Human Rights and Catholic Social Teaching (CST) Helen Miller Regis University - 2004 This paper is written

to promote a deeper personal understanding of the principles of the Catholic social teachings with regards to human rights and the dignity of human life upon which the foundation of Catholic Social Teaching (CST) is built. Resources for this investigation include writings of the U.S. Catholic Bishops, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, papal encyclicals, and other academic publications. Concept Origins The concept of human dignity, delicately interwoven with the concept of human rights, is rooted in the biblical values of Hebrew and Christian Scripture and in reflection on centuries of Catholic tradition. From the times and narratives of Christ to the more recent papal encyclicals, the call for a commitment to human life and dignity, to human rights and solidarity, has always been a universal calling for all people, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, as promoted by Catholic social teachings. The protection of human rights and defense of dignity has become an outgrowth of faith and spirituality in contemporary Catholicism and a central principle of social teachings by which believers are challenged to apply standards of and promote educational programs of human dignity in all aspects of daily living. Just as Catholic social teaching is an essential element of Faith, both inseparable from a conceptual framework of human life and human dignity, so too are the concepts of human dignity and human rights inseparable from a personal understanding and modeling of principles of peace and justice in Catholic thought. The social mission of the Catholic Church has always included programs that shaped the development of standards for human rights and human dignity (Dorr, 1983). These fundamental teachings provided a broad underlying perspective from which believers could interact with other cultures, shape personal philosophies on life, and model attitudes and behaviors central to a peaceful and just society. These teachings are innately, irrefutably, and irrevocably Catholique. Keating in a 1998 article on Catholic social teaching wrote of John Paul IIs claim for human rights to be the minimum of human dignity in our time. John Paul IIs magisterial theology was influenced by many earlier religious writings (i.e., John XXIII, Vatican II, Paul VI, etc.) and firmly places the core of human rights issues at macro-and micro-levels of involvement. That the concepts of human rights and dignity, which for centuries has served as the basis for social teachings of the Catholic Church, also became the foundation for the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (1948) adopted by the United Nations is a celebratory factor in the evangelization of the human culture. Viewed as a universal inalienable tenet of all human life, the defense of human dignity has become the focus of many international treaties and covenants, especially with regard to sustainable human development in the global South, or Third World countries. Accepted unanimously by almost every nation on earth, the Universal Declaration refers to human rights as "equal and inalienable" and to human beings as having "inherent dignity, (1948) principles that reflect the Catholic Churchs contribution to international human rights. According to McCarrik (1998), the acknowledgment of human dignity is the cornerstone of the Universal Declaration. In John Paul IIs 1998 World Day of Peace message, he declared the adoption of the Declaration "one of the highest expressions of the human conscience in our time. National and international attempts to foster long-lasting, positive change such as economic opportunity, equity, democracy, peace, and spiritual and emotional well being (Shuman & Harvey, 1993) are dependent upon adherence to recognized human rights standards (At the Crossroads, 1995). Similarly, the call to action that accompanies membership in a Faith community stems from key themes of Catholic social teaching that are interdependent upon an understanding of human rights and human dignity.

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Key Themes Recognizing the themes of life and dignity of the human person and human rights and responsibilities is central to the development of the dignity of work and the rights of workers. Other key themes presented via Catholic social teaching that are interdependent upon the promotion of human dignity and protection of human rights include the option for the poor; call to family, community, and participation; solidarity; and care for Gods creations. Life and Dignity of the Human Person The principle that all people are sacred, grounded in the idea that humans are made in the image of God, is the key theme around which all human culture revolves. Without life, all other principles and thoughts are preempted. A solid belief in the sanctity of human life and inherent dignity of each person has always been the foundation of Catholic social teachings. We believe that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person. Factors such as abortion, capital punishment, euthanasia, and genetic engineering carry a tremendous disregard for the importance of human dignity. Life and human dignity is solely the result of human existence. It is not earned by personal achievement or conferred by any entity of human design. It is not dependent on ethnicity, religious preference, socioeconomic status, political power, personal abilities, or gender. It is the inalienable birthright of every living person. Human Rights and Responsibilities This principle stresses that people have a fundamental right to life as well as that which is necessary for a health quality of life, such as healthcare, shelter, food, clothing, employment, etc. A belief in the common good and respect for others is reciprocal to human rights. In a world where some speak mostly of rights and others mostly of responsibilities, the Catholic tradition teaches that human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met. In the global South, for example, many people are still unable to obtain safe drinking water, adequate nutrition, proper sanitation, and access to health care and elementary education (Sivard, 1993). In the global North, many people still feel the effects of poverty, racism, discrimination, and disease. The denial of fundamental human rights is a denial of human dignity. A thorough description of human rights involving personal, social, and instrumental rights was produced via the International Bill of Rights (Thompson, 1997) as well as in John XXIIIs Pacem in Terris (1967). Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers This principle emphasizes that people in the labor force have a right to humane working conditions and fair wages. Workers have the protected right to organize into associations to advance their career interests, to have access to training and education, and the ability to be self supporting (Mich, 2000). Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in Gods creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to organize and join unions, to private property, and to economic initiative. From child labor and foreign sweat-shops abroad to low wages, lack of insurance coverage, and sexual harassment in the U.S., people in the workforce continually face a stream of unjust and inequitable situations built on disrespect for human dignity and denial of fundamental human rights. According to John Paul IIs Laborum Exercens (1981), work serves an individual's dignity as a fundamental dimension of human existence necessary for authentic human development, securing goods for family survival, and for contributing to the common good.

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Interestingly, Catholic social teaching also differentiates between authentic human development and economic development. Paul VI in Populorum Progresio (1967) spoke of avarice as the most prevalent form of moral underdevelopment by which people could actually stunt growth and development. Advancement in authentic human development is social, cultural, political, and economic and entails service to others for the common good. Similarly in Solicitudo Rei Socialis, John Paul II cited the miseries of economic underdevelopment and poverty that accompany economic superdevelopment and consumerism. Advancement in the material wealth of individuals, companies, or countries reflects economic development, but not necessarily full human development. Conclusion Catholic social teaching is an essential element of Faith. Based on a personal understanding of human rights and human dignity, it is inseparable from all else that occurs in the lives of believers (and non-believers) around the world. The pursuit of human rights and the fight for justice has become part and parcel of the Catholic identity in mainstream America and around the globe. Whether becoming a watchdog for human rights violations, working in educational programs, or fostering human rights consciousness, the pursuit of human rights is an integral concern on both the macro- and micro-level. As stated in the U.S. Bishops 1993 pastoral letter, protecting human rights and defending human dignity is an indispensable condition for a just and peaceful world order. The need to educate all Catholics on the Church's social teaching and to share the social demands of the Gospel and Catholic traditions has been repeatedly established and passed down through many papal encyclicals and pastoral documents over time, albeit in a variety of different vocabulary, educational methods, and delivery formats. The 1998 U.S. Bishops letter lamented that many Catholics were not familiar with the basic content of Catholic social teaching. In this document the bishops called upon ministers, religious instructors, and catechists to introduce the principles of social teaching at every level of Catholic education and faith formation. They urged a more complete Catholic tradition via schools and universities, catechetical programs and other religious formation programs. This author shares the bishops hopes that the social dimensions of Faith can and will come alive in caring service, creative education, and principled action throughout the Catholic community. The personal understanding and adoption of principles of Catholic social tradition is truly a milestone in both the religious education and identity formation of members in a Faith community. However, Catholic social teaching is also the perfect tool with which all people worldwide can reinvent a society and culture rooted in human rights via the sharing of the Catholic tradition and its commitment to social justice at the heart of individual and universal existence. It is this authors belief that by emphasizing the individual parishioner as educator and the global family as community, the percentage of Catholic persons unfamiliar with social teachings will decrease in direct proportion to the percentage of the global population that becomes more actively involved in human rights advocacy.

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