Applying Catholic Social Justice in the American Political System

American Catholic has a worthwhile piece at Catholic Teaching On Economic Life by Eric Brown


I was very interested in this part:



The question of the role of the government in society is intrinsically linked to another question. Unfortunately, this question is not addressed explicitly in the document Faithful Citizenship. In fact, a major failing of the Bishops’ documents on Catholic social teaching is the omission of a major component of the political philosophy derived from our faith. The document includes (1) the right to life and the dignity of the human person, (2) call to family, community, and participation, (3) rights and responsibilities, (4) preferential option for the poor and vulnerable, (5) the dignity of work and the rights of workers, (6) solidarity, (7) and care for God’s creation.


The list does not include the eighth principle, which is just as important as the other seven (sometimes the other seven are further separated to make a total of nine, excluding the non-mentioned principle) and that is the question of the role of government and the principle of subsidiarity.



I think this slip on the part of the Bishops has not gone unnoticed. In regard to charity and welfare, we all have a moral obligation to love and care for the most vulnerable populations. The question is not whether they should be cared for, but how.



In the Catholic tradition, the first and foremost “safety net” is (or should be) the family. Next in line should be local charities, with government assistance (faith-based initiatives) being a positive form of support. The last option available should be government undertaking when all other conceivable solutions have failed. As history has shown us, well-intentioned laws by the government can ineffectively curb the evil that it is seeking to prevent, but rather contribute to it and/or lead to the introduction of newer, perhaps, worst evils.


It becomes clearer that the basic principles of Catholic social thought are linked together and are perhaps the true vision of the consistent ethic of life preached by the late Cardinal Bernardin. When it comes to the preferential option of the poor, subsidiarity matters because it is crucial in providing an answer to the question of what are the most effective ways of assisting the poor? The government, which admittedly has its benefits, may present itself as an impersonal force which lacks the loving personal touch that the private sector may offer. Additionally, bureaucracy can easily expand itself beyond its own payrolls and does not always remain within fiscal restraints.



There is clearly much debate to be had in this regard

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On a personal note, the exclusion of subsidiarity from Faithful Citizenship makes it seem as if the Church’s doctrine has nothing to say, vis-à-vis guidelines, in the still ongoing federalist vs. anti-federalist debate – though the anti-federalist position is today called “federalism.” As a Democrat, I think this is terrible because of the structure of the American government into basicially three levels — federal, state, and local or municipal.



I think so much compromise could be made between liberals and conservatives, if we all rallied behind the principle of subsidiarity and moved the debates on so many issues – economic matters, energy policy, health care, education, fighting poverty – to the states and not leave it at the federal level. This would allow fruitful democratic debate. I’m not sure if many conservatives are not so closed to “liberal” suggestions or influences, partially or entirely, insomuch because they think they are fundamentally wrong, but because on some issues they are inclined to agree on, they may fear it being implemented at a federal level.



I think this is very true. It is ironic that the Governor of Arkansas and former Baptist Minister Mike Huckbaee was talking subsidiarity last year by name. No one pay it much heed sadly.



What is Subsidiarity? The Church states in the The Compendium of Social Doctrine :



"The principle of subsidiarity protects people from abuses by higher-level social authority and calls on these same authorities to help individuals and intermediate groups to fulfil their duties. This principle is imperative because every person, family and intermediate group has something original to offer to the community. Experience shows that the denial of subsidiarity, or its limitation in the name of an alleged democratization or equality of all members of society, limits and sometimes even destroys the spirit of freedom and initiative."



I would suggest reading also these series of posts that by Popin' Ain't Easy that attempts to provide a thorough explanation of Catholic social teaching relating to the free market, especially focusing on the concepts of subsidiarity and solidarity.



There is a lot and I mean a lot of meat in that and pretty easy to read. As to Subsidiarity he says



Basically, social justice problems should be taken care of on the most local level of authority possible.It is easy to understand these points and why they are so important. One only need look at the current status of American schools to see precisely the effects that top-down monopolization of resources can have. Sure, providing a free education to everyone was a very noble aspiration. Unfortunately, as the system has become increasingly federalized, quality has gone into the crapper. I suggest that those in favor of a similar solution for health care problems take note of this.


Anyways, when you take the combined teachings in defense of private property and the need for subsidiarity, it's pretty difficult (for me, at least) to envision Church doctrine as promoting the sort of forced redistribution that seems to be emphasized by so many Church leaders and laity these days. The Compendium itself cautions against the formation of the "Welfare State"


Frankly, I think we like to ignore subsidiarity. God forbid that we actually be taken to task for solving these issues at the local level. It's much easier to pass the buck down the road to Washington (or wherever) and expect them to take care of our problems. Why should we folks be expected to (gasp!) exercise virtue ourselves?.

Good stuff and important since it relates to the recent headlines.

Update- See also Am I My Brother’s Keeper?