Catholics are looking for guidance and a larger voice from the Vatican on ethical principles for the world of finance and the environment, said some participants attending a Vatican meeting on social justice in a globalized world. Some 200 people involved in social justice issues for the church gathered May 16-18 for an international conference sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. The meeting celebrated the 50th anniversary of Blessed Pope John XXIII’s social encyclical, “Mater et Magistra.”
The gathering also was designed to find ways that the church’s social teaching, including Pope Benedict XVI’s 2009 social encyclical “Caritas in Veritate,” could be applied to bring greater justice to a globalized world. “The biggest weakness is that many Catholics are not even aware of the church’s social teaching,” said Margaret Garding, a member of the church’s justice and peace commission in Sweden. There is also a large gap between what the church teaches and the implementation of those teachings, she told Catholic News Service May 17. “There are plenty of beautiful policies and decisions, but how do we do it?” How do regular Catholics integrate their faith’s values and principles into their daily lives? she asked.
VATICAN CITY (CNS)