Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church

"To transform social reality through the power of the Gospel, witnessed by women and men faithful to Jesus Christ, has always been a challenge and remains so today, at the dawn of the third millennium of the Christian era. The proclamation of Jesus Christ, "good news of salvation, love, justice and peace, is not easily received in today's world, still devastated by wars, poverty and injustices. It is precisely for this reason that the man of our time needs the Gospel more than ever: of the faith that saves, of the hope that enlightens, and of the charity that loves. The Church, an expert in humanity, in confident and active anticipation, continues to look towards the "new heavens and the "new earth" [2 P 3, 13] and to point them out to every man, to help him live his life in the dimension of authentic meaning. "Gloria Dei virens homo": man who lives his dignity in fullness gives glory to God, who gave it to him. The reading of these pages is above all proposed to support and encourage the action of Christians in the social field, especially of the lay faithful, whose specific place it is; their whole life must be a fruitful work of evangelization. Every believer must first of all learn to obey the Lord with the strength of faith, following the example of Saint Peter: "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets" [Lk 5, 5]. Any reader of "good will" will be able to discover the reasons that lead the Church to intervene with a doctrine in the social field which, at first glance, does not seem to fall within its competence, as well as the reasons for an encounter, a dialogue, a collaboration, to serve the common good." Renato Raffaele Card. Martino.