CSDC 525

The social message of the Gospel must guide the Church in her twofold pastoral activity: that of helping men and women to discover the truth and to choose the path that they will follow, and that of encouraging Christians to bear witness with a spirit of service to the Gospel in the field of social activity. “Today more than ever the Word of God will be unable to be proclaimed and heard unless it is accompanied by the witness of the power of the Holy Spirit, working within the action of Christians in the service of their brothers and sisters, at the points in which their existence and their future are at stake”¹¹¹⁵ Paul VI, Apostolic Letter Octogesima Adveniens, 51: AAS 63AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 63 (1971) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1971), 440.. The need for a new evangelization helps the Church to understand that “today more than ever ... her social message will gain credibility more immediately from the witness of action than as a result of its internal logic and consistency”¹¹¹⁶ John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 57: AAS 83AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 83 (1991) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1991), 862..