Rerum Novarum by Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci

First published: 1891 (English translation, 1891)

Edition(s) used:The Condition of the Working Classes: The Encyclical “Rerum Novarum.” London: Catholic Truth Society, 1951

Genre(s): Nonfiction

Subgenre(s): Encyclical

Core issue(s): Church; justice; poverty; social action

Overview

Leo XIII addresses Rerum Novarum to the bishops of the Catholic Church. He introduces his reflections by highlighting the social difficulties of the day. With these difficulties in mind, he then discusses five key issues: private property, the right of the Church to speak on social issues, the role of the state, the worker’s right to a just wage, and the importance of worker associations. He ends by providing a short conclusion.

Leo explains that the Industrial Revolution has encouraged humankind to ask questions about a variety of social issues, such as the relationship between employers and employees, the just distribution of wealth, the growing isolation of workers, the role of worker associations, and the decline in moral values. More specifically, Leo informs the bishops of the wretched living conditions of the poor; he proposes that Catholic Church leaders must once again refute the errors that have led to such social evils. Leo states that workers are left unprotected because the workers’ guilds of old are no longer intact and political institutions have rejected religious teaching. Leo explains that the power of industry is controlled by a few factory owners who are becoming rich from the hard labor of the working class. The lower class suffers from poor working conditions and low wages, and their animosity toward the owning class is escalating.

Leo writes that socialists are seeking to eliminate class division by proposing that possessions be held in common and private property eliminated. In opposition to the socialist response, Leo argues for the right to own private property. He explains that people have the capacity to plan for the future. By possessing land, people can attain the security of owning something with stable value and can enjoy the yearly fruit of the land. Further, the prospect of owning property gives workers hope and a motivation for ingenuity. Without the possibility of owning land, workers often lack the desire to work diligently. As a result, production suffers, and the working class is reduced to a state of poverty even lower than had previously existed.

Leo proposes that the voice of the Church must be heard. He asserts that people should not blame suffering merely on class struggle but should also consider sin and disorder, both of which are never completely eliminated in this world. Leo posits that social classes are natural and ought to work in a complementary manner. Accordingly, he provides a list of duties for both the working and the owning classes. Workers should complete their work, honor the property of their employers, and refrain from rioting. Employers should respect the dignity of their workers by not reducing them to means of production, considering their spiritual well-being, promoting family relations, assigning reasonable work, and providing a living wage.

Leo also posits that the use of wealth is more fundamental than the accumulation of wealth. He writes that possessions on earth do not entail wealth in heaven. Further, he explains that Christ himself demonstrated the dignity of poverty by living with limited material goods. Still, despite his qualification of the condition of poverty, Leo explains that the decrease of poverty is an important goal and he proposes that Christians must continue to assist the poor by discouraging greed and lust and promoting simplicity. Moreover, Leo points to the lives of saintly Christians who have lived unparalleled lives of mercy and charity.

After affirming the right of the church to speak on social issues, Leo discusses the legitimate role of the state. He writes that the state ought to seek the protection of both private and public institutions by the development of good administrative structures. The state ought to promote wholesome morality and ordered family life, protect religion and justice, work toward the equitable distribution of burdens, and protect those who cannot protect themselves, that is, the poor. Further, the state should uphold the right to own private property, allow for the spiritual needs of the community, and establish stable production of material needs by preventing strikes.

Next, Leo discusses the importance of a just wage. He proposes that two things should receive particular attention in the allotment of salaries: personal investment and living necessities. Leo argues that people give themselves in their work and are alienated when they are not compensated for that investment. In addition, employers should be concerned with the living needs of the worker and the worker’s family. When business leaders provide their employees with a just wage, they encourage diligence and prevent emigration.

While the state should protect the rights of the working class, Leo posits that these rights ought to receive primary protection from smaller worker organizations. Leo warns against immoral worker associations and encourages those organizations that are concerned with spiritual matters as well as with the provision of assistance when industry is changing or when workers suffer from sickness, old age, or misfortune. Leo concludes by promising that Christians will continue to act according to charity where and when it is needed.

Christian Themes

In the years preceding the papacy of Leo XIII, Church and state relations were often polemical. For his part, Leo engages the state in a manner that affirms the important role of political leadership but still manages to have a critical edge. He is concerned with both the poverty that has resulted from the Industrial Revolution and the socialism that is being proposed as a solution. He explains that humans are tainted with sin and therefore proposes that political theories promising the removal of all suffering can only be misleading. Despite these and other critiques, Leo acknowledges the need for state leadership and therefore encourages reform rather then revolution.

Leo indicates how the Church can contribute to social issues. He writes that the equality of persons comes not from similarity in talent but from redemption in Christ. Different members of society have different talents, all of which should be used for the eternal glory of God. Leo explains that a Christian framework also qualifies the condition of poverty. Because Christians view poverty as a virtue, the focus concerning material goods is on the use rather than the accumulation of goods. Nonetheless, despite the fact that the removal of material poverty is not the final end of Christian faith, Christians are called to assist the poor by living in accordance with the virtues of mercy and charity.

Leo discusses principles that remain central to Christian social ethics, such as the right of workers to associate and the right to private property. He argues that worker organizations can advocate and provide personal assistance for workers in a manner that the state is unable to do. Leo’s affirmation of the right to private property is a central claim of his work. If workers have the incentive of private property and the allotment of a just wage, they can live frugally and seek to acquire the stability that comes with owning land. Such a context provides an environment of ingenuity and diligence, which in turn is good for workers, employers, and the state. Leo’s reflections provide fundamental principles that still speak to contemporary Christian leaders who can apply Leo’s general insights in their own specific diocesan contexts.

Sources for Further Study

Himes, Kenneth R., ed. Modern Catholic Social Teaching: Commentaries and Interpretations. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 2005. This scholarly collection includes four foundational essays and fourteen commentaries on influential church documents. Each essay includes thorough bibliographical information. Brief index.

Misner, Paul. Social Catholicism in Europe: From the Onset of Industrialization to the First World War. New York: Crossroad, 1991. This work provides a history of European social life and reflection spanning from the late eighteenth century to the early twentieth century. Includes a thorough bibliography as well as author and subject indexes.

Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. Translated by Vatican Press. Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2005. This reference work provides a comprehensive synthesis of central concepts in Catholic social ethics. Includes thorough reference and analytical indexes.

Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. The Social Agenda: A Collection of Magisterial Texts. Città del Vaticano: Libreria Editrice Vaticano, 2000. This work is a concise compilation of official church statements thematically organized to discuss eleven issues central to Christian social ethics.