1.Human Dignity
The person is sacred, made in the image of God.
2. Common Good & Community
The social nature of the human person
The fact that human beings are social by nature indicates that the
betterment of the person and the improvement of society depend
on each other.…humanity by its very nature stands completely in
need of life in society.
Vatican II, The Church in the Modern World
3. Option for the Poor
- Remember the “widows, orphans, and aliens.”
- A necessary element of the common good
Who Are the Poor?
- Citizens who are denied political liberty & civil rights.
- Subjugated homemakers in the male-dominated societies.
- Illiterate children who have no opportunity of schooling.
- Minority groups who have kept their voices muffled for fear.
- Dissidents who are imprisoned and sometimes tortured by the guardians of law & order.
- Environmental degradation.
4. Rights & Responsibilities
Every person has a right to the basic material necessities that are required
to live a decent life.
5. Role of Government and Subsidiarity
- The state has a positive moral function.
It is an instrument to promote human dignity,
protect human rights, and build the common good. - Subsidiarity
- as small as possible
- as big as necessary
6. Economic Justice
Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
human person.
labor is more important than capital.
7. Stewardship of God’s Creation
The goods of the earth are gifts. We hold them in trust, as stewards.
The Second Vatican Council has reminded us:
“God destined the earth and all it contains for all people and nations so
that all created things would be shared fairly by all humankind under the
guidance of justice tempered by charity.” All other rights, whatever they
are, including property rights and the right of free trade must be
subordinated to this norm...
On the Development of Peoples
8. Promotion of Peace and Disarmament 
Peace is not just the absence of war
9. Participation
All people have a right to a minimum level of participation in the economic,
political, and cultural life of society.
10. Global Solidarity and Development
“It is a firm and persevering determination to
commit oneself to the common good:
that is to say, to the good of all....because we
are all really responsible for all.”
Pope John Paul II, On Social Concern, 1987