Doutrina social da igreja e sua relação com dilemas internacionais contemporâneos: uma comparação entre a encíclica Populorum Progressio e Caritas in Veritate

Abstract

Since the emergence and growth of the Catholic Church as a civil institution, it has exerted a significant impact in various fields of humanity, from economic to cultural themes. As humanity and the economy have developed, the Church has taken on different roles in society, always seeking to reflect on the new challenges of modernity and the implications this brings to human life. After globalization, especially since the late 18th century, the way of life in the world changed abruptly, with geographical distances between countries shortened by the development of transportation and communication technology. The issues that popes deal with are no longer local but global, such as poverty, inequality, and neocolonialism, among others. Among the pontiffs who have reflected on these challenges, Paul VI (with his encyclical Populorum Progressio) and Benedict XVI (with his encyclical Caritas in Veritate) stand out, both exploring and deepening the need to value human dignity in the face of a highly globalized and competitive world. Although they fundamentally address the same problem, the encyclicals were published over forty years apart. Therefore, it is necessary to ask: what has changed between the publication of one encyclical and another when considering the international socio-political context? What approaches did the pontiffs use to address the pressing debates of the planet? Based on what has been presented, the general objective of this study is to compare the encyclicals Populorum Progressio and Caritas in Veritate. The work is a study based primarily on a literature review of papal encyclicals, delving into a fundamental concept for the Church's Social Doctrine, human dignity; and finally, analyzing what each encyclical proposes in its historical context. The research conducted a qualitative analysis of studies on the subject, based on articles, books, and academic journals from various research institutions.