The Role of the Principles of Catholic Social Teaching in Building a Post-Pandemic World Based on the 2020 Catecheses of Pope Francis. An Outline of the Issue

should primarily take into account adequate anthropology and the dignity of every human person. With reference to the traditional moral teaching, subsequent catechesis concerned the updating of the following principles: the principle of the dignity of the person, the prin­ ciple of the common good, the principle of the preferential option for the poor, the principle of the universal destination of goods, the principle of solidarity, the principle of subsidiarity and the principle of care for the common home. In the papal texts, it is interesting to combine these principles with the theological virtues of faith, hope and love, which reveals even more the essence of the Christian life, expressed in the call to bring the fruits of love for the life of the world. Francis’ idea of the need to refer to ethics in the assessment of public life is referred to and extended by the project The Economy of Francesco , related to the meeting of young people in Assisi, based on consultations in twelve “thematic villages,” and illustrating specific examples how to combine faith, economics, ethics and social life. In this perspective, the social teaching of the Church, cited by Francis, seems to be still valuable and up to date in terms of a constructive proposal to renew the world.


Changing epochs and social teaching
The rapid changes in the world, as well as the new challenges brought about by the time of the pandemic during the pontificate of Pope Francis, demand new and adequate responses.Among the many diagnoses of modernity made by Pope Francis, the most noteworthy is undoubtedly his statement about the change of epoch taking place.This resonated particularly in 2019 during his Christmas address to the employees of the Roman Curia.Analysing the changes taking place in the world, also in relation to the development of Catholic thought, the Pope acknowledged that "what we are experiencing is not simply an epoch of changes, but an epochal change.We find ourselves living at a time when change is no longer linear, but epochal." 1 The various forms of human existence and functioning among each other are changing very rapidly, ever faster ways of communicating and living out faith, culture and science are emerging, and a pressing moral challenge is to assess the directions of artificial intelligence. 2his perspective raises the question of the nature of these changes and how Christian thought can respond to them.In the aforementioned address to the curia, Francis therefore postulates that these changes should become human and, at the same time, increasingly infused with the Christian spirit, which is why it is important to undertake an "anthropological conversion."He also expresses the hope and at the same time the conviction that the moral principles known to date, such as those of Catholic social teaching, can also be used in times of change to evaluate the processes taking place and to design the world according to an inspiration based on the Gospel.
An example of the development of papal teaching on this matter is the catecheses delivered in 2020 on the healing of the postpandemic world.They fit perfectly into Francis' pontificate programme woven around social issues close to the Latin Ame rican world, yet somewhat forgotten in the reality of a faithweary West.The appeal to the dignity of the person and the proper understanding of the common good find practical expression in many of Francis' texts and demonstrate the timeless character of the norms of Catholic morality. 3In the programmatic exhortation 79 The Role of the Principles of Catholic Social Teaching in Building a PostPandemic World Evangelii gaudium, he asked that practical conclusions be drawn from social prin ciples because "it is no longer possible to claim that religion should be restricted to the private sphere and that it exists only to prepare souls for heaven." 4 Conversion is also expressed in the creation of social order and the pursuit of the proper reali sation of the common good.
It is worth pointing to other sources to describe Francis' social teaching.In his 2015 encyclical Laudato si', which appreciates the value of relationships and connec tions in the world while very much acknowledging the shortcomings of the "tech nocratic model," the Pope outlines the consequences of a falsified anthropology: "Often, what was handed on was a Promethean vision of mastery over the world, which gave the impression that the protection of nature was something that only the fainthearted cared about.Instead, our 'dominion' over the universe should be understood more properly in the sense of responsible stewardship." 5An important clarification is provided by the provisions of the 2020 encyclical Fratelli tutti, where the proper functioning of society is presented on the basis of the model of the poly hedron, which captures the essence of diversity in the world, and the consequent need to respect each person, each individual. 6

Social catecheses of 2020 -the truth about the world
While the pandemic of the coronavirus causing the COVID19 disease was still ongoing, Pope Francis decided to present a coherent programme for the moral renewal of a world affected not only by somatic contamination, but also suffering from many spiritual wounds. 7At the centre of his reflections, he decided to put the human being understood as a person again, in order to reread, in the context veritate" e "Evangelii gaudium".Testi della XXVIII Assemblea plenaria del Pontificio Consiglio della Giustizia e della Pace, Città del Vaticano 2015, pp.17-42; T. Rossi, La "Laudato si'": elementi per un'ermeneutica del pensiero di papa Francesco, "Angelicum" 93 (2016)  In response, with reference to the teaching of Paul VI, Francis recognises that it is not the task of the Church to formulate readymade sociopolitical guide lines.There are, however, general norms in the Catholic Magisterium, social principles that can be helpful in building a world around human beings in a time of epochal change.Of those discussed in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, Pope Bergoglio refers to seven: the principle of the dignity of the per son, the principle of the common good, the principle of the preferential option for the poor, the principle of the universal destination of goods, the principle of solidarity, the principle of subsidiarity and the principle of care for the common home. 9These principles derive from the wealth of teaching of previous popes and other texts of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, which have often given rise to important discussions on social and moral issues. 10he Role of the Principles of Catholic Social Teaching in Building a PostPandemic World In Pope Francis' speeches, it is interesting to combine the principles in question with the theological virtues of faith, hope and love, in the light of which the essence of the Christian life is more clearly seen, expressed in the call to bear the fruits of love for the life of the world. 11elivered from 5 August to 30 September 2020, the Wednesday catecheses have been given the eloquent title "Healing the world."The nine texts are fed very abun dantly with Scripture and references to previously known documents of the Church's social teaching.The content scheme and the connection of the individual principles to the theological virtues are presented in Table 1.Among the main sources of Francis' thought are: Catechism of the Catholic Church, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, the conciliar constitution Gaudium et spes, and the social documents of Pius XI, Paul VI, Benedict XVI and John Paul II.A detailed list of the citations concluded in the "Healing the world" catecheses is presented in Table 2.  -1812; 1905-1906; 1907-1912; 1939-1940 The foundation of the papal reflections, described in the first catechesis on the healing of the world, is the theological virtues of faith, hope and love, which are meant to be a new inspiration for undertaking renewal in the spirit of creati vity and restoration of justice.This was also the method used by Christ himself in the process of restoration: "Christ's action is a direct response to the faith of those people, to the hope they put in Him, to the love they show that they have for each other.And so, Jesus heals, but He does not simply heal the paraly sis.Jesus heals everyone, He forgives sins, He renews the life of the paralyzed man and his friend." 12n the following catechesis, Francis outlined the anthropological foundation of the question of an adequate understanding of man in the face of a culture of rejection which transforms man into a good to be used and consumed. 13The star ting point is the creation of man in the image and likeness of God, described in the pages of Genesis (cf.especially Gen 12), from which stems a unique dignity and a vocation to live in harmony with the world.The opposite of this harmony, says the Pope, is an individualistic view of others, a logic of domination and control, often combined with indifference, outlined, for example, in the questioning of the mother of Zebedee's sons (cf.Mt 20:2028).Francis recalled John Paul II's opinion on the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is "a mile stone on the long and difficult path of the human race." 14Significant challenges arise from it for social, political and economic life, which can be centred around the central idea of an allhuman fraternity, opposed to a culture of rejection and a culture of indifference. 15he third principle discussed by Francis is the preferential option in favour of the poor, which is not an ideological, partisan or political choice, but stands at the centre of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.The first to make this choice is Jesus: "Since He was rich, He made Himself poor to enrich us" -explained the Pope. 16his choice points to the "key criterion of Christian authenticity" of Mt 25, which does not merely verify the Christian's commitment to basic care, but, in the power of faith, hope and love, opens up ever new horizons of poverty. 17It is therefore important not only to go to the periphery, as the Pope consistently and repeatedly mentions in the apostolic exhortation Evangelii gaudium, 18 but also to try to "placing the peripheries at the centre and the last in first place," that is, to focus the Church's attention on Christ who became poor for us. 19The way out of the crises caused by the pandemic is thus to be expressed in the rectification of deficiencies and various The Role of the Principles of Catholic Social Teaching in Building a PostPandemic World forms of injustice, as well as greater care for the damaged environment.Among the pressing problems to be solved, Francis mentioned: strengthening the economy of integral development of the poor, spreading voluntary work, creating decent jobs, setting the right priorities in the allocation of vaccines and even -a rather specific hint -supporting industrial plants in need of assistance, but those that "contribute to the inclusion of the excluded, to the promotion of the last, to the common good and the care of creation." 20For the viruses of modernity are not only invisible infectious particles, but above all those ways of thinking and attitudes that result in injustice and exclusion.
The fourth principle discussed by the Pope of Argentina is the universal desti nation of goods, linked to the theological virtue of hope. 21The 2020 pandemic has already revealed the social inequalities already known, the unjust distribution of wealth, the waste of financial and human resources.It is therefore a sin crying to heaven that in today's world "a few wealthy people, a small group, possess more than all the rest of humanity," a symptom of a "sick economy." 22It is the result not only of the mismanagement of goods, but above all of the lust to rule over one's brothers and the world.The reflections contained in the Encyclical Laudato si' on the understanding of God's command to rule the earth (cf.Gen 1:28) are recalled here, which cannot be an arbitrary action not based on reference to God.The use of earthly goods presupposes reckoning with the earth itself, which existed before human beings, while at the same time managing these goods.This must be guided by the principle of the subordination of private property to the common use of goods, which John Paul II wrote about in his social encyclicals.If property begins to conflict with human values, then, says Francis, "the homo sapiens is deformed and becomes a species of homo oeconomicus -in a detrimental sensea species of man that is individualistic, calculating and domineering." 23Only man in the world is able to "flourish in community," which is also expressed in hope rooted in God. 20 Ibidem. 21 On the principle of universal destination of goods cf.: F. Kampka, Etyczny wymiar własności prywatnej, "Ethos" 8 (1995)  Another fifth step of the papal reflections was to see the principle of solidarity in the recovery from the pandemic crisis. 24In Francis' view, the world is a network of various interrelationships, it has the character of a "global village," but this does not mean that these interrelationships are always of a solidarity nature.Therefore, solidarity is always linked to justice: "Interdependence, to be in solidarity and to bear fruit, needs strong roots in humanity and in nature, created by God; it needs respect for faces and for the land." 25In the power of the Spirit who came on the day of Pentecost, the Christian can oppose the culture of egoism and seek ways of unity to become an instrument to build community and fraternity, following the example of St Francis, who gave persons and even creatures the names of brother and sister.Using the language of medicine, the Pope explained: "A diversity in solidarity possesses 'antibodies' that ensure that the singularity of each person -which is a gift, unique and unrepeatable -does not become sick with individualism, with selfishness."26A crisis is a moment of necessity to decide -to follow the path of solidarity and goodness or to make things worse. 27he sixth papal indication was a reference to the principle of the common good linked to the virtue of charity. 28It implies once again the necessity to opt for the par ticular good or the common good.The Christian response to the pandemic crises is based on love -on the one hand it is about the love of God, on the other hand it is about the creation of bonds between two or three persons, as well as in the broader The Role of the Principles of Catholic Social Teaching in Building a PostPandemic World perspective of social and political relations."A virus that does not recognize bar riers, borders, or cultural or political distinctions must be faced with a love without barriers, borders or distinctions." 29For this reason, the Pope recalled the words of Saint Thomas Aquinas, who taught that enhancing and caring for the common good is a duty of justice, and it applies to every citizen, not just Christians.This also requires that the role of politics in social life be demythologised, so that it is understood and practised anew as a space of prudent concern for the common good.
As a continuation of the idea of caring for the common home, Francis turned his attention to helping the needy, the marginalised and the sick.A fundamental social concern is the protection of the "common home," i.e., Earth and every of its creatures.The abuse of ecosystems has been identified as a grave sin, for which the remedy is an attitude of contemplation, in contrast to an "unbalanced and arrogant anthropocentrism." 30Conversion is also to be concerned with the question of ecology and the understanding of the value of work, which is not exploitation but mission and concern for further growth.Contemplating beauty, in Francis' optics, has a disinterested character and leads people to a greater sensitivity to the world.However, it cannot be reduced to looking at the world and nature "from the outside," for it is about seeing that we are part of the created world, "making us protagonists and not mere spectators of an amorphous reality that is only to be exploited." 31he fruit of such work can be wonder at the world and a caring attitude, close to fraternity, opposing the destruction of creation. 32Therefore, the postulate of the future is a "revolution of care." 33rancis' next, seventh, encouragement was based on the principle of subsidiarity in the perspective of the virtue of hope. 34The starting point is a correct understanding of the need to share responsibility.The dangers in this matter, according to Francis, are, on the one hand, the impossibility of expressing one's faith because of perse cution and, on the other, when ethical and religious views are suppressed because of political correctness.The Pope referred to the thought of his predecessor, Pius XI, who, after the economic crisis of the late 1920s, showed the need for the proper application of the principle of subsidiarity. 35The need for the application of this principle was clearly revealed during the pandemic.On the one hand, "from above," public institutions had to support individuals, families and businesses to survive the time of lockdown.On the other hand, however, "society's leaders must respect and promote the intermediate or lower levels.In fact, the contribution of indi viduals, of families, of associations, of businesses, of every intermediary body, and even of the Church, is decisive." 36The principle of subsidiarity is therefore expressed in discerning and then taking proper responsibility for the other and for others.Its opposite are various forms of injustice, extractive activities in different regions of the earth, failure to recognise and listen to the voices of indigenous peoples in a given territory, taking sides with corporations and financial societies, big pharmaceutical companies or others interested in making unfair money out of pandemonium.The embodiment of the principle of subsidiarity is therefore linked to the awakening of hope for the future by renewing ties and creating new structures, which is also closely linked to the principle of solidarity."To emerge from the crisis does not mean to varnish over current situations so that they might appear more just.No.To emerge from the crisis means to change, and true change is done by everyone, all the persons that form a people." 37he last, concluding catechesis, was devoted by the Pope to a general reflec tion on the condition of society.The renewal of society after a pandemic cannot simply be a return to a former normality that seemed sick and unjust.Francis encouraged the building of a "normality of the Kingdom of God," in which bread is available to the needy, alms are given out of the need of the heart, and tenderness leads to approaching, healing and sacrificing for fellow human beings.The Pope furthermore made a diagnosis and prognosis about the sources and ways out of the contemporary troubles of unjust development.The wellknown theories in economics about the "trickledown effect" or the "glass of water theory" have not The Role of the Principles of Catholic Social Teaching in Building a PostPandemic World been successful in the past.The need is to build new forms of social life through the necessity of work, the embodiment of care and generosity alluding to tenderness, and the creation of a society of solidarity and justice, participatory and respectful of diversity. 38

The Economy of Francesco project
The papal intuitions on the Church's social teaching contained in the 2020 Wed nesday catecheses found their practical continuation in 2022.At that time, Francis participated in the completion of a threeday gathering of around 1,000 young people called The Economy of Francesco, whose fundamental aim was to take a step towards introducing Catholic social teaching into the economic world on the basis of the encyclicals Laudato si' and Fratelli tutti.This action was inspired by the Pope's letter of 1 May 2019 addressed to young economists and busi nessmen around the world.It called for a correction of current growth models of societies to the extent that greater respect for the environment, care for life and the family, striving for social equality, the dignity of workers and the rights of future generations can be guaranteed.As in the story of St Francis, so today it is necessary to rebuild a house in ruins, which is also the world of economy and sustainable development. 39he youth meeting did not take place on the date indicated due to the pandemic, but an online consultation was carried out and the conference in Assisi finally took place on 24 September 2022, with the participation of Francis.The idea of a discussion around "twelve villages" of themes was then born, which were also spaces for group work: ( 1 40 Villages are often numerous intersections of paths and streets, places where people representing different traditions and cultures meet.It is therefore a question of building spaces of dialogue and new opportunities for communication, in order to better understand and incorporate into social life the principles proper to it. 41he Assisi meeting also resulted in the final document Patto di Assisi 2022, signed by the Pope and by the young people, which is a declaration to build an economic world based on the principles of Catholic social teaching. 42The Assisi project shows how important and yet possible such an integral view of man is in relation to an adequate anthropology and principles of social life.

Conclusions
As Luigino Bruni points out, Pope Francis' first economic and social message is contained in his name. 43For poverty has many forms and also concerns the world of values, shaken by relativism and postmodernism.Coming from a reality mar ked by numerous economic problems, the Pope has become a visible promoter of social values in the world.The time of the pandemic revealed the need, and at the same time the necessity, for a deeper reflection on the changing reality, so that the reconstruction of the world would take place in the spirit of healing the wounds inflicted on man and all creation.This was the proposal made by Francis during the 2020 Wednesday catecheses, when he returned to seven principles of social teaching wellknown in Catholic thought, in order to recall, on their basis, the dignity of the person and the essence of concern for the common good.A reference to this teaching is the project The Economy of Francesco, linked to the youth meeting in Assisi and an explicit call for economic, social and political structures to be networks of good connections and not just lucrative profits.Fran cis' appeal confirms that Catholic social thought can play an important role in a time of change of era.