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Catholic Perspectives on Land Use
United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops Statement
on Takings
October 18, 1995
Bishop John McRaith
We offer from our Catholic tradition a moral
framework for considering the rights and responsibilities
of private property owners to other owners and
to the common good. In this regard, we wish to
make three major points:
- Private property is a moral good, though a
limited one entailing responsibilities as well
as rights;
- In promoting the common good, government plays
a necessary and legitimate role in balancing
the private and public dimensions of the common
good for the benefit of the entire society,
the wider human family and future generations;
and
- With respect to public health and welfare,
safety, and the environment, government has
special responsibilities because unrestrained
private efforts and market forces sometimes
do not promote the common good, especially as
it relates to regional and global problems and
our responsibilities to future generations.
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Environment as a Common Good Concern.
The environment serves as a classic case of a
clear common good issue. It is a gift from God
to everyone, not something owned or controlled
by any one nation or privately by any individual
or group. A healthy or an unhealthy environment
accrues to the benefit or harm of everyone. Everyone
has a right to a healthy environment. Care for
land, water, and air is everyone's responsibility.
No one sector of society — individuals, neighborhoods,
markets, mediating communities or institutions,
or the government — has the sole responsibility
for caring for the environment. If the rights
of individual property owners are out of balance
with the rights of other owners or the rights
of others in the broader society, it undermines
the common good. Conversely, if environmental
concerns are exaggerated to the detriment of the
legitimate needs of individuals and groups, those
individuals, groups, and society cannot progress.
The need is to strike the requisite balance between
private property interests and the legitimate
role of government in regulating for the common
good, especially for the environment.
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