Nauka społeczna Jana Pawła II

Abstract

For John Paul II Catholic Social Teaching has become one of the evangelisational tools of the Church. As a social doctrine it includes the principles of reflection as well as norms, assessment procedures and guidelines. The Pope holds a view that Catholic Social Teaching meets three basic criteria which enable it to become, in a way, a Church doctrine and a field of study: • it should be present in every social, economic and political system, so that by means of assessing it might watch over its proper relationship with the principle of dignity and human rights; • it is not an ideology, so it cannot be treated as a set of opinions, which lead to achieving specific solutions of social or political nature; • it belongs to the sphere of theology, moral theology in particular, and constitutes an independent category. In this sense, it is the result of a synthesis of a deep theological reflection (made in the light of ecclesiastical tradition) on a complex reality of human existence in society.