Catholic Social Teaching, Ressourcement and the Global Economy (trans. D. Chabrajska)

Samuel GREGG

161 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 301, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503, USA , United States

Dorota CHABRAJSKA

John Paul II Institute, Faculty of Philosophy, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Al. Racławickie 14, 20-950 Lublin, Poland , Poland

Abstract

Despite the 2008 financial crisis and the ensuing world recession, the integration of the world’s economies is unlikely to falter significantly, especially as barriers to trade and exchange continued to diminish across the globe. This paper suggests that through a more thorough integration of the ressourcement method of renewing the Catholic Church through returning to the sources of Christian inspiration – most notably Sacred Scripture, Tradition, and the Church Fathers – Catholic social teaching can develop in ways that underline core Christian themes that are very relevant to economic globalization. With particular reference to the first three encyclical letters of Benedict XVI – Deus Caritas Est (2005), Spe Salvi (2007), and Caritas in Veritate (2009) – the paper illustrates how through deeper reflection upon themes such as love and hope, Catholic social teaching is able to renew Catholic thinking about human flourishing and integral human development in a global economy, especially when it comes to themes such as justice and utopia.

Keywords:

basic moral goods, Benedict XVI, Catholic social teaching, econo− my, eschatology, globalization, hope, human flourishing, integral human devel− opment, justice, liberty, love, ressourcement, truth, utopia, economy, basic moral goods, Benedict XVI, Catholic social teaching, economy, eschatology, globalization, hope, human flourishing, integral human development, justice, liberty, love, ressourcement, truth, utopia