What is Catholic Policy?

Catholic | adjective | Universal

Policy | noun | A definite course or method of action selected from among alternatives and in light of given conditions to guide and determine present and future decisions.

When I went through RCIA, I was surprised to learn the meaning of catholic. Today we most often use the term as a noun (i.e., Roman Catholic Church) but original it was used as an adjective to convey that it was a universal church meant for the whole of the human race. Even today, section 830 of the Catechism defines the word "catholic" as "universal." The mission of the church is to save the world entire. 

As members of that church, what is our part to play? Do we have any duties to the world entire? Jesus provided a definitive answer when he announced "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39). John Paul II presented an answer in another form in his encyclical "Dives in Misericordia" (Latin for Rich in Mercy) when he wrote, "Jesus Christ taught that man not only receives and experiences the mercy of God, but that he is also called to practice mercy towards others." 

So what is love? What is mercy? The early church fathers, saints, and the magisterium of the church have spoken on this topic more eloquently then I could ever hope to. I desire to take the wisdom the church has offered us through the ages and attempt to apply it to the challenges facings governments, business, and everyday people in the context of the modern world. A set of policies that can be implemented to the universe of problems facings us today. Stated another way, I am trying to formulate a Catholic Policy.