Principiile doctrinei social-catolice. Aspecte utile asistenților sociali [The Principles of Social-Catholic Doctrine. Useful Aspects for Social Workers]

Entering into social work is a remarkable opportunity for Christians and (non)Christians alike to become resilient tools of good works. The aim of the paper is to rewiew the fundamental values and principles of Catholic social doctrine, using the relevant socio-theological data in the field: the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, and some papal encyclicas. After a brief presentation of charity as Christian root for social work as vocational proffesion, the paper defines the concepts of caritas social teaching (CST) and of caritas theology (CT), arguing for a pluri- and transdisciplinar approaches of education in obtaining resilient specialists of diaconical and social work activities. Next, we’ll take a deep dive into the fundamental catholic values of truth, liberty and justice, and into the social-catholic principles: promoting the integral human development, human dignity, the universal destination of goods, solidarity, common good, care for creation and nature, peace, participation and subsidiarity. These principles are meant to guide (non)Christians or (non)Catholic social workers so they can act with discernment in important moral decisions that can be encountered in the field.


Keywords: Catholic social doctrine, social work, diakonia