Catholic Social Teachings on Economic Inequality

However, being born into poverty does not necessarily mean one stays poor as education, training policies and skill enhancements together with social justice programs are bridges that assist in pulling people out of poverty therefore reducing economic inequality. Economic inequality is often reflected by difference of people’s positions within the economic distribution chain that includes, pay, income and wealth (Fujiyama). Conversely, economic positions are also related to personal characteristics on an individual. These might be ethnicity, gender and even if they are disabled or not. Despite the Equality Trust awareness of these issues, it focuses majorly on the gap between the poor and the rich in the economic distribution chain (Binder). S is at its highest. Despite development of economic recovery programs, U.

S citizens that are living in object poverty is continuously on the rise (Fujiyama). Below are some attributions to the level of economic inequality in the United States; • Inequality has risen in the U. S mainly due to the structural changes in labor markets which only favor those will high levels of skills. In the industrialized countries alone, the United States is ranked the highest with economic inequality (Binder). The loss of manufacturing jobs and changes in taxation laws, changes of labor laws with income distribution polices form early 1980s has created an environment in which the rich were favored and the poor and the middle class became highly disadvantaged. After the inflation of the 19980, the post-tax income of the rich in the U.

S increased drastically as compared to the poor form 1979 to 2005. For the poor it grew by 6% to the nearest fifth but 80% to the nearest fifth for the rich, however, for the wealthy 1% it grew by 228% to the nearest fifth. The next generations are being subjected to prospects of a wider gap if the issue is not addressed by governments and their citizens as well. However, as economic inequality continues to be a prominent element in any globally development agenda together with nationwide administrative deliberations in numerous countries, the community of human rights has begun to address the full range of implications the inequality raises upon human rights almost a decade after the poor got poorer after the financial crisis of 2008. This has forced the hand of the church to ensure the poor are attended to and human rights are spiritually fulfilled.

Through Christian teachings and attempts to awaken humanity in the rich and the government the Catholic Church sets forth social justice principles that will have an impact on economic inequality (Marzen and Woodyard). Catholic Social Teachings on Economic Equality Globally, a spirited political debate is occurring. The concept of option for the poor is considered as a crucial part of societal effort that aims to achieve common good. A healthy society is not impossible to achieve, it can only be achieved when members pay attention to the poor and on societal margins. Catholic social teachings are an essential and central part of Christian faith. The social teachings are developed on a commitment to the less fortunate in the society. The commitment is believed to rise from experiences of the Biblical Christ in the Eucharist.

By upholding this concept, states are denied the right of economic control, despite being charged with attaining the common good for all their residents. With his saying the pope revealed a lot, While the vast majority are struggling to get through life day by day, too much money is available to the few 1 -10%. Such situations have gripped America due to ideologies that sets aside the common good to ensure the free market is sustained. Money should serve all of humanity, rich or poor and not rule over the unfortunate. The pope goes on to say that all political and economic goals should aim at providing humanity with minimum finances to exist in freedom, dignity, educate new generations, praising God, supporting their families and developing their own potential.

It also entails three concepts related to economic equality, the fair wage, universal destination of goods and the right to private property. The Universal Destination of Material Goods This principle states that all creation is God’s therefore it belongs to all human beings. The globally wealth needs to be developed and provide benefits to all, both the powerful and the weak, poor and weak and those in future and to us in the present as well. It follows a concept that all resourced are conferred with a social debt. Therefor those with wealth should do good deeds by extending kindness to those without. Human labor has become undervalued over the past decades for its production value and employee and employer negotiations have become undervalued and uneven.

According to Catholic social teachings, Christian values requires employers to offer fair wages to their employees and also allocate self-responsibility to ensure fair wages are jointly shared between the states and employees (Ryan). Pope Saint John Paul II, he acknowledged that the state and society should ensure all wage levels are sufficient of maintenance of a worker, his family and include another percentage for savings. After Pope Leo XIII 1891 encyclical on capital and labor, other popes who have followed have also called for the right of employees to receive sufficient wages (Weithman). This has been driven by the greed of business men and indifference by the governments that leave numerous employees work for long hours while in inhumane conditions on to keep their families out of poverty.

It is legal for any individual to own private property but also vital to carry it out as it ensures the continuity of human existence. Another aspect to this concept is that it allows mankind to do something else, especially charity. When an individual lacks his/her own private property, they are left with nothing material to give to the needy. Nevertheless, those with private property are easily able to give out valuable items to those in need. This eventually brings about the principle of ‘option for the poor’. However, Catholic social teaching on economic inequality states that the economy should serve the human race and not the other way round. Workers have a right to participate in productive work that offers fair wages with good working conditions.