The Church teaches that the goods of the earth should be shared fairly by all humankind under the guidance of justice tempered by charity. God created the world and gave it to all men and women for the sustenance of all. This is the foundation for the principle of the universal destination of goods. There follows, then, the universal right to use the goods of the earth. Each person must have access to the level of well-being necessary for his full development. Blessed John Paul II said in his encyclical Laborem Exercens that the right to the common use of goods is the “first principle of the whole ethical and social order” and “the characteristic principle of Christian social doctrine.”
This principle is an invitation to develop an economic vision that is inspired by moral values permitting people to not lose sight of the origin of earth’s goods and to develop a world of both fairness to all and solidarity with everyone.
For an extensive discussion of this, refer to The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, Nos. 171 – 175.
