Social Justice and Moral Activism: A Guide for Catholics

Throughout human history, society has treated people unjustly based on race, gender, class, religion, and ethnicity. The practice continues today. Perpetrators of social injustice include recognized authorities and institutions as well as individuals. Human beings, created in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26-31), are called to rise up against injustice wherever it exists.

It is the duty of Catholics to stand up against social injustice and any form of oppression that compromises the dignity of the human person (CCC 1938). In the prevailing culture of moral relativism, however, it can be increasingly difficult to identify injustices as well as the moral actions that one may take to correct them. Catholic Americans find themselves armed with good intentions, but scarcely enough information to discern just causes and means of activism consistent with Catholic moral and social teaching.

One useful rule of thumb is not to subscribe to the teachings of any group in its entirety outside the body of the Church, but instead to examine all issues on their merits.  Once a Catholic position of justice has been firmly established, it is necessary for the Christian to remain faithful to that position and advocate for it by means that are consistent with the moral teachings of the Church, abandoning all other means (successful or not). A consistent prayer life will yield abundant fruit for those discerning how to be arbiters of truth and justice.

Social justice Issues

Social issues of our times are varied and include protection of the environment, economic injustice and poverty, immigration, abortion, and racism (both institutional and individual).  It is important to start with the premise that Catholic Christians are called to meet all members of the human race with compassion and to declare the Gospel truth that speaks to the dignity of human life. This call means discerning the signs of the times through the lens of Catholic moral theology. While many issues are framed by well-intended advocates as upholding human dignity, a close examination will reveal quite the opposite; issues of race and free speech come to mind. The alternate viewpoints of these issues are seen below in the consideration of activist groups working today.

Social Doctrine of the Church

Holy Scripture, tradition, and the Magisterium serve to guide the Catholic faithful in their discernment of social injustices and their dutiful actions to combat them. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is an essential resource for the faithful when seeking the universal truth of the Catholic Church; all Catholic homes should have one readily available on their bookshelf. 

All human persons possess the same origin and nature and share in a common human dignity (CCC1934). Every form of discrimination and injustice grounded in cultural, racial, economic, and religious differences is inconsistent with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Catholic faithful have a responsibility to fight against them (Gaudium et Spes 29).

The means by which the faithful respond to social injustice must comply with the same Gospel message and teaching of the Church as used for the discernment of injustice in the first place. The Machiavellian philosophy that the ends justify the means is never consistent with the teaching of the Church. Catholic moral teaching speaks clearly on the topics of human dignity, authority, social order, and protection of property. 

Social Activism in the United States

Current protests against police brutality in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis have taken the form of civil unrest; violent riots, looting, and calls to defund the police have become the rallying cry for the victim groups, social justice advocates, and ne’er-do-wellers looking to take advantage of legitimate grievances for personal gain. While the cause may be noble, the means must be carefully examined. The seventh commandment prohibits stealing, and the Catechism expounds upon the commandment stating that the taking of property against the will of the other (with the exception of providing for essential needs such as food, water, and shelter) is a sin against God (CCC 2408). This can be extended to the willful destruction of public and private property which the Church teaches is contrary to the moral law and requires reparation (CCC 2400). 

The use of the civil authorities to protect life and property has only exacerbated the current unrest whose complaint is against these same authorities. In a well-ordered society, it is necessary for laws to be made and enforced upon citizens, these laws are meant to support the common good. The common good includes respect for the human person and must be governed by peace, which civil authority is commissioned to protect (CCC 1907, 1909). God wills obedience to civil authorities (Rom 13:1-2, 1 Pet 2:13-17) and authority should be treated with goodwill and gratitude as long as it is well deserved (CCC 1900).

In the United States, the social battlefield is occupied by left and right; often represented in their most extreme versions.  The battle between left and right was set at the start of the industrial revolution when the production and consumption of goods set up a new class system that separated western civilization into new socioeconomic groups along economic and racial lines. New systems of government in the forms of fascism, socialism, and communism were created to advance the social and economic agendas of certain groups and nations. If any benevolence existed in the original theories of these forms of government, it was eradicated with the practical application of the theories. 

Modern ideologies associated with the left and right are amorphous and as highly varied as the individuals that lay claim to their identities. To illustrate this point, it is useful to compare formerly fringe groups on each side that have found their way into the mainstream of American politics and social discourse: Black Lives Matter and Antifa on the left versus the Alt-right movement. When discerning a position, it is important to tease apart any meritorious characteristics of these groups from other doctrinal or practical aspects of their ideologies.

The anti-fascist movement, Antifa, originated with the political movements of the 1930s with failed attempts by leftists to unite against the fascist regimes of Hitler and Mussolini. At the end of the Second World War, these same groups were resurrected as an organized alliance of socialists and communists sharing the goal of hunting down prominent Nazis and engaging in anti-fascist activism. They were eventually shut down by the occupying powers of post-war Europe1. The anti-fascists resurfaced in 1980s Europe in response to the neo-Nazi and skinhead movements in East Germany. Their entry into the United States in the late 1980s and 1990s was the seed that grew into what we refer to today as Antifa. Often referred to as an organized and well-funded group, Antifa seems more like a loose organization of members that run local chapters without any central hierarchy or doctrinal consistency. Mark Bray, the author of Antifa: The anti-fascist Handbook, describes Antifa as “a kind of ideology, an identity, a tendency or milieu, or an activity of self-defense.” While most self-described members work behind the scenes committed to identifying and exposing those who they feel espouse racist, sexist, and homophobic views some members have organized for street fighting, opposing self-described fascist views by any means necessary including violence1. 

The tactics employed by Antifa vary from non-violent to violent and they all need to be examined in the light of Catholic teaching. While it is not difficult for Catholics to disavow the use of violence as a form of protests, what are the moral implications of accusing and publicly exposing people thought to be guilty of discrimination or social injustice? The eighth commandment prohibits bearing false witness against thy neighbor, but the proverbial devil is in the details. The Church teaches that one must have respect for the reputation of the person (CCC 2477) and avoid the sin of rash judgment or detraction. The often-employed tactic of doxing (publishing information on people presumed to be guilty of certain social offenses) would be sinful based on Church teaching. While the third spiritual work of mercy is to admonish the sinner, this must not be confused with bearing false witness. To admonish a sinner, one must proceed from the point of love and compassion, recognizing that admonishment may be necessary for the salvation of the sinner’s soul.  It is recommended that he or she who admonishes begins with an examination of one’s own consciousness and motivation, ensuring that the admonisher is striving to live a life of holiness. All of this should take place in private and not in the public square.

There is a lot of confusion around the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in the United States that rose to prominence after the shooting of Trayvon Martin in 2012. While many identify black lives matter as a popular hashtag used to support social justice and an end to police brutality of African Americans, BLM is also an organized group that in addition to supporting police reforms has among its objectives the normalization of the LGTBQ agenda and the disruption of the nuclear family replacing it with collectvism3. It is worth noting that the average supporter of this movement may be completely unaware of the complete platform of BLM.

The Church teaches extensively about the importance of the nuclear family and of covenant marriage (CCC 2204-2231). No Catholic should support organizations that seek to undermine the family. Sister Lucia dos Santos, one of the three visionaries at Fatima, predicted before her death in 2005 that the final battle between Christ and Satan would be over marriage and the family.  It is the responsibility of the political community to support and honor the family thus making any group dedicated to its destruction morally reprehensible (CCC 2211). So, while Catholics may morally support the notion that black lives matter, any support given to the like-named organization should be avoided if one is to remain faithful to the Magisterium. 

On the other side of the spectrum, the Alt-right movement has moved from the shadows into the mainstream American political conversation.  It has been suggested that legitimacy was conferred upon the Alt-right movement when then-candidate Donald Trump appointed Steve Bannon of Breitbart, an often-cited Alt-right publication, as his campaign chief of staff. The mention of the movement by Secretary Clinton during a campaign stop in Reno, NV further legitimized the movement. The basic tenant of the Alt-right movement is that the theory of self-government is flawed and would be better replaced by enlightened absolutism. Within that obscure philosophy, the advocation of segregation, anti-Semitism, misogyny, and protectionist economics flourish.  To the anti-fascists, the Alt-right represents the threat of the fascist state. The tactics used by the Alt-right similarly include online propaganda and armed protests. The same moral arguments made above are applicable to the tactics employed by the Alt-right. Like the aforementioned leftist groups, the amorphous ideology of the Alt-right includes some ideals that are consistent with Western democracies such as freedom of speech and free practice of religion and thus considered meritorious; but these ideals cannot be separated from their less noble counterparts such as racial and religious discrimination.

What Should Catholics Do?

Catholics are called to be full participants in society as defenders of the Gospel truth, the dignity of the person, and the common good of all of humanity. Too often, the Catholic Christian is left unsure of how to uphold this responsibility in a society where the evil one has turned right and wrong upside down. The heresy of moral relativism is particularly dangerous because those who do not succumb to its lies may experience almost unbearable social pressure and guilt that they have somehow chosen the immoral and unjust path and are strongly accused of bigotry and racism themselves. To be successful, the Catholic must turn toward the Church with unwavering faith in holy scripture, the apostolic tradition, and the Magisterium. God calls his children to discernment and application of truth.

References

1. The Economist Explains: What is Antifa? By V.J. July 29, 2017
2. An Intimate History of Antifa. The New Yorker. By Daniel Penny. August 22, 2017
3. Blacklivesmatter.com
4. The Economist Explains: What is the Alt-Right? The Economist. September 26, 2016