Social Justice & Pope Francis

the Holy Father has mentioned social justice in several of his addresses. The American people cringe at the word. One has to understand Catholic teaching on social justice to know that it's not the same as the social justice progressives talk about. At the center of Catholic teaching on social justice is the vertical and the horizontal.Progressives think of it in terms of secular humanism. The Catholic Church includes the vertical-it MUST be Christ centered. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, 1928 Society ensures social justice when it provides the conditions that allow associations or individuals to obtain what is their due, according to their nature and their vocation. Social justice is linked to the common good and the exercise of authority.

I. RESPECT FOR THE HUMAN PERSON 1929 Social justice can be obtained only in respecting the transcendent dignity of man. The person represents the ultimate end of society, which is ordered to him: What is at stake is the dignity of the human person, whose defense and promotion have been entrusted to us by the Creator, and to whom the men and women at every moment of history are strictly and responsibly in debt.35 1930 Respect for the human person entails respect for the rights that flow from his dignity as a creature. These rights are prior to society and must be recognized by it. They are the basis of the moral legitimacy of every authority: by flouting them, or refusing to recognize them in its positive legislation, a society undermines its own moral legitimacy.36 If it does not respect them, authority can rely only on force or violence to obtain obedience from its subjects. It is the Church's role to remind men of good will of these rights and to distinguish them from unwarranted or false claims. 1931 Respect for the human person proceeds by way of respect for the principle that "everyone should look upon his neighbor (without any exception) as 'another self,' above all bearing in mind his life and the means necessary for living it with dignity."37 No legislation could by itself do away with the fears, prejudices, and attitudes of pride and selfishness which obstruct the establishment of truly fraternal societies. Such behavior will cease only through the charity that finds in every man a "neighbor," a brother. 1932 The duty of making oneself a neighbor to others and actively serving them becomes even more urgent when it involves the disadvantaged, in whatever area this may be. "As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me."38 1933 This same duty extends to those who think or act differently from us. The teaching of Christ goes so far as to require the forgiveness of offenses. He extends the commandment of love, which is that of the New Law, to all enemies.39 Liberation in the spirit of the Gospel is incompatible with hatred of one's enemy as a person, but not with hatred of the evil that he does as an enemy.

Further the Catechism states,

1941 Socio-economic problems can be resolved only with the help of all the forms of solidarity: solidarity of the poor among themselves, between rich and poor, of workers among themselves, between employers and employees in a business, solidarity among nations and peoples. International solidarity is a requirement of the moral order; world peace depends in part upon this.

Social Justice taught by the Catholic Church is incompatible with Social Justice as promoted by liberalism,communism and secular humanism as we have seen recently in the United States.Unfortunately our secular culture tries to promote their form of social justice by making the claim the Catholic Church supports them. Not when you hijack the teaching and twist it around to fit your own agenda then label it social justice. First of all charity cannot be forced by law. It's self giving. Second,you don't promote abortion,euthanasia,same sex 'marriage' and other evils and call it justice. At the heart of the Church's teaching on social justice is the dignity due to all humans. We do not allow evils into our culture.They're totally destructive to the dignity of the human person.It's NOT Social Justice,it's PERMISSIVENESS Call it what it is. It affects ALL of us but especially when it violates freedom of conscience. Source of quotes,Catechism of Catholic Church:Life In Christ,Social Justice