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person, as discovered by reason and confirmed by revelation, be at the fore-
front of all political considerations.
What Does the Church Say About Catholic Social Teaching in the
Public Square?—Four Principles of Catholic Social Teaching
The permanent principles of the Church’s social doctrine constitute the very heart of
Catholic social teaching. These are the principles of: the dignity of the human per-
son, . . . the common good; subsidiarity; and solidarity. These principles [are] the
expression of the whole truth about man known by reason and faith . . .”
(
Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
, no. 160)
40. In the words of Pope Francis, “progress in building a people in peace, justice
and fraternity depends on four principles related to constant tensions present in
every social reality. These derive from the pillars of the Church’s social doctrine,
which serve as ‘primary and fundamental parameters of reference for interpret-
ing and evaluating social phenomena’” (
Evangelii Gaudium
, no. 221). Taken
together, these principles provide a moral framework for Catholic engagement
in advancing what we have called elsewhere a “consistent ethic of life” (
Living
the Gospel of Life
, no. 22). Rightly understood, this ethic does not treat all issues
as morally equivalent nor does it reduce Catholic teaching to one or two
issues. It anchors the Catholic commitment to defend human life, from concep-
tion until natural death, in the fundamental moral obligation to respect the
dignity of every person as a child of God. It unites us as a “people of life and
for life” (
Evangelium Vitae
, no. 6) pledged to build what St. John Paul II called
a “culture of life” (
Evangelium Vitae
, no. 77). This culture of life begins with the
preeminent obligation to protect innocent life from direct attack and extends
to defending life whenever it is threatened or diminished:
Any politics of human dignity must seriously address issues
of racism, poverty, hunger, employment, education, housing,
and health care. . . . If we understand the human person as
the “temple of the Holy Spirit”—the living house of God—
then these issues fall logically into place as the crossbeams