During the European Union referendum campaign, one of the issues discussed was how the principles of Catholic Social Teaching influenced the thinking that led to the formation of the European Union, writes Ashley Beck. Catholic Social Teaching about social justice, inequality between the rich and poor, relations between countries and so on, is a theological discipline which has been distinctive since Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical on the industrial working classes, Rerum Novarum.

On the one hand, many argued that the concept of solidarity demands that nations share sovereignty in the interests of the common good, as understood by the founding fathers of common European institutions, Robert Schuman and Konrad Adenauer. Others claimed that the EU has moved so decisively away from these ideals that we are better off out of it and will have new opportunities to promote social teaching after Britain leaves.

Either way, social teaching is important – it has something to say, although it is often ignored. The referendum, Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’, the Trident renewal programme, the migration crisis in Europe, financial scandals and other issues all suggest that Catholic Social Teaching’s hour has come.