As members of the Vincentian Family we have become accustomed to using terms such as Advocacy, Aporophobia, Homelessness, Collaboration, Systemic Change, etc., to describe either situations that we encounter in our work/ministry or actions that we carry out. To deepen our understanding of these concepts from the perspective of our charism, we have developed this series of posts, entitled a “Vincentian Dictionary”, with the aim of offering each week an explanation of the various words/phrases from a social, moral, Christian and Vincentian perspective. Inspired by the charism of St. Vincent de Paul, we hope to deepen our understanding and reflect on service, social justice and love of neighbor. At the end of each article you will find some ideas for personal reflection and/or group dialogue.
Follow the complete thread of this Vincentian dictionary at this link.
The principle of subsidiarity is an essential pillar for understanding human and social relationships. This principle regulates interactions between individuals and communities, promoting a balance that respects autonomy while fostering solidarity. Since its formalization in the encyclical Quadragesimo Anno in 1931, subsidiarity has been a subject of reflection and application in various spheres, from political organization to social action.
Subsidiarity from a Social Perspective
From a social perspective, the principle of subsidiarity seeks to ensure that decisions and actions are made at the level closest to the people affected. This approach is based on respect for the autonomy of communities and individuals and the idea that higher institutions should intervene only when lower ones cannot effectively fulfill their functions. For instance, in the European context, the Maastricht Treaty incorporated subsidiarity as a key principle to prevent excessive centralization within the European Union and to encourage decision-making at local or regional levels.
In the field of education, subsidiarity is applied by delegating responsibilities to school communities to manage their programs and resources, respecting cultural and social particularities. Similarly, in healthcare, subsidiarity is evident when local governments implement health policies tailored to the specific needs of their populations, with support from higher authorities only when necessary. Another example can be found in promoting local economic development, where small and medium-sized businesses receive state incentives that strengthen their autonomy without excessive centralization.
The principle also addresses a practical need: recognizing that local solutions are often more effective because they are better suited to the cultural, economic, and social particularities of each region. Additionally, by limiting the interference of higher structures, unnecessary bureaucracy is reduced, and active citizen participation is encouraged.
Subsidiarity from a Moral Perspective
In the moral sphere, subsidiarity is linked to the dignity of the human person. This principle recognizes that every human being has inherent rights and responsibilities that must be respected and promoted. Morally, subsidiarity entails a commitment to social justice, understood as the balance between personal autonomy and collective responsibility.
The philosophy of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas underscores the importance of personal fulfillment through participation in community life. In this sense, subsidiarity is not only an organizational principle but also a guide for the ethical development of societies, fostering cooperation and preventing abuse of power by higher structures.
To reflect on its application in everyday situations, we might ask ourselves: How can we balance our personal autonomy with responsibility toward our community? In what ways can our daily decisions respect the dignity and rights of others? What concrete actions can we take to foster cooperation in our personal and professional relationships?
Subsidiarity from a Christian Perspective
Since its formalization in the social doctrine of the Church, subsidiarity has been understood as a reflection of God’s plan for humanity. The encyclical Quadragesimo Anno establishes that this principle is a means to ensure respect for people’s autonomy and dignity, ensuring that each level of social organization acts within its sphere without usurping the functions of lower levels.
In the Christian vision, subsidiarity is deeply connected to the concept of charity. While social justice ensures that structures are fair and equitable, charity invites higher entities to intervene with generosity and compassion when lower entities cannot address their needs. Justice, then, establishes the minimum conditions for individuals and communities to thrive, while charity goes further, acting as the driving force behind solidarity and selfless service.
This complementarity between justice and charity gives the principle a distinctive character within Christian doctrine. Justice ensures that rights are respected and social relationships are based on equity, but charity adds a dimension of love and mercy that transforms these relationships into opportunities for mutual growth. In practice, this means that subsidiary interventions must be carried out with empathy and commitment, seeking not only to solve immediate problems but also to promote integral and sustainable development.
Subsidiarity in the Compendium of Catholic Social Doctrine
PART ONE, CHAPTER FOUR: V. THE PRINCIPLE OF SUBSIDIARITY
a. Origin and meaning
185. Subsidiarity is among the most constant and characteristic directives of the Church’s social doctrine and has been present since the first great social encyclical [Cf. Leo XIII, Encyclical Letter Rerum Novarum: Acta Leonis XIII, 11 (1892), 101-102, 123]. It is impossible to promote the dignity of the person without showing concern for the family, groups, associations, local territorial realities; in short, for that aggregate of economic, social, cultural, sports-oriented, recreational, professional and political expressions to which people spontaneously give life and which make it possible for them to achieve effective social growth [Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1882]. This is the realm of civil society, understood as the sum of the relationships between individuals and intermediate social groupings, which are the first relationships to arise and which come about thanks to “the creative subjectivity of the citizen” [John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 15: AAS 80 (1988), 529; cf. Pius XI, Encyclical Letter Quadragesimo Anno: AAS 23 (1931), 203; John XXIII, Encyclical Letter Mater et Magistra: AAS 53 (1961), 439; Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 65: AAS 58 (1966), 1086-1087; Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction Libertatis Conscientia, 73, 85-86: AAS 79 (1987), 586, 592-593; John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 48: AAS 83 (1991), 852-854; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1883-1885]. This network of relationships strengthens the social fabric and constitutes the basis of a true community of persons, making possible the recognition of higher forms of social activity [Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 49: AAS 83 (1991), 854-856; John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 15: AAS 80 (1988), 528-530].
186. The necessity of defending and promoting the original expressions of social life is emphasized by the Church in the Encyclical ‘Quadragesimo Anno’, in which the principle of subsidiarity is indicated as a most important principle of “social philosophy”. “Just as it is gravely wrong to take from individuals what they can accomplish by their own initiative and industry and give it to the community, so also it is an injustice and at the same time a grave evil and disturbance of right order to assign to a greater and higher association what lesser and subordinate organizations can do. For every social activity ought of its very nature to furnish help to the members of the body social, and never destroy and absorb them” [Pius XI, Encyclical Letter Quadragesimo Anno: AAS 23 (1931), 203; cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 48: AAS 83 (1991), 852-854; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1883].
On the basis of this principle, all societies of a superior order must adopt attitudes of help (“subsidium“) – therefore of support, promotion, development – with respect to lower-order societies. In this way, intermediate social entities can properly perform the functions that fall to them without being required to hand them over unjustly to other social entities of a higher level, by which they would end up being absorbed and substituted, in the end seeing themselves denied their dignity and essential place.
Subsidiarity, understood in the positive sense as economic, institutional or juridical assistance offered to lesser social entities, entails a corresponding series of negative implications that require the State to refrain from anything that would de facto restrict the existential space of the smaller essential cells of society. Their initiative, freedom and responsibility must not be supplanted.
b. Concrete indications
187. The principle of subsidiarity protects people from abuses by higher-level social authority and calls on these same authorities to help individuals and intermediate groups to fulfil their duties. This principle is imperative because every person, family and intermediate group has something original to offer to the community. Experience shows that the denial of subsidiarity, or its limitation in the name of an alleged democratization or equality of all members of society, limits and sometimes even destroys the spirit of freedom and initiative.
The principle of subsidiarity is opposed to certain forms of centralization, bureaucratization, and welfare assistance and to the unjustified and excessive presence of the State in public mechanisms. “By intervening directly and depriving society of its responsibility, the Social Assistance State leads to a loss of human energies and an inordinate increase of public agencies, which are dominated more by bureaucratic ways of thinking than by concern for serving their clients, and which are accompanied by an enormous increase in spending” [John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 48: AAS 83 (1991), 854]. An absent or insufficient recognition of private initiative – in economic matters also – and the failure to recognize its public function, contribute to the undermining of the principle of subsidiarity, as monopolies do as well.
In order for the principle of subsidiarity to be put into practice there is a corresponding need for: respect and effective promotion of the human person and the family; ever greater appreciation of associations and intermediate organizations in their fundamental choices and in those that cannot be delegated to or exercised by others; the encouragement of private initiative so that every social entity remains at the service of the common good, each with its own distinctive characteristics; the presence of pluralism in society and due representation of its vital components; safeguarding human rights and the rights of minorities; bringing about bureaucratic and administrative decentralization; striking a balance between the public and private spheres, with the resulting recognition of the social function of the private sphere; appropriate methods for making citizens more responsible in actively “being a part” of the political and social reality of their country.
188. Various circumstances may make it advisable that the State step in to supply certain functions [Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 48: AAS 83 (1991), 852-854]. One may think, for example, of situations in which it is necessary for the State itself to stimulate the economy because it is impossible for civil society to support initiatives on its own. One may also envision the reality of serious social imbalance or injustice where only the intervention of the public authority can create conditions of greater equality, justice and peace. In light of the principle of subsidiarity, however, this institutional substitution must not continue any longer than is absolutely necessary, since justification for such intervention is found only in the exceptional nature of the situation. In any case, the common good correctly understood, the demands of which will never in any way be contrary to the defence and promotion of the primacy of the person and the way this is expressed in society, must remain the criteria for making decisions concerning the application of the principle of subsidiarity.
Subsidiarity from a Vincentian Perspective
The Vincentian perspective on subsidiarity enriches this principle by combining it with the spirituality and the praxis of St. Vincent de Paul. For Vincent, charitable action must empower the poor and marginalized, allowing them to become protagonists of their own development. In this context, subsidiarity becomes a tool to ensure that the assistance provided does not create dependency but fosters autonomy and dignity.
The Vincentian tradition has promoted institutions such as the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SSVP), which operates under this principle. These conferences (basic cells of the SSVP) act locally to meet immediate needs but also coordinate efforts with higher levels when necessary, always respecting the community’s ability to self-manage. Additionally, Vincentian spirituality highlights the importance of “serving in humility,” which means not imposing solutions but working alongside others, including fellow Vincentians and the poor, to build a more equitable future.
Unlike other Christian applications of subsidiarity, which focus on structural interactions between different levels of social organization, the Vincentian vision emphasizes personal and community accompaniment. This approach not only seeks to respect autonomy but also creates a transformative relationship where the most vulnerable actively participate in their own promotion, making this a concrete expression of charity lived as justice.
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The principle of subsidiarity is a vital guide for social organization and Christian action. From the Vincentian perspective, this principle takes on a profoundly transformative dimension as it integrates active charity and commitment to the most vulnerable. By promoting autonomy and dignity for every person, Vincentian subsidiarity becomes a model for building more just and supportive societies.
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