Religious Research

Religious Research

Formation of the Social Justice Doctrine in Catholic Church

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Fatemeh Rahimisabet 1
Ahmadreza Meftah 2
Mehrab Sadeghnia 3
1 PhD student, Comparative Study of Religions (Christian Theology), University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran
2 Associate professor, Department of Abrahamic Religions, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran
3 Assistant professor, Department of Abrahamic Religions, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran
10.22034/jrr.2024.375339.2078
Abstract
Before the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church did not systematically address the issue of social justice, often emphasizing individual justice influenced by Paul's teachings and its theological implications. In ancient times, justice was seen not only as a process based on obedience but also as involving social dimensions. Jesus emphasized that justice was a prerequisite for entering the divine kingdom, indicating that justice is not solely individual. However, Paul highlighted individual justice obtained through belief in Christ and divine grace. Consequently, after Paul, social justice did not hold significant importance in Christianity. During the Middle Ages, Thomas Aquinas proposed a rational approach to justice in his theology. From the nineteenth century, particularly in the twentieth century, events in Christianity prompted the Catholic Church to reclaim its identity and focus on social and justice-oriented issues. Social demands such as workers' rights, theories developed by modern Catholic theologians, the adoption of an academic approach to social ethics, and the emergence of liberation theology in Latin America contributed to the formation of the social justice doctrine within the Catholic Church.
Keywords
social justice
Catholic Church
Catholic social teachings
Second Vatican Council
liberation theology
Subjects
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Religious Research
Volume 12, Issue 23 - Serial Number 23
September 2024
Pages 105-132