Catholic Social Teaching: 

The Common Good

“All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their property and possessions and divide them among all according to each one’s needs.”

-Acts 2:44–45

In order for all of us to have an opportunity to grow and develop fully, a certain social fabric must exist within society. This is the common good. Numerous social conditions-economic, political, material and cultural-affect our ability to realize our human dignity and reach our full potential.

“For her part, the Church always works for the integral development of every person. In this sense, she reiterates that the common good should not be simply an extra, simply a conceptual scheme of inferior quality tacked onto political programs. The Church encourages those in power to be truly at the service of the common good of their peoples.”

-Pope Francis

Audience with ambassadors, regarding financial reform (May 15, 2013)