Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church

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The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church^[1] is a document issued by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in 2004 to offer "a complete overview of the fundamental framework of the doctrinal corpus of Catholic social teaching".^[2] The work was created at the request of Pope John Paul II to consolidate and organize Church social doctrine. The work reads that:^[3]

The Church... intends with this document on her social doctrine to propose to all men and women a humanism that is up to the standards of God's plan of love in history, an integral and solidary humanism capable of creating a new social, economic and political order, founded on the dignity and freedom of every human person, to be brought about in peace, justice and solidarity.

The compendium's audience includes bishops, priests, men and women religious (e.g., nuns, deacons), catechists, lay faithful, and all people of good will committed to the common good.^[4] Catholic social doctrine is Magisterium, which obligates Catholics to adhere to it.^[5]

The document was presented by Renato Martino, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, on April 2, 2004, the memorial of Francis of Paola.^[6] He noted that the document was preceded by Laborem Exercens, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis and Centesimus Annus, wherein John Paul II expounded upon the church's social teaching. The late Pope wanted a compilation of all the church's doctrines on society, so the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace wrote the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church to him, whom it named the "Master of Social Doctrine and Evangelical Witness to Justice and Peace".^[6]

The compendium is divided into three parts, with twelve chapters, an introduction and a conclusion, a letter by Secretary of State Angelo Sodano, and abbreviations for books of the Bible and church documents it references.^[7]

Specifically, it deals with questions on divine providence, the church as the mission of Jesus Christ and its social doctrine, the human person and human rights, the family in society, human work and the economy, the political and international communities, the environment, promoting peace, pastoral actions and the activities of the laity.

The conclusion is entitled "For a Civilization of Love".

The compendium is available online at the Vatican website. It also can be purchased as a printed book, which runs about 250 pages in the English edition, plus an additional 200 pages of back matter.

• Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, official English translation
• Ramdeen, L., Catholic Commission for Social Justice of the Diocese of Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago), Understanding the Church's Social Teaching, series of articles on each part of the Compendium, published in 2005-2009. Only the 2005 and 2006 series are available online.