One way to apply Catholic Social Teaching (CST) to life is to analyze a social issue facing society today using the seven principles of CST. Select a social issue that is important to you: name and describe it and then analyze it using the seven principles.

You can download the Analyzing Social Issues worksheet in either Word or PDF. 

Choose a Social Issue

Name and describe the social issue you want to analyze.

Analyze the Issue

Evaluate your social issue using the seven principles to determine “what’s at stake” from the perspective of Catholic social teaching. How does Catholic social teaching bring clarity to the morality of the issue, to the injustice, to the impact on the lives of people, to the world, etc.? Use the following questions to guide your analysis. Make notes on your worksheet.

• The life and dignity of the human person. Is human life respected at every stage? Is there a regard for the innate dignity of each person?
• Participation. Are all people able to participate fully? Are people marginalized in this situation? To what extent is there a pursuit of the common good?
• Rights and responsibilities. Are everyone’s rights respected? Does a sense of responsibility accompany the rights that people have?
• The option for the poor and vulnerable. Are the needs of the poor and most vulnerable put first? How are poor and vulnerable people treated?
• The dignity of work and the rights of workers. Does the work promote the dignity of workers? Does the work provide for families? Are the rights of employers being employees respected?
•  Solidarity. Is there a commitment to the common good? Are people cooperating to bring about goodness for everyone?
• Care for God’s creation. Are people protecting the health of the plant and of the creatures and people that live there? Are people considering the interdependence of creation in their choices? 
   

Reflect

• What new insights about the social issue did you discover by applying the seven principles?
• What new insights about the seven principles did you discover through this process?
• How did this activity demonstrate the applicability of Catholic social teaching to real world issues?