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

Humans are sacred and social: As human beings, we are both sacred and social people. Humans have a need to form relationships with others. Communities are formed over time and have an accumulated pool of significant shared memories and shared hopes. Christian life is profoundly social. It is communitarian. Christian spirituality, like Christian identity, emerges from relationships, of which community is a major, enduring and necessary form. Humans thrive in loving and caring community. Compassion is the key human ability that binds sacred, solitary beings into a community that works together to achieve their mutual flourishing and happiness. Human beings are accompanied on the path to fulfilment through the formation of human communities, encompassing how society is organised. 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, we are also required 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. Becoming a Christian is a lifelong community project. The full power of a community requires intentionality. Membership of a Catholic Christian community involves partaking in the sacramental rites of initiation. Every community of Jesus Christ not only cares for its own but directs social energies beyond itself to the challenges of our larger life upon the earth. Communities endeavour to mediate the abundant gift of the Christ event.