Preface to “The Social Teaching of the Church”

The white covers of this collection, highlighted with blue printing and a touch of silver and azure on the coat of arms at the top of them, contain precious material, namely “Précis of Official Catholic Teaching” on various topics.

This fine and useful series — a praiseworthy initiative of “Catholics Committed to Support the Pope” — is now enriched with its sixth volume dedicated to “The Social Teaching of the Church.”

It is not surprising, but deeply justified, that such a theme or title take its place among others, as Faith, Revelation and the Bible; Christ Our Lord, True God and True Man; the Church; Marriage, Family, and Sexuality; The Sanctity of Human Life; The Ordained Priesthood; Worship and Sacraments; The Christian Call to Personal Sanctification, Catholic Education; The Blessed Virgin Mary and Marian Devotions. As one can see also in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Church’s Social Teaching is a part of the fullness, harmony, and beauty of Catholic Doctrine.

The book, which I have the privilege and joy of presenting, is a précis of documents belonging to a period of one century, from Rerum Novarum (1891) to Centesimus Annus (1991). There are eight Encyclical Letters and one Apostolic Letter, two documents of the Ecumenical Council Vatican II, one of a Synod of Bishops, and two from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Five of these fourteen Magisterial documents pertain to the present Pontificate of Pope John Paul II, who no doubt has given a great and often original contribution to the social doctrine of the Church.

All of the documents presented in this book constitute an invaluable patrimony of principles, as well as of reflections on many historical situations and developments of social life, in the light of the Gospel; and referring particularly to Centesimus Annus (cf. n. 62), the last of the series, one can say that the Social Teaching of the Church “is directed to the future and accompanies humanity on its earthly journey toward its eternal destiny.”

We cannot but highly commend this publication, together with its companion volumes, as a service to the Truth which the Holy Father’s and the Church’s Magisterium proclaims and offers to the Faithful and to all people of good will.

Archbishop Agostino Cacciavillan
Apostolic Pro-Nuncio