Final answer:
Roman Catholic teaching on social justice is based on liberation theology, which aims to combat social injustice, discrimination, and poverty through political activism and interpreting scriptures in support of the oppressed.
Step-by-step explanation:
Roman Catholic teaching on social justice is primarily based on liberation theology. This movement uses Christian doctrines to encourage and enact social change and originated within the Roman Catholic Church in Latin America during the 1950s and 1960s. It aims to address issues of social injustice, discrimination, and poverty through the political sphere. Proponents of this form of social justice include figures such as Francis of Assisi, Leo Tolstoy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Desmond Tutu. Liberation theology interprets the scriptures from the perspective of the oppressed, to act against poverty and injustice. It has also given rise to feminist theology in an effort to bring social justice to women.
In a broader context, social justice within the church has been pursued through various movements such as the social gospel movement and actions taken by urban churches to provide services to the poor. Influential figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi emphasized the need for societies to systematically address social ills like racism, poverty, and materialism. Theories on social justice, including Marxism, have had widespread impact on policies around the world, advocating for the equal distribution of resources based on needs and abilities.