2. Essential Question
Why would
a Church
that is responsible for
the “souls” of millions
enter
the world of
economic uncertainty and political strife?
3. Roots of C.S.T. from Tradition
Review: Three Sources of C.S.T. are . . . ?
Old and New Testaments
History / Tradition of the Church
Life and Social Sciences
4. Roots of C.S.T. from Tradition
Review Old Testament Roots of C.S.T.
Laws –for benefit of the poor with special emphasis on
widows, orphans, and aliens
Prophets – challenged corruption of political and
religious leadership and challenged the overall
community to a higher moral standard.
Review New Testament Roots of C.S.T.
Gospels – examples and teachings of Jesus
Acts of the Apostles– the early Christian Community’s
“communism”
Letters – Paul, Peter, James, John, Jude
5. Roots of C.S.T. from Tradition
From c. 100 – 1891 A.D.
There was no body of Catholic teaching that
would be labeled Social Justice.
“Care for the poor” and “Do unto others” was
about as far as it went.
During these centuries religious communities
took responsibility for
Building hospitals and caring for the sick
Founding schools and educating the people
Helping immigrants find their way in a new home
Feeding the hungry
Caring for those displaced by war, famine, etc.
6. Roots of C.S.T. from Tradition
Prior to the 20th Century
It was not common for governments to create
and fund programs that were designed to help
the poor.
At times, good monarchs may have worked to
keep their poor subjects happy, but probably
more out of a fear of rebellion than a sense
justice.
The role of working for charity and justice was
filled by individuals and religious communities
and organizations (Catholic & Non-Catholic).
7. Roots of C.S.T. from Tradition
Two Events of the Late Nineteenth Century
forced the Church to Deal with Social Justice in
a way it never had to in the past:
1. The Industrial Revolution
2. The Rise of Marxist-Communism
8. Roots of C.S.T. from Tradition
The Industrial Revolution
Prior to Industrial Revolution, the world was
mostly an agrarian / rural based economy.
Industrial Revolution created a manufacturing /
urban based economy, with new problems:
Tension existed between capital (managers or
owners) and labor (the workers) over better
wages and safer working conditions.
Capital: willing to exploit the worker for
profit;
Labor: willingness to commit acts of
violence for better wages & working
conditions.
9. Roots of C.S.T. from Tradition
The Rise of Marxist Communism
Given the exploitation of industrial
workers, Marxist Communism became an
attractive philosophy to workers:
“Workers of the World Unite!” – Workers
wanted to join unions, which had communist
sympathies.
M.C. saw religion as “opium for the people” –
they questioned the notion of enduring
suffering with the hope that heaven’s reward
will be great.
10. Roots of C.S.T. from Tradition
The Catholic Church now had ideological
competition which it hadn’t had in the past.
These events came to a head in 1891, when
Pope Leo XIII wrote an encyclical (a letter)
addressing “these new things”.
Rerum Novarum
“Of These New Things”
“On the Condition of Labor”
11. Rerum Novarum (Translation: Of New Things)
Rerum Novarum (Translation: Of New Things)
encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII on May 15, 1891
an open letter that addressed the condition of the working
classes
encyclical is [commonly] entitled, "On the Condition of
Labor".
It discusses the relationships and mutual duties between labor and
capital, as well as government and its citizens.
Of primary concern was the need for some [relief] for "the misery
and wretchedness pressing so unjustly on the majority of the
working class.”
It supports the rights of labor to form unions, rejected communism and
unrestricted capitalism, while affirming the right to private property.
(Read : Message, Impact & Class vs. Class)
12. Roots of C.S.T. from Tradition
Rerum Novarum was the first social justice
encyclical defining the Church’s position on
a social issue: the relationship between
capital and labor.
Statements to:
Workers
Employers
Governments
13. Roots of C.S.T. from Tradition
Rerum Novarum to Workers:
you have the right to join unions and strike, but
you may not commit acts of violence against
your employers.
(Read: On Rights and Responsibilities of Workers)
14. Roots of C.S.T. from Tradition
Rerum Novarum to Employers:
you are serving society by providing jobs and
necessary goods, but you need to pay your
workers a just wage.
(Read: On Rights and Responsibilities of Employers)
15. Roots of C.S.T. from Tradition
Rerum Novarum to Governments:
you need to pass laws and build institutions
that protect workers and promote the
common good.
(Read: On the Rights and Responsibilities of Government)
16. Roots of C.S.T. from Tradition
Many of the positions in Rerum Novarum were supplemented by later encyclicals, in
particular Pius XI’s Quadragesimo Anno / On the Fortieth Anniversary of “Rerum
Novarum” (1931); John XXIII’s Mater et Magistra / Mother and Church (1961); and
John Paul II’s Centesimus Annus / On the One Hundredth Anniversary of “Rerum
Novarum (1991).
Vatican Council II
Benedict XVI
John Paul II
Leo XIII John XXIII
17. Roots of C.S.T. from Tradition
Other C.S.T. documents written in the 20 th
Century were also written in response to what
the Church perceives as injustice:
Work
Economics
War
Environment
Life issues
18. Roots of C.S.T. from Tradition
The “nine + two” themes of C.S.T. are themes
that are taken from these documents and
organized.
There’s no official list
Some sources group them as 7 themes
Other sources as 12 themes
19. Essential Question
Why would
a Church
that is responsible for
the “souls” of millions
enter
the world of
economic uncertainty and political strife?