Evangelii Gaudium and the Social Doctrine of the Church

Abstract

Although the apostolic exhortation Evangelii gaudium is not a social document, not only contains several statements on social and economic issues, but also introduces four original principles in order to guide the development of the social life. This paper contends that neither those judgments nor these principles are in continuity with the Catholic Social Teaching. The former, because they substitute the specific genre of the CST for a prophetic exhortation that lacks the due nuances. The latter, because, in contrast with the universal principles of the CST, are not specifically social. Both represent a danger for the continuity of the social magisterium.