Social Teaching's Importance in Catholicism

One of the Korean laymen who can be considered the father of the study of Catholicism and Society has retired from his professorship at a university in Seoul and has made his feelings known in the Catholic Peace Weekly: "The topic of Religion and Society has been outside the interest of most people and now that a new horizon is beginning to appear it gives me great satisfaction. Those who will be coming to the field I hope will delve deeper into this field of Religion and Society."

The professor, before his 40-year study of the role of the Church in society, was inspired as a young man to take up this study by seeing so many different religions living peacefully together in Korea. But he soon found it to be lonely work; few were interested in what he was doing. Though the topic has been discussed endlessly; sadly, there has not been much progress. The professor, however, has not been embarrassed to point out the failings of the Church in implementing its social teachings, and the crisis that it faces. It is time, he says, to work for reform and come to a new level in the growth of the Church.

He makes clear that the Catholic Church has had a numerical growth that is exceptional but the interior growth has not kept up with the external growth. Our society, with its philosophy of growth at any price, has grown materially, but the Church has also moved along with this same thinking in many areas. Many in the Church have not been able to follow the dictates of reason and faith to foster the growth of a healthy Catholic Culture.

In recent years, however, the Church has shown some interest in the Yongsan problem--where citizens were violently removed from their homes and place of work--and in the recent 4-River Development Project. It is the work of the Church to be concerned with what is happening in society and to do what it can to have society develop in a healthy manner.

There is much talk these days on the propriety of working for the external growth of the Church when there is not a similar internal and spiritual growth. The bishops will have to take notice and work to strengthen the catechumenate and help the Christians to understand the social teaching of the Catholic Church and the reasons this teaching was developed.

Many Catholics do not adequately understand that the social teaching of the Church is an essential part of Catholic faith.