A current social justice issue we face in our world today is that of people experiencing homelessness; this issue is at the center of the attention of the Catholic Church. Themes of Catholic social teaching, such as the dignity of the human person, further explain why they are primarily focused on, due to the belief that every person is made in the image of God and should be treated equally with freedom and dignity. This means that you and your neighbors, homeless or not, must be seen as children of God and be treated as such. This teaching sees these “homeless” people not only as homeless people, but also as people going through phases of homelessness and to be treated with the same views and rights as any other person. By understanding Human Rights every person is entitled to their rights in justice, rather than simply in charity. Another theme of Catholic Social Doctrine is the theme of the Common Good. This theme ensures that no segment of the population is excluded and has the right to benefit from the well-being of the community; this applies locally, nationally and internationally to marginalized people, such as homeless people. This is therefore linked to the ideas of human dignity and human development, making them the fundamental goal of all societies. Viewed from the perspective of Catholic social teaching, the idea of distribution is based on a genuine love of freedom and the desire to spread this freedom to people who experience homelessness and are able to obtain such benefits from the community that surrounds them. Another key theme linked both to the dignity of the human person and to the common good is the theme of subsidiarity. This theme... at the center of the paper... the times, but also Christians to help fight for international justice. We, as individuals alongside the Catholic Church, play a crucial role in making a difference in not only the lives of people experiencing homelessness, but also the lives of those most neglected by society. The Catholic Church already undertakes many charitable works and distribution of goods to help those around us, but with the support of communities and us as individuals we are able to strengthen this idea to help create a stronger and more equal society. As individuals we are able to reinforce these ideas through things like participating in charity work that takes place and lending a helping hand to those around us, but a key form of difference we are able to make is primarily by educating those around us about social justice issues that surround us on a daily basis.
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