXIII, 55)
