by Honor Hania

Our new Pope Leo IVX has chosen an auspicious name. The last Leo – the XIII – is known for promulgating the first great social encyclical of the modern age – Rerum Novarum, published in 1891 – dealing with the effects of industrialisation, workers’ rights and social justice.   It critiques both socialism and capitalism, prioritises the needs of the poor, and reaffirms the Catholic Church’s determination to ensure the dignity of every human person. Leo XIV made reference to this connection when he spoke to the College of Cardinals on 10 May, explaining why he had chosen the name:

‘Sensing myself called to continue in this same path, I chose to take the name Leo XIV. There are different reasons for this, but mainly because Pope Leo XIII in his historic Encyclical Rerum Novarum addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution. In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and labour’.

Rerum Novarum is considered the beginning of Catholic Social Teaching as we know it today. It deals with the church’s response to the problems facing the society in which we live. Rooted in Scripture, it provides assistance and guidance on how to tackle the problems – social, political, economic – we face in our everyday lives.

But Rerum Novarum – ground breaking though it was – had its antecedents and inspiration in writings of many social thinkers who came before. One of these thinkers was Frederic Ozanam.

Honor Hania is completing a PhD on the Saint Vincent de Paul Society in Glasgow.

Photo by LSE Library on Unsplash