Pre-Vatican Social Teaching PDF

Group 1 PRE-VATICAN SOCIAL TEACHING POPE LEO XIII Original name Vincenzo Gioacchino Pecci, (born March 2, 1810, Carpineto Romano, Papal States—died July 20, 1903, Rome), head of the Roman Catholic Church (1878–1903) who brought a new spirit to...

Group 1 PRE-VATICAN SOCIAL TEACHING POPE LEO XIII Original name Vincenzo Gioacchino Pecci, (born March 2, 1810, Carpineto Romano, Papal States—died July 20, 1903, Rome), head of the Roman Catholic Church (1878–1903) who brought a new spirit to the papacy, manifested in more conciliatory positions toward civil governments, by care taken that the church not be opposed to scientific progress and by an awareness of the pastoral and social needs of the times. He is called the first modern pope by many historians, because he was the first Roman Pontiff who dared tackle the real problems that afflicted the world of his times. These problems were mainly social in nature. These problems were seen by the church as new to her or as New Phenomena (res novae). The Industrial Revolution of the 19th century demanded urbanization and an expanded work force. Cities grew around industrial sites. Myriads of workers flocked to these industrial centers, hoping to find work and better income. This situation brought Pope Leo XIII Original name Vincenzo Gioacchino Pecci, (born March 2, 1810, Carpineto Romano, Papal States—died July 20, 1903, Rome), head of the Roman Catholic Church (1878–1903) who brought a new spirit to the papacy, manifested in more conciliatory positions toward civil governments, by care taken that the church not be opposed to scientific progress and by an awareness of the pastoral and social needs of the times. He is called the first modern pope by many historians, because he was the first Roman Pontiff who dared tackle the real problems that afflicted the world of his times. These problems were mainly social in nature. These problems were seen by the church as new to her or as New Phenomena (res novae). The Industrial Revolution of the 19th century demanded urbanization and an expanded work force. Cities grew around industrial sites. Myriads of workers flocked to these industrial centers, hoping to find work and better income. This situation brought about problems in living and working conditions. Inadequate housing, unwholesome lifestyle, and unfair labor practices became commonplace. The pope saw the issue as mainly a labor question and its cause as basically structural injustice. The central them of the first social encyclical letter on the Condition of the Working Classes Rerum Novarum (On New Things) in May 15, 1891 was the just ordering of society, starting with an examination of the conflict between capital and labor. The pay that workers were receiving failed to give them a decent standard of living. This called for a restructuring of human society. The essential question was how wages should be determined. Wages cannot be decided arbitrarily by those who provide capital, or simply by following the economic law of supply and demand. Labor is more important than capital. Capital is material possession that enhances human nature. Labor is, first and foremost, “truly personal, because work energy inheres in the person and belongs completely to him by whom it is expended and for whose use it is destined by nature.” (RN 62) Moreover, labor is also “necessary, because man has need of the fruit of his labors to preserve his life.” (RN 62) In other words, capital does not bear the imprint of the human person, while labor possesses such an imprint. Therefore, labor must be properly compensated because it shows who a person is. “The wage shall not be less than enough to support a worker who is thrifty and upright.” (RN 63) POPE PIUS XI Original name Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, (born May 31, 1857, Desio, Lombardy, Austrian Empire [now in Italy]—died February 10, 1939, Rome, Italy), Italian pope from 1922 to 1939, one of the most important modern pontiffs. His papal motto, “Pax Christi in regno Christi” (“The peace of Christ in the kingdom of Christ”), illustrated his work to construct a new Christendom based on world peace. He is the next issue a major social document, the encyclical letter on Social Reconstruction QUADRAGESIMO ANNO (The Fortieth Anniversary of Rerum Novarum), May 15, 1931. He shared the same passion as Leo XIII for the plight of the poor worker. For Pius XI the social issues confronting the Church of his time were: Wealth had come to be concentrated in the hands of a relatively small number of people. (See QA 105) 1. This concentration of wealth had led to a concentration of economic power and even of political power. (See QA 105-108) 2. While the condition of workers in the West had improved since the time of Leo XIII, there was a vast  increase in the number of very poor industrial workers in other parts of the world. (See QA 59) 3. There was widespread unemployment. In conclusion, for Pope Pius XI, the prevalent socialist and capitalist systems do not conform to the demands of social justice. In order to address the overwhelming problems of widespread poverty and unemployment due to the concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a few, the professional guilds of all, that organized people according to their work skills and occupations, must be revived. Hopefully this revival, based on the principle of subsidiarity, will bring about greater employment and spreading of wealth to as many as possible