WHAT IS THE FOUNDATION OF CST?

“Rerum Novarum” was issued on May 15, 1891, and became the foundational document of modern Catholic Social Teaching. It essentially addresses the social and economic challenges of the Industrial Revolution, particularly the relationship between capital (employers) and labor (employees).

Its core teaching emphasizes the dignity of human work, the mutual rights and duties of employers and employees, and the need for JUSTICE * primarily through the lens of rights and duties in society to protect workers from exploitation while rejecting socialism and unbridled capitalism.

 The Pope admits that “The discussion is not easy, nor is it void of danger. It is no easy matter to define the relative rights and mutual duties of the rich and of the poor, of capital and of labor. And the danger lies in this, that crafty agitators are intent on making use of these differences of opinion to pervert men’s judgments and to stir up the people to revolt.” (Rerum Novarum §2)

Its key elements are:

Right to private property: The central tenet of the encyclical is that private ownership is inherently just and derived from human nature and labor: “every man has by nature the right to possess property as his own,” and “it cannot but be just that he should possess that portion as his very own, and have a right to hold it without any one being justified in violating that right.“

JUSTICE involves enabling more people, including workers, to acquire property through fair means, rather than forced redistribution. Socialism is condemned as “emphatically unjust” because it abolishes private property, robbing individuals of their earnings and incentives.

Just Wages and Working Conditions: JUSTICE requires fair compensation and humane treatment: “wages ought not to be insufficient to support a frugal and well-behaved wage-earner,” and “it is neither just nor human so to grind men down with excessive labor as to stupefy their minds and wear out their bodies.”

Exploitation, such as defrauding wages or profiting from others’ needs, is a “great crime” that violates divine and human laws.

Workers have a right to rest and protection from hazardous conditions, particularly for women and children.

Role of the State in Distributive Justice: The state must promote “strict justice—with that justice which is called distributive—toward each and every class alike.”

It should protect natural rights, intervene to safeguard the vulnerable, and prevent injury, but without overstepping into family or individual liberties.

The encyclical notes the “misery and wretchedness pressing so unjustly on the majority of the working class,” calling for remedies that respect rights while addressing inequalities.

Harmony Between Classes: Society is likened to the human body, where classes must coexist in “harmony and agreement” for JUSTICE to prevail.

While JUSTICE ensures rights like fair pay, the encyclical distinguishes it from charity: aiding the poor beyond basic duties is an act of Christian love, not JUSTICE.

Role of Religion: Christianity plays a vital role in fostering moral virtue, associations, and brotherly love to bridge divides.

Rejection of extremes: The encyclical criticizes socialism for violating natural rights and causing disorder and condemns unchecked capitalism for leading to worker misery through greed and competition.

Overall, it calls for a just society where economic relations uphold human dignity, protect private property, ensure fair labor practices, and integrate moral and religious values. It calls for active participation in society to build a just order, emphasizing ethical norms over purely economic or political ideologies.