Abstract

This dissertation examines John Paul II's understanding of the principle, first formulated in Justice in the World, that action for social justice is an essential part of the gospel. The introduction in Chapter One describes how modern magisterial social teaching has raised the problem of the relationship between faith and social justice. The general context for John Paul's interpretation of the principle in Justice in the World is the Christocentric anthropology of Gaudium et spes. Within this general context, the pope also considers the distinctively Christian aspect of action for social justice. Thus, the thesis of the dissertation is twofold. First, regarding the general context within which John Paul connects faith and social justice, this relationship parallels that of the "theological" and "anthropological" dimensions of the person in the pope's theological anthropology. Second, the Christian obligation to work for social justice is distinctively ordered to sacramental activity which reveals the ecclesial character of "the person in Christ." ;Chapter Two analyzes Wojtyla's philosophical anthropology, especially his treatment of the social dimension of the person and how human action reveals the person. Chapters Three and Four examine John Paul's theological anthropology. The person is ordered to the "mystery" of God's plan to share divine life with humanity. This ordination illuminates human action and makes possible a distinctive sacramental dimension for Christian action, which is the fruit of the unique relationships of communion in the Church. Chapter five analyzes the relationship between faith and social justice in John Paul's social encyclicals in light of the preceding anthropological vision. The conclusion in Chapter Six proposes that the union of the human and divine natures in Christ offers a model for understanding John Paul's conception of how faith and social justice are intrinsically linked. This study highlights the unique contribution of John Paul II's vision of the person to Catholic social teaching in general and to the relationship of faith and social justice in particular