Business ethics in social teaching of Catholic Church

Abstract

The article is a Abstract of opinions of the Catholic Church with regard to the question of business ethics. It is presenting a changing overview of priorities since the early Middle Ages, when the main concern was a problem of usury, richness or trade, through the turbulent times of XIX and XX century, where the main reflection was related to private ownership and value of human work, ending with the contemporary times. The first part discusses the roots of Catholic social teaching, which are dating back to the Middle Ages and writings of Saint Ambrosius and Augustine. The important contribution into social teaching were also the ideas of scholastics - Thomas Aquinas and the late Spanish scholastics. The second part of the paper refers to the classic period in Catholic social teaching, that means since the encyclical Rerum Novarum of the pope Leo XIII, till Laborem Exercens of John Paul II. Then, a short resume of contemporary teaching follows, which includes chosen encyclicals by John Paul II, published after 1989 and also dogmatic point of view of Catholic Church contained in the last edition of Catechism of Catholic.