Abstract
Summary: This paper systematically examines the commitment of the Catholic Church, through her social teachings, to the promotion of the universal project of human integral and sustainable development, especially as encapsulated in the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Panoramically exploring the history of the Church’s social doctrine and how the theme of human development remains of deep interest to the Church, it highlights the relationship between the Church’s social doctrine on development and the UN’s sustainable development agenda. Reflecting on the convergences and divergences between the Church’s vision of sustainable development and the approach of the UN’s agenda, it identifies what might be considered the fundamental reason that accounts for such divergences and then attempts to draw implications for a more effective and meaningful realization of authentic and integral sustainable development for all people and for every human person.