Catholic Social Teaching Sheds Light on Important Contemporary Issues

One of the least known treasures of the Catholic faith is Catholic social teaching (herein CST). CST provides Catholics and all people of good will principles that can be used to help build a more just and humane world. Priests and bishops ought, in my opinion, do a better job imparting the wisdom of CST to the souls entrusted to their care. The primary sources for CST are: Scripture; Tradition; Natural Law; and Experience. To be sure, CST transcends political party and ideology to promote a consistent ethic of life, human flourishing, and the common good. Lent is a season of conversion whereby, among other things, we practice almsgiving - a resolute commitment to live charity and justice. With this in mind, I would like to briefly apply the wisdom of CST to a number of contemporary issues that are on the mind of many of us these days. The conclusions I reach are my own, but ones I believe are strongly supported by CST and Christian ethics.

Immigration and Dreamer Legislation

The Catholic Church teaches that there is a natural right to emigrate for just reasons. This means that the right to emigrate attends to the nature of the human person and flows from our inherent dignity. The Church also teaches that sovereign countries have a right to justly regulate their boarders. With respect to the United States, it should be noted that we are a nation of immigrants and that the U.S. Bishops have called for a generous immigration policy -  with special consideration given to Dreamers. Dreamers were brought to our country without documentation and have grown up in the United States. While many undocumented immigrants entered the U.S. out of desperation, Dreamers, who came here as children, did not themselves violate our laws. Today, there are hundreds of thousands of Dreamers who wish to live a life of human flourishing and security. The Catholic bishops and Archbishop Hebda have called on Catholics to contact their legislators in support of legislation that puts Dreamers on a pathway to citizenship. While the issue of immigration has proven an intractable problem for many years, our support of Dreamers is, in my opinion, a concrete step toward a more just and humane American society.

Legislation in Protection of Conscience

The Catholic Church teaches that every human person has a right to religious freedom and freedom of conscience. Like the right to emigrate, this right attends our human nature and flows from our human dignity. As human beings, we are made in the image and likeness of God and thus must be given the freedom to worship, believe and act according to our conscience. Freedom of religion and conscience are not rights granted by the state - to be taken away at will. Rather, the Church teaches that religious freedom and conscience protection are of utmost importance and thus should find protection in the laws of sovereign nations. In the United States, the power comes from the people - an intentional choice by our framers who were concerned with tyrannical power and the suppression of fundamental liberty. Currently in the United States, affronts to freedom of conscience abound. One would hope that our pluralistic society would have room for both expanding notions of liberty and robust freedom of conscience. Because this sensible course is much in doubt, the Catholic bishops of the United States have called on Catholics to encourage their legislators to support legislation that strengthens the protection of conscience among our citizenry.

Gun Legislation

Many Americans have been saddened by the recent school shooting in South Florida where 17 people were killed. Gun violence and mass shootings have become an epidemic in the United States and we are an outlier in this respect vis-a-vis the western world. It is also true that gun ownership and the responsible use of guns are an important part of the history and fabric of our nation. The Supreme Court recently decided that the Second Amendment upholds the individual right of citizens to own guns. As with most rights in our civil society, the right to bear arms is not absolute and can be reasonably limited according to the public good. In the past several years there has been little will on the part of politicians to enact gun legislation that most Americans support and believe would reduce gun violence in our country. Sensible gun legislation, similar to what was just passed in Florida, contributes to a society that is more peaceful, just, and humane - the goal of CST.

The Korean Peninsula

Along with many Americans, I was quite surprised by the announcement that President Trump will sit down soon with Kim Jong-un of North Korea. The goal of the United States’ foreign policy is the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and a lasting peace in this region of the world. The Catholic Church teaches that war is a scourge and that peace and non-violent means of resolving conflicts should be pursued with vigor. While the Catholic faith is not pacifist per se, the situations where the use of force might be morally justified are quite rare. In addition, CST teaches that all authority exists for the common good and that prudence is one of the most important virtues of any leader. Notwithstanding the unorthodox manner and speed at which this decision came about, I applaud efforts toward dialogue and diplomacy - hopefully onto a peaceful resolution of the current conflict. Catholics can support the pursuit of peace by holding their leaders accountable for prudent actions consistent with global peace. With respect to all of the issues above, Catholics must never forget the importance of prayer - to our good and loving God.

I will leave the issue of tariffs to another day. :)
Peace,
Fr. Griffith