The church's social teaching is a rich treasure of wisdom about building a just society and living lives of holiness amidst the challenges of modern society. Its roots are in the Hebrew prophets who announced God's special love for the poor and called God's people to a covenant of love and justice. It is a teaching founded on the life and words of Jesus Christ, who came "to bring glad tidings to the poor . . . liberty to captives . . . recovery of sight to the blind"(Lk 4:18-19), and who identified himself with "the least of these," the hungry and the stranger (cf. Mt 25:45).
A central and essential element of our faith, Catholic social teaching is articulated through papal, conciliar, and episcopal documents.
Papal and Vatican documents on Catholic social teaching
Seven themes of Catholic social teaching
Major statements by United States bishops