Rerum NovarumThe Beginning of Catholic Social Teaching

Catholic Social Teaching

‘Catholic Social Teaching’ was created after a series of papal encyclical letters on ethical issues was published, beginning in 1891.

In that year, Pope Leo XIII wrote the encyclical letter, Rerum Novarum – “Of New Things” addressing the new issues facing European society as a result of the Industrial Revolution and the social transformation this brought about.

A bitter contrast

On the one hand, he expressed moral outrage at the disparity between “the enormous fortunes of some few individuals, and the utter poverty of the masses” (paragraph 1), many of whom lived in conditions little better than slavery.

People are more important

On the other hand, Pope Leo upheld the right to private property. He upheld the dignity of human work and, despite his desire to avoid violent revolution, laid down the basic principle of the priority of Labour over Capital: in other words, people are more important than property and everyone has a right to the basic necessities of life and a just wage (paragraph 34).

The Common Good

Moreover, he identified the role of the state as the promotion of both ‘public well-being and private prosperity’ (paragraph 26). This aim became known in later Catholic teaching as promoting the Common Good. It is the principle that the rights of one group cannot be set aside for the convenience of the majority.

A special concern

It demands of the state a special concern for the protection of the rights of the poor (paragraph 29), a theme much developed by Liberation Theologians in the last 40 years. Moreover, Leo acknowledged the legitimate role of Trade Unions as defenders of the working class.

The human person

A concern for the dignity and value of the human person, and for the poor in particular, has proved to be an enduring feature of Catholic Social Teaching since the time of Pope Leo.

The willingness of the Pope

But the real importance, historically, of Rerum Novarum – “Of New Things” was the new willingness of the Pope to engage with the rapid changes happening in contemporary society, drawing on the riches of Catholic Tradition to identify the moral issues involved. This is the core of all later Catholic Social Teaching.

QUESTION 1Describe the lives of the people during the Industrial revolution.

Where did people live? What were working and living conditions like?

QUESTION 2Explain why the ‘rich got richer and the poor got poorer.’

QUESTION 3What was Rerum Novarum?

QUESTION 4What were some of the main arguments made in Rerum Novarum?

QUESTION 5The 3 major themes in Rerum Novarum are:

- The balance between labour and capital- The common good- The role of the state

QUESTION 6How do you think Rerum Novarum affected the lives of people in the 1800s?

QUESTION 7How do the teachings within Rerum Novarum relate to and affect the people of today? Give some examples.