Solidarity names the bond that already ties people and nations together and asks us to take responsibility for it. In the words the Compendium takes from John Paul II, it is “a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good. That is to say to the good of all and of each individual, because we are all really responsible for all” (Compendium, no. 193).
It works at two levels: as a virtue in each person, and as a principle that should shape “laws, market regulations, and juridical systems” (Compendium, no. 193). It is bound up with the common good, the universal destination of goods, equality among peoples and peace (Compendium, no. 194). The way strong nations treat weak ones, aid after a disaster, and the treatment of strangers all test it. The pieces below ask what solidarity requires in a given case.
Xi Jinping is at the White House with a trade truce that runs only to January 10. The Church calls their interdependence solidarity, and says what it asks.
The US-Denmark-Greenland defense deal has no end date. Catholic teaching asks whether a small nation’s consent, given under threat, still counts as consent.
Trump promised $5,000 to every adult citizen if Republicans win Congress. What Catholic social teaching says about public money and what a vote is for.
A 1930 statute requiring no investigation and no expiration now sets 50% tariffs on Canada. What Catholic social teaching asks of the stronger neighbor.
Record flooding in Indiana leaves families ruined. What Catholic social teaching says about property, housing, solidarity, and what the commonwealth owes them.
Ukraine’s strike on Novorossiysk damaged four warships and halted two grain terminals. What Catholic social teaching says about the bread at the far end.
