Catholic Urban Project

“The Church's social teaching is a rich treasure of wisdom about
building a just society and living lives of holiness amidst the challenges
of modern society. It offers moral principles and coherent values that are
badly needed in our time. In this time of widespread violence and
diminished respect for human life and dignity in our country and around
the world, the Gospel of life and the biblical call to justice need to be
proclaimed and shared with new clarity, urgency, and energy. Modern
Catholic social teaching has been articulated through a tradition of
papal, conciliar, and episcopal documents that explore and express the
social demands of our faith."

"Far too many Catholics are not familiar with the basic content of
Catholic social teaching. More fundamentally, many Catholics do not
adequately understand that the social teaching of the Church is an
essential part of Catholic faith. This poses a serious challenge for all
Catholics, since it weakens our capacity to be a Church that is true to the
demands of the Gospel."

(Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and DIrections, USCCB, 1998)