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The following questions and answers are from an excellent introductory work on Catholic social teaching entitled Responses to 101 Questions on Catholic Social Teaching by Kenneth R. Himes O.F.M. This material is used with the kind permission of Paulist Press. For more details on this book and information on how to order it follow this link.

1.		What is meant by Catholic social teaching?
2.		It would seem from your remarks that some statements or even parts of statements have more authority than others. So am I a so-called “bad Catholic” if I disagree with my bishop about a political or economic issue?
3.		Why does the Church get caught up in political and economic issues that others should be dealing with instead of doing the one thing the Church is supposed to do, serve the spiritual dimension of life?
4.		Even if I accept that the Church should be involved in public life, or perhaps can’t help but be involved, that does not settle how it should be involved in a nation which believes in the separation of church and state?
5.		Is there a basic perspective or idea that runs through the documents of CST?
6.		You mentioned individualist and collectivist errors. What are you talking about?
7.		Doesn’t starting with human dignity feed the American emphasis on the individual instead of the community? Maybe we should stress the communitarian approach instead.
8.		What are the human rights which the Church endorses today?
9.		Why have human rights become so important to CST?
10.		Can you explain what is meant by the common good?
11.		When I hear language like “serve the common good” I begin to worry about personal freedom. Some talk about the common good sounds an awful lot like socialism. Isn’t the common good a socialist idea?
12.		What do you mean by solidarity?
13.		You said that the biblical meaning of justice is different than the usual way the word is understood by Americans. What do you mean?
14.		Could you say more about social justice and how it relates to the other forms of justice?
15.		I am a little confused. I have heard of original sin and actual sin which is mortal or venial. Where did this social sin idea come from?
16.		Among the key social institutions is the state. What is the role of the state according to CST?
17.		What are those norms governing the state's role?
18.		Can we summarize subsidiarlty to mean that "smaller is better" or "the less government the better"?
19.		I'm not sure I understand this idea of"co-creation," Can you say a little more about it?
20.		Among the basic rights of labor which CST has proposed is that of a just wage. What is meant by a just wage?
21.		Is the church's teaching on capitalism one of approval or disapproval?
22.		Has the teaching on private property evolved over the years?
23.		What does CST mean by the just war tradition?
24.		What is the remedy for the gap between rich and poor?
25.		What is "integral development"?