In my last two columns I wrote about Pope Francis’ latest book LET US DREAM: The  Path to a Better World. In his book, Pope Francis wrote “…the Church has developed a series of principles for reflection together with the criteria for judgment that also offers directives for action. It is known as Catholic Social Teaching.”

Catholic Social Teaching is the body of social principles and moral teaching that is articulated in the papal, conciliar and other official documents issued since the late 19th century dealing with the economic, political and social order.

Here are the core texts with a short summary of their relevance to Catholic Social Teaching:

Rerum Novarum (On the  Condition of Labor), Pope Leo Xlll, 1891:

The first work on Catholic social thought addresses the plight of the industrial workers in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. It calls for the protection of the weak and the poor through the pursuit of justice while excluding socialism and class struggle as legitimate principles of change. It affirms the dignity of work and the right to form professional associations, i.e., labor unions.

Quadragesimo Anno (After Forty Years), Pope Pius Xl 1931:

Writing in response to the alarming concentration of wealth and power in the socio-economic realm, Pope Pius Xl calls for the establishment of a social order based on the principle of subsidiarity. In commemorating the 40th anniversary of “Rerum Novarum” this encyclical reaffirms the need for a social order animated by justice.

Mater et Magistra (Christianity and Social Progress), Pope John XXlll, 1961:

Applying the teachings of his predecessors to modern problems and affirming the role of the Church as a teacher and as nurturing guardian of the poor and the oppressed, John XXlll calls for a greater awareness of the need for all peoples to live as one community for the common good. Special attention is on the plight of the farmers and farm workers in depressed rural, agricultural economies.

Pacem in Terris ( Peace on Earth), Pope John XXlll, 1963:

Covering the entire spectrum of relations between individuals, between the individual and the community and between nations, John XXlll affirms the inviolability of human rights. Peace based on mutual trust can be well-founded only if undergirded by a unity of right order in human affairs arising from a genuine desire for and adherence to the law of God.

Guadium et Spes  (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World), Vatican Council ll, 1965:

Calling for a new sense of service by the Church, in a rapidly changing world, the Council presents the ethical framework of the Church’s commitment to pastoral work in the world. This servant Church addresses itself to the real concerns and problems faced by Christians living in the modern age and calls for development based an unqualified acceptance of the dignity of the human person.

Populorum Progressio (On the Development of Peoples), Pope Paul Vl, 1967:

Calling attention to the worsening marginalization of the poor, Pope Paul Vl presents the various dimensions of the integral human development and the necessary conditions for growth in the solidarity of peoples. Only with an accompanying theological reflection on liberation from injustice and on genuine human values can there be the true development towards a more human condition.

Octogesima Adveniens (A Call to Action), Pope Paul Vl, 1971:

Realizing the need for a genuine renewal in domestic and international societal structure, Pope Paul Vl calls on Christians to live up to the duty of participating in social and political reform as a way of discovering the truth and living out the Gospel.

Justicia in Mundo (Justice in the World), Synod of Bishops, 1971:

Calling attention to the structural roots of injustice afflicting human relationships, the bishops declare that action taken in the pursuit of justice and participation in the transformation of the world are constitutive elements in the Church mission of preaching the Gospel.

Laborem Exercens (On Human Work), Pope John Paul ll, 1987:

Exhorting Christians everywhere to be involved in the transformation of existing socio-economic systems, John Paul ll presents work as a fundamental dimension of the human experience through which the “social question” must be viewed. The meaning of work can only be properly understood when the dignity of labor is taken as an underlying presence.

Solicitud Rei Socialis ( On Social Concerns), Pope John Paul ll, 1987:

Expanding on the notion of development in “Populorum Progressio,” John Paul ll reviews the state of world development in the past two decades. The moral nature of development leading humanity to the “fullness of being” is emphasized.

Centesimus Annus ( The Hundredth Year), Pope John Paul ll, 1991:

The social encyclical issued by John Paul ll in May 1991 is a landmark event in contemporary religious thought about human freedom and its embodiment in culture, economics and politics. Written to honor the centenary of “Rerum Novarum,” this encyclical is both a look back at “res novae,” the “new things,” that seized the attention of Leo Xlll and a look ahead to the new facts of public life at the end of the 20th century and the turn of the third Christian millennium.

It is from these core Church documents that the basic principles of Catholic Social Teaching are derived.

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