Themes of Catholic
Social Teaching
Social Teaching
According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, there are seven themes of Catholic Social Teaching. The seven themes are the Life and Dignity of the Human Person, the Call to Family, Community, and Participation, Rights and Responsibilities, Options for the Poor and Vulnerable, the Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers, Solidarity, and Care for God’s Creation. In my theological analysis of my social justice issue, I identified two themes that correlate with the death penalty: the Life and Dignity of the Human Person and the Option for the Poor and Vulnerable.
Life and Dignity of the Human Person
The theme regarding the Life and Dignity of the Human Person details how the Catholic Church says that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops even writes, “The value of human life is being threatened by cloning, embryonic stem cell research, and the use of the death penalty.”
Bible verse: “God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27, NRSV)
Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
The theme regarding the Option for the Poor and Vulnerable explains how we should put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first. It has been proven that those who can not afford proper legal representation are more likely to be sentenced to death row. The death penalty is doing the opposite of what the Bible says by putting those who are poor and vulnerable at a disadvantage for being prosecuted and sentenced to death row.
Bible verse: “Open your mouth, judge justly, defend the needy and the poor!” (Proverbs 31:9, NRSV)
