Welcome to another Catholic classic presented by Catholic Tradition. This time we will learn about social morality as taught by Jesus Christ through His Holy Catholic Church. The social principles of the Catholic Church are not well understood by most Catholics today who presume that the Church is either liberal or conservative in these matters. She can be neither, for she stands for truth, not ideology, the saving truth of Jesus Christ, Sovereign King and Good Shepherd.

Conservatives, on the one hand, make the mistake of thinking that laissez-faire capitalism is okay because it is "the American way."  This is clearly condemned by the Popes since the emergence of this unChristian principle. Liberals, on the other hand, have transformed the "liberality" of Christ into their version of socialism, also condemned by Holy Mother Church.

Lest you think that the Church recommends "a third way of moderation," you would be misguided. The social principles of the Catholic Church, if practiced by only a fraction of the Catholics in America, would completely transform our western society as we know it today. There is nothing moderate about so radical a program for moral social and economic life. But Msgr. Civardi, the wonderful and inspiring author of this compendium of Church teaching on social morality, explains it succinctly and clearly. Let his little opus say it directly. We would like to thank the publisher, TAN Books, for permission to publish this work on line. Each chapter carries the link for TAN's web site, where the book may be purchased. The book carries a Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur, dated 1961.

About the Author:

In the sphere of Catholic Action Monsignor Civardi stands out as exemplary because no one, it is safe to say, has done more to make known the mind of Holy Mother Church on this all-important subject, to edify and inspire the faithful, in order to spur them to action than Msgr. Civardi.

Fr. Civardi was ordained to the priesthood on April 17, 1911 in Pavia, Italy; two years later he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy from the Academy of St. Thomas in Rome. His first appointment was as Diocesan Assistant to Young Men's Catholic Action groups in Pavia. At the same he taught theology in the Diocesan Seminary. In 1924 he published his famous Manual of Catholic Action in two volumes, the first dealing with theory and the second with practice. This work has since gone through twelve editions and has been translated in sixteen languages. No book has contributed more to the spread of Catholic Action throughout the world.

The following year he was called to Rome by Pope Pius XI, the Pope of Catholic Action, who appointed him Ecclesiastical Assistant for the Central Office of Italian-Catholic Action. As head of the Catholic Action press he published the Official Monthly Bulletin and from 1931 to 1947 he was also editor and publisher of a monthly Catholic Action review known as The Ecclesiastical Assistant. In 1934 The Catholic Motion Picture Center was founded in Rome; it corresponded to the Legion of Decent in America and Msgr. Civardi was appointed its first Director. While in charge of this office he published two works, Motion Pictures and Catholics and Motion Pictures and Morals. In 1944 he became the National Spiritual Director of the "Association of Italian Christian Workers," which office he held until 1955. In recognition of his valuable services Pope Pius XII named him Director Emeritus of the "Associations of Italian Christian Workers" in 1955 and appointed him a Canon of the Vatican Chapter.

Fr. Civardi has written some thirty books, most of them on social questions. Next to social encyclicals and pronouncements of the Pontiffs, it would be hard to find a sounder, more authoritative or more succinct statement of the Catholic position on social questions than is to be found in this work of Msgr. Civardi.