Five Principles of Justice:
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
-- Martin Luther King, Jr.
Justice is the virtue by which we give our neighbor what is theirs by right. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, justice “disposes one to respect the rights of each, and to establish in human relationships the harmony that promotes equity with regard to persons and the common good.” (CCC, #1807)
In summary:
· To be just = to be fair
· To give justice = to do what is right and fair for everyone
· To be unjust = to be unfair
· Injustice = a situation of unfairness/inequity
The Catholic Church’s Social Teachings can be summed up in Five Principles:
1. The dignity of the human person, and the right to have that dignity respected from conception to natural death.
· This principle teaches that we have the right to whatever we genuinely need in order to develop our human potential fully (e.g. food, shelter, clothing, education, health care, etc.).
2. The reciprocal right and responsibility to be involved in those institutions which govern our lives.
· This principle teaches that we are both to serve, and to be served by, the institutions that govern our world.
3. The primacy of the common good over the right to private property.
· This principle teaches that the goods of the earth are gifts to be shared, rather than things to be possessed.
4. The dignity of work and the rights of workers.
· This principle teaches especially that all people have the right to meaningful employment and a living wage, as well as the right to organize (e.g. into unions, professional associations, etc.) so as to have an effective voice in the workplace.
5. The fundamental option in favour of youth and the poor.
· Jesus stands on the side of the poor, the alienated, and the marginalized, and so must we. A “fundamental option” is a choice which is central to our lives and is expressed in our actions.
Understanding these five principles can help to guide us in our identification of just and unjust situations or behaviours, and help us decide how to act in ways that promote justice.