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Catholic Social Education : The Three Principles Of Catholic Social Teaching

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The principles of Catholic Social Teaching have been used as a guide to making responses to social problems ever since the principles were developed in 1891. The following three principles are the most relevant to the refugee crisis.
1. Human Dignity
All Humans were created in the image of God. Human dignity is the honour, importance, respect and worth that belongs every person simply because they are human. In addition, it is also the status that belongs to each person as we are made in the image of God. This dignity grants all inalienable, political, legal, social and economic rights and is a key foundation in Catholic ethics. The denial of refugees into a country is taking away their dignity. They no longer have control over their life or choices. On their journey they must live in a world in which their dignity is striped away and they can no longer live as human beings. Forced to sleep on the streets, they are alone, on the move without physical security or legal protection, on the move in a world in which their rights as human beings are not recognized. They must travel on foot, by bus, and by sea, entrusting their lives to smugglers and depending only on the kindness of strangers. “The Church offers her love and assistance to all refugees without distinction as to religion or race, respecting in each of them the inalienable dignity of the human person created in the image of God (cf. Gn 1:27).” When human dignity is violated the church must intervene (2422-2423)

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