Another Look at Repentance - Melkite Eparchy of Newton

Church DoctrineWhat is Catholic Social Teaching (Part 2)The Role of Government in Society and the Economyby Rev. Deacon Paul J. LeonarczykIn the first article of this series onCatholic social doctrine (SOPHIA,Spring 2012), we presented theteaching of Rerum novarum, Pope LeoXIII’s watershed encyclical, which hasbecome the benchmark for the Church’ssocial magisterium that now includesthe social encyclicals of the Popes of thelast 120 years and the teachings ofVatican II. So far, we learned that thefundamental principle that forms thefoundation for all Catholic social doctrineis “the sacred and inviolable” rightto the private ownership of property;thus, the Church promotes a just societyin which each member is able to ownenough property to satisfy his own needsand those of his household. We also sawthat the Church has always recognized a“social function” of ownership, namely,the duty to share with the needy afterone’s own needs are cared for.So, the question now arises: if onehas a right to own property, and if onealso has a moral duty to give fromone’s excess to those in need, then is itthe role of the State (government) totake the surplus wealth from the richand redistribute it to the poor? Today,this question seems daily to be in theforefront of our national media: fromthe violent protests of the “occupymovement” demanding redistributionof wealth from the “one percent” to the“ninety-nine percent,” to the campaignspeeches of politicians promising totax the rich to give to the poor, tothe “tea party” that claims governmentspending is out of control. Therefore, itis crucial for American Catholics toknow what the Church actually teachesabout these issues so they can bearwitness to this truth as citizens. So, letus examine the Church’s teaching onthe role of government.As fervently as the Church promotescharity to the poor and the dutyof the wealthy to assist the poor, equallyvehemently does the Church condemnsocialism and its offspring,Communism, and every other form oftotalitarianism that attempts to denyone’s natural right to own property.For, in the words of Rerum novarum,the duty to give to the poor out of one’ssurplus “is a duty, not of justice (savein extreme cases) but of Christiancharity – a duty not enforced by law.”In 1931, Pope Pius XI reiterated thisteaching with solemn clarity: “We makethis pronouncement: whether consideredas a doctrine, or an historical fact, or amovement, Socialism…cannot be reconciledwith the teachings of the CatholicChurch because its concept of societyitself is utterly foreign to Christiantruth…Society, as socialism conceives it,can…neither exist nor be thought ofwithout an obviously excessive use offorce…Religious socialism, Christiansocialism are contradictory terms; no onecan be at the same time a good Catholicand a true socialist” (Quadragesimo anno117, 120). As Pope Leo had insightfullynoted, socialism works on “the poorman’s envy of the rich,” and, as PopePaul VI observed in 1971 in the wake ofthe disastrous consequences of 20th centurysocialism, “most revolutionary ideologieslead only to a change of masters;once installed in power…these new masterssurround themselves with privileges,limit freedom, and allow other forms ofinjustice to become established”(Octogesima adveniens 45).The Principle of SubsidiarityNow, let us proceed to the crucial questionat hand: what is the proper role of thegovernment in building a free and justsociety? The Church bases its answer tothis momentous question on the Biblicalprinciple of the sacred dignity of the individualhuman being – the very foundationof Western civilization and democracy.Just as the sacred dignity of the humanperson requires the right to private propertyas the foundation of freedom and justice,so also human dignity requires thatsociety organize and govern itself basedupon the principle of subsidiarity toensure freedom and justice. Thus, theChurch’s teaching on the role of governmentis founded upon the principle ofsubsidiarity.“Subsidiarity is among the mostconstant and characteristic directivesof the Church’s social doctrine”(Compendium 185). As articulated byPius XI, the principle of subsidiaritystates: “Just as it is gravely wrong totake from individuals what they canaccomplish by their own initiative andindustry and give it to the community,so also it is an injustice and, at thesame time, a grave evil and disturbanceof right order for a greater and higherassociation to arrogate to itself functionsthat can be performed by lesserand subordinate social groups. Of itsvery nature, the true aim of all socialactivity should be to help members ofthe social group, but never destroy andabsorb them” (Quadragesimo Anno79). In other words, subsidiarity meansthat it is wrong for government to dofor a person what he can and should dofor himself, and that, when help isneeded, it be given in a way that promotespersonal responsibility.Reiterating this foundational principle,Pope Benedict XVI recently wrote:“the principle of subsidiarity is anexpression of inalienable human freedom.Subsidiarity is…a form of assistance…offeredwhen individuals orgroups are unable to accomplish somethingon their own, and it is alwaysdesigned to achieve their emancipation,because it fosters freedom and…responsibility. Subsidiarity is the mosteffective antidote against any form of anall-encompassing welfare state. Hence,the principle of subsidiarity is particularlywell-suited to managing globalization….inorder not to produce a dangerousuniversal power of a tyrannicalnature…” (Caritas in veritate 57).The FamilyIf subsidiarity guarantees the freedomof social groups, it is the family – thefirst and foremost social group and thevery foundation of society – to whichsubsidiarity applies par excellence.“No human law can abolish the naturaland original right of marriage, nor inany way limit the chief and principalpurpose of marriage ordained by God’sauthority from the beginning: ‘increaseand multiply’. Hence, we have the family,the ‘society’ of a man’s house…atrue society, and one older than anyState. Consequently, it has rights andduties peculiar to itself, which are quite10 SOPHIA • Summer 2012