Social teachings of the papacy
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Social teachings of the papacy encompass papal views described in social encyclicals and other papal communications, beginning with Rerum novarum, Pope Leo XIII's encyclical of 1891.
History
Pre-Vatican II
Pope Leo XIII, amidst the
Pope Pius XI carried the theme forward in 1931 in his encyclical Quadragesimo anno ("Forty years later"). Pius XI concentrated on the ethical implications of the social and economic order. He called for the reconstruction of the social order based on the principle of solidarity and subsidiarity.[2] He noted major dangers for human freedom and dignity, arising from unrestrained capitalism and totalitarian communism.
Vatican II and after
Pope Paul VI began with an apostolic letter (Octogesima adveniens) on "arriving at the eightieth" year after Rerum Novarum. It reflects on the growing disparities between industrialized nations and those "struggling against starvation" and "engaged in eliminating illiteracy". It recalls John XXIII's statement decrying the discrepancies between urban and rural life, along with the squalid conditions that awaited those who moved to the cities.: 8 It introduces the topic of ecology to Catholic social teaching with the statement that by man's "ill-considered exploitation of nature he risks destroying it and becoming in his turn the victim of this degradation".: 21 Then in his 1967 encyclical Populorum progressio ("On the development of peoples") he emphasizes that "lay people must consider it their task to improve the temporal order".: 81 He calls out the tyranny that comes from "unbridled liberalism" and from a type of capitalism with "pernicious economic concepts" that leads to "fratricidal conflicts": 26 amidst the accumulation of superfluous wealth.: 49 He goes on to comment that "haughty pride in one's own nation disunites nations and poses obstacles to their true welfare".: 62 He gives his closing comments a title that would echo over the years: "Development, the New Name for Peace" .[4]: 76
Pope John Paul II in 1981 on the 90th anniversary of Rerum novarum produced Laborem exercens ("Through work"). Reflecting on increasing mechanization, with workers like cogs in the employer's machine, he cites proposals like joint ownership and profit-sharing for the more personal involvement of the worker.: 14 He speaks of companies and states as "indirect employers", where workers are dependent on the prices paid for primary products and where the policies of governments should protect the livelihood of workers.: 17 Then in 1991 Centesimus annus honored the "Hundredth year" of Leo's encyclical. It criticizes Marxist ideology as atheistic and declares that "exploitation, at least in the forms analyzed and described by Karl Marx, has been overcome in Western society" (41). It also warns about the excesses of capitalism, pointing out that "it is the task of the State to provide for the defence and preservation of common goods such as the natural and human environments, which cannot be safeguarded simply by market forces.... Now, with the new capitalism, the State and all of society have the duty of defending those collective goods which, among others, constitute the essential framework for the legitimate pursuit of personal goals on the part of each individual".: 40
Eight months after his election
Notes
- ^ Duffy 1997, p. 240.
- ^ Duffy 1997, p. 260.
- ^ Franzen & Bäumer 1988, p. 368.
- ^ Pope John Paul II 1987.
- ^ Vatican Radio 2015.
- ^ Gillis 2015.
- ^ Yardley & Goodstein 2015.
References
- Duffy, Eamon (1997), Saints and Sinners, a History of the Popes, Yale University Press in association with S4C, Library of Congress Catalog card number 97-60897.
- Franzen, August; Bäumer, Remigius (1988), Kleine Kirchengeschichte, Freiburg: Herder, p. 368
- Gillis, Justin (18 June 2015), "Pope Francis Aligns Himself With Mainstream Science on Climate", New York Times
- Pope John Paul II (1 January 1987), "XX World Day for Peace 1987, Development and solidarity: two keys to peace", en.radiovaticana.va, retrieved 19 March 2017
- "Evangelii Gaudium: Programmatic Text". Vatican Radio. 20 January 2015. Archived from the original on 20 March 2017.
- Yardley, Jim; Goodstein, Laurie (18 June 2015), "Pope Francis, in Sweeping Encyclical, Calls for Swift Action on Climate Change", The New York Times
External links
- Catholic Social Teaching provides a comprehensive index of Papal teaching on Social Doctrine as well as articles by Catholic scholars