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1. Those who seem to believe that all CST is Catholic doctrine, from basic principles of
social justice down to their specific applications in the documents. They would argue,
for example, that Pope Paul VIs 1967 encyclical Populorum Progressio requires
Catholics to support government-to-government aid to developing nations (regardless
of conflicting opinions about whether such aid actually harms the recipients). This
group makes little distinction between the principles and their application.
2.
Those who hold that the principles of CST constitute definitive Church teaching and
require assent, but that the applications found in Church documents are strictly
prudential.
3.
Those who hold that CST constitutes the combined institutional wisdom of a Church
that has existed since the Roman Empire. This group would argue that, while Catholics
should follow CST, the principles are of relatively recent origin and therefore do not
constitute definitive doctrine.
Pope Leo
XIII
1810
1903