The Industrial Revolution, in modern history, is the process of change from an agrarian and handicraft economy to an economy

Rerum Novarum, by Pope Leo XIII

The Industrial Revolution, in modern history, is the process of change from an agrarian and handicraft economy to an economy dominated by industry and machine manufacturing. With the rise of industrialization came the transition from 'Feudalism' to 'Capitalism' and development of the latter. Rerum Novarum is an encyclical written in 1891 by Pope Leo XIII to condemn the abuses of both Marxist Socialism and unbridled capitalism. Pope Leo XIII saw tremendous dangers for the dignity of people concerning these two things. In Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo XIII uses the rejection of Socialism as a solution to the poverty of workers. Pope Leo XIII then proposes a three-fold solution to the social problem of the workers by outlining the role of: the Church, the state, and the employers, workers and unions.

According to Pope Leo XIII humans find their meaning and value through God, because they are made in the image of God. Being made in the image of God they have the mark of goodness that gives them dignity. Pope Leo XIII proposes that it will be through recognizing the dignity of each human being, the employer recognizing the dignity of the employee and the employee recognizing the dignity of the employer that the social issues from the industrial revolution can be resolved. Pope Leo XIII talks about the duties of the laborer for example to do a good day's work for a good day's pay and to not do violence to the employer. “The following duties bind the wealthy owner and the employer: not to look upon their work people as their bondsmen, but to respect in every man his dignity as a person ennobled by Christian character. They are reminded that, according to natural reason and Christian philosophy, working for gain is creditable, not shameful, to a man, since it enables him to earn an honorable livelihood; but to misuse men as though they were things in the pursuit of gain, or to value them solely for their physical powers – that is truly shameful and inhuman” (RN no. 20). He talks particularly about the duties of the employer to the employee. It is the duty of the employer to not misuse men as though they were objects in the pursuit of gain. Human beings are not machines, they have dignity and were made in the image and likeness of God, therefore they should be treated with dignity. Pope Leo XIII saw this dignity coming to be recognized through labor unions and other associations. He had the hope that other than unions, associations would help widows or children of those who died from working at a business. Besides this they would also provide a way for employees and employers to work together and get to know each other. They would build a sort of friendship where they develop a deeper love and respect for one another. Unions would allow working men to stand up for themselves with authority by standing together and advocating for their rights. With this authority employees could work together to achieve their ends, achieve a living wage. Pope Leo XIII defines a living wage as a worker is paid enough to support themselves and their family. A wage on which they can raise a family and have enough disposable income for cultural and spiritual well-being. He did not believe that states had the right to forbid people from forming associations. According to Pope Leo XIII forming associations is a right of human beings. However, Pope Leo XIII argues that there are times when the state should step in to fight injustices.

Governments and business organizations saw an increasing problem with the conditions of workers in the newly industrialized nations of Europe and were unsure how to proceed. Should the government step in or were businesses left to do as they saw fit? The Pope came up with the middle ground. Based on the principle of subsidiarity, the government only steps in when needed and intermediate organizations (labor unions and associations) should be the primary watchdog for workers rights. Pope Leo XIII believed that the state should look for injustices, where people are being treated unfairly or are working in unsafe conditions. He was not a fan of unchecked capitalism if people were being injured. If there is not adequate virtue among employers to ensure that employees are given a working wage, safe conditions, and giving decent working hours then the state should step in to regulate. It also declares that it is the rightful place of the state to regulate the markets so as to protect the working class from spiritual and material exploitation. The encyclical also states that it is more important not to violate this right than to allow profits to fall due to economics–that the employer has a duty to his workers to ensure that they are well-off before he can start increasing his own profit margins.

Furthermore, the encyclical condemns the Marxist idea of inevitable class struggle as the engine of history, insists on private property as a natural right, and states that loyalty to family must come before loyalty to state or class. Pope Leo XIII declares that humans have the right to own private property, by saying that by taking away private property the worker is deprived of the chief purpose of his labor which is to provide for himself and his family. Pope Leo XIII also notes that if someone saves up from their earnings they may be able to buy a piece of land that is going to enable them to grow food and give some security towards their future. The person and the family are considered by Pope Leo XIII to exist prior to the state. In other words the state exists for the benefit of the person and their family. Therefore, the state does not have the authority to take away private property. Pope Leo XIII supports this idea by explaining how private property comes to be. The way private property came about is by human beings taking what they have, their body, energy, their knowledge, their reason and investing all of that into the earth. For example, a farmer plowing the field and growing food. By investing their labor into something they have a natural right to it. The person’s creativity and effort are now a part of what he has worked on, “the impress of his personality” (RN no. 9). Pope Leo XIII notes that without private property people would not work hard, no one would have any interest in exerting his talents or his industry” (RN no. 15).” Humans will work harder on something that belongs to them, if you take that away their labor no longer advances their own interest in something and they lose their purpose to work hard and leads to a cultural laziness.

After discussing the importance of private property to family life, Pope Leo XIII reveals the role the Church should take in the matter of social justice. The Church promotes social harmony, can provide a moral leavening in society, and expresses a concern for the poor. “It is We who are the chief guardian of religion and the chief dispenser of what pertains to the Church; and by keeping silence we would seem to neglect the duty incumbent on us”(RN no. 16), the Church has a duty to intervene in social matters. The Church organizes to meet the needs of

human beings through many organizations thus has the duty to mediate any issue or concerns on their behalf.

According to Pope Leo XIII the Church’s teachings keeps the rich and the working classes from declining into a relationship of strictly exchanging of labor and pay. “Justice demands that, in dealing with the working man, religion and the good of his soul must be kept in mind. Hence the employer is bound to see that the worker has time for his religious duties; that he not be exposed to corrupting influences and dangerous occasions; and that he be led not away to neglect his home and family, or to squander his earnings. Furthermore, the employer must never tax his work people beyond their strength or employ them in work unsuited to their sex and age,”(RN no. 20) the employer has a responsibility to the spiritual well being of his employee. The teachings of the Church reminds employers that they have more of an obligation to their employees than just providing a paycheck. Pope Leo XIII reminds readers that their place on Earth is not forever and there is a greater purpose to look forward to; “the things of earth cannot be understood or valued aright without taking into consideration the life to come, the life that will know no death” (RN no. 21). The encyclical is implying that it is the duty of the Church to remind humans that eternal happiness is not connected to material possessions of the Earth. In other words, wealth does not grant you eternal happiness. Pope Leo XIII uses this teaching as an opportunity to remind readers that they must follow the law of Christ and practice virtue in order to receive eternal life.

Rerum Novarum helped solidify the concept of “Catholic Social Teaching.” This concept involves recognizing the Church’s primary role as striving to provide for the spiritual salvation of all humankind, while still recognizing that humans live in the material world, and are subject to the afflictions offered by the material world. Today the United States has one of the widest wage and wealth gaps in the world. This has been highlighted even more so by the present COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused governments to step in and impose policies that limit social contact outside the home. These policies resulted in a large amount of the workforce either working remotely from home or not working. However, many essential jobs and services, such as healthcare and retail, left many workers not subject to these policies. These essential workers were now not only subjected to the risk of contracting COVID-19 because of their job but the risk of infecting their families as well. Essential workers were faced with a great dilemma: do they quit their jobs for their safety and hope they have savings to hold them over or continue to work in unsafe environments? Many essential workers chose to keep working out of necessity, because the majority are low wage workers facing poverty. Essential workers are now advocating for pandemic hazard pay. Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical would advocate for this as well, ensuring that essential workers can do their jobs safely and receive adequate pay. Caring for the poor and promoting the rights of the workers are at the heart of Pope Leo XIII’s teaching in Rerum Novarum.