Human Dignity: The foundation of all Catholic Social Teaching is the inherent dignity of every human person because everyone is created in God's image and likeness and therefore, valuable and worthy of respect. The Church calls for Integral Human Development, which concerns the wellbeing of each person in every facet of life including economic, political, social, ecological, and spiritual. The dignity of the individual demands justice: people should not make economic, social or environmental choices which cause disparities between people. The dignity of the person does not come from the work they do but from the people they are: each person is imprinted with God's image. When we deal with each other, we should do so with a sense of awe that arises from the presence of something holy and sacred. Subhuman living conditions, unlawful imprisonment, slavery, human trafficking, and poor working conditions poison human society and destroy human dignity. Human personhood must be respected with a reverence that is religious. Scripture: Genesis 1:26-31; Deuteronomy 10:17-19; Luke 10:25-37; Romans 12:9-18; 1 Corinthians 3:16

The Common Good and Community: As human beings we are both sacred and social people. We achieve our fulfilment within community; so how society is organised, its economy, law and policy, directly affect human dignity and how individuals are able to grow and flourish within community. While it is very important to love our neighbour, it also requires us to have a broader view of life and to take responsibility to contribute to the good of the whole of society, to contribute to the common good. Human dignity can only be realised and protected within society. We must love our neighbour, locally and globally, and prioritize the good of the human family over commercial interests. The common good also includes all people, creatures and habitats. Our treatment of the ecosystem has consequences for the well-being of future generations. We live in an interdependent world and we need to measure our own self-interest against the greater common good and contribute equitably to global solutions. The state prospers when there is good moral rule, well-regulated family life, respect for religion and justice, just and fair taxation, and appropriate provision of social services. Every level of society should benefit from the state and the state should work to promote the common good. The state should watch over the community in its parts but it must also pay particular attention to the weak and the poor. Promoting the common good means promoting the full development of all humanity and encouraging them to take an active part in society. While the Church should never replace the State, she cannot remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice. The Church promotes justice through bringing about an openness of mind and will in seeking the common good. In today's world where injustice abounds, a call to global solidarity is logically and inevitable. The notion of the common good also extends to future generations. We can no longer speak of sustainable development apart from intergenerational solidarity. Scripture Genesis 4:8-15; Leviticus 25:23-43; Micah 6:6-8; John 15:12-17; 1 John 4:19-21

Preferential Option for the Poor and Vulnerable: While the common good embraces all people, those most in need deserve preferential concern. A basic test for society is how it treats its most vulnerable members. The poor and vulnerable should be highest priority for all in society. All public policy decisions should be examined for how they affect the poor. The option for the poor means that one of the first questions asked when decisions are being made is 'How will this affect the poor'? The option for the poor is an essential part of society's effort to achieve the common good and the common good can only be achieved if the needs of the poor and those on the margins of society are considered. God's love is universal, so this principle does not intend that we should focus on the poor to the exclusion of others, but rather that we are called to prioritize those who are in most need of our solidarity. The option for the poor includes all who are marginalised: people with disabilities, the elderly, the terminally ill, victims of injustice and oppression. The needs of the poor take priority over the desires of the rich; the rights of workers over the maximization of profits; the preservation of the environment over uncontrolled industrial expansion; the production to meet social needs over production for military purposes' (Economic Justice for All, #94). Scripture: Exodus 22:20-26; Leviticus 19:9-10; Isaiah 58:5-7; Luke 6: 20-23; I John 3:17-18

Rights and Responsibilities: The dignity of each person can only be protected if human rights are protected. Every person has the right to life and to those things which are essential to human decency such as food, shelter, clothing, employment, healthcare and education. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities which encompasses each other, our families and the wider society. We should not take more than is needed to fulfill our rights at the expense of another's.In Catholic teaching, human rights include civil and political rights as well as economic rights. When people are unable to earn a living, or are hungry or homeless, they are being denied basic rights and society must ensure that these rights are protected. Scripture Leviticus 25:35; Proverbs 31:8-9; Isaiah1:16-17; Matthew 25: 31-46; Luke 16:19-31; Acts 4:32-35

Participation: Human beings are sacred and social creatures. How we live together affects the dignity of the individual and the progress of our society. Everyone has the right to participate in the economic, political and cultural life of society. It is wrong for a person or group to be excluded unfairly or to be unable to participate in society. The principle of human dignity requires that all people be assured of a minimum level of participation in community and that people should not be excluded for any reason. The organisation of society moves from the basic unit of the family, to the larger community ensuring that everyone participates. The emphasis on the larger social group counterbalances unregulated individual rights that can turn toward anarchy. Humans gather in groups. Within the Catholic tradition, we are One Body with Christ and as one body we are called to care for all. Catholic Christians are called to participate in society and to ensure that all people and groups are treated well. Participation is closely linked to the themes of community and the common good. A community does not just happen. It is something that people must work together to develop. Everyone should take part in the building up of the community as far as possible. Participating in the building up of community is one of the ways that Catholics live their lives at the service of the dignity of the human person. insert 'It is impossible to promote the dignity of the person without showing concern for the family, groups, associations, local territorial realities; in short, for that aggregate of economic, social, cultural, sports-oriented, recreational, professional and political expressions to which people spontaneously give life and which make it possible for them to achieve effective social growth'. Pope Pius XI, Quadragesimo Anno Scripture Genesis 4:8-15; Leviticus 25:23-43; John 15:12-17; Acts 2:43-47; James 2:14-17

Science, Religion and Culture Pope Francis: Audience with participants in the Plenary of the Pontifical Council for Culture, 18.11.2017 Pope Francis: As I wished to affirm in the Encyclical Laudato si', “we urgently need a humanism capable of bringing together the different fields of knowledge … in the service of a more integral and integrating vision” (no. 141), so as to be able to overcome the tragic division between the “two cultures”, the humanistic-literary-theological and the scientific, which leads to a mutual impoverishment, and to encourage a greater dialogue between the Church, community of believers, and the scientific community. The Church, for her part, offers some great principles to sustain this dialogue. The first is the centrality of the human person, which must be considered an end and not a means. This must be placed in harmonious relation to creation, not as a despot guarding God's legacy but rather as a loving custodian of the work of the Creator. The second principle it is necessary to remember is that of the universal destination of goods, which also regards those of knowledge and technology. Scientific and technological progress serve the good of all humanity, and their benefits cannot be of advantage only to a few. In this way, one avoids that the future will add new inequalities based on knowledge and increase the gap between rich and poor. The great decisions on the direction of scientific research and investments in the latter must be taken by society as a whole and not dictated solely by the rules of the market or the interest of the few. Finally, the principle remains that not all that is technically possible or feasible is therefore ethically acceptable. Science, like any other human activity, knows that there are limits to be observed for the good of humanity itself, and requires a sense of ethical responsibility. The true measure of progress, as Blessed Paul VI recalled, is that which aims at the good of every man and man.