«Therefore, the civil coexistence can only be judged ordered, fruitful and congruent with the human dignity if it is founded in the truth. It is a warning of the Apostle Saint Paul: Strip away of the lie, speak each one truth with his neighbor, because we are all members of each other (Ef 4, 25). This will certainly happen when everyone recognizes, in due form, their own rights and the duties they have for others» (Pacem in Terris 35). 

"In the Gospel we find a judgment of value () for what will it do for man to win the whole world, if he ruins his life? (Mt 16, 26). Ethical values are the way to the salvation of contemporary society (...) Jesus Christ invites the disciples to work for the coming of the Kingdom of God. The values of the Kingdom must also enlighten and inspire the social life of the earthly city, as social life is the result of the activity of the individuals who form the daily fabric. We are all called to the building of a new society, more just and humane "(John Paul II, speech to the III Congress of the International Society Thomas Aquinas, 28. IX. 1991). 

"It is necessary to strive to build a new society, in which people count more; in which, instead of fighting, there is a meeting of freedom and responsibility, a partnership between free market and solidarity, in order to promote a type of development that protects life, defends man, especially the poor and the marginalized, and respects the creation, which is the work of the hand of God "(John Paul II, speech to the Roman Nunciature, 23. XII. 1991).