Social justice and the ‘litmus test’ regarding migrants
Social justice is the fifth principle of the Social Doctrine of the Church. In the digital age, social justice requires ensuring fair access to opportunities for all people, protecting the most vulnerable, combating hatred and disinformation, and subjecting the use of technologies to public oversight, “so that the guiding principle is not solely profit but the dignity of every person and the common good of all people” (80). Pope Leo XIV identifies migrants, refugees, displaced persons as a “litmus test” for social justice. The way society treats migrants, he says, “reveals whether its sense of justice is driven by fear or by the spirit of fraternity.” He therefore appeals for societies to protect “the rightful hopes” of those forced to leave, by ensuring them safe and legal routes, dignified welcome, and genuine paths to integration, while promoting “the right to remain” in one’s homeland in peace and security, by addressing “the root causes” of migration (81).
