Catholic Social Teaching and Sustainable Development: What the Church Provides for Specialists

The principles of Catholic Social Teaching as represented by the writings of 150 years of popes as well as the theorists inspired by those writings are examined, as well as the two principal schools of thought in the sustainability literature as represented by what is classically called the anthropocentric or managerial approach to sustainability as well as the biocentric school of thought. This study extends previous research by analyzing what the Catholic Church has said over the course of centuries on issues related to society, economics, and the environment, as embodied in the core concepts of subsidiarity, solidarity, stewardship, the common good, and integral human development. This body of work and the core principles therein present a set of standards and guidance that will enable the work of non-governmental organizations, state actors, and individual activists to achieve the commonly accepted goals of sustainable development in a manner that respects the autonomy of persons and families as well as respect for cultures and communities of historically poor and oppressed peoples in the developing world, as well as in the wealthy nations that drive much of the development agenda.