Denver Catholic

would like to lay out the basic principles of Cath- olic Social Teaching, situating them in the con- text of the United States as a primer for reflec- tion ahead of the upcoming election. Society exists for a purpose. Its goal is to achieve the common good, which the Church defines as "the sum of those conditions which allow social groups and their individual members relatively thorough and ready access to their own fulfillment" (Gaudium et Spes, 26). Human beings are rational and social animals and cannot come to their good alone. We cooperate and rely on one another for both material suste- nance and for our higher needs, such as educa- tion and the spiritual life. Although secularism seeks to separate material and spiritual goods, human fulfillment, which reflects the unity of our body and soul, requires the complete flour- ishing of the person; therefore, society exists to create the conditions for both kinds of goods. In America, we're used to hearing that the overarching priority for our country, and therefore in the election of our leaders, is the economy. "It's the economy, stupid," reduced this premise to a soundbite. In the middle of an affordability crisis, it makes sense that eco- nomic issues would garner serious attention, but our focus on the common good suffers when we overemphasize one issue at the expense of others. In fact, emphasizing economic activ- ity above all else instrumentalizes the human person as a means to a material end. This is why the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, "A theory that makes profit the exclusive norm and ultimate end of economic activity is morally unacceptable. The disordered desire for money cannot but produce perverse effects. It is one of the causes of the many con- flicts which disturb the social order. A system that 'subordinates the basic rights of individuals and of groups to the collective organization of production' is contrary to human dignity" (2424, quoting Gaudium et Spes, 65). The common good is not simply the highest economic output, as might be found in unbridled capitalism, nor can it be found by subordinating the dignity of the human person to the collective whole, as happens in Communism. This is why the Church emphasizes a second principle as absolutely non-negotiable in her social teaching: the dignity of the human person. Without this bedrock principle, society undermines itself because it exists precisely for the flourishing of human persons. The Church rejects utilitarian proposals that would sacrifice the lives of some for the outward benefit of the whole. This type of thinking has created a cul- ture of death that views people as expendable if their lives are inconvenient, especially the unborn, elderly and handicapped. Pope St. John Paul II points out that it is not possible to achieve the common good while undermining this foundational right: "It is impossible to further the common good without acknowledging and defending the right to life, upon which all the other inalienable rights of individuals are founded and from which they develop" (Evangelium Vitae, 101). How could society claim to lead to the ful- fillment of its members if it cannot even secure their own lives? The dignity of the person is inalienable because it is based on "who" the person is, not on "what" a person does. Outward goods are meant to serve the person, not the other way around. I POPE ST. JOHN PAUL II'S encyclical Evangelium Vitae affirms the sacredness of human life and calls for its protection from conception to natural death. 6 OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2026 | DENVER CATHOLIC

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