catholic views
Catholic social teaching:
What is it?
Catholic social teaching is the central body of teaching in Catholicism, and it tells of the catholic perspective and expectations in regards to social, cultural, political and environmental dimensions. ‘Is an interpretation of reality is the light of the gospels, the churches tradition and human wisdom which aims to bring a head to the social justice issues faced in the community”
Catholic social teaching promotes a vision of a just society that is grounded in the biblical revelation, the teachings of the leaders of the early , and in the wisdom gathered from experience by the Christian community as it has tried to respond to social justice issues through history.
Catholic social teaching follows the see, judge act methodology from which we should be able to work out the principles for guidance, criteria for judgement and directives for action. In terms of the effects of detention centres of asylum seekers, we can see that it is taking a toll on their mental health, with many carrying issues through even after being released and therefore struggling to rebuild their lives. As Christians we can judge that God would not approve of this treatment, and that it is so inhumanely injust that it needs to be solved. This means that it is time to act, basing our actions on the elements of catholic social teaching:
Catholic social teaching has nine basic elements/ principles that have been put in place as to help people understand and follow catholic social teaching. They can be used to address the issue of asylum seekers and how we should be responding to this issue of
injustice. These elements include: human dignity, solidarity, common good, subsidiarity, participation, universal purpose of goods, preferential option for the poor, dignity of work and ecological responsibility. The three that apply the most to asylum seekers are human dignity, solidarity and participation.
Human dignity: the right of the human person to be treated with justice, respects and dignity.Asylum seekers are not receiving this justice, respect or dignity. They are being kept in detention centres, as though they have done something illegal. It is known that under the UN declaration of human rights they are not illegally entering the country, despite not having travel documents (article 14 of the UDHR) and therefore should be acknowledged and respected. They have suffered enough injustice in their own country let alone in being kept in detention-which contradicts article 9 ( No one shall be kept in arbitrary detention) of the universal declaration of human rights. These people have also suffered a severe deprivation of respect and dignity, simply for the labels, like illegals, and the image that comes with being held in any form of detention. They are being treated as animals, put in headlock and shot with tranquilisers. As Christians we should be following the catholic social teaching principle of human dignity and ensuring that all receive it. It is a big task to undo what has been done but by following the see judge act it can be undone in small steps. We have seen the injustice which is innocent people being treated as illegals. We have judged that these people need help, but also that it is a big thing to overturn. We must now act, by taking small steps to achieving a larger goal. The best way to start is to campaign and become involved in the issue- first trying to change and manage the conditions in detention centres. By doing this we will be able to fix the issues that detention centres cause- such as mental and physical illness and breakage of relationships and dignity. Following that we should be pushing into more research for a better action plan of processing. Community processing is the best option, and could later be developed to extend to a wider number of people and eventually into a full processing scheme that allows for easy and safe resettlement.
Solidarity: solidarity is similar to what was described above as taking a stand for human dignity. People are social by nature and by locking them up in detention centres we are denying them from experiencing the social world and therefore limiting their full
potential. To stand in solidarity with those disadvantaged means to help aid and heal the wounds of these people to act on the judgement made about the severity of the issue. Asylum seekers is a huge issue that is putting thousands of young
lives at risk of mental and physical harm and is ruining what could be an extremely fulfilling life. We must take steps to empower those who have been left in solidarity and following our Christian teachings that tell us to ‘love thy neighbour’. This could mean protesting in means of physically standing in solidarity with those in detention or communicating to the government that these people are being denied a life that could not only benefit them but will also benefit the community. We need to stand by these people as they suffer and help them to get back on their feet. Ways to do this could be through starting a charity and donating to improve conditions in detention centres and to fund community processing and regular social outings for those in
detention. The ultimate goal would be to remove all from detention so that they are free to enjoy a life that they choose- a life that is not restricted as a result of the injustices caused from staying in detention.
Participation: ‘we have both a right and a duty to participate in those decisions that mostly effect is. We can shape our own destiny rather than simply accept the decisions of others’. As strong, willing people in our community we have the right to be heard and the
right to stand up for what is right and just- the right to stand up and protest for the release of asylum seekers. In a heavily anti-asylum seeker government it will be hard to do, but as Christians and people who see the injustice and have judged it to be of major concern we now have the obligation to act no matter the difficulty- because nothing could be as difficult as staying in detention.
Although we are government rule we can change how the government works, especially since we live in a democracy. We have freedom of speech and will and can shape our own country; and it is time that we put this power into practice
to help those who were denied this once by their own country and again by ours. Protesting and creating political or interest groups can help to push the government to understand the horrors that have occurred and the justices that need to be fixed. We can use modern technology to blog, post, tweet and share statuses about the issue. Ultimately, we need to change the way that the media
is portraying asylum seekers. It is the government who is controlling this so if we change one we change the other. The media portrays asylum seekers to be infiltrators and terrorists, but we know this is not the case. We must change the way the country views asylum seekers. As powerful citizens we do not have to accept the decisions of ignorant others, but instead should be implementing the ideals of God and catholic social teachings. God knows what is right and as his people it is our obligation to deny the reality of detention centres and to implement our own- we must implement the kingdom of God here on earth.
Gaudium et Spes
The information in the gaudium et spes backs up the information from catholic social teaching, in particular loving thy neighbour and the act of solidarity. In chapter 1 (the dignity of the human person), it makes reference to man being created ‘to the image of God’ and that when God saw ‘all that he had made, and it was very good (genesis 1:31). If man is created in the image of God and man is good, why is it that some are treated differently to others because they fear persecution? Did the Lord not fear persecution too? The gaudium et spes then goes on to describe solidarity and how man was not created to fit this from. He created man and female for the purpose of company and social interaction. The Lord himself constantly interacted with all sorts of people. if man was created in this way then why are we treating asylum seekers as lower class and denying them of their gifts from God. it is time that we open the minds of those committing senseless persecution and tell them what they are doing, while trying to protect the borders is really torture to the innocent. Social interaction is a necessity and we must allow this God given gift, for how else are we to know
what they are really like? Society will never know that asylum seekers are the same as we are unless they can interact. We need to tell the government and allow people to talk to the asylum seekers so that we can open the minds and
hearts of the people with the power; both the community and the government. In chapter two of the Gaudium et Spes we learn that God has created all as one family, and that ‘from one man has created the whole human race and made them live all over the face of
the earth’ (acts 17:26). The gaudium et spes sates the ‘all men are called to one and the same goal, namely God himself’. If we are one family, why are we treating our brothers and sisters in different ways? Again we are called to love thy neighbour and to participate in our family with a sense of dedication, love, and equality. We must actively participate in our community and help our family- make people recognise that we are the same and that we can all share the earth. In order for this to happen we first must stop the separation of families in detention centres by petitioning to the government and sending funds to keep them together in detention or rather have them communally processes. The ultimate goal is to persuade governments not to use all the money to upgrade
roads and infrastructure but rather to creating a plan to properly process these people and to fund their infrastructure and livelihood needs. The government needs our help with ideas. We must start now!
Teachings inscripture:
Along with the teachings
mentioned above in the Gaudium et Spes, Timothy 2 13: 12, 4:17 revisits the
ideas of persecution.
“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly
life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” This passage from timothy
explains how despite the governments and controllers of detention centres
believing that they are in control and are doing the best thing, the asylum
seekers are the real followers of Christ. They share his suffering to find
something better. But sometimes, they cannot find anything and become stuck
under this persecution.
‘But the Lord stood by me and
strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and
all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth.- this reference from timothy expands the
point of the strength of the asylum seekers, but also refers to them being
rescued. In this day and age many they are guided by God out of their countries,
but they end up ‘stuck in the lions mouth’ or ‘stuck in detention, stuck in
depression’. We as free people need to be the ones to act. We need to help our
brothers, sisters and neighbours for the good of the world and of the morals of
the church. If not, our actions snowball.
Matthew 25: 37-46 explains
how our actions can start of small but end up influencing millions of
people:
Then the righteous will answer him,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you
something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and
invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison
and go to visit you?’40“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you,
whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you
did for me.’41“Then he will say to those on his left,
‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the
devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing
to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite
me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and
you did not look after me.’44“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did
we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in
prison, and did not help you?’45“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you,
whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for
me.’46“Then they will go away to eternal
punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
The passage explains that,
in relation to asylum seekers, to help one of them to have the basic necessities
we are ultimately moving steps forwards to doing this for all. But in saying so
the reverse also applies. If we treat just a few badly, our efforts spiral and
all end up with the same reputation. Sometimes we may not know that we are doing
this, and therefore we must become more aware of our actions and the portrayal
of these people. the media portrays them to be terrorists and invaders, when
really they are just desperate people who need a hand. In turn, helping asylum
seekers is like helping God build the kingdom of God on earth as we, including
asylum seekers, are all made in the image of God. This can go the opposite way
as well, as hurting them is like hurting God. If you wouldn’t hurt God, then why
would you hurt his children who are merely struggling? We are all a part of one
family and hurting them is like hurting your brother or sister in a way that
they will never recover. So what are you prepared to do to change
that?
What is it?
Catholic social teaching is the central body of teaching in Catholicism, and it tells of the catholic perspective and expectations in regards to social, cultural, political and environmental dimensions. ‘Is an interpretation of reality is the light of the gospels, the churches tradition and human wisdom which aims to bring a head to the social justice issues faced in the community”
Catholic social teaching promotes a vision of a just society that is grounded in the biblical revelation, the teachings of the leaders of the early , and in the wisdom gathered from experience by the Christian community as it has tried to respond to social justice issues through history.
Catholic social teaching follows the see, judge act methodology from which we should be able to work out the principles for guidance, criteria for judgement and directives for action. In terms of the effects of detention centres of asylum seekers, we can see that it is taking a toll on their mental health, with many carrying issues through even after being released and therefore struggling to rebuild their lives. As Christians we can judge that God would not approve of this treatment, and that it is so inhumanely injust that it needs to be solved. This means that it is time to act, basing our actions on the elements of catholic social teaching:
Catholic social teaching has nine basic elements/ principles that have been put in place as to help people understand and follow catholic social teaching. They can be used to address the issue of asylum seekers and how we should be responding to this issue of
injustice. These elements include: human dignity, solidarity, common good, subsidiarity, participation, universal purpose of goods, preferential option for the poor, dignity of work and ecological responsibility. The three that apply the most to asylum seekers are human dignity, solidarity and participation.
Human dignity: the right of the human person to be treated with justice, respects and dignity.Asylum seekers are not receiving this justice, respect or dignity. They are being kept in detention centres, as though they have done something illegal. It is known that under the UN declaration of human rights they are not illegally entering the country, despite not having travel documents (article 14 of the UDHR) and therefore should be acknowledged and respected. They have suffered enough injustice in their own country let alone in being kept in detention-which contradicts article 9 ( No one shall be kept in arbitrary detention) of the universal declaration of human rights. These people have also suffered a severe deprivation of respect and dignity, simply for the labels, like illegals, and the image that comes with being held in any form of detention. They are being treated as animals, put in headlock and shot with tranquilisers. As Christians we should be following the catholic social teaching principle of human dignity and ensuring that all receive it. It is a big task to undo what has been done but by following the see judge act it can be undone in small steps. We have seen the injustice which is innocent people being treated as illegals. We have judged that these people need help, but also that it is a big thing to overturn. We must now act, by taking small steps to achieving a larger goal. The best way to start is to campaign and become involved in the issue- first trying to change and manage the conditions in detention centres. By doing this we will be able to fix the issues that detention centres cause- such as mental and physical illness and breakage of relationships and dignity. Following that we should be pushing into more research for a better action plan of processing. Community processing is the best option, and could later be developed to extend to a wider number of people and eventually into a full processing scheme that allows for easy and safe resettlement.
Solidarity: solidarity is similar to what was described above as taking a stand for human dignity. People are social by nature and by locking them up in detention centres we are denying them from experiencing the social world and therefore limiting their full
potential. To stand in solidarity with those disadvantaged means to help aid and heal the wounds of these people to act on the judgement made about the severity of the issue. Asylum seekers is a huge issue that is putting thousands of young
lives at risk of mental and physical harm and is ruining what could be an extremely fulfilling life. We must take steps to empower those who have been left in solidarity and following our Christian teachings that tell us to ‘love thy neighbour’. This could mean protesting in means of physically standing in solidarity with those in detention or communicating to the government that these people are being denied a life that could not only benefit them but will also benefit the community. We need to stand by these people as they suffer and help them to get back on their feet. Ways to do this could be through starting a charity and donating to improve conditions in detention centres and to fund community processing and regular social outings for those in
detention. The ultimate goal would be to remove all from detention so that they are free to enjoy a life that they choose- a life that is not restricted as a result of the injustices caused from staying in detention.
Participation: ‘we have both a right and a duty to participate in those decisions that mostly effect is. We can shape our own destiny rather than simply accept the decisions of others’. As strong, willing people in our community we have the right to be heard and the
right to stand up for what is right and just- the right to stand up and protest for the release of asylum seekers. In a heavily anti-asylum seeker government it will be hard to do, but as Christians and people who see the injustice and have judged it to be of major concern we now have the obligation to act no matter the difficulty- because nothing could be as difficult as staying in detention.
Although we are government rule we can change how the government works, especially since we live in a democracy. We have freedom of speech and will and can shape our own country; and it is time that we put this power into practice
to help those who were denied this once by their own country and again by ours. Protesting and creating political or interest groups can help to push the government to understand the horrors that have occurred and the justices that need to be fixed. We can use modern technology to blog, post, tweet and share statuses about the issue. Ultimately, we need to change the way that the media
is portraying asylum seekers. It is the government who is controlling this so if we change one we change the other. The media portrays asylum seekers to be infiltrators and terrorists, but we know this is not the case. We must change the way the country views asylum seekers. As powerful citizens we do not have to accept the decisions of ignorant others, but instead should be implementing the ideals of God and catholic social teachings. God knows what is right and as his people it is our obligation to deny the reality of detention centres and to implement our own- we must implement the kingdom of God here on earth.
Gaudium et Spes
The information in the gaudium et spes backs up the information from catholic social teaching, in particular loving thy neighbour and the act of solidarity. In chapter 1 (the dignity of the human person), it makes reference to man being created ‘to the image of God’ and that when God saw ‘all that he had made, and it was very good (genesis 1:31). If man is created in the image of God and man is good, why is it that some are treated differently to others because they fear persecution? Did the Lord not fear persecution too? The gaudium et spes then goes on to describe solidarity and how man was not created to fit this from. He created man and female for the purpose of company and social interaction. The Lord himself constantly interacted with all sorts of people. if man was created in this way then why are we treating asylum seekers as lower class and denying them of their gifts from God. it is time that we open the minds of those committing senseless persecution and tell them what they are doing, while trying to protect the borders is really torture to the innocent. Social interaction is a necessity and we must allow this God given gift, for how else are we to know
what they are really like? Society will never know that asylum seekers are the same as we are unless they can interact. We need to tell the government and allow people to talk to the asylum seekers so that we can open the minds and
hearts of the people with the power; both the community and the government. In chapter two of the Gaudium et Spes we learn that God has created all as one family, and that ‘from one man has created the whole human race and made them live all over the face of
the earth’ (acts 17:26). The gaudium et spes sates the ‘all men are called to one and the same goal, namely God himself’. If we are one family, why are we treating our brothers and sisters in different ways? Again we are called to love thy neighbour and to participate in our family with a sense of dedication, love, and equality. We must actively participate in our community and help our family- make people recognise that we are the same and that we can all share the earth. In order for this to happen we first must stop the separation of families in detention centres by petitioning to the government and sending funds to keep them together in detention or rather have them communally processes. The ultimate goal is to persuade governments not to use all the money to upgrade
roads and infrastructure but rather to creating a plan to properly process these people and to fund their infrastructure and livelihood needs. The government needs our help with ideas. We must start now!
Teachings inscripture:
Along with the teachings
mentioned above in the Gaudium et Spes, Timothy 2 13: 12, 4:17 revisits the
ideas of persecution.
“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly
life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” This passage from timothy
explains how despite the governments and controllers of detention centres
believing that they are in control and are doing the best thing, the asylum
seekers are the real followers of Christ. They share his suffering to find
something better. But sometimes, they cannot find anything and become stuck
under this persecution.
‘But the Lord stood by me and
strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and
all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth.- this reference from timothy expands the
point of the strength of the asylum seekers, but also refers to them being
rescued. In this day and age many they are guided by God out of their countries,
but they end up ‘stuck in the lions mouth’ or ‘stuck in detention, stuck in
depression’. We as free people need to be the ones to act. We need to help our
brothers, sisters and neighbours for the good of the world and of the morals of
the church. If not, our actions snowball.
Matthew 25: 37-46 explains
how our actions can start of small but end up influencing millions of
people:
Then the righteous will answer him,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you
something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and
invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison
and go to visit you?’40“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you,
whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you
did for me.’41“Then he will say to those on his left,
‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the
devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing
to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite
me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and
you did not look after me.’44“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did
we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in
prison, and did not help you?’45“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you,
whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for
me.’46“Then they will go away to eternal
punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
The passage explains that,
in relation to asylum seekers, to help one of them to have the basic necessities
we are ultimately moving steps forwards to doing this for all. But in saying so
the reverse also applies. If we treat just a few badly, our efforts spiral and
all end up with the same reputation. Sometimes we may not know that we are doing
this, and therefore we must become more aware of our actions and the portrayal
of these people. the media portrays them to be terrorists and invaders, when
really they are just desperate people who need a hand. In turn, helping asylum
seekers is like helping God build the kingdom of God on earth as we, including
asylum seekers, are all made in the image of God. This can go the opposite way
as well, as hurting them is like hurting God. If you wouldn’t hurt God, then why
would you hurt his children who are merely struggling? We are all a part of one
family and hurting them is like hurting your brother or sister in a way that
they will never recover. So what are you prepared to do to change
that?