The Soul of Development

Abstract

“The key is to find local leaders who own the dream and will make it happen,” American banker Jacqueline Novogratz remarked against the background of her experience with development work in Africa. Dreams and desires, they are part of the inner state of a person, and authentic development according to Catholic social teaching depends upon the inner state of the human person. In this paper, I explore this connection between the inner state and development in the light of Catholic Social Tradition, primarily focusing on Populorum Progressio. I first examine the immaterial dimension of development, then how these elements can be consider a “soul” for Catholic social teaching, and finally the development priorities that emerge in the light of this understanding.