Archbishop's column

Blessed John Paul II once wrote, "The needs of the poor take priority over the desires of the rich." This is a basic principle of Catholic social teaching that is sometimes called the preferential option (or respect) for the poor.

Later this year, we will observe the 65th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly. Blessed John Paul II praised this declaration as "one of the highest expressions of the human conscience in our time." In his 1998 World Day of Peace message, the Holy Father termed the adoption of the declaration "a solemn act, arrived at after the sad experience of war and motivated by the desire formally to recognize that the same rights belong to every individual and all peoples."

As part of our observance of the Year of Faith, I am writing about the Catholic Church's social teaching. As I noted last week, the fundamental principle on which all our social teaching is based is the dignity of the human person. We Christians believe that the dignity of the person begins -- and ends -- with the family, which the Church teaches is "the first and essential cell of human society."

The foundational principle of Catholic social teaching is the dignity of the human person. From a faith perspective, we strongly affirm this because we believe that every human person is made in the image and likeness of God. But even from a purely human perspective, we are convinced that every human being has rights and responsibilities that come from human nature itself. This double perspective of faith and reason is at the heart of all our Church's social teaching.

You'll recall that last fall, as part of our observance of the Year of Faith, I wrote a series of articles based on the Apostles' Creed. In Lent, I reflected on the sacraments. During the next two months, I'd like to offer practical reflections on what has come to be known as Catholic social teaching.

Following an outline recommended by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, I'll organize my articles based on the following themes:

This is a special time in the Church's year of grace -- the time between Easter and Pentecost. During these weeks, we celebrate with joy our Lord's Resurrection from the dead. We also anticipate that truly momentous occasion when Christ sent the Holy Spirit to enflame the hearts of His disciples and to send them out to the whole world to evangelize and to carry on His work of healing and bringing hope to all.