Catholic Social Teaching affirms the legitimacy of private property, free enterprise, and the market economy while insisting that economic activity must serve human dignity and the common good. We advocate for policies that promote economic freedom, support families, and protect the poor without excessive state intervention.
The Principles of Catholic Economic Teaching
Pope Leo XIII's encyclical Rerum Novarum (1891) laid the foundation for modern Catholic social teaching on economics, defending private property as a natural right while affirming obligations to the common good. He rejected both socialism and unbridled capitalism.
Subsidiarity and Limited Government
A key principle of Catholic Social Teaching is subsidiarity: "a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions, but rather should support it in case of need" (John Paul II, 1991, no. 48).
The Preferential Option for the Poor
Catholic teaching includes a preferential option for the poor—a special concern for those who are most vulnerable. Experience shows that free markets, when properly regulated and supplemented by private charity and limited government assistance, have been the most effective means of lifting people out of poverty.
Our Economic Vision
We support economic freedom as essential to human dignity and prosperity. We advocate for limited government that respects subsidiarity, tax policies that support families, and regulations that protect workers and consumers without stifling enterprise.
References
- Francis. (2013). Evangelii gaudium. Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
- John Paul II. (1991). Centesimus annus. Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
- Leo XIII. (1891). Rerum novarum. Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
- Novak, M. (1982). The spirit of democratic capitalism. Simon & Schuster.