Quotes from Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth)

“If we love others with charity, then first of all we are just toward them.” (6)

“A society lacks solid foundations when, on the one hand, it asserts values such as the dignity of the person, justice and peace, but then, on the other hand, radically acts to the contrary by allowing or tolerating a variety of ways in which human life is devalued and violated, especially where it is weak or marginalized.” (15)

“Profit is useful if it serves as a means towards an end…Once profit becomes the exclusive goal…without the common good as its ultimate end, it risks destroying wealth and creating poverty.” (21)

“The world’s wealth is growing in absolute terms, but inequalities are on the increase.” (22)

“Openness to life is at the center of true development.” (28)

“The dignity of the individual and the demands of justice require, particularly today, that economic choices do not cause disparities in wealth due to increase in an excessive and morally unacceptable manner, and that we continue to prioritize the goal of access to steady employment for everyone.” (32)

“Solidarity is first and foremost a sense of responsibility on the part of everyone with regard to everyone, and it cannot therefore be merely delegated to the State.” (38)

“Many people today would claim that they owe nothing to anyone, except to themselves. They are concerned only with their rights, and they often have great difficulty in taking responsibility for their own and other people’s integral development. Hence it is important to call for a renewed reflection on how rights presuppose duties, if they are not to become mere license.” (43)

“The economy needs ethics in order to function correctly – not any ethics whatsoever, but an ethics which is people-centered.” (45)

“The exclusion of religion from the public square – and, at the other extreme, religious fundamentalism – hinders an encounter between persons and their collaboration for the progress of humanity. Public life is sapped of its motivation and politics takes on a domineering and aggressive character.” (56)

“The greatest service to development, then, is a Christian humanism that enkindles charity and takes its lead from truth, accepting both as a lasting gift from God. Openness to God makes us open towards our brothers and sisters and towards an understanding of life as a joyful task to be accomplished in a spirit of solidarity. On the other hand, ideological rejection of God and an atheism of indifference, oblivious to the Creator and at risk of becoming equally oblivious to human values, constitute some of the chief obstacles to development today.” (78)

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