EVANGELII GAUDIUM - page 144

144
individuals, all areas of community life, and all
peoples. Nothing human can be alien to it”.
147
True Christian hope, which seeks the eschatolog-
ical kingdom, always generates history.
The Church’s teaching on social questions
182. The Church’s teachings concerning con-
tingent situations are subject to new and further
developments and can be open to discussion, yet
we cannot help but be concrete – without pre-
suming to enter into details – lest the great social
principles remain mere generalities which chal-
lenge no one. There is a need to draw practical
conclusions, so that they “will have greater im-
pact on the complexities of current situations”.
148
The Church’s pastors, taking into account the
contributions of the different sciences, have the
right to offer opinions on all that affects people’s
lives, since the task of evangelization implies and
demands the integral promotion of each human
being. It is no longer possible to claim that re-
ligion should be restricted to the private sphere
and that it exists only to prepare souls for heav-
en. We know that God wants his children to be
happy in this world too, even though they are
called to fulfilment in eternity, for he has created
all things “for our enjoyment” (
1 Tim
6:17), the
147
 F
ifth
G
eneral
C
onference
of
the
L
atin
A
merican
and
C
aribbean
B
ishops
,
Aparecida Document
, 29 June 2007, 380.
148
 P
ontifical
C
ouncil
for
J
ustice and
P
eace
,
Compendi-
um of the Social Doctrine of the Church
, 9.
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