The Catholic Church on Social & Ethical Issues: A Research Guide
Contents

 Primary Sources
Secondary Sources
 This guide covers sources available on the Web, sources available in the library only, and some -- as noted -- which have both print and online versions. Both primary and secondary sources (and tools for locating them) are included here; be sure you understand the distinction between the two before you begin your research:
  • A primary source is a firsthand account. Primary sources of Catholic doctrine and teaching, then, come from the Church authority itself, and include, for example, the Catechism of the Catholic Church; statements issued periodically by the Pope in the form of Papal Encyclicals, Apostolic Letters and other documents; Pastoral Letters issued by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, etc.
  • A secondary source is an explanation, analysis, discussion or interpretation of the information contained in a primary source or sources.  Most books on Catholic social teaching in the library's circulating collection provide scholarly analysis of official Church documents, and are, therefore, secondary sources.
Depending on the nature of the specific class assignment, your instructor might require that you consult one or both types of sources; be sure you understand the requirements of the assignment  and ask your instructor if you have any unanswered questions.

Papal Pronouncements

20th Century
The official Vatican website (The Holy See, English version) contains the complete text of papal documents from the 20th century forward, including
Papal Encyclicals, Apostolic Constititutions, Apostolic Letters, and more (click on the document categories for definitions from the Catholic Encyclopedia online). The links below take you directly to pronouncements issued by the the pontificates listed, and are also useful for locating biographical information on the Popes.
 
Pope John Paul II (1978 - )
Pope John Paul I (1978)
Pope Paul VI (1963 - 1978)
Pope John XXIII (1958 - 1963)
Pius XII (1939 - 1958)
Pius XI (1922 - 1939)
Benedict XV (1914 - 1922)
Pius X (1903 - 1914)
Leo XIII (1878 - 1903)

Pre-20th Century
The Web is a much less reliable source for pre-20th century papal documents. In the Sueltenfuss Library consult:

The Papal Encyclicals, 5 vols.& Location: Reference, 2nd floor, BX 860 .C37 1981
Vol. 1 – 1740 -1878
Vol. 2 – 1878 -1903
Vol. 3 – 1903 -1939
Vol. 4 – 1939 -1958
Vol. 5 – 1958 -1981
 

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National Conference of Catholic Bishops/United States Catholic Conference
(NCCB/USCC)

Statements, Speeches, Pastoral Letters, and Other Publications

Current Online Bishops' Statements & Speeches
This link takes you directly to documents available on the Web. Select from the following options:

Pastoral Letters of the United States Catholic Bishops, 6 vols. Location: Reference, 2nd floor, BX 874.A2 C37
The Pastoral Letters are historically significant statements on a range of contemporary issues; recent examples include Letters addressing welfare reform, civil rights, race relations, economic justice, and women in the Church and society. Most of these are not available on the Web, but can be found in the Sueltenfuss Library at the call number provided above.
Vol. 1 – 1792 - 1940
Vol. 2 – 1941 - 1961
Vol. 3 – 1962 - 1974
Vol. 4 – 1975 - 1983
Vol. 5 – 1983 - 1988
Vol. 6 – 1989 - 1997

Catalog of all USCC publications (Statements, Pastoral Letters, etc.)
Alphabetical by Topic. Note that, of the total publications listed here, only a select few include full text available online.
 

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The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Web version of the Catechism
Complete text of the Catechism made available on the Web by Christus Rex, Inc. The web version contains a search engine that will link users to key terms (e.g., euthanasia, death penalty, poverty) in context.

Print version of the Catechism in the Sueltenfuss Library: Location: Reference, 2nd floor,  BX 1961.C374 1994

See also:
A Companion to the Catechism of the Catholic Church: A Compendium of Texts Referred to in the Catechism of the Catholic Church
Location: Reference, 2nd floor, BX 1959.3.E5 C38 1994
 

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Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, and Other Reference Sources

Because they provide general, background information about Church doctrine and teaching on a range of issues, the sources listed below are particularly suited for use at the beginning stages of your research.

Selective List of Reference Works Available in the Sueltenfuss Library

Location: 2nd floor, at the call number provided.
 
Dictionary of Theology BR 95.R313 1981
Encyclopedia of American Catholic History BX 1406.2.E53 1997
HarperCollins Encyclopedia of Catholicism BX 841.H37 1995
Maryknoll Catholic Dictionary BX 841.M36 1965
New Catholic Encyclopedia BX 841.N497 1967
New Dictionary of Catholic Social Thought BX 1753.N497 1994
New Dictionary of Catholic Spirituality BX 2350.65.N49
Our Sunday Visitor's Catholic Encyclopedia BX 841.O97

Reference Available via the World Wide Web

The Catholic Encyclopedia
The web version of the out-of-print 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia was brought online, article by article, entirely through volunteer efforts. The Preface to the original states, "The Catholic Encyclopedia, as its name implies, proposes to give its readers full and authoritative information on the entire cycle of Catholic interests, action and doctrine." This is still a work in progress, though, with approximately 25% of the original content transcribed for the Web. Articles indexed alphabetically by topic.

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Finding Books in the Sueltenfuss Library

Use WebCat, the Sueltenfuss Library catalog, when searching for books in our collection.

Search Tips:
The following are suggested search terms, based on Library of Congress Subject Headings. In WebCat, do a Keyword-Subject search, trying each of the phrases that is potentially relevant to your topic. (Leave a space in place of the dashes). This list should help get you started, but it is not exhaustive. Consult with a reference librarian to help you determine other subject headings that may apply to your specific topic

church and social problems--Catholic Church
sociology, Christian (Catholic)

Catholic Church and social justice
Catholic Church and human rights
Catholic Church and liberation theology

sex--religious aspects--Catholic Church
sexual ethics and Catholic Church
contraception and Catholic Chuch
birth control and Catholic Church
abortion and Catholic Church
capital punishment and Catholic Church
homosexuality and Catholic Church
ordination of women and Catholic Church

Search WebCat

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Scholarly Journal Articles: 3 Important Finding Tools

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Other Notable Web Sites

Catholic metasites (or directories of Web resources) to guide you in further exploration of the abundant resources on Catholicism and the Catholic Church available on the Web. The following sites are among the most comprehensive and well-organized of their kind.

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Updated July 1, 2003.