Dottrina sociale della chiesa, economia sociale di mercato e crisi economica

The social doctrine of the Church has often been associated with the Social market economy, established in Germany after the World War II to combine free market with a social policy. The European Union today refers explicitly to this model in its treaties. A document of European bishops in the years of the crisis intended to refer precisely to that model, showing to share its principles. Nevertheless, the pontifical magisterium never referred to a particular economic system. In fact, the economic model carried out in practice in the European Union, in our opinion, can hardly shared by the Catholic Church, to the extent that it brings the increase in inequality through salary deflation, cuts in social spending due to tight budget constraints, the absence of a real solidarity between Member States.