Recognizing that every man and woman possesses an inalienable dignity, together with rights that no human power can betray or nullify, requires us to shape the way we live together, including our economic and political choices, and the makeup of our cities. From this arises the first major principle of Social Doctrine that I wish to highlight: the common good. We can describe it as the social expression of the dignity recognized in every person. When Benedict XVI referred to the non-negotiable values that the Church must always defend, he included among them “the promotion of the common good.” 75Benedict XVI, Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis (22 February 2007), 83: AAS 99 (2007), 169. For a Christian, going beyond the narrow confines of one’s own interests and committing oneself, within the limits of one’s ability, to the common good is a non-negotiable value, as is the promotion of life.
The Second Vatican Council affirmed that the common good consists in “the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily.” 76Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes , 26, AAS 58 (1966), 1046-1047. This definition provides us with a valuable initial reference point, because the common good cannot be reduced to a mere list of conditions or institutions. It is not the sum total of individual benefits, nor the intersection of their particular interests; it is a greater good that belongs to everyone, and it can only be achieved, nurtured and protected by our collective efforts. We can say that social action reaches its fullness when it is directed toward this shared good, just as a person’s moral action finds its fulfillment in the choice of the true good. 77Cf. Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church , 164.
In this sense, we can say that the whole is “greater than the sum of its parts” 78Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (24 November 2013), 235: AAS 105 (2013), 1115. and that, for this very reason, “the mere sum of individual interests is not capable of generating a better world for the whole human family.” 79Francis, Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti (3 October 2020), 105: AAS 112 (2020), 1005. Indeed, it is an illusion to think that simply pursuing one’s own progress without caring for others is sufficient for contributing to the good of all. This view ignores the inherent and specific value of the common good, which is the result of an “interdependence” 80Saint John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (30 December 1987), 38: AAS 80 (1988), 564. that creates a network of social good that expands and has an impact on people. The common good is a “plus,” the result of interaction and mutual influence that connects various actions, initiatives, efforts and decisions. If we were to add up the individual goods, we could not explain the existence of this “plus” that transcends them and, at the same time, enriches them.
It is the pursuit of the common good that gives life to a people, understood not as a mere collection of individuals, but as a living reality in which people learn to recognize that they themselves are interconnected and jointly responsible for the res publica. In this sense, every person contributes to the building up of one’s people through “a slow and arduous effort calling for a desire for integration and a willingness to achieve this through the growth of a peaceful and multifaceted culture of encounter.” 81Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (24 November 2013), 220: AAS 105 (2013), 1110. Working together for the common good means having a shared vision. It is clear that there are many ideological and practical differences among people, as well as differing interests and frequent disagreements, but that does not mean it is impossible to engage in dialogue to establish a set of basic agreements that enable the creation of a shared vision, upon which everyone can move forward together.
It is the State’s responsibility to ensure cohesion, unity and the proper organization of civil society, so that the common good can be pursued with everyone’s contribution. In practical terms, this means that public authorities have the delicate duty to “harmonize the different sectoral interests with the requirements of justice,” 82Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church , 169. seeking a balance between individual interests and the common good, without leaving behind the most vulnerable. When politics abandons a long-term perspective and reduces itself to short-term calculations or sterile polarizations, then the language of the common good loses credibility, and, at the same time, social inequalities and divisions grow.
This also applies to international politics. As the divide between nations widens, a mentality of confrontation and aggression begins to take hold, and the difficult path toward a more united and fraternal world suffers new and painful setbacks. In this context, speaking of a shared journey toward a more just development for the entire human family “sounds like madness.” 83Francis, Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti (3 October 2020), 16: AAS 112 (2020), 974. Yet we must not lose hope. I invite everyone to conceive of ways of cooperating and of more effective international institutions, capable of safeguarding the global common good without compromising the legitimate diversity of peoples and nations. Indeed, the promotion of the common good can never be separated from respect for the right of peoples to exist, to preserve their own identity and to contribute their unique qualities to the family of nations. 84Cf. Saint John Paul II, Address to the 50th General Assembly of the United Nations (5 October 1995), 8: Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II, vol. XVIII/2, 735. Moreover, any attempt or plan to eliminate or subjugate a nation is gravely immoral and therefore unacceptable. The principle of the universal destination of goods
“Among the numerous implications of the common good, immediate significance is taken on by the principle of the universal destination of goods.” 85Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 171. First of all, this principle reminds us that the earth’s goods — soil, water, air and natural resources — are given by God to the entire human family to sustain the lives of all, and that every person has an inherent right to the use of such goods, both now and in the future. Saint John Paul II recalled that, “God gave the earth to the whole human race for the sustenance of all its members, without excluding or favoring anyone.” 86Saint John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus (1 May 1991), 31: AAS 83 (1991), 831. Consequently, “it is not in accordance with God’s plan to use this gift in such a way that its benefits accrue solely to a select few.” 87Saint John Paul II, Homily during the Mass celebrated for farmers at Recife (7 July 1980), 4: AAS 72 (1980), 926. Today, we are called to recognize that this universal destination applies not only to material goods, but also to immaterial and cultural goods.
Certainly there is a right to private property, which has its own specific meaning and purpose, yet it is always subordinate to the universal destination of goods. According to John Paul II, this subordination is the golden rule of social conduct and the “first principle of the whole ethical and social order.” 88Saint John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Laborem Exercens (14 September 1981), 19: AAS 73 (1981), 626. In the Church’s tradition, property has been viewed as a means of protecting and managing goods so that they may better serve the common good. Since “the Christian tradition has never recognized the right to private property as absolute or inviolable,” 89Francis, Encyclical Letter Laudato Si ’ (24 May 2015), 93: AAS 107 (2015), 884; cf. Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti (3 October 2020), 120: AAS 112 (2020), 1010. its social function must not be considered a mere theological opinion, but a doctrine of the Church, already present in Sacred Scripture and in the writings of the Church Fathers. For this reason, Pope Francis reminded us that solidarity, when lived out in its fullest sense, also means “to restore to the poor what belongs to them.” 90Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (24 November 2013), 189: AAS 105 (2013), 1099.
Today, among the goods that are universally intended for everyone, we must also include new forms of property, such as patents, algorithms, digital platforms, technological infrastructure and data. In a context where the wealth of nations depends increasingly on knowledge and technology, when these goods remain concentrated in the hands of a few, without adequate forms of sharing and access, a new imbalance is created that contradicts the universal destination of goods. In turn, it widens the gap between the included and the excluded, between those who can participate in the digital revolution and those who remain on the margins. Furthermore, care for our common home and our responsibility toward the poor and future generations require that the use of the goods of creation and the new possibilities offered by technology be regulated in such a way as to respect the environment, avoid waste and prevent new forms of exploitation.