Principles of Catholic Social Justice

Figure 10. Catholic social teachings
Figure 10. Seven themes of catholic social 
teaching. Adapted from "Catholic Social 
Teaching (Social Doctrine of the Church",
 (n.d.), Franciscans, retrieved from http://
www.franciscans.ie/catholic-social-teaching
-social-doctrine-of-the-church/. Reprinted 
without permission. 

 There are a number of different Catholic Social Teachings that are being violated through the mental health crisis among aboriginals. The first is human dignity, as the Church proclaims that life is sacred and the dignity of a person should be the main focus for society. The lives of aboriginals are to be held just as sacred as our own, but instead, their culture rooted in indigenous traditions and spirituality is widespread with suicide, mental illness, and addiction, causing a loss of this precious life. As stated in community and the common good, the way that we organize in society directly affects our human dignity and capacity to grow as individuals, an opportunity not given to aboriginals due to their constant marginalization and separation from the rest of Canadians. According to the Church, the basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members of society are faring. Canada is generally seen as a safe, healthy, and prosperous country to live in, but most people are unaware of the discrimination faced by the country’s oldest and founding culture. The role of the government is to promote this human dignity, protect human rights, and build common good, however, the Government of Canada still lacks to meet the needs of their most vulnerable community, even showing somewhat of neglect for these people.


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