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Spring 2013

ISSN 0890-913X

Volume 28, Number 2

Categories: Spring 2013 | Politics

Catholic Social Teaching and the Freedom of Association

Kevin Schmiesing, Acton Institute

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TheJournalofPrivateEnterprise28(2),2013,23–38CatholicSocialTeachingandtheFreedomofAssociationKevinSchmiesingActonInstituteAbstractCatholicsocialteachingiswidelyperceivedtosupportlabororganization.Thispaperwillexaminefreedomofassociationwithinpapalsocialteaching,revealingthattheCatholicChurch’ssupportoflaborunionsisnotcentraltoitsteaching;instead,itisonepracticalapplicationofitsconcernforfreeassociationandthecommongood.Whenlaborunionactivityisplacedintothiscontext,theChurch’sendorsementisseentobeconditionalandprudential.Catholicsocialteaching’sadvocacyoffreedomofassociation,moreover,isexpressedinitsstrongsupportformediatinginstitutionsmoregenerally.Thus,anoveremphasisonCatholicsupportofunionsdistortstheteachingbyneglectingtheroleofotherinstitutions.JELCodes:J59,Z12Keywords:Catholicsocialteaching;Freedomofassociation;LaborunionsI.IntroductionAreCatholicismandfreeenterprisecompatible?HowtheanswertothisquestionisperceivedhasbeencriticallyimportantinthehistoryoftheWesttothispoint,anditwillcontinuetobesointheforeseeablefuture.Whereasitisself-evidentlyaquestionofinteresttoCatholics,allseriousstudentsofsocialandeconomicmattersshouldbeawareofitssignificance.TheCatholicChurchintheyear2013isaglobalinstitutionthatclaimstheallegianceofsome1.2billionoftheworld’spopulation.Uniqueamongtheworld’sreligiousbodies,Catholicismfeaturesacentralizedauthoritythat,accordingtothechurch’sself-understanding,teachesdefinitivelyonmattersoffaithandmoralstoallwhoembracetheCatholicreligion.Moreconcretely,documentsemergingfromthemagisterium(theteachingauthorityofthechurch,representedbythepopeandthebishopsteachinginunionwithhim)enjoywidespreadattentionanddeferencefromanarrayofinfluentialopinionleaders,including23

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Metadata [hide]

Title	Catholic Social Teaching and the Freedom of Association
Authors/Creators:	Kevin Schmiesing, Acton Institute
Year:	2013
Volume:	28
Number:	2
Pages:	23 - 38
Publisher:	The Association of Private Enterprise Education
ISSN:	0890-913X
Document Type:	Articles
Keywords:	Catholic Church, social teaching, Freedom of association, Labor unions, Religion

Citation:
Schmiesing, Kevin / 2013. "Catholic Social Teaching and the Freedom of Association." The Journal of Private Enterprise, 28(2): 23-38.