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In October 1996 a statement by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales was published entitled The Common Good and the Catholic Church’s social teaching. In the light of the forthcoming general election it sets out to explore the Church’s social teaching in general and then its application to present day Britain. Although it was greeted by the tabloid press with “Catholic Church tells its members to vote for Labour”; this is just what it does not do. Rather, it aims to raise the level of political debate away from sound bites and personal mind-flinging, instead offering a set of signposts for discussion, “to proclaim the Christian gospel and to set out its implications for human society … to help people make more informal and reasoned political choices.” So far, so good? Please read on …
The foundation of Catholic social teaching is that human beings are created in the image of God. “In virtue simply of our shared humanity, we must surely respect and honour one another. Each individual has a value that can never be lost and must never be ignored … Each person possesses a basic dignity that comes from God … Christ challenges us to see this presence in our neigh.bour especially the neighbour who suffers or who lacks what is essential to human flourishing. In relieving our neighbour’s suffering and meeting out neighbour’s needs, we are also seeing Christ … The Gospel imperative to love our neighbour entails not only that we should help those in need, but also address the causes of destitution and poverty. The deepening of the spiritual life must go hand in hand with practical concern for our neighbour, and this with social action … the poor are not a burden: they are our brothers and sisters.”
Are these teachings of the Gospel applicable to contemporary society? “The Church has the right and the duty to advocate a social order in which the human dignity of all is fostered, and to protest when it is in any way threatened … if a government gives too little priority to tackling poverty, ill-health, poor housing and other social ills, the human dignity of those who suffer these afflictions is denied.” A social conscience is not optional but an integral part of the Church’s moral guidance. Everyone who is part of a society must accept their full share of responsibility for its welfare. “Every member of the community has a duty to the common good in order that the rights of others can be satisfied and their freedom respected. Those whose rights and freedoms are being denied should be helped to claim them.”
In this way, people must practise what they preach. How best to do that, however is left to the discretion of the individual. People must decide for themselves which way they will vote — all the major parties have both good and bad points. Part II picks up on some of the major political issues and examines them in relation to the Common Good. This may be a radical step back, but “The Church would be failing in moral courage if its social teaching were allowed to remain at the level of broad generalities in order to avoid controversy.” Some of these issues are summarised below.
Politics is an honourable vocation and there is a strong Christian tradition of public service. People need to consider how the candidate will react to issues not yet being debated, but over the next 4–5 years. The general election is not a single issue referendum. The Right to Life shouldn’t be ignored — “the Catholic community has to renew its efforts to awaken the conscience of the majority of fellow citizens in those matters.”
No section of the population should be excluded from participation, even at a minimal level. “The gap between the wealthy and the poor begins to undermine the common good.” The Church questions the “proposition that the further enrichment of the already wealthy must, as the inevitable result of economic laws, eventually also improve the lot of the less well-off and the poet. This is contrary to common sense as well as to actual experience.” It is self-defeating for the wealthy too, trying to push the camel through the eye of the needle.
The Church recognises the positive value of the market and free choice, but people with insufficient means to take part in the life of the community become marginalised and have few choices in reality. “The existence of an ‘underclass’ can never be regarded as a price worth paying in return for some other social advantages to be enjoyed by the majority … left to themselves market forces are just as likely to lead to evil results as good ones … those most likely to suffer from over-reliance on competition to the detriment of the common good are the poor, vulnerable, powerless and defenceless. To promote the idea that the individual is primarily to be considered be society as a consumer (possessor of wealth) is both contrary to the Gospel and to any rational idea of what a human being really is. Unlimited free markets tend to produce what is, in effect, an ‘option against the poor’.”
“Workers have rights which Catholic teaching has consistently maintained are superior to the rights of capital … decent work, just wages, security of employment, the right to strike … Catholics should, where possible, join an appropriate trade union … It is not morally acceptable to seek to reduce unemployment to letting wages fall below the level at which employees can sustain a decent standard of living.” The Church would support a statutory national minimum wage if necessary.
“Love thy neighbour has global dimensions — it demands fair international trading policies, decent treatment of refugees, support for the UN and control of the arms trade … also opposing all forms of discrimination and racism … the universal common good is violated if there are places anywhere in the world where basic needs like clean water, food, shelter, health care, education and livelihood are not available to all or if the rights and dignity of all are not respected … an international economic order that undermines large sections of the world population to a permanent state of abject poverty is grossly unjust.” It emphasises the vital role of overseas aid and condemns the debt burden as a “major factor in perpetuating poverty.”
The Common Good also examines such issues as the environment, Europe and the Mass Media. But finally,
We believe the principles we have outlined in this document are the necessary minimum conditions for a fair and prosperous society … society must not turn its back on poor people nor on the stranger at the gate … the common good must be made to prevail, even against strong economic forces that would deny it. We urge the Catholic people of England and Wales to take up the challenge of applying to our society all the principles of Catholic social teaching that we have outlined, and thus to advance the common good in collaboration with like-minded citizens of every political and religious allegiance.
Many people reading this may feel surprised that it has come from the Catholic Church. It has certainly caused something of a sensation in the parishes, but not because this teaching is new — it isn’t, it is rooted in scripture, the writings of Christian thinkers over 2000 years and the Papal social encychials. It shows that the Church is prepared to stand up for what it believes in, it is alive and sticking its neck out for justice. Speakers and discussion groups are facilitating the message of this document. The Catholic Church is an integral part of modern British society, and it is exercising its citizenship in this way, in order to guide others into making informed choices, as the political debate heats up over the coming months.
We are unfranchised and are able to vote in a democratic system. The people of Serbia, who have been demonstrating for months to have their election results recognised, are still striving for this basic right. It is our duty as citizens to exercise our right intelligently. Christians from all traditions should consider the issues raised in The Common Good and the responsibility given them with their faith to work for social justice. If any of this surprises you, if you agree or disagree, perhaps it is worth investigating further.
All quotations are taken from The Common Good
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Last modified: 25th November 2005