Monday, May 16, 2011


Benedict XVI: laity key to formulating, implementing social doctrine
“Christ’s lay faithful 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,” Pope Benedict XVI said on Monday at 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.

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.”
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