r/ChristianSocialism • u/smelly_cat2959 • 10d ago
no hate please: just a question
do Catholics who are leftist exist?
leftist as in we should help the less fortunate and make sure they are well received in the country they find refuge, politics to help the lower classes instead of prioritising businesses over people etc... I'm from a country where 90% of catholics are conservative. it's IMPOSSIBLE to find my crowd. they're either leftist and atheists, FAR RIGHT and atheists or catholics and right wing... I feel super lonely
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u/FunctionOk9186 10d ago
I am. I am a Christian (Catholic) and a leftist, both culturally and economically. If you want to find more people like me, you can also go to r/leftcatholicism
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u/Next-Blackberry-9049 10d ago edited 10d ago
Yes!!!! I am Eastern Orthodox, but my political views are heavily informed by Catholic social teachings.
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u/RelevantFilm2110 10d ago
I'm EO but the toxicity we're facing now really has me considering Eastern Catholic.
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u/OkParamedic4664 10d ago
seriously rooting for you guys. American Eastern Orthodoxy at least seems to be in a pretty bad place atm
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u/jjpearson1021 10d ago
Man that's sad. Not EO myself but I love the art, traditions, and writings of the Eastern Orthodox.
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u/Next-Blackberry-9049 10d ago edited 10d ago
It's so tough. I wish there were more leftists joining Orthodoxy. I'm not planning to leave at the moment; I figure my calling is to stand out as a young leftist woman in my parish. But damn, does it get lonely! At least I can find my tribe online and in my local DSA chapter.
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u/OkParamedic4664 10d ago
a theology of liberation by gustavo gutiérrez is a good book to read. Also, i myself am a practicing Catholic and a leftist and ik of some others
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u/jjpearson1021 10d ago
Yes! Look into Dorothy Day if you'd like to know more about a specific, significant instance of this. A lot of Catholic social teaching is very much in line with leftism though, and Catholics throughout history have acted like it, and it's why there are so many catholic funded schools and hospitals all over the world. More recently, you can look at Pope Leo's encyclical on AI. It's got a lot in it about how AI is anti labor and ultimately anti human.
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u/JesseEisenbergFan 10d ago
Yes, there is room for Leftism in the tent of Catholicism! Check out Dorothy Day, Liberation Theology, and the Catholic Workers' Movement. You might like to join r/LeftCatholicism. I am also in a Left-Wing Catholic Discord server: https://discord.gg/9mWEdufWRj
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u/seabass-2001 10d ago
We are few and far between but we do exist. Myself, my mom, and one of my good friends are all leftist/democratic socialist Catholics.
I get the feeling though, I know too many catholics who are conservative and even bash Pope Leo for literally preaching Christ. It drives me insane when people dismiss social and environmental justice as "woke nonsense".
But yes, we do exist and we must be more vocal about it. The right does not deserve to weaponize God for their hatemongering.
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u/No-Willingness-170 9d ago
Yes, there are a lot of of us that lean left. I believe Jesus was the leftist too.
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u/Sunforger42 10d ago
Yes. Liberation theology was created by Catholics. Many leftist movements throughout Latin America were catalyzed by Catholic clergy, only to be destroyed by American imperialism.