Politics, according to the Social Doctrine of the Church, is one

The words of Pope Francis — “Politics, according to the Social Doctrine of the Church, is one of the highest forms of charity, because it serves the common good. I cannot wash my hands, eh? We all have to give something!” — ring with the moral weight of one who sees beyond the battles of power into the heart of service. In them he proclaims that politics, so often maligned as corrupt or selfish, can be sanctified when it is directed toward love — not love of self, but love of neighbor, expressed in the pursuit of justice for all.

At its heart, this saying redefines charity. No longer is it only alms to the poor or kindness to the weak, but also the labor of shaping laws, policies, and institutions that uplift the many. To serve the common good through politics is to extend compassion beyond the personal into the public, to transform mercy into structure, and to weave justice into the very fabric of society. Pope Francis declares that to withdraw from this duty, to “wash one’s hands,” is a betrayal, for every soul has a share in the responsibility of building a just world.

History itself confirms this teaching. William Wilberforce, moved by faith, entered the arena of politics to fight the transatlantic slave trade. He could have given charity to the enslaved, but he understood that true charity meant changing the laws that bound them. His decades of struggle led to abolition, proving that love expressed through governance can free not just individuals, but nations.

Francis’s words also echo the example of Christ, who washed the feet of His disciples but refused to wash His hands of humanity’s suffering. The Pontiff reminds us that apathy is no virtue; silence in the face of injustice is complicity. Each person, whether pope or pauper, is called to “give something” — a voice, a vote, a hand in service — so that the common good may triumph over indifference.

Let future generations take this lesson to heart: politics is not merely struggle for power, but can be the noblest form of charity when guided by justice and love. To serve the common good is the highest calling, and none may retreat from it without guilt. Pope Francis’s words remind us that the building of a just society is not the work of a few, but the duty of all — and in that duty lies both holiness and hope.