Catechism of the Catholic Church · Part Three › Section One › Chapter Two · Article 2 (§§1897–1927)
Paragraphs · 31
The Catechism's text is under copyright, so each paragraph is quoted briefly here with a link to the full text at vatican.va.
I. Authority
- §1897 — "Human society can be neither well-ordered nor prosperous unless it has some people invested with legitimate authority to preserve its institutions and to devote themselves as far as is necessary to work and care for the good of all."vatican.va
- §1898 — Every human community needs an authority to govern it. The foundation of such authority lies in human nature. It is necessary for the unity of the state.vatican.va
- §1899 — The authority required by the moral order derives from God: "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.vatican.va
- §1900 — The duty of obedience requires all to give due honor to authority and to treat those who are charged to exercise it with respect, and, insofar as it is deserved, with gratitude and good-will.vatican.va
- §1901 — If authority belongs to the order established by God, "the choice of the political regime and the appointment of rulers are left to the free decision of the citizens."vatican.va
- §1902 — Authority does not derive its moral legitimacy from itself. It must not behave in a despotic manner, but must act for the common good as a "moral force based on freedom and a sense of responsibility":vatican.va
- §1903 — Authority is exercised legitimately only when it seeks the common good of the group concerned and if it employs morally licit means to attain it.vatican.va
- §1904 — "It is preferable that each power be balanced by other powers and by other spheres of responsibility which keep it within proper bounds. This is the principle of the 'rule of law,' in which the law is sovereign and not the arbitrary will of men."vatican.va
II. The Common Good
- §1905 — In keeping with the social nature of man, the good of each individual is necessarily related to the common good, which in turn can be defined only in reference to the human person:vatican.va
- §1906 — By common good is to be understood "the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily."vatican.va
- §1907 — First, the common good presupposes respect for the person as such. In the name of the common good, public authorities are bound to respect the fundamental and inalienable rights of the human person.vatican.va
- §1908 — Second, the common good requires the social well-being and development of the group itself. Development is the epitome of all social duties. Certainly, it is the proper function of authority to arbitrate, in the name of the common good, between various particular interests; but it…vatican.va
- §1909 — Finally, the common good requires peace, that is, the stability and security of a just order. It presupposes that authority should ensure by morally acceptable means the security of society and its members.vatican.va
- §1910 — Each human community possesses a common good which permits it to be recognized as such; it is in the political community that its most complete realization is found.vatican.va
- §1911 — Human interdependence is increasing and gradually spreading throughout the world. the unity of the human family, embracing people who enjoy equal natural dignity, implies a universal common good.vatican.va
- §1912 — The common good is always oriented towards the progress of persons: "The order of things must be subordinate to the order of persons, and not the other way around."vatican.va
III. Responsibility and Participation
- §1913 — "Participation" is the voluntary and generous engagement of a person in social interchange. It is necessary that all participate, each according to his position and role, in promoting the common good.vatican.va
- §1914 — Participation is achieved first of all by taking charge of the areas for which one assumes personal responsibility: by the care taken for the education of his family, by conscientious work, and so forth, man participates in the good of others and of society.vatican.va
- §1915 — As far as possible citizens should take an active part in public life. the manner of this participation may vary from one country or culture to another.vatican.va
- §1916 — As with any ethical obligation, the participation of all in realizing the common good calls for a continually renewed conversion of the social partners. Fraud and other subterfuges, by which some people evade the constraints of the law and the prescriptions of societal obligation, must…vatican.va
- §1917 — It is incumbent on those who exercise authority to strengthen the values that inspire the confidence of the members of the group and encourage them to put themselves at the service of others.vatican.va
In Brief
- §1918 — "There is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God" (Rom 13:1).vatican.va
- §1919 — Every human community needs an authority in order to endure and develop.vatican.va
- §1920 — "The political community and public authority are based on human nature and therefore . . belong to an order established by God" (GS 74 # 3).vatican.va
- §1921 — Authority is exercised legitimately if it is committed to the common good of society. To attain this it must employ morally acceptable means.vatican.va
- §1922 — The diversity of political regimes is legitimate, provided they contribute to the good of the community.vatican.va
- §1923 — Political authority must be exercised within the limits of the moral order and must guarantee the conditions for the exercise of freedom.vatican.va
- §1924 — The common good comprises "the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily" (GS 26 1).vatican.va
- §1925 — The common good consists of three essential elements: respect for and promotion of the fundamental rights of the person; prosperity, or the development of the spiritual and temporal goods of society; the peace and security of the group and of its members.vatican.va
- §1926 — The dignity of the human person requires the pursuit of the common good. Everyone should be concerned to create and support institutions that improve the conditions of human life.vatican.va
- §1927 — It is the role of the state to defend and promote the common good of civil society. the common good of the whole human family calls for an organization of society on the international level.vatican.va
Scripture cited · 9 verses
Romans 13:1 · Romans 13:2 · 1 Timothy 2:1 · 1 Timothy 2:2 · 1 Peter 2:13 · 1 Peter 2:14 · 1 Peter 2:15 · 1 Peter 2:16 · 1 Peter 2:17