The Christian faithful are obliged, according to Church Law (Canon 222), to assist with the needs of the Church for worship, apostolic works, charity, and the support of ministers. They are also to promote social justice and to assist the poor using their own resources.
These are natural obligations of all people, not just Christians.
The question of social justice emerged at the Second Vatican Council as a central theme of Christianity. No single topic has received more attention than the major concern to the Church for social justice and helping the poor in the last 100-plus years from Pope Leo XIII to Pope Francis.
In accord with this canon, priests and deacons are to receive compensation consistent with their obligations (Canon 281). The laity have the right to decent remuneration to provide for their own needs and those of their families. This remuneration is to include health care, a pension and social security benefits (Canons 231 and 232).
Furthermore, Canon 1286 states that administrators are to pay employees a just and decent wage, and Canon 1290 requires that civil law contracts and payments be followed.
Editor's note: This series about the rights and obligations of the Christian faithful, as set forth in canon (Church) law, has been written especially for the Catholic News Herald by Mercy Sister Jeanne-Margaret McNally. Sister Jeanne-Margaret is a distinguished authority on canon law, author of the reference guide "Canon Law for the Laity," and frequent lecturer at universities and dioceses.
A graduate of The Catholic University of America with multiple degrees including a doctorate in psychology and a licentiate of canon law (JCL), she is a psychologist for the Tribunal of the Diocese of Charlotte and a judge in the Metropolitan Tribunal of the Archdiocese of Miami.