The Roman Catholic Church traces its history to Jesus Christ and the Apostles and as of 2018, there are approximately 1.3 billion baptized Catholics in the world.

The teachings of the Catholic Church go back centuries and they provide a framework for living responsibly. Rooted in Scripture, the teaching and values practiced by Catholics today have evolved in response to the concerns of today.

Every human being is created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, each human has an inherent dignity and is considered precious. We believe that people are more important than things, and every person the right to those things required for human decency. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities – to one another, to our families, and to the larger society.

Catholics value taking care of each other as one family. Preferential care should be shown to poor and vulnerable people, whose needs and rights are given special attention in God’s eyes. In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our values instruct us to put the needs of others before our own.

Through solidarity, Catholics consciously work for the fair distribution of goods and resources for human persons so that their human dignity can be upheld. the understanding of solidarity extends to the access to the spiritual goods of the faith. Practicing the virtue of solidarity means learning that “loving our neighbor” has local, national, and international dimensions in a world that is increasingly interdependent and interrelated. At the core solidarity is the pursuit of justice and peace.

We all must care for and share the resources of the earth. Care for animals and the environment is a common and universal duty as we live in relationship with all of God’s creation.