Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church

Faced with the complexity of today's economic context, the laity will be guided in their action by the principles of the social Magisterium. It is necessary that these principles be known and accepted in the area of economic activity itself; when they are ignored, above all the principle of the centrality of the human person, the quality of this activity is compromised^{1179Cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Doctrinal Note on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life (24 November 2002), 3: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Vatican City 2002, p. 8.}. The commitment of Christians will also be translated into an effort of cultural reflection aimed at a discernment of the current models of economic and social development. Reducing the question of development to an exclusively technical problem would deprive it of its true content, which instead concerns “the dignity of individuals and peoples”^{1180John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 41: AAS 80 (1988), 570.}.

Economists, those working in this field and political leaders must sense the urgency of rethinking the economy, considering, on the one hand, the dramatic material poverty of billions of people and, on the other, the fact that “present economic, social and cultural structures are ill-equipped to meet the demands of genuine development”^{1181John Paul II, Message for the 2000 World Day of Peace, 14: AAS 92 (2000), 366.}. The legitimate requirements of economic efficiency need to be better harmonized with those of political participation and social justice. Concretely, this means that solidarity must be made an integral part of the networks of economic, political and social interdependence that the current process of globalization tends to consolidate.^{1182Cf. John Paul II, Message for the 2000 World Day of Peace, 17: AAS 92 (2000), 367-368.} In this effort of rethinking, well organized and destined to have an effect on the way economic realities are seen, associations of a Christian inspiration active in the economic field — organizations of workers, business leaders and economists — have a precious role to play.