his respect given to the family reflects another
important principle called subsidiarity, defined
by Pope Pius XI in his encyclical Quadragesimo
Anno: "Just as it is gravely wrong to take from
individuals what they can accomplish by their
own initiative and industry and give it to the
community, so also it is an injustice and at the
same time a grave evil and disturbance of right
order to assign to a greater and higher associa-
tion what lesser and subordinate organizations
can do. For every social activity ought of its very
nature to furnish help to the members of the body
social, and never destroy and absorb them" (203).
In an age of the Mass State, in which gov-
ernance, communication and economics have
become centralized, the Church recognizes the
importance of preserving local institutions,
which enable people to become directly involved
in shaping the life of their own community.
Subsidiarity cannot be interpreted in liber-
tarian fashion, simply leaving everyone to their
own devices. Solidarity represents an important
complement to it by recognizing that, as social
beings and even more so as Christians, we bear
T
POPE PIUS XI'S
encyclical Quadragesimo
Anno examines social
and economic justice,
emphasizing human
dignity, solidarity and
the common good.
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OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2026 | DENVER CATHOLIC
