Review
Social Justice, Moral Formation, and Virtue

Catholic Social Teaching can be for many people a list of principles which one knows and teaches. We can also presume that once a principle is known it will be applied.
In a most enlightening article by Christopher Vogt he points out that even in the Compendium of the Social Teachings of the Church it is suggested that the Church should share with the world the principles of Social Teaching. Vogt is suggesting a balance between ¡®sharing¡¯ the principles with the world and finding a way to live the principles in our Church communities in order to form Catholics in the Social Teachings so that the principles translate into a way of life.

Vogt suggests that the approach could be through ¡°Virtue ethics¡±. That three foundational attitudes of ¡°solidarity, compassion and hospitality¡± be cultivated as virtues in our parish communities and be a strong part of our work towards the ideal of the ¡°common good¡±. Our parish communities should look like the social teachings intend a society to look. That is a tall order and that is why this means in fact that the emphasis in social teaching includes a ¡®change of heart¡¯.

When you ask a Catholic ¡®describe a good Catholic life¡¯ you would often find a good deal of charity of the hand-out variety in the description. The virtues of solidarity with the poor or weak, compassion for the stranger, hospitality etc may not feature very strongly. Vogt is saying, we cannot form Catholics in the social teachings unless we take the virtue ethics approach. For those of us who are not moral theologians this article is very challenging, first to our intellect but also to our way of being Catholic. We need to understand the value of this approach by first understanding what the church tells us about virtues:
A virtue is a strength that has been developed over time, by having good habits and actions we strengthen this quality in our minds, wills and hearts. When we need to act this virtue plays an important part in how we decide to act.

This virtue ethics approach acknowledges that ¡°emotional experience is a key dimension of moral knowing¡±. If we are to build in our societies the ¡®common good¡¯ of all, then we need to have the moral strength and imagination to participate positively.

Comment on article ¡°Fostering a Catholic Commitment to the Common Good: An approach rooted in Virtue Ethics by Christopher P. Vogt.
Taken from Periodical ¡°Theological Studies¡± June 2007, Vol 68. No. 2