Subsidiarity in the Modern National State

Defesa da Liberdade e dos Contextos de Florescimento da Pessoa

Abstract

The paper aims at outlining the depth and reach of the principle of subsidiar-ity, one of the cornerstones of modern Catholic Social Doctrine. In order to understand the reach and application of subsidiarity, we present an interpretation of the process of constitution of the modern nation state, emphasizing the growing concentration of power and social authority on the state, to the detriment of pre-modern social solidarity net-works. Next, papal pronouncements and documents in which the principle has been worked out are analyzed in order to abstract the chief dimensions of subsidiarity, from the standpoint of social ethics, philosophical anthropology, and theology.