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good, that is, what is in accord with our human nature as free, intelligent
beings created in God’s image and likeness and endowed by the Creator with
dignity and rights as well as duties.
Christ also reveals to us the weaknesses that are part of all human endeav-
ors. In the language of revelation, we are confronted with sin, both personal
and structural. “The Church’s wisdom,” according to Pope Benedict XVI, “has
always pointed to the presence of original sin in social conditions and in the
structure of society” (
Caritas in Veritate
, no. 34). All “structures of sin,” as St.
John Paul II calls them, “are rooted in personal sin, and thus always linked to
the concrete acts of individuals who introduce these structures, consolidate
them and make them difficult to remove” (
Sollicitudo Rei Socialis
, no. 36).
Thus, our faith helps us understand that the pursuit of a civilization of love
must address our own failures and the ways in which these failures distort the
broader ordering of the society in which we live. In the words of the
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
, “Ignorance of the fact that man has a wounded nature
inclined to evil gives rise to serious errors in the areas of education, politics,
social action and morals” (no. 407). As Pope Francis, quoting Pope Benedict
XVI, reaffirmed in
Evangelii Gaudium
, “We need to be convinced that char-
ity ‘is the principle not only of micro-relationships (with friends, with fam-
ily members or within small groups) but also of macro-relationships (social,
economic and political ones)’” (no. 205).
10. What faith teaches about the dignity of the human person, about the
sacredness of every human life, and about humanity’s strengths and weak-
nesses helps us see more clearly the same truths that also come to us through
the gift of human reason. At the center of these truths is respect for the
dignity of every person. This is the core of Catholic moral and social teaching.
Because we are people of both faith and reason, it is appropriate and neces-
sary for us to bring this essential truth about human life and dignity to the
public square. We are called to practice Christ’s commandment to “love one
another” (Jn 13:34). We are also called to promote the well-being of all, to
share our blessings with those most in need, to defend marriage, and to protect
the lives and dignity of all, especially the weak, the vulnerable, the voiceless.
In his first encyclical letter,
Deus Caritas Est
, Pope Benedict XVI explained
that “charity must animate the entire lives of the lay faithful and therefore
also their political activity, lived as ‘social charity’” (no. 29).
11. Some question whether it is appropriate for the Church to play a role in
political life. However, the obligation to teach the moral truths that should
shape our lives, including our public lives, is central to the mission given to
the Church by Jesus Christ. Moreover, the United States Constitution protects
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