What are the core principles of Catholic social teaching and their sources?

1. Human dignity as the keystone: what the doctrine says and where it comes from

CST begins with the assertion that human life is sacred and every person bears intrinsic dignity; this is described as “the foundation of a moral vision for society” in official US bishops’ summaries and echoed in scholarly accounts that list dignity as a central principle ^{[2] [4]}. Modern juridical and social formulations of that claim trace to Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum and are reiterated through later magisterial texts and Vatican II documents ^{[3] [4]}.

2. Two common ways of organizing the principles: four pillars vs. seven themes

Authors and institutions organize CST differently. The Compendium (and many recent papal summaries) highlights four foundational principles—human dignity, the common good, solidarity and subsidiarity—presented as the doctrinal “trunk” from which other applications flow ^{[1] [5]}. The USCCB and Catholic agencies commonly teach seven themes—life and dignity of the person; call to family/community; rights and responsibilities; option for the poor; dignity of work; solidarity; care for creation—used pedagogically to guide charities and schools ^{[2] [6]}.

3. The common good, subsidiarity and solidarity: how they differ and intersect

The common good demands social conditions that allow people to flourish; subsidiarity insists larger political bodies not usurp functions properly performed by smaller communities; solidarity emphasizes shared responsibility across national, economic and cultural lines ^{[1] [4]}. These three concepts can conflict in policymaking—e.g., subsidiarity can be invoked against large‑scale state programs while solidarity or the common good can be invoked in favor of them—yet sources present them as mutually reinforcing when properly balanced ^{[4] [1]}.

4. Historical sources and doctrinal development: from Rerum Novarum to contemporary encyclicals

Scholars trace modern CST’s birth to Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum and show continuous development through Quadragesimo Anno, Pacem in Terris, Centesimus Annus, Caritas in Veritate, Laudato Si’ and Vatican II’s Gaudium et spes; Cambridge and encyclopedic sources explain that encyclicals and conciliar documents together form the living corpus of CST ^{[3] [4]}. Catholic aid agencies and universities use that cumulative corpus to shape teaching and practice ^{[7] [8]}.

5. Practical emphases and internal variations: preferential option for the poor and economic teachings

Some presentations emphasize a “preferential option for the poor” born out of mid‑20th‑century Latin American theology and popular movements; others stress property rights and distributive justice found in early encyclicals. The balance between defending private property and advocating redistribution appears across sources—Rerum Novarum and later documents are cited in both contexts ^{[6] [4]}. Different Catholic institutions foreground different items on the list to match pastoral or policy aims ^{[9] [10]}.

6. How institutions use CST: pedagogy, charity and policy framing

US bishops, Catholic Relief Services and Catholic universities translate these principles into curricula, development practice and advocacy. CRS and the USCCB present seven‑part educational series or themes for parishes and schools; seton hall and other colleges frame CST for civic engagement and healthcare ethics ^{[7] [11] [2]}.

7. Limitations, disagreements and what the sources don’t resolve

Sources agree on the core claims and on Rerum Novarum as a starting point, but they do not provide a single canonical list—some authoritative texts (Compendium) present four foundational principles while pastoral bodies often teach seven or more themes ^{[5] [2]}. Available sources do not mention a definitive, universally binding checklist that every Catholic must recite; instead they document an evolving tradition developed through encyclicals, councils and episcopal teaching ^{[3] [4]}.

Conclusion: Catholic social teaching is a historically rooted, interpretive tradition anchored in human dignity and developed through papal and conciliar texts; practitioners and scholars organize its content differently (four pillars or seven themes) depending on pedagogical, pastoral or policy priorities ^{[1] [2] [3]}.