Almsgiving and the Cause of the Poor in Francisco de Vitoria’s Thomistic Approach

This article addresses the moral question of almsgiving in the teaching of Francisco de Vitoria, expressed especially in his comments on the Secunda Secundae. In developing his argument, the Master of Salamanca follows in the footsteps of the great Christian thinkers, from the Church Fathers to the Scholastics, who sought to interpret the teachings of the Gospel faithfully. In particular, based on the texts of Thomas Aquinas and inspired by Cardinal Cajetan’s rigorous interpretation of them, Vitoria emphasises the obligation of almsgiving, carefully analysing the moral conditions relating to cases of extreme need and also to the existence of superfluous goods.