• The Dignity of the Human Person.
• The Common Good. 
• Solidarity (our membership in one global family) 
• Subsidiarity (the essnetial and positive role government plays in promoting human dignity and the common good.) 
• The Preferential Option for the Poor. 
• The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers.
• Stewardship of God's Creation.
• Peace 

After tracing these themes through history they then move to a discussion of Church and State.  They argue that we need to see a "distinction between faith and religion."  The point being that while religion (the practices of a community in the worship of their God) do not always fit  in the public square; people driven into action by their faith need to fully engage government for the common good.

They warn that when people of faith engage politics we need to realize that it will require that we learn the skill of compromise.  Not that we compromise our personal beliefs but we learn to compromise with others for the sake of some gain vs. no gain at all.  This keeps us from seeing others as enemies and from seeking to use politics to force others to live they way we think they should.  When we realize that political engagement involves compromise then we choose the art of persuasion and set aside the soap box.