By Phil Duffy

Upon his elevation, the new pope announced that he had assumed the name of Leo XIV. For those familiar with Leo XIII, this was a signal that the principles of Leo XIII as expressed in his encyclical, Rerum Novarum, would play a major role in the new pontificate. Rerum Novarum is considered to be the Catholic Church’s foundation for social teaching.

Our first inclination might be to determine if Rerum Novarum’s orientation was politically left or right. That is a mistake. Rerum Novarum must be judged on its own merits, the history of the time, and the opportunities it presents today. All encyclicals are outside of the scope of papal infallibility. It is reasonable to view encyclicals as a mixture of good ideas and outright error. One hundred thirty-four years have elapsed since Rerum Novarum was published in May of 1891, providing ample time for retrospection.

Popes subsequent to Leo XIII have attempted to expand on Rerum Novarum. The fortieth anniversary of the encyclical was recognized in the encyclical, Quadragesimo Anno, by Pius XI in 1931 during Mussolini’s rule. As revealed in the following Quadragesimo Anno statement, the drift leftward was already apparent in Quadragesimo Anno on the issue of private property:

…when the State brings private ownership into harmony with the needs of the common good, it does not........

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