Picture of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV from Welcome, Pope Leo XIV: https://marian.org/articles/welcome-pope-leo-xiv Excerpt from General Audience given by His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on November 4, 2026 https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/audiences/2026/documents/20261104-udienza-generale.html planning of the economy – whether they be individuals or groups of public authorities – are bound … to recognize their serious obligation of watching, on the one hand, that provision be made for the necessities required for a decent life both of individuals and of the whole community and, on the other, of looking out for the future and of establishing a right balance between the needs of present-day consumption, both individual and collective, and the demands of investing for the generation to come” (GS, 70). Gaudium et Spes then goes on to discuss the political community, noting several positive developments in the contemporary era, above all the fact that “the present keener sense of human dignity has given rise in many parts of the world to attempts to bring about a politico-juridical order which will give better protection to the rights of the person in public life” (GS, 73). The political community exists for the sake of the common good, which consists of “the sum of those conditions of the social life whereby men, families and associations more adequately and readily may attain their own perfection” (GS, 74). The exercise of political authority must always be directed towards the common good, which must be structured and operate according to local and historical circumstances, but always with the good of the entire human family at heart (cf. ibid.). Gaudium et Spes reiterates that “the Church and the political community in their own fields are autonomous and independent from each other. Yet both, under different titles, are devoted to the personal and social vocation of the same men. The more that both foster sounder cooperation between themselves with due consideration for the circumstances of time and place, the more effective will their service be exercised for the good of all” (GS, 76). Dear friends, engaging in economic and political life in accordance with these criteria is a way of building peace. As Pope Francis recalled, “war is a failure of politics and of humanity, a shameful capitulation, a stinging defeat before the forces of evil” (Encyclical Letter Fratelli tutti, 261). On the contrary, politics that tends to the wounds of peoples and of those who suffer injustice offers grounds for hope for the future of humanity. For this reason, I encourage young people to follow the example of those men and women who have borne faithful witness in these fields. And I renew my call to Christian communities to revive formation in the social doctrine of the Church. _________________ Dear brothers and sisters, in our continuing catechesis on the Second Vatican Council’s Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, today we reflect on the social dimension of humanity, which is integral not only to our human nature but also to our faith in Christ. Chapters III and IV of Part II are devoted to socioeconomic life and the political community, with particular emphasis on the theme of peace. From this perspective, the Council Fathers presented the Catholic vision of economic development, placing work at its center. Here, the Council recalls a fundamental principle of Catholic social doctrine, namely, the universal destination of goods. It then considers the political community, which — whatever its historical form — also exists for the sake of the common good, which must be the aim of the exercise of civil authority.
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