St. Paul writes that Christianity without the cross is meaningless. The cross, of course, holds deep and varied significance. It represents shame and glory, death and resurrection, sacrifice and fulfillment, etc. One interpretation often held is that its vertical and horizontal beams symbolize the inseparability of the two great commandments, love of God and love of neighbor, respectively.
The concept of being ‘our brother’s keeper’ is as old as Genesis. However, it seems that only in Christianity’s recent history has the interpretation of the second great commandment expanded from the more narrow concept of charity only toward our neighbor to a broader one that includes justice for our neighbor. The landmark encyclical “Rerum Novarum” issued by Pope Leo XIII in 1891 brought this distinction to the fore giving rise to CST or Catholic Social Teaching. Pope St. John Paul II a century later added his own voice to his predecessor’s vision and issued his “Centesimus Annus”, with its clarion call: “The social message of the gospel must not be considered a theory, but above all else a basis and motivation for action”. This was the impetus for the Pope’s establishment in 1993 for FCAPP, the Fondazione Centisumus Annus. Its cause has been championed by both his successors, Popes Benedict XVI and Francis.
CAPP-USA is the American arm of FCAPP. Its mission is “to evangelize lay leaders – to help form their consciences on the principles of Catholic Social Doctrine and support their initiatives to implement it in the various sectors of society”. Related to CAPP-USA is the document presented by the bishops in the United States in 2007 and updated in 2020 titled Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.
One of these initiatives to help form the consciences of lay leaders on the principles of Catholic Social Doctrine has been recently launched by Jennifer Daniels, Founder and President of the Faithful Citizenship Institute in Annapolis, Maryland (www.faithfulcitizenshipinstitute.org). The mission of FCI is “To bring the beauty and wisdom of Catholic Social Teaching to capitols around the United States by equipping policy leaders with the knowledge and resources to infuse these foundational principles into policy discourse and solutions”.
FCI accomplished this mission by empowering political leaders with the knowledge, tools, and resources required for effective implementation of the moral teachings of Catholic Social Teaching. It educates policymakers on the principles of CST and convenes them to foster fellowship and collaborative action.
As an example of the headway it is making, this September FCI has been invited by the Colorado Catholic Conference to present its ‘Legislative Network Summit’ on the principles of Faithful Citizenship and the role of Catholics in the public square. The Catholic Conferences in two other states are making similar arrangements with FCI.
That our nation needs the inspired outreach of FCI is obvious. Let us hope that what becomes even more obvious is the fortitude policymakers will discover in the solidarity FCI engenders among like-minded leaders. Wouldn’t Pope Leo be pleased? What Jennifer Daniels has begun is indeed a ‘new thing’ which captures both the message and title of his milestone encyclical. It too advances the Kingdom.
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