One year earlier in 1891, Pope Leo XIII had issued the encyclical letter Rerum novarum (often translated as “revolutionary change”), which ushered in what has become known as modern Catholic social teaching. Popes had spoken of world events before, but Leo’s systematic response to social problems was different. He was especially concerned with the relationship between capital and labor, arguing that conflict between those who worked for wages and those who paid them must be allayed if the world was to achieve peace and prosperity for all. Unfortunately, the pope observed, separation between the two groups was growing. Marxist socialists exploited the alienation of the working classes for the sake of revolutionary political ends, while capitalists took advantage of financial power to increase their own advantages at the expense of their employees. Leo said that Christianity offered a better way forward. Leo’s foray into economic affairs paradoxically stressed spiritual realities. He warned “those whom fortune favors” that “riches do not bring freedom from sorrow and are of no avail for eternal happiness, but rather are obstacles . . . and that a most strict account must be given to the Supreme Judge for all we possess.” At the same time, he assured “those who possess not the gifts of fortune” that “in God’s sight poverty is no disgrace, and that there is nothing to be ashamed of in earning their bread by labor.” Focusing on the teaching and example of Jesus, Leo believed, would temper the pride of the wealthy and hearten the spirits of the poor, making possible a resolution of the conflict that was shaking the social life of the Western world.
Avoiding shipwrecks CatHoliC papal enCyCliCals reCommended a middle way on eConomiC issues Kevin Schmiesing In July of 1892, striking steelworkers in Homestead, Pennsylvania, fought a daylong battle with private security guards hired by the Carnegie Steel Company. By the time the state militia was called in to quell the violence, 16 people had died and Americans had wakened to the fact that the conflict between labor and capital was a serious matter. The controversy at the Homestead plant was resolved in favor of the steel company, but the country was looking for broader solutions. Some found wisdom in an unlikely place: the words of the supreme pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.
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A spirituAl And mAteriAl vision This spiritual vision, the pope was careful to explain, did not exclude material responsibilities; he wrote that the church’s emphasis on virtue was, in fact, one answer to the problem of poverty, encouraging generosity in the rich and frugality in the poor. But the church also acted directly to alleviate economic suffering. Leo highlighted the role of religious orders and other Catholic institutions in serving those in need. The pope’s comments on politically charged questions made the biggest splash, though. Against socialist agitators, he argued for the sanctity of the family and of private property. Against advocates
Christian History
Surrender of StrikerS during the homeStead Strike, Harper’s Weekly, v. 36 , no. 1856 —drawn by w.P. Snyder ( 1892 ) after a PhotograPh by dabbS, PittSburg. / [Public domain] wikimedia
problems with civilizAtion Harper’s Weekly reports on the Homestead conflict.
