The State which would provide everything, absorbing everything into itself, would ultimately become a mere bureaucracy incapable of guaranteeing the very thing which the suffering person–every person–needs: namely, loving personal concern. We do not need a State which regulates and controls everything, but a State which, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, generously acknowledges and supports initiatives arising from the different social forces and combines spontaneity with closeness to those in need. The Church is one of those living forces. Pope Benedict XVI
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The Church, however, is also a human institution, and as such it should be able to acknowledge and support initiatives arising from the different social forces. Another way to put it would be: we need a society which provides everything, but one which generously acknowledges and supports initiatives and organizations arising from other social forces and combines spontaneity with closeness to those in need. For example, the Catholic Church can be one of those social forces which support initiatives and organizations emerging from other social forces.

Source: God Is Love: Encyclical Letter Of Pope Benedict Xvi

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