The social mission of the laity has as a priority service to the human person., i.e., to the value and dignity of every person. It is the essential, central and unifying task of all the Church’s service. It is a service to the human family. This requires a inner renewal and commitment of every Christian. This renewal precedes, in a sense, institutional renewal, for it is from a conversion of heart that concern for others flows.
Promoting human dignity demands affirmation of the right t0 life, from conception to natural death. It requires that the religious dimension of the human person be recognized and protected, including the right to freedom of conscience and religious freedom. There is an urgent need to defend marriage and family.
Fostering a social and political culture inspired by the Gospel is of particular importance to the laity. The essential ends of culture are the perfection of the person and the common good. Thus, an ethical dimension to culture is a significant priority in social action efforts.
Each human person has a right to a human and civil culture. Each person has the right to the truth. These rights must influence how media is utilized in society, and prevent media from becoming only an accumulation of facts when its proper and fruitful use is the development of solidarity among all peoples through the distribution of truth and mutual respect among individuals and social groups. Serving the human person through building up a society based on solidarity, justice, love and the truth of human life is at the heart of ethics in media.
For a more detailed discussion of this topic, refer to the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, nos. 552-562.
