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Spring 2013
ISSN 0890-913X
Volume 28, Number 2

Catholic Social Teaching and the Freedom of Association

Kevin Schmiesing, Acton Institute
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TheJournalofPrivateEnterprise28(2),2013,2338CatholicSocialTeachingandtheFreedomofAssociationKevinSchmiesingActonInstituteAbstractCatholicsocialteachingiswidelyperceivedtosupportlabororganization.Thispaperwillexaminefreedomofassociationwithinpapalsocialteaching,revealingthattheCatholicChurchssupportoflaborunionsisnotcentraltoitsteaching;instead,itisonepracticalapplicationofitsconcernforfreeassociationandthecommongood.Whenlaborunionactivityisplacedintothiscontext,theChurchsendorsementisseentobeconditionalandprudential.Catholicsocialteachingsadvocacyoffreedomofassociation,moreover,isexpressedinitsstrongsupportformediatinginstitutionsmoregenerally.Thus,anoveremphasisonCatholicsupportofunionsdistortstheteachingbyneglectingtheroleofotherinstitutions.JELCodes:J59,Z12Keywords:Catholicsocialteaching;Freedomofassociation;LaborunionsI.IntroductionAreCatholicismandfreeenterprisecompatible?HowtheanswertothisquestionisperceivedhasbeencriticallyimportantinthehistoryoftheWesttothispoint,anditwillcontinuetobesointheforeseeablefuture.Whereasitisself-evidentlyaquestionofinteresttoCatholics,allseriousstudentsofsocialandeconomicmattersshouldbeawareofitssignificance.TheCatholicChurchintheyear2013isaglobalinstitutionthatclaimstheallegianceofsome1.2billionoftheworldspopulation.Uniqueamongtheworldsreligiousbodies,Catholicismfeaturesacentralizedauthoritythat,accordingtothechurchsself-understanding,teachesdefinitivelyonmattersoffaithandmoralstoallwhoembracetheCatholicreligion.Moreconcretely,documentsemergingfromthemagisterium(theteachingauthorityofthechurch,representedbythepopeandthebishopsteachinginunionwithhim)enjoywidespreadattentionanddeferencefromanarrayofinfluentialopinionleaders,including23
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