Social Doctrine of the Church and Integral Ecology

As part of the journey towards a more sustainable world to which we are all called, the Teresian Association's Council for Culture held an online meeting to explore the Social Doctrine of the Church and integral ecology. 

María Dolores Peralta Ortiz, a member of the Teresian Association with a doctorate in Philosophy and Educational Sciences and a master’s degree in the Social Doctrine of the Church, gave an interesting talk on 19 February entitled ‘Integral Ecology and the Social Doctrine of the Church’. It was attended by around 140 people. 

Before she began her presentation, Inmaculada Balfagón, President of the TA Council for Culture, introduced the meeting. She thanked the speaker for her participation and then handed over to her. 

The first point made by Maria Dolores Peralta was to clarify that ecology is one of the specific issues emerging at different times in the history of the Social Doctrine of the Church (SDC). ‘In this case, it happened at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, and we know that with Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato si' in 2015, the Church took direct ownership of this issue.’ 

 Watch the video of the talk here and select subtitles in your language. 

Origin of the Social Doctrine of the Church 

She then explained the meaning and origin of the SDC in the wake of the encyclical Rerum Novarum, which Pope Leo XIII wrote in 1891 in response to a specific point in history. ‘Indeed, some workers even made pilgrimages to Rome to thank him for this document,’ she said. 

‘The Social Doctrine of the Church, which was not called that at first, took shape through various writings by popes and the Council on social, political and economic issues. In short, we can say that the SDC has its origin in the Gospel and is oriented towards action.’ 

María Dolores Peralta examined the dynamics of the SDC and the way in which ecology is integrated into it through basic principles such as solidarity and subsidiarity, but also through others such as the common good, the universal destination of goods and justice. This dynamic is based on one basic principle -- the Commandment of Love. It recognises the dignity of every human being as an active and responsible agent in social life. She asserted that, ‘love, dignity and responsibility are closely related to the demands of ecology.’ 

The meeting ended with questions and input from several of the attendees. 

What did you think of the talk? You can leave your opinion in the comments. 

TA nfo.