Catholic Social Teaching
A Volume of Scholarly Essays

Few treatments of Catholic Social Teaching are as comprehensive as this, and none is nearly so devoted to a critical scholarly presentation and analysis of the whole corpus.

Gerard V. Bradley (Edited by), E. Christian Brugger (Edited by)

9781108448345, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 26 May 2022

646 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 3.3 cm, 0.855 kg

Catholic social teaching (CST) refers to the corpus of authoritative ecclesiastical teaching, usually in the form of papal encyclicals, on social matters, beginning with Pope Leo XIII's Rerum Novarum (1891) and running through Pope Francis. CST is not a social science and its texts are not pragmatic primers for social activists. It is a normative exercise of Church teaching, a kind of comprehensive applied - although far from systematic - social moral theology. This volume is a scholarly engagement with this 130-year-old documentary tradition. Its twenty-three essays aim to provide a constructive, historically sophisticated, critical exegesis of all the major (and some of the minor) documents of CST. The volume's appeal is not limited to Catholics, or even just to those who embrace, or who are seriously interested in, Christianity. Its appeal is to any scholar interested in the history or content of modern CST.

Introduction: continuity, change, and contingency in modern Catholic social teaching Gerard Bradley and E. Christian Brugger
Part I. Historical Background: 1. Aquinas as a primary source of Catholic social teaching John Finnis
2. The nineteenth century historical and intellectual context of Catholic social teaching Thomas Behr
Part II. Leo XIII to Francis: The Modern Documentary Tradition: 3. Rerum Novarum (1891) Joseph Boyle
4. Quadragesimo Anno (1931) Samuel Gregg
5. Pope Pius XII on social issues Ronald J. Rychlak
6. Development in Catholic social teaching: John XXIII to Paul VI V. Bradley Lewis
7. Social teaching in Pope John Paul II Patrick Lee
8. Pope Benedict XVI on the political and social order Brian Benestad
9. The social teaching of Pope Francis Daniel Mahoney
Part III. Themes in Catholic Social Teaching: 10. Catholic social teaching on the common good V. Bradley Lewis
11. The universal destination of the world's resources Cristóbal Orrego
12. The Apostolate of the Laity Christopher Tollefsen
13. Globalization John Finnis
14. Are some men angels? Modern Catholic social thought and Trust in government Christopher Wolfe
15. The moral principles governing the immigration policies of polities Kevin Flannery SJ
16. International finance and Catholic social teaching Robert Kennedy
17. Subsidiarity Maria Cahill
18. Socialism and capitalism in Catholic social thought Catherine Ruth Pakaluk
19. Preferential option for the poor and Catholic Social teaching Martin Schlag
20. Catholic social teaching and living the Christian life Russell Shaw
Part IV. Evaluative and Critical Reflections: 21. Catholic social teaching is Catholic moral teaching E. Christian Brugger
22. How should Bishops teach Catholic social teaching? Gerard V. Bradley
23. A radical critique of Catholic social teaching John M. Finnis.

Subject Areas: Law & society [LAQ], Religion: general [HRA]