The Churches Stance for social order. Every day human interdependence grows more tightly drawn and spreads by degrees over the whole world. As a result the common good, that is,the sum of those conditions of social life which allow social groups andtheir individual members relatively thorough and ready access to theirown fulfillment, today takes on an increasingly universal complexion andconsequently involves rights and duties with respect to the whole humanrace. Every social group must take account of the needs and legitimateaspirations of other groups, and even of the general welfare of theentire human family. At the same time, however, there is a growing awareness of the exalteddignity proper to the human person, since he stands above all things, andhis rights and duties are universal and inviolable. Therefore, there mustbe made available to all men everything necessary for leading a lifetruly human, such as food, clothing, and shelter; the right to choose astate of life freely and to found a family, the right to education, toemployment, to a good reputation, to respect, to appropriate information,to activity in accord with the upright norm of one's own conscience, toprotection of privacy and to rightful freedom, even in matters religious. Hence, the social order and its development must invariably work to thebenefit of the human person if the disposition of affairs is to besubordinate to the personal realm and not contrariwise, as the Lordindicated when He said that the Sabbath was made for man, and not man forthe Sabbath. This social order requires constant improvement. It must be founded ontruth, built on justice and animated by love; in freedom it should growevery day toward a more humane balance. An improvement in attitudesand abundant changes in society will have to take place if these objectives are to be gained....
