Over view

 an encyclical written by Pope John Paul II on

the hundredth anniversary of Rerum
Novarum.
 It is part of a larger body of writings known as
“Catholic Social Teaching”
 The encyclical notes the fall of “Real
Socialism” but cautions against thinking that
this fall signifies a victory for capitalism.
Histor y

 Centesimus Annus was promulgated in

May 1991, after the collapse of socialism
in most of Eastern Europe
Intr oduction
 Rerum Novarum is of “great importance” for the
Church; the “vital energies” it unleashed
continue to increase (#1).
 Rerum Novarum can be used to help look back
at fundamental principles, “look around” at new
events, and look to the future (#3).
 An analysis of history and current events is
essential to the Church’s mission of
evangelization (#3)
 Characteristics of Rerum
Novarum
 attempted to respond to the conflict between
capital and labor

 pope Leo XIII struggles with what he views as

significant failures of the market economy
-not technical failings, but moral failings

 To teach and spread her social doctrine is an

essential part of the Church’s evangelizing mission
 Characteristics of Rerum
Novarum
 strongly affirms the dignity of work and the rights
to private property, private associations, a just
wage, and to discharge freely religious duties

 Rerum Novarum’s criticism of socialism and

liberalism is still relevant today

 Rerum Novarum’s emphasis on the rights of the

poor and the defenseless gives testimony to the
continuity of the option for the poor

 The guiding light of Rerum Novarum is its view of

human dignity
T he Foundation

 The Foundation of religion and worship

“Centesimus Annus – Pro Pontifice” is
based in the State of Vatican City and
governed by the Church’s Canon Law
and the Civil Law of the State of
Vatican City, as well as by its By-Laws.
T he Foundation

A characteristic peculiar to the

Foundation is the spiritual animation of
founding and adhering members provided
by ecclesiastical counselors.

 It focuses in particular on the goals and

takes place at periodic or ad hoc
meetings and special events.
T he Foundation

 Article 3 of the By-Laws, having stated

that the Foundation’s specific purpose is
to collaborate towards the diffusion of
human, ethical, social and Christian
values, indicates three goals:
Goals
 promoting informed knowledge of the
social teachings of the Church

 promoting initiatives aimed at

expanding the Church’s effective role
in all sectors of contemporary society

 promoting fund raising activities

 A Dynamic and Prophetic Tradition
 Dynamic because it always addresses the “signs of
the times”
♦ revisits new manifestations of old problems
♦ explores new problems

 Prophetic because it uses the two-pronged approach

of the biblical prophets
• denounces a disordered situation
• announces a more enlightened approach
 Rooted in Faith, but not Dogma
 analyses reflect the particular vision of
catholic faith
 understood as integral to faith
 they are an ethical framework, no dogma
• guidelines for reflection
• criteria for judgment
• directions for action
Catholic Social Teaching
draws together and synthesizes all that has come
before

points out that of the social systems currently

available, democracy and free market economies
have the best potential for promoting human
development

introduces an “empirical sensitivity” to CST’s

understanding of economic development
Catholic Social Teaching
insists on a vibrant, publicly assertive
moral-cultural order and recognizes the
interaction between economics, culture,
and politics, with culture as, by far, the
more important

includes family and life issues on the list of

‘social’ concerns
Catholic Social Teaching
MARKET ECONOMIES
- an “important source of wealth and should be
viewed carefully and favorably”
- recognizes the free market for:

♣ Better resource utilization

♣ Promotion of commerce, and
♣ Giving central place to individual desires
and preferences in a contractual context.
Catholic Social Teaching
STATE AND CULTURE
- begins by endorsing the rule of law which it defines
as three powers:

♦ legislative
♦ executive
♦ judicial

- each power balanced by other powers and by

spheres of responsibility which keep them within
proper bounds
Catholic Social Teaching
DEVELOPED WORLD “ISSUES”
- three dangers or major risks and
problems:
♠ Consumerism
♠ “Ecological Question”
♠ Alienation
CONSUMERISM

A style of life directed towards having

rather than being.
It is a “web of false and superficial
gratifications.”
THE “ECOLOGICAL QUESTION”

Divided into two parts:

1. The physical or natural environment
- ecology thus becomes part of CST

2. The more serious destruction of the

human environment, something
which is by no means receiving the
attention it deserves.
ALIENATION
loss of the “authentic meaning of life” occurring in
developed countries because of:
☻ Consumerism
☻ Work settings which isolate a person in a
maze of relationships marked by
destructiveness, competitiveness and
estrangement
☻ Manipulation by the means of mass
communication which impose fashions and
trends of opinion through carefully
orchestrated repetition
 Centesimus Annus and
Economic Life
 the dignity of work

 the priority of labor over capital

 just wages and working conditions

 the right to meaningful employment

 the right to join a union

 The Dignity of Work
 issue: human labor is viewed only on the basis
of its economic purpose
♦ workers are factors of production
♦ no different than capital and natural
resources

 response: work is a fundamental part of

human existence
♦ objective vs. subjective dimensions
♦ worker is primary, work is secondary
 Priority of Labor over capital
 issue: decisions based solely on profits
♦ “capital” is co-equal factors of production
♦ private ownership justifies maximum profit

 response: labor has priority over capital

♦ capital is a means of production, not an end
♦ based on a misguided materialist philosophy
♦ right to private property is neither absolute nor
untouchable (St. Thomas Aquinas)
♦ profits are a “social dividend”
 Just Wages and Working
Conditions
 issue: many persons work under
unacceptable employment conditions

 response: true measure of an economic

system is how work is rewarded
• “voluntary” transactions need not be
fair or just
• workers must be paid a “just wage”
• workers have “rights” to certain
benefits
Right to Meaningful Employment
 issue: unemployment and underemployment
arise naturally in economies
• some is voluntary, but some is not

 response: unemployment is the opposite of a

right and just situation
• work is a duty
• the duty implies a right to as job
• firms should operate as a community of
persons
 The Right to join a Union
 issue: individuals often lack the power to assure
proper working conditions

 response: to secure well-ordered conditions,

workers have a right to unionize
♦ rooted in social nature and solidarity
♦ unions must work for the common
good, not against those who own capital
♦ strikes are legitimate, with some
exceptions
 CONCLUSION

We must not forget that CST is first and

foremost Christian teaching. As the Holy Father
emphasizes in CA, “it proclaims God and his
mystery of salvation in Christ to every human
being, and for that very reason reveals man to
himself. In this light, and only in this light does it
concern itself with everything else” Issues of
human rights, workers’ right, property rights, the
role of the state, economy and culture, and
respect for life.
 GROUP 8
 Timbang, Paolo Jerardo
 Tumbokon, Jennifer
 Villagracia, Chasekalyn
 Zapanta, Jerrielle Maea

-yebah =)