CSDC 85

Guided by the perennial light of the Gospel and ever attentive to evolution of society, the Church's social doctrine is characterized by continuity and renewal¹³³ Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 3: AAS 80AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 80 (1988) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1988), 515; Pius XII, Address to Participants in a Convention of the Catholic Action movement (29 April 1945), in Discorsi e Radiomessaggi di Pio XII, vol. VII, 37-38; John Paul II, Address at the international symposium “From Rerum Novarum to Laborem Exercens: towards the year 2000” (3 April 1982): Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II, V, 1 (1982), 1095-1096.. It shows above all the continuity of a teaching that refers to the universal values drawn from Revelation and human nature. For this reason the Church's social doctrine does not depend on the different cultures, ideologies or opinions; it is a constant teaching that “remains identical in its fundamental inspiration, in its ‘principles of reflection', in its ‘criteria of judgment', in its basic ‘directives for action', and above all in its vital link with the Gospel of the Lord”¹³⁴ John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 3: AAS 80AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 80 (1988) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1988), 515.. This is the foundational and permanent nucleus of the Church's social doctrine, by which it moves through history without being conditioned by history or running the risk of fading away. On the other hand, in its constant turning to history and in engaging the events taking place, the Church's social doctrine shows a capacity for continuous renewal. Standing firm in its principles does not make it a rigid teaching system, but a Magisterium capable of opening itself to new things, without having its nature altered by them¹³⁵ Cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction Libertatis Conscientia, 72: AAS 79AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 79 (1987) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1987), 585-586.. It is a teaching that is “subject to the necessary and opportune adaptations suggested by the changes in historical conditions and by the unceasing flow of the events which are the setting of the life of people and society”¹³⁶ John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 3: AAS 80AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 80 (1988) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1988), 515..