CST

The rereading the section from Living Justice on Subsidiarity and private property made me reflect on  ideas from Catholic Social Teaching. The pope has recently come out as a critic of the current world economic system and general materialism of the world, so it is important to remember that the church is not anti-business or anti-private property. The idea of Subsidiarity refers to how groups in society should related to each other and help each other. Unchecked materialism and greed can lead to huge sums of wealth concentrated in the hands of the very few, when it could be used to help people who are not as well off. Since individuals can not always be relied upon to help generate positive sum gains for society sometimes larger groups and institutions must step in to fill those voids, like non-profits, charities, or government. I find it reassuring that the Catholic Church supports labor unions, as they are under attack world wide. Labor unions can be a positive force, especially in developing parts of the world where Catholicism is gaining popularity.