Catholic Social Teaching

Diuturnum
On the Origin of Civil Power
by Pope Leo XIII

Where does authority come from? How society needs it. Rejects "consent of the people." Measure of how Church defends loyalty to temporal power. Lessons of history.

Booklet, 14 pages

WHY IS SOCIAL DOCTRINE NECESSARY? “Because Holy Mother Church knows that it is much more difficult to work out one’s salvation in a godless materialistic world like Communist China and North Korea…or in any liberal Western country where divine and natural law are no longer respected.” Learn to defend the Catholic principles behind: Politics, religion, and the relationship between Church and State The nature of man as an intelligent, free, spiritual, and moral being The structure of society and its duties towards God The dangers religious liberty poses to society Political economy and false notions surrounding it The nature of authority and its function The family as an authentic domestic society The role of Church and State in education and schooling This easy-to-read book is essential to maintaining a true Catholic understanding of man and society. Sadly, Catholic social principles have been ostracized from contemporary life for more than a century. This excellent tool combats the modern world and helps restore those lost principles, first in the home and then in the wider society in which we live. “Catholic social doctrine is the sum of truths and principles enshrined in the Church’s magisterium and drawn from natural law and revelation, which deals with all aspects of man’s social life. Its main goal is the advancement of the kingdom of God on earth. This divine kingdom promotes the transformation of the world in agreement with the Catholic Faith. It has an impact on all aspects of life, both social and economic.”

The Reformation undermined the authority of the Catholic Church, the only ethical authority able to counter two new economic theories: 1) that man's self-interest is paramount; 2) that the individual must be subordinated to the welfare of the community. The path to both Capitalism and Socialism had been opened by the Reformation. 155pp softcover

'Written by one of the great late 19th-century/early-20th-century spiritual and social writers of England, this is a collection of essays addressing the problems of the Industrial Revolution with Christian philosophy and social thought. Among the topics included are industrialism and the rise of unemployment; the evil of the wage system; the importance of land ownership and the restoration of craft production; the necessary connection between real work and spiritual salvation. It is intended for anyone studying social and economic thought as well as Catholic and Christian studies. 187pp'

English priest Father Drinkwater spent years gathering the over 700 stories presented in this book. Each story, culled from newspapers, hagiography, the Bible, etc., explains an aspect of the Catechism. Valuable reading on its own but also excellent as a teacher's resource as each story catches the attention and impresses the memory. 512pp

' Originally published in the French review '