Social Justice in Catholic Teaching

Social Justice in Catholic Teaching

(Shandong University, International Symposium on Theory of Justice in the Perspective of Multi-religion, 2011.9.23-25)

Zhao Jianmin

Social Justice in the Teaching of the Catholic Church

Dr. ZHAO Jianmiin

The concept of justice has a very long history in Christianity. It backs to the Hebrew Old Testament. In its origin it has basically three elements, namely the human act, social relations and religion. In the New Testament, the religious element is extremely emphasized Afterwards, the four virtues of Aristotle were absorbed into the concept by the Fathers and Doctors of the Church. Then, following all these, Thomas Aquinas gives a definition of justice, namely it is the firm and constant will to give to each one his due.

According to the concept of justice, in Christianity justice has mainly three forms, namely attributive justice, proportional justice and retributive or vindicatory justice. In the second form, there are several sub-forms, such as commutative justice, distributive or vindicatory justice, contributive justice, and social justice.

In this paper, I will discuss social justice in Christianity, which was used first ever in Pope Pius XI's encyclical Quadragesimo Anno published in 15 May, 1931, for the memory of Rerum novarum published in 15 May, 1891 by Pope Leo XIII. This ter is mainly concerned to the justice in society.

According to Christianity, human dignity is the core stone of social justice, due to the reason that this dignity is connected to God since according to Christian faith man is imago Dei . The term social justice is followed the new things appeared after especially the first two so-called industrial revolutions which created a totally new society. The new society brought so many new social problems which was against the human dignity and therefore attracted the concern of Christianity. Besides this corner stone, Christianity holds firmly other taint principle These principles include common good, human rights, development of total human beings, taking priority of the poor, caritas in justice and cooperation among all nations. The Christianity believes that if the society follows these principles of social justice the harmonious society.

one. The Concept of Justice in Catholic Doctrine

The concept of justice in Catholic doctrine has a long history, is eclectic and colorful, and has become the foundation of today's Catholic social justice principles.

The concept of Justice can be traced back to the Hebrew Old Testament. In the Old Testament, justice is a pattern of conduct between two parties in relation to one another, which builds up their enduring relationship. ¹ "If a man is righteous, he will do what is just and righteous." ("Old Testament Ezekiel Book" 18:5) People in society will inevitably be in various social relationships, so he also needs to build up Multiple lasting relationships. This behavioral pattern of constructing mutual relations establishes the rights and interests of people and people, people and society. People must maintain this kind of relationship for a long time, that is, maintain this kind of justice, otherwise the relationship between people, that is, justice, will not be established. In the Old Testament, this relationship also extends to the relationship of the people of Israel to their Yahweh (the Lord). In the belief of the Israelites, Yahweh "the Lord is just, and he loves justice." ("Old Testament Psalm" 11:7) Therefore, people also need to establish a relationship with Yahweh (the Lord) through their behavior. permanent relationship between the parties. The basis of this relationship is that Yahweh (Lord) is just, faithful, and loving. Therefore, the permanent relationship between the Israelites and Yahweh must also be righteous, faithful, and loving. Therefore, Yahweh asked the people of Israel to say: "Observe my testimonies, keep my commandments, and act faithfully: such a person is righteous." ("Old Testament Ezekiel Book" 18:9) Here we See, the concept of justice in the Old Testament already includes three elements: human behavior, social relations, and religious beliefs.

In the New Testament, the traditional Hebrew concept of justice is fully expanded. For the Apostle Paul, justice is a divine grace, a gift acquired through faith, charity and obedience to the law. The element of faith or religion is reinforced in the New Testament. The most famous assertion of the Apostle Paul is justification by faith, righteousness through faith in Jesus. Of course, the attainment of justice is not only an act of faith, but also the fruit of a righteous act (see "New Testament James 1: 19-21"). Additionally, the New Testament concept of justice reinforces the sinless element. In the eyes of the New Testament writers, evil is contrary to justice, both God's justice and human justice. The absolution of sin comes from two factors, the death of Jesus Christ and the obedience to God's law. At this level, the New Testament concept of justice clearly strengthens and expands the human behavior factor. In addition, the New Testament links justice and peace, because people can "bear the fruits of righteousness and peace" ("New Testament Hebrews" 12:11). The New Testament also includes elements of brotherly love and compassion in the concept of justice. "My dear brethren, you must know that everyone should be quick to listen, late to speak, late to be angry, because the wrath of man does not accomplish the justice of God. ("New Testament - Jacob "Book" 1:19-20) "He saved us, not because of our merits in righteousness, but because of his mercy" ("New Testament · Titus Book" 3:5) This kind of Connection is clearly an extension of the social relationship element in the Old Testament concept of justice.

Afterwards, the Catholic Church Fathers and later Shilin philosophers, on the basis of absorbing the concept of justice in Greek philosophy, enriched and classified the concept of justice in Catholicism in detail. They incorporated Plato's four human virtues of wisdom, justice, courage and temperance (the festival of wisdom, righteousness and bravery) into Catholic ethical theology, making them human virtues in Christian ethics. "Law is justice" should be Aristotle's greatest contribution to the concept of justice. Of course, Aristotle's concept of justice is almost devoid of any religious element. Moreover, Aristotle's concept of justice is closely related to politics. On the one hand, Aristotle understands justice as equality, so the law requires equality; on the other hand, Aristotle’s law regulates people of the same origin and ability, so his law can only be equal to a certain group of people of. However, the concept of "law is justice" made justice universal. When the Catholic Church Fathers and later Shilin philosophers absorbed the elements of legal justice into the Catholic concept of justice, they changed it into a A concept of both universal and individual virtue. Therefore, when the factor of legal justice is absorbed into Catholic ethical theology, it not only requires the justice of the law itself, because the natural law and divine law on which human law is based come from God, God is justice itself, and requires individuals to abide by the law, thus Become a human ethical virtue. On this basis, modern theologians headed by Thomas Aquinas define justice as "the firm and constant will to give to each one his due" (the firm and constant will to give to each one his due ). ² Of course, this definition is quite broad and needs to be understood and recognized within the above concepts.

Based on this concept of justice, the Catholic Church classifies justice into three basic forms. First, attributive justice. Justice is giving to each man what is rightfully his own. Including rights to self, rights to property, rights to reputation and reputation, etc. Second, proportional justice. Justice is giving everyone what they are entitled to. Include salary, compensation, benefits, and obligations that need to be assumed. The reason why it is called proportional justice is that justice requires that a person get what he deserves according to the difference in the benefits he should get and the size of the obligations he undertakes. This form can also be classified as commutative justice (equity of benefits and services in exchange, unless one party voluntarily forgoes it), and distributive justice (benefits and burdens should be proportional, taking into account all members ), contributing or legal justice (obeying the needs of the public interest, taking into account the overall interests of society) and social justice (focusing on social distribution, different groups, resource sharing, political and economic life, etc.). Third, compensatory or punitive justice (retributive or vindicatory justice). When justice is violated, justice requires compensation for the offended party and punishment for the offender.

This article mainly discusses social justice in the above concept. This concept only formally appeared in Catholic theology in the last century. This concept is derived from and rooted in the concept of justice in the Catholic tradition, and it is a new vocabulary for modern society, especially industrialized society. This new term first appeared in the "Fortieth Anniversary" (Fortieth Anniversary) issued on May 15, 1931 by Pope Pius XI to commemorate Pope Leo XIII's "Nova" (promulgated on May 15, 1891). Quadragesimo Anno) encyclical. Although in the above classification of the concept of justice, we classify it under proportional justice, scholars do not agree on the coverage of this term. Judging from its first use in the Encyclical Fortieth Jubilee and its later use in Catholicism, it seems to include both attributive and proportional justice, but with a focus on society rather than on individuals, emphasizing What is important is the social public interest, the protection of individual rights by society, and the cooperation of all levels of society.

two. Human dignity is the foundation of social justice

The Catholic Church believes that "man is the image of God", thus "man is the center and pinnacle of all things". The special identity and status of the ^three determine the sanctity of man and the inviolability of his personal dignity. Catholic justice is based on this. It can be said that justice is unswervingly giving everyone what their human dignity deserves. The personal dignity of the self needs to be respected and protected. At the same time, "everyone should regard their neighbors as the second self without exception" ⁴ , so people must respect and protect the dignity of others just as they treat their own personal dignity. human dignity. The Catholic Church also believes that "man is social according to his inner nature; if he has no relationship with others, he cannot live or develop his advantages." ⁵ Man is a social man by his inner nature. Human beings exist as entities, so human beings must demand that the society respect and protect their personal dignity. Man is so closely connected with social life that he cannot exist without it. Therefore, in this kind of social life that people cannot live without, people have their own personal dignity. This is the justice that society should give people.

The term social justice is used for the first time in the Encyclical Fortieth Anniversary commemorating the Encyclical Nova. The encyclical "Fortieth Anniversary" not only restated the basic principles of the "New Matter" encyclical, but also analyzed the society at that time and gave a Christian solution to the problem. Therefore, in order to rediscover the origin of the use of the term "social justice", it is necessary to recall the promulgation and content of the two encyclicals.

In the 1760s, the first industrial revolution originated in Britain. It started from light industry, centered on mechanical power, marked by textile machines and steam engines, and began the transformation from handicraft industry to machine production industry. The agricultural society of mankind has thus taken an unprecedented step in the transformation of social productivity. The transformation of productivity brings about changes in production methods, economic structures, and social lifestyles, although this transformation is only the beginning. Changes in the social way of life naturally affect those who have an "absolute need for a social life by their very nature" ⁶ . Then, under this new mode of production and new social way of life, what is the human dignity that people necessarily need? In other words, how is human justice realized? Of course, these issues are for later, because people at that time, including the Catholic Church, were still in a state of ideological indifference to this unprecedented change, and had not produced a systematic theoretical reflection. However, a hundred years later, in the 1870s, the second industrial revolution began. It began in Britain, Germany, Italy and other countries, centered on electricity, and marked by generators, motors, telephones, telegraphs, automobiles, and airplanes. The combination of the mechanical power of the first industrial revolution and the electricity of the second industrial revolution has resulted in a rapid increase in productivity, a rapid change in production methods, and a corresponding change in the social way of life.

Accompanied by these changes, social problems and class conflicts gradually emerged and became more serious. The root of these problems and contradictions is that human dignity has not been truly respected, and social justice has not been effectively upheld. On February 21, 1848, Marx and Engels, who were soberly aware of this, published the "Communist Manifesto" in London, calling on all proletarians to unite to obtain their own dignity and the rights they deserve. We have to admit that, fundamentally speaking, this declaration is a declaration of social justice and human dignity.

At this time, the most influential Catholic Church had not recovered from the Enlightenment Movement, especially rationalism, from the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century. Therefore, it was not until May 15, 1891, nearly 50 years after the publication of the "Communist Manifesto", that Pope Leo XIII issued the encyclical "Novella Novella", known as the Labor encyclical. We don’t even need to look at the content of the encyclical. Just from the title of the encyclical, it is not difficult to see that Catholicism is paying attention to social issues at this time. Of course, compared with the overall situation, the promulgation of the encyclical is obviously a bit late, but this does not mean that the Catholic Church is ignoring the existing social problems. The emergence of the famous Catholic ethical theologian St. Alfonsus Maria de Liguori (St. Alfonsus Maria de Liguori 1696-1787) has reflected on new social issues from the perspective of ethical theology. At the same time, Cardinal Wilhelm of Mainz, Germany E. von Ketteler, 1811-1877) published a research report on labor issues "Labor Issues and Christianity" in 1864, and his student Karl von Vogelsang (1818-1898) founded the "Labor Issues and Christian Faith" in Austria in 1879 Journal of Christian Social Reformation. These two examples from local churches are intended to show that the Catholic Church still has a clear understanding of the rapid transformation of productivity, production methods, and social lifestyles, and also pays attention to the resulting issues of human dignity and social justice.

Of course, nowhere is this focus more clearly illustrated than in the encyclical Nouvelles. The Encyclical recognizes several major social problems posed by the Industrial Revolution. First, the relationship between employers and workers is very different from before. The gap between rich and poor has widened, and class conflicts have become prominent. The encyclical states that society at the time was characterized by "a vast expansion between industrial development and startling scientific discoveries, a change in the relationship between employer and worker, the extreme wealth of the few and the considerable poverty of the common masses, the growing self-reliance and mutual solidarity of the working class. more and more closely.” ⁷ Second, misfortune and suffering weigh heavily on the poor, which is a serious injustice that requires society to find a way to eliminate this injustice as soon as possible. The encyclical said that "since this misfortune and suffering weigh heavily on the majority of the poor, we must find some kind of remedy as soon as possible." ⁸ Third, the working class has become the biggest victim of industrialization , this injustice and violation of the human dignity of workers is not much better than slavery. "Workers are left helpless to hard-hearted employers and insatiable competition. This evil is aggravated by fierce usury. Although the church has more than once condemned usury, the miserly and greedy people still go their own way, even though In a different way, but with the same degree of injustice....Therefore, a very wealthy few can impose on the toiling masses a yoke not much better than slavery." ⁹ Encyclical This term expresses the severe condemnation of Catholicism for such extreme injustice. Fourth, laborers endure cruel exploitation and cannot get what they work for, but deserve what they do. They do not receive fair labor remuneration and cannot freely dispose of their private property. The encyclical believes that this right of man cannot be deprived, and that this right that truly belongs to the laborers must be returned to them. ¹⁰ Fifth, in view of the prevailing social theory at that time, as long as the employer and the worker freely signed the contract, it was reasonable and legal, the encyclical proposed the opposite opinion according to the Catholic theory of justice. The encyclical holds that a free contract is illegal if it does not give the worker a fair wage, and is contrary to the law of nature. Here we can see that when the concept of justice was described above, the Catholic Church adopted Aristotle's "law is justice" as an adjustment practice. The encyclical believes that the so-called absolute freedom of free contracts that cannot give workers a fair wage is not legal, and "legal" is in line with the natural law that the wages must be sufficient for the reasonable living expenses of the workers, otherwise it is unjust and unjust: "Let us say that, as a general rule, laborers and employers are free to agree, especially as to wages; but there is a law of nature which is more important and more important than any contract between men. ages. It is a law of nature that the remuneration must be sufficient for the wage earner to maintain his reasonable and economical comfort." ¹¹ Obviously, this is a condemnation of the "overlord" clause in the so-called free agreement between labor and capital. . According to the encyclical, a just wage is “a wage sufficient for a worker to maintain himself, his wife, and his children in a reasonable and comfortable life.” ¹² Even today, this minimum level of wages still has its reality. significance! Sixth, the Encyclical Calls for particular attention to labor conditions, hygiene, working hours and reasonable rest. According to the encyclical, "the most important thing is to protect the laboring workers from the cruel exploitation of greedy speculators, because these speculators often use human beings as tools for earning money, and use excessive labor to make money. To torture people so that they rigidify their minds and damage their bodies is not only unjust but inhuman." ¹³ The encyclical also paid special attention to reasonable rest for laborers, calling for guarantees to be included in contracts The time of rest, "It would be contrary to justice and equity if there were any other provisions in the contract." ¹⁴ Seventh, the encyclical specifically called on society to pay attention to the problem of child labor, "As for children, we should pay extreme attention to them. Never put mind and body into workshops and factories before they are fully matured, for, as a stormy weather damages the buds of spring, so too early experiences of life's hard labors damage a child's faculties. , breaking all his youthful hopes, and making any real education impossible." ¹⁵ Eighth, at the same time, the encyclical calls on the administrators of the state to make it their duty to justice, the public good, and to give priority to the poor, to ensure that the laws and fairness of the system. ¹⁶

It is not difficult to see from the above-mentioned eight main contents of the encyclical "Xin Shi" that the core of social justice is human dignity. Personal dignity is inalienable in work and social life, and any social affairs or legal system that violates this is unjust and unjust.

40 years after the promulgation of the Encyclical Novelty, the social and economic situation has undergone greater changes. Against this background, the encyclical "Fortieth Anniversary" summarized the above-mentioned contents concerned by the "Xinshi" encyclical with the word "social justice" (social justice), and at the same time specifically pointed out the social and economic situation at that time. Several items. First, in view of the development of the economic situation and the protection of citizens' property, the encyclical "Fortieth Anniversary" emphasizes that citizens' legal property rights, including the legal right to use, shall not be violated. ¹⁷ Second, in view of the situation of unfair distribution and low status of labor in society, the encyclical "Fortieth Anniversary" believes that under the principle of fair distribution, both labor and capital should be fair and equitable, and efforts should be made to improve the status of the proletariat and labor. and dignity. ¹⁸ Third, in order to achieve the above two purposes, the encyclical "Fortieth Anniversary" called for the elimination of inequality among classes and the promotion of harmony among all classes of society: "The primary responsibility of the state and of every good citizen: Conflicts between classes with different interests should promote harmony among all social classes." ¹⁹

From the origin of the word "social justice", we can see that what the Catholic Church hopes is that social justice should fully protect individual rights, public interests, all-round development of people, the rights of the poorest, and cooperation among all classes. , and all of these are closely centered on human dignity.

three. Principles of safeguarding the public interest and individual rights

Catholic social justice centers on the protection of human dignity, which needs to be maintained jointly by society and individuals. Therefore, the protection of public interests and individual rights has become the two pillars of social justice. This was clearly pointed out at the beginning of the promulgation of the "Xin Shi" encyclical. The encyclical refers to various associations and groups as "lesser societies" and to states as "larger societies". The Catholic Church holds that both are "existing for the common good, which concerns the general good of the masses." ²⁰ Broadly speaking, there is no individual existence without human beings, and therefore the public good is the and the interests of the crowd. "Small society" not only has the responsibility to safeguard the public interests of the group, but also has the responsibility to safeguard the public interests of the whole mankind. The "big society" also has the responsibility not only to safeguard the public interests of its own country, but also to safeguard the public interests of the entire world on which human beings depend. Therefore, "the primary responsibility of the state administrator is to ensure the laws and institutions, the general nature and administration of public bodies. These must be able to achieve public welfare and personal prosperity naturally." ²¹ Laws and institutions must first maintain social justice and just. Laws and systems are not only for management, but more importantly, for social justice. There can be no governance if laws and institutions fail to guarantee social justice and social justice. On the basis of this principle, the specific implementation of laws and systems will inevitably be continuously improved with the development of society, but its purpose and purpose can only be social justice and social justice. In this regard, the jurisprudence that the law is a ruling tool for one class to oppress another class should be reconsidered in order to contribute to the establishment of social harmony. There is no doubt that human beings form groups, which is not only the need for human survival, but also the protection of the weak in the group. Therefore, the so-called protection of the public interest is not only the protection of the collective interests of human beings or groups of people, but also the protection of the interests of vulnerable groups. Without the protection of vulnerable groups, there can be no protection of public interests. Therefore, the encyclical "New Matter" believes that "the power of the administrators should be beneficial to all classes in the country. Among them, especially the interests of the poor should be given the first place." ²² Jesus said, "You always have The poor are with you." ("New Testament Matthew 26:11") Indeed, in every age, there are vulnerable groups in every age, and public power needs to use laws and institutions to protect these vulnerable groups. The protection of vulnerable groups is truly achieved, and the public interest is truly guaranteed.

In today's world, the interdependence of human beings is getting closer. In terms of breadth, it gradually expands to the whole world, and in terms of depth, it continues to penetrate into all aspects of personal life. The Catholic Church believes that the so-called public interest is "the sum of social living conditions that allow individuals and groups to fully and conveniently fulfill themselves." ²³ Public interests include all social life resources that can affect individuals and groups. This group is the association (small society) and the country (big society) mentioned above. Of course, with the rapid development of global integration and the utilization of space, it is clear that the international family, the supper society, should also be included in the scope of public interests. Therefore, together with the individual, the public interest should include four levels: individual, corporate, national and international. In other words, the public interest should be the sum total of all conditions of social life that can affect individuals, associations, nations, and the world and promote their development. These living conditions include political, economic, social, cultural, health, religious, sports and many other aspects.

Therefore, the public interest must take into account the rights and duties of these four levels, while touching all the above-mentioned aspects of life. As far as the basic relationship between these four levels is concerned, the Catholic Church believes that because of the social nature of human beings, "the origin, subject and purpose of all social organizations are human beings, and they should be human beings." ²⁴ Whether associations, countries or international organizations All should be people-oriented, and can promote the development of human nature. Therefore, social justice in human corporate life requires adherence to seven basic principles. First, respect personality. Regardless of a person's social status, wealth, ability, knowledge, physique and will, his personal dignity must be respected. Second, protect human rights. Modern people pay more and more attention to individual rights, and society must promote the protection of human rights at many levels in order to ensure social justice. Third, improve human nature. Modern society must help all people to live a more humane life. A more humane life depends on their basic satisfaction in food, clothing, housing and transportation, the right to receive equal education, the right to protect personal privacy, and the right to pursue spiritual life. Fourth, everyone is equal. People are not only equal before the law, but also in life. Law is important, but it is not the whole of life. "It is true that people do not have the same abilities physically, mentally, and intellectually," ²⁵ but society must eliminate discrimination in terms of gender, race, color, language, religion, and social status, and ensure that everyone is equal. Fifth, ethical responsibility. Modern society also promotes human ethical responsibility. Man is an entity with ethical responsibilities, so he must be responsible for his own ethical behavior, and because ethics is not only individual, but also social, society must also assume the responsibility of social ethics. Sixth, forgive love and hatred. A duty unique to Catholicism is to forgive and to love and hate. Jesus Christ told his disciples, "Love your enemies" ("New Testament Matthew 5:44"), "If you do not each forgive your brother from your heart, my heavenly Father will do the same to you ’” (New Testament Matthew 18:35). Social justice involves forgiveness and love, but not hatred and revenge. Today we see many examples of such retaliation in the name of law and justice. When is the time for retribution! Modern society must promote the virtues of forgiveness and love and hatred. Seventh, religious spirit. As far as Catholicism is concerned, its religious spirit contains the spirit of social justice. On a certain level, religion, including Catholicism, is the balancer of law and society, and has a psychological and orderly balancing effect on the entire society.

As far as the international level is concerned, the Catholic Church hopes that, in order to safeguard the common interests of all mankind, the international community should assist different countries in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity "to create a favorable environment in all countries in the world, so that not only the government of each country, that is, each individual and Every intermediate association can properly fulfill its tasks, fulfill its obligations, and exercise its rights.” ²⁶ The principle of subsidiarity is very important at the level of international exchanges, and what it must ensure is the rejection of any form of racism or racial discrimination. Therefore, the Catholic Church hopes that the principles of value underlying the international community should be "the values on which nations coexist, which are basically consistent with the values on which human beings get along: truth, justice, active solidarity, and freedom." to regulate the principles of reason, equality, law and consultation, rather than resorting to violence and war, and any form of discrimination, intimidation and fraud," ²⁷ whose purpose is not only to promote the individual interests of citizens, but also to promote the collective interests of their nation, Because "the meaning of the international community is not to antagonize or even destroy the different and independent characteristics of various peoples, but to encourage them to express their uniqueness." ²⁸ At the same time, the Catholic Church hopes that the international community can help , the principle of justice and fraternity, to help those poor and backward countries.

As far as the national level is concerned, the Catholic Church hopes that the country and the country "should coordinate their relationship with each other according to the principles of truth, justice, unity, mutual assistance, and freedom." ²⁹ Countries and countries, regardless of size or race, have All are equal in their natural dignity. Therefore, countries should recognize each other's rights and obligations and respect each other's sovereignty. In today's globalized world, countries should deepen their relationship with each other in the spirit of solidarity and cooperation, jointly seek the well-being of mankind, and at the same time promote the public interests of their own people.

As far as the community level is concerned, the Catholic Church believes that no matter what level the groups are, they are in a complementary relationship with each other, and they need to assist each other and complement each other. Social groups always provide “economic, institutional or judicial assistance to smaller social entities.” ³⁰ The key to social management is to give play to the subjective initiative of lower-level associations, while higher-level associations give necessary support, promotion and encouragement. , so that the communities at the next level can give full play to their own functions. This approach is obviously conducive to protecting the rights and obligations of the lower groups. If everything is dominated and controlled by the upper-level groups, the lower-level groups will not be able to perform their functions, and their rights and obligations will inevitably be damaged. This can easily arouse the dissatisfaction of the lower groups and dampen their enthusiasm. This is obviously detrimental to social harmony, and it is likely to bring social injustice. What the Catholic Church hopes is to ensure the functions, rights, and obligations of each group, but also to avoid some form of centralization, and avoid causing the upper-level groups to replace the lower-level groups in terms of rights and obligations. The special meaning of this "complementarity principle at the association level is participation, that is, the citizen, as an individual or in association with others, directly or indirectly through representation, contributes to the cultural, economic, political and social life of the civil society to which he belongs. Participation is an obligation consciously practiced by all, presupposed by responsibility and the common good.” ³¹

At the individual level, the most fundamental thing is to effectively protect people's basic rights. The 2004 Amendment to the Constitution of the People's Republic of China clearly stipulates that "the state respects and protects human rights." The entry of "human rights" into the constitution is considered an important milestone in the development of human rights in China. The Catholic Church also believes that the basic rights of human beings originate from human dignity, "they are inherent in human beings and human dignity." ³² Although various human rights theories have not yet formed a completely consistent understanding of these basic human rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights The declared most basic rights to life, education, survival, conscience and religious freedom are widely recognized and accepted by all nations and countries in the world. At the same time, Christianity emphasizes that "the scope of human rights has been extended to include the rights of nations and nations. In fact, 'rights that apply to individuals also apply to the nation as a whole'." ³³ China has signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including 21 international human rights conventions. ³⁴ In addition, the basic rights in the "Related Laws and Regulations on the Protection of Human Rights in China" include: first, political rights. The political rights enjoyed by Chinese citizens mainly include democratic rights, the right to vote and be elected, the right to criticize, suggest, report, sue, appeal, freedom of speech, publication, assembly, association, demonstration, etc.; second, personal rights, including personal freedom Inviolability, inviolability of personal dignity, inviolability of housing, inviolability of freedom of communication or privacy of communication; third, economic rights, including the elimination of the system of man-to-man exploitation, implementation of the principle of distribution according to work, protection of legal property ownership, Protection of private property inheritance rights; fourth, the right to life and health; fifth, labor rights; sixth, the right to education; seventh, the rights of women, minors and the elderly; eighth, citizens enjoy freedom of religious belief; ninth , the protection of the rights of ethnic minorities; tenth, the protection of the rights of the disabled. The basic rights emphasized by Christianity include the right to life, the right to growth, the right to know the truth, the right to work, the right to form a family freely, and the right to religious freedom.

Four. Promote the principles of whole-person development

Catholic social justice is human-centered. No matter what level of group, family, association, country and international, and no matter what kind of social activities, political, economic, cultural, educational, etc., all take people as their purpose and take people as their refuge. Of course society must develop, and “the right to development should be regarded as the most basic human right that individuals and nations aspire to.” ³⁵ However, according to the understanding of the Catholic Church, development is by no means just economic development, although economic life plays an important role in people’s lives. Location. Development includes economic development, knowledge growth, cultural progress, spiritual joy, and educational improvement. Development should be the development of the whole person. "Development does not simply come down to economic progress. Real development should be comprehensive, that is, to revitalize the entire humanity and all mankind." ³⁶ The real purpose of development is the maturity and growth of the entire human nature. Therefore, economic, social, cultural, Both education and spiritual aspects play a decisive role in the development of human nature. Economic development is necessary, but not the whole of development. The kind of abuse of resources, exploitation of others, destruction of nature, and damage to justice for the sake of economic development will not only fail to promote development in the long run, but will bring destruction to human beings. In modern society, everyone hopes for a more humane life. A more humane life certainly includes all the conveniences brought about by economic development, but a more humane life also includes the cultural education that people should enjoy and the expansion of human knowledge. A life that is more in line with human nature "is to attach importance to the human dignity of others, to adore poverty and happiness, to cooperate with public welfare, and to yearn for peace. ^" Others are actually distortions of our own humanity. Impetuous and exaggerated, unscrupulous, corrupt and bribery, infringing on the rights and interests of others to obtain economic benefits for oneself, without the spiritual pursuit of poverty and happiness, and cruelly tearing apart one's own humanity, because such humanity is enslaved by money , humanity has become a slave to money. Only caring about oneself and not others, only caring about one's own rights and not caring about public interests, not doing anything for others, not doing anything for the benefit of the elderly, although there are many excuses, human nature has become extremely selfish, which is even more The strangulation of humanity. Of course, for the Catholic Church, what is more in line with human nature "is also the source and purpose of people's recognition of the highest good and God as the highest good." ³⁸ Obviously, the Catholic Church classifies it into two levels, one level is the highest good, One level is God in its root Christianity. The former should be pursued regardless of religious belief, and the latter is what Christianity really looks forward to. Without the pursuit of the highest good or its roots, man will not be able to achieve social justice, because justice itself is an incomparably noble good. A more human life must necessarily include the pursuit of the incomparably sublime goodness or its origin, because the essence of human beings lies in their spiritual life. Man's pursuit of the highest goodness or its source is an indispensable enjoyment of spiritual life. Only this kind of development is more in line with human nature and conducive to social justice and social harmony.

The Catholic Church also recognizes that "the all-round development of individuals is impossible without the consistent development of mankind." ³⁹ The unity of mankind and the globalization of society require that the different ethnic groups of the entire human race communicate with each other, assist each other, and prosper together . The all-round development of individual human beings is inseparable from the all-round development of the whole human being. Today, with the rapid development of globalization, "rich peoples progress rapidly, while poor peoples develop slowly, and the imbalance is growing." ⁴⁰ Not only that, even within the same ethnic group, some people are extremely rich and some people are poor. Therefore, ethnic conflicts are like hanging swords, and class conflicts and violence occur frequently. Naturally, this form is not conducive to the development of the whole person. Therefore, the Catholic Church hopes that mankind will develop and prosper together, and developed countries should support and assist developing countries. This is not only the responsibility of social justice, but also the requirement of social fraternity. To achieve the consistent development of all mankind, the Catholic Church hopes that the international community can communicate with each other, contribute products to meet emergency needs, cultivate talents and create experts, generously donate surplus materials, provide funds through preferential agreements, cooperate with each other, fair trade and equal treatment, and overcome obstacles Avoid discrimination, be kind and friendly, respect and respect each other, and eliminate barriers through cultural exchanges.

For true whole-person development, the Catholic Church has given a comprehensive summary by denying what it is not and affirming what it is. First, development "is not a straight-line process, as if it were automatic and unrestricted, as if given certain conditions, man could rapidly advance toward some infinite perfection." ⁴¹ Clearly, economic development is not a one-way process. It is a straight-line movement, people cannot blindly develop the economy in a straight line without restraint and ignore other aspects, and the limited resources may also cause a crisis of human survival. Second, development is not a pure consumerism, as if people can achieve happiness or self-improvement simply by owning and consuming things. Obviously, mere possession or consumption cannot achieve what a person is, and cannot fully satisfy the true inner desire of the human being. True and complete whole-person development lies, first, in the transcendental dimension of development. "Development does not lie solely on the economic level. It must examine its authenticity and mission in the totality of man, that is, to be measured and directed according to the inner dimensions of man." ⁴² People must keep in mind that man is not a mere A physical existence, man is a perfect combination of body and spirit. Second, the ethical dimension of development. The development of the whole person requires the cooperation of all human beings. It is a work that requires the cooperation of society, country, international, religion, culture, education and other aspects. It is the responsibility of each individual, each group, and the entire human race, so it has an ethical character. Equality for all, equality among nations, and equality among nations are the basic ethical foundations for true whole-person development. Third, the natural dimension of development. This ethical character of development involves not only individuals and nations, but also respect for nature. It is necessary to awaken people's awareness of respecting nature. People cannot abuse or destroy nature just to develop what they want or to develop the economy. People need to live in harmony with nature. People need to realize that human natural resources are limited and cannot be regenerated, so the use of resources must be restrained. At the same time, people also need to be aware that while modern industry brings convenience and comfort to humans, it also causes many forms of environmental pollution, which poses a serious threat to human health. Humans must respect and abide by the laws of nature in order to allow human development It is not harmful to itself and can last for a long time.

five. The principle of giving priority to the poor

The Catholic Church is aware that with the rapid social and economic development, new loneliness, poverty, discrimination, housing problems, various crimes, communication difficulties between young people and adults, discrimination against women, poverty, sickness and the elderly are pushed to the margins of society, etc. Problems also abound. While industrialization and modernization have brought prosperity to people, they have also brought about a widening gap between the rich and the poor, unequal rights, the threat of war, and so on. These problems exist not only among individual classes, but also between countries. Based on the teaching of Jesus Christ that "you always have the poor with you" ("New Testament Matthew 26:11"), the Catholic Church especially hopes to give priority to the poor in the whole society. As early as in 1891, when the encyclical "New Matter" was promulgated, the Catholic Church called for "the advancement of the interests of the poor should be put first." ⁴³ Fundamentally speaking, the core of social justice is to ensure the interests of the poor. If the rights and interests of the poor are not guaranteed, there can be no social justice at all.

Of course, the concept of "poor people" has been expanded today. Seen by society as a whole worldwide, the poor "have to include large numbers of the hungry, the poor, the homeless, those without access to medical care, and above all those who are hopeless about their future." ⁴⁴ Clearly, the poor not only It refers to those who are materially deprived, and also refers to those who are spiritually "despairing about the future". From the perspective of today's society, in addition to those poor people who are materially deprived, there are also those who are materially rich and spiritually deprived. Therefore, the latter also needs more care from society. Society must extend the concept of the poor "to also extend to cultural and religious forms of poverty". ⁴⁵ I don't know what to say in culture, and the religion is seriously vulgar. It is indeed a kind of poverty. Some people, because of material poverty, are deprived of the right to education and unable to enjoy the blessings of education, so they become poorer and poorer. Therefore, the Catholic Church believes that giving priority to caring for the poor is sometimes not just a kind of benevolence or charity, but even an unshirkable responsibility of society and the rich.

Therefore, giving priority to the poor is both a social justice duty and a benevolence or charity requirement. Society must "choose the poor or give special care to the poor, which is a choice, or a first and special way of practicing Christian charity." ⁴⁶ However, justice must be practiced in charity. Fundamentally speaking, justice must be fulfilled in love, and love is a prerequisite for justice, and it goes beyond justice. In making this appeal, the Catholic Church also recognizes that "in the modern world there has been a great awakening of a sense of justice; undoubtedly, this sense of justice is aimed at the injustice that exists between individuals, social groups and social groups, and classes." and class; between nation and nation, between country and country; and finally between different political systems and so-called different 'worlds'." ⁴⁷ In the face of justice and benevolence, the Catholic Church believes that people, Groups and groups, countries and countries cannot be connected only by justice, but also need benevolence. Justice without benevolence will only build a cold and impersonal world. "Past and present experience has shown that justice alone is not sufficient, that it can even lead to the negation and destruction of justice itself, . It is the most extreme injustice (summum ius, summa iniuria)." ⁴⁸ Some of our current social justice practices are precisely highlighting this cold justice. Therefore, justice is borrowed as a means of revenge and revenge, and justice is used to put people to death and make them quicker. At this time, justice has become a double-edged knife that kills two families with one stroke, and a machine that will never repay grievances. This appeal to justice ignores precisely what Christians call the appeal of charity. Whenever and wherever, we need to remember that justice must be practiced in charity.

Love is not just a force that drives individual actions, it has a wider perspective. This vision is "love with social and political charity: 'social charity makes us love the common good'". ⁴⁹ Charity requires us not only to love ourselves, but also to love others, not only to love others, but also to love public welfare. This kind of social charity not only makes people seek the interests of all people from an individual or private perspective, but also seeks the public welfare of the public from a social perspective. For the Catholic Church is well aware that "no law, code or form of negotiation has ever succeeded in persuading men and nations to unite, to love and to live in peace; no rational thought has ever surpassed the appeal of love." ⁵⁰ This social charity It is not only related to the relationship between people, but also more related to the social level. The organizational structure, laws and decrees, and agreement rules at the social level should all reflect the spirit of social charity. Therefore, social justice must be practiced in personal charity and social charity.

six. Harmonious cooperation to build a civilization of love

Based on the above principles, the Catholic Church hopes that the whole society will build a harmonious and cooperative society and create a civilization of love based on charity and social justice. When the encyclical "New Matter" was promulgated in 1891, the Catholic Church called for the development and peace of the whole society, all social strata should cooperate harmoniously instead of fighting wars. Of course, this kind of appeal at that time was criticized by some people as class reconciliation theory. Looking at the rapidly evolving world today, for development and peace, people have to face the increasing number of social classes and the chaos caused by rapid evolution. Many imbalances and contradictions in people's consciousness, thought, psychology, family, individual and group, part and whole, different groups and classes, and different countries and nationalities are becoming more and more complex and serious. All classes and groups have their own interest demands, and the contradictions are prominent and conflicts occur frequently.

In the face of such a modern society, the Catholic Church has not changed its original intention and sincerely calls for: the entire human society, harmonious cooperation, solidarity and mutual assistance, mutual assistance, respect and protection of human dignity, earnest protection of public interests, active protection of individual rights, comprehensive promotion of whole-person development, Give priority to caring for the poor and weak. "In order to make the society more humane and worthy of human beings, the value of benevolence in social life such as politics, economy and culture must be renewed, making it the eternal and highest standard of all activities. If it is said that for people If justice is the arbiter of fair distribution of property, only love (including what we call benevolence) can restore a person's lost humanity. Human relationships cannot be measured by justice (righteousness) alone. Christians know that God enters into relationship with human beings because of love. He is waiting for the response of love. Therefore, love is also the highest and most precious form of human relationship. Love must animate all areas of human life and extend to In the international order. Only under the rule of the 'civilization of love' can mankind achieve real and permanent peace." ⁵¹

1 See: Klaus Berger, Justice , in: Karl Rahner, (ed.), Encyclopedia of Theology, The Seabury Press, New York, 1975, p. 788.

2Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, II-II, q. 58, a. 1.

3 Vatican II document, The Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World, § 12.

4 Ibid., v. 27.

5 Ibid., v. 12.

6 Ibid., v. 25.

7 Leo XIII, Encyclical "New Matter", section 1, May 15, 1891.

8 Ibid., v. 3.

9 Ibid.

10 See: ibid., section 5.

11 Ibid., verse 45.

12 Ibid., v. 46.

13 Ibid., verse 42, cf. verse 45.

14 Ibid., v. 42.

15 Ibid.

16 Ibid., verses 51, 32, 33.

17 Pius XI, Encyclical Fortieth Jubilee, verses 44-52, May 15, 1931.

18 Ibid., verses 53-62.

19 Ibid., verse 81.

20 Leo XIII, Encyclical Nova, verse 51.

21 Ibid., v. 32.

22 Ibid.

23 Vatican II Document, "The Pastoral Charter of the Church in the Modern World", cant. 26, 7 December 1965.

24 Ibid., v. 25.

25 Ibid., v. 29.

26 John XXIII, Encyclical Peace on Earth, verse 58, April 11, 1963.

27 Pontifical Commission for Peace and Justice, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, section 433, 25 October 2004.

28 Ibid., verse 434.

29 Encyclical Peace on Earth, section 80.

30 Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, verse 186.

31 Ibid., verse 189.

32 Ibid., verse 153.

33 Ibid., verse 157.

34 http://news.sohu.com/2004/04/09/89/news219788938.shtml

35 Synod, Statement on Justice in the World, Section 15, October 1971.

36 Paul VI, Encyclical Development of Nations, section 14, March 26, 1967.

37 Ibid., v. 21.

38 Ibid.

39 Ibid., v. 43.

40 Ibid., v. 8.

41 John Paul II, Encyclical Concern for Social Affairs, verse 27, 30 December 1987.

42 Ibid., v. 29.

43 Encyclical Novata, verse 32.

44 Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, n. 182.

45 Ibid., verse 184.

46 Encyclical Concern on Social Affairs, sect. 41.

47 John Paul II, God Rich in Mercy, verse 12, 30 November 1980.

48 Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, § 206.

49 Ibid., verse 207.

50 as above.

51 Ibid., verse 582.