Share Your Ideas!

How are you sharing Catholic social teaching on your campus?

If you have a program to share or are aware of any creative efforts, we'd like to hear from you!

Idea of the Week

Foundational Documents

Papal and Vatican Documents

Rerum Novarum (On the Condition of Labor)—Pope Leo XIII, 1891
Quadragesimo Anno (After Forty Years)—Pope Pius XI, 1931
Mater et Magistra (Christianity and Social Progress)—Pope John XXIII, 1961
Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth)—Pope John XXIII, 1963
Gaudium et Spes (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World)—Second Vatican Council, 1965
Dignitatis Humanae (Declaration on Religious Freedom)—Second Vatican Council, 1965
Populorum Progressio (On the Development of Peoples)—Pope Paul VI, 1967
Octogesima Adveniens (A Call to Action)—Pope Paul VI, 1971
Evangelii Nuntiandi (Evangelization in the Modern World)—Paul VI, 1975
Laborem Exercens (On Human Work)—Pope John Paul II, 1981
Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (On Social Concern)—Pope John Paul II, 1987
The Church and Racism: Towards a more fraternal society—Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, 1989
Centesimus Annus (The Hundredth Year)—Pope John Paul II, 1991
Veritatis splendor (The Splendor of Truth)—Pope John Paul II, 1993
Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life)—Pope John Paul II, 1995
Dignitas Personae (The Dignity of a Person)—Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 1998
Ecclesia in America (The Church in America)—Pope John Paul II, 1999
Fides et Ratio (Faith and Reason)—Pope John Paul II, 1998
Doctrinal Note on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life - Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 2002
Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church—Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, 2004
Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love)—Pope Benedict XVI, 2005
Sacramentum Caritatis (The Eucharist as the Source and Summit of the Church's Life and Mission)—Pope Benedict XVI, 2007 (especially paragraphs 47, 49, 82-84, and 88-92)
Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth)—Pope Benedict XVI, 2009

Synod Document

Justice in the World—Synod of Bishops, 1971

United States Catholic Bishops Documents

Labor Day Statements
Respecting the Just Rights of Workers, June 2009
Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, November 2007
A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death, November 2005
Catholics in Political Life, June 2004
"For I Was Hungry and You Gave Me Food" Catholic Reflections on Food, Farmers, and Farmworkers, December 2003
Strangers No Longer, January 2003, Joint Statement from Bishops of the United States and Mexico
A Place at the Table: A Catholic Recommitment to Overcome Poverty and to Respect the Dignity of All God's Children, December 2002
Statement on Israeli-Palestinian Violence, March 2002
A Call to Solidarity with Africa, November 2001
A Pastoral Message: Living with Faith and Hope After September 11, November 2001
Resolution on the Israeli-Palestinian Crisis, June 2001
Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence, and the Common Good, June 2001
Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice, November 2000
Everyday Christianity: To Hunger and Thirst for Justice, November 1999
In All Things Charity: A Pastoral Challenge for the New Millennium, November 1999
Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions, June 1999
A Good Friday Appeal to End the Death Penalty, April 1999
A Commitment to All Generations: Social Security and the Common Good, May 1999
A Jubilee Call for Debt Forgiveness, April 1999
Living the Gospel of Life, November 1998
Called to Global Solidarity, November 1997
A Catholic Framework for Economic Life, November 1996
A Decade After Economic Justice for All, November 1995
Sowing Weapons of War, June 1995
Confronting a Culture of Violence, November 1994
Communities of Salt and Light, November 1993
The Harvest of Justice is Sown in Peace, November 1993
When I call for Help: A Pastoral Response to Domestic Violence Against Women, September 1992
A Matter of the Heart, November 1992
Renewing the Earth, 1991
Economic Justice for All, November 1986
The Challenge of Peace, 1983
Statement on Capital Punishment, November 1980
Brothers and Sisters to Us, 1979
Declaration on Conscientious Objection and Selective Conscientious Objection, October 1971