Political activity must truly be conducted at the service of the human person, with respect for creation and for the common good. (Pope Francis)

This is the authentically Catholic view of politics/public service. It is not about power or prestige. Never self-serving or grandiose, but humble & dedicated to the good of others.

Notice that Pope Francis identifies three critical aspects of public service: 1) the individual human person, 2) God’s creation—all things visible and invisible, and 3) the common good. All three must be safeguarded, nurtured and developed by those who hold positions of responsibility whether in government, business, education, healthcare or the Church. We are called to be responsible stewards of all God’s gifts, and nothing is more worthy of good stewardship than these three precious gifts: the individual person, creation and the common good.

I call this “the authentically Catholic view of politics/public service” because Catholic social teaching is grounded in the the conviction that every man, woman and child is made in the image and likeness of God and, therefore, possesses equal rights and dignity regardless of race, creed, nationality, ethnicity, social background or economic status.

Here is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church (#1929-1930) says:

Social justice can be obtained only in respecting the transcendent dignity of man. the person represents the ultimate end of society, which is ordered to him:

What is at stake is the dignity of the human person, whose defense and promotion have been entrusted to us by the Creator, and to whom the men and women at every moment of history are strictly and responsibly in debt (John Paul II, SRS 47).

Respect for the human person entails respect for the rights that flow from his dignity as a creature. These rights are prior to society and must be recognized by it. They are the basis of the moral legitimacy of every authority: by flouting them, or refusing to recognize them in its positive legislation, a society undermines its own moral legitimacy (Cf. John XXIII, PT 65). If it does not respect them, authority can rely only on force or violence to obtain obedience from its subjects. It is the Church's role to remind men of good will of these rights and to distinguish them from unwarranted or false claims.