Benedict XVI: laity key to formulating, implementing social doctrine

Pope Benedict XVI on Monday received the participants in a conference organized by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace to mark the 50th anniversary of Blessed John XXIII’s seminal social encyclical, Mater et magistra.

In his remarks to the participants gathered in the Clementine Hall fo the Apostolic Palace, Pope Benedict XVI said Mater et magistra expressed his blessed predecessor’s vision of the Church as at the service of the human family, above all by its specific mission of evangelization.

“In anticipation of Blessed John Paul II,” he said, Blessed John XXIII thought of the Church’s social doctrine as an integral part of the Christian conception of life and therefore essential element of this mission.

The Holy Father also stressed the role of the laity in developing and implementing the Church’s social doctrine.

“Christ’s lay faithful,” he said, “cannot be just passive users and executors, for they are key players,” in the actuation of the Church’s social doctrine, “and valuable partners of the Church’s pastors in its formulation.”

The Holy Father also stressed the importance of prudential reasoning and judgment regarding the implementation of the Church’s social doctrine, recalling Blessed John XXIII’s own words on the matter in Mater et magistra: “Differences of opinion in the application of principles can sometimes arise even among sincere Catholics. When this happens, they should be careful not to lose their respect and esteem for each other. Instead, they should strive to find points of agreement for effective and suitable action, and not wear themselves out in interminable arguments, and, under pretext of the better or the best, omit to do the good that is possible and therefore obligatory.”

Listen to Chris Altieri's report: