The true meaning of 'social justice': a Catholic vision of Friedrich Hayek, is the degree scroll of article that Professor Martin Rhonheimer, Professor of Ethics and Philosophy Politics at the Pontifical University of Santa Croce in Rome, presented to the students of the Master's Degree in Economics and Finance of the School of Economics of the University of Navarra.

Rhonheimer questions the well-known rejection of Hayek for his concept of "social justice". Although he says he is of agreement with the criticism of Hayek, the researcher argues that this concept should not be rejected altogether, although it is often used in a vague and merely emotional way.

Drawing on the tradition of classical liberalism and Catholic social teaching , Hayek argues for the true meaning of social justice that applies to the basic legal and institutional framework of a society rather than the distributive outcomes of market processes, Rhonheimer asserts.

Martin Rhonheimer (Zurich, 1950) studied history, Philosophy, political science and theology in Zurich and Rome. He holds a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Zurich. In 1983 he was ordained a Catholic priest and is currently Professor of Ethics and Philosophy Politics. Rhonheimer is a member of the board publishing house of The American Journal of Jurisprudence of the School of Law of the University of Notre Dame in the United States.