Politics Archives - Catholic Social Thought

Building from the Bottom Up – Catholic social teaching, society and the state

Render unto Caesar was published by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales in 2025. It was followed by an event, and the next three blog posts will be articles based on the speakers’ remarks at that event. The articles are being published now because the Feast of the Annunciation was the ancient beginning of the tax year. Indeed, it was the beginning of the legal year until 1752. The change in the calendar led the tax year to move to its current starting point of 6th April. Our Christian roots, perhaps, go deeper than we realise.

Globalisation and the common good

On the website www.catholicsocialteaching.org.uk, there is a set of videos that introduce Catholic social thought and teaching. We continue featuring those videos on the blog with the video on “Globalisation and the common good”. This explores the Church’s nuanced view of globalisation. It is also available with Portuguese subtitles.

Principles of Catholic social thought and teaching

On the website www.catholicsocialthought.org.uk, there is a set of videos that introduce Catholic social thought and teaching. We continue featuring those videos on the blog with the video on Principles of Catholic Social Thought and Teaching which focuses on the four pillars of human dignity, the common good, solidarity and subsidiarity. These are also available in Portuguese .

Rebuilding a Culture of Life: the Brother Jack McArdle Lecture 2025

I thank you for the opportunity to address you for this lecture in honour of Brother Jack McArdle. I thank you for your pro-life work and the constancy with which you have alerted your members to the dangers of legislation against life in England and Wales, Scotland, Ireland and the other islands of Jersey and the Isle of Man. I thank you for your prayers and actions in contacting MPs and Peers and highlighting concerns of the developing legislation.

The Polycentric Republic – theory of civil order for free and diverse societies

“The Polycentric Republic”, published this year by Routledge, shows how modern ideas of governance neglect the interests and prerogatives of non-State associations and legitimate an imposing sovereign state that jeopardizes the freedom and integrity of communities and associations. In the book, David Thunder invites us to reimagine civil order in a way that is more friendly to the diverse interests and prerogatives of non-state communities and organizations, from churches, schools, and universities to farming co-ops, businesses, villages, and towns.

Back to budget basics

Providing Christian commentary on the recent budget is not especially easy. There was a measure to remove the two-child cap on Universal Credit payments that was welcomed by many Christians. But the rest of the budget was really a collection of bits and pieces as well as deferred tax rises on which it is difficult to provide a Christian analysis.

Human rights without a voice – how loose language costs lives

Philip Booth speaking at the Pro-Life Human Rights Summit

Confucius was reported to have said: “when words lose their meaning, people will lose their liberty”. Today, we could re-phrase that and say: “When words lose their meaning, the most vulnerable will lose their lives”.

A Guide to Rerum Novarum Part Three – The protection of workers, unions and the duties of employers

In this final part of the encyclical, the treatment and protection of the working class is dealt with directly and at length.

A Guide to Rerum Novarum Part Two: The Church, the family, the state and the use of riches

We ended Part One of this guide to Rerum novarum with the encyclical’s reminder to the rich that they would have to answer to God if they were not generous with their riches. The focus of that first part was the staunch defence of the right to property. This part will look at the relationship between the state, the family and the Church and the responsibilities we have to the poor.

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