The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) Day 315: The Church’s Social Doctrine (2025)
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Nov 11, 2025 Explore the Church's views on stewardship of creation, emphasizing kindness to animals as part of our responsibility. Fr. Mike highlights the balance between affection for pets and prioritizing human needs. The discussion delves into the Church’s social doctrine, critiquing economic systems like unregulated capitalism and totalitarian communism. He advocates for fair market regulations that uphold human dignity and the common good, framing a moral perspective on today’s economic challenges.
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Stewardship, Not Ownership
- Dominion over creation is stewardship, not ownership, and must respect future generations.
- Caring for the environment is a religious duty because the earth belongs to God.
Animals Have Moral Worth
- Animals glorify God by their mere existence, so humans owe them kindness.
- The Church allows using animals for food, clothing, work, and companionship within moral limits.
Limit Animal Research To Humane Ends
- Use animals for scientific or medical research only within reasonable limits and for saving human lives.
- Avoid causing animals to suffer or die needlessly because it is contrary to human dignity.
