Saints LightWhat Is Catholic Social Teaching, and Where Did It Come From?
Catholic social teaching is the Church's guidance, begun in its modern form with Rerum Novarum in 1891, for building a society that respects every person; it offers principles, not party politics.
What this lesson teaches
- Catholic social teaching applies the Gospel to life in society: work, wealth, government and peace.
- The modern tradition began with Leo XIII's Rerum Novarum in 1891.
- It gives principles and criteria for judgment, not a party platform.
- It challenges every political camp and fits none of them neatly.
Catechism paragraphs this lesson cites
- CCC 2419-2423
- CCC 2425
CCC means the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Saints Light teaches it in its own words and never quotes it. Look up any paragraph in a printed copy or at vatican.va. See every lesson by paragraph in the Catechism index.
Scripture read in this lesson: Micah 6:8 (Micheas 6:8 in Douay-Rheims); Matthew 22:39.
A sample question from this lesson
What prompted Rerum Novarum in 1891?
- A war between Catholic nations in Europe
- The harsh conditions of workers during the industrial revolution
- A dispute over the election of a new pope
- The discovery of the New World
Show the answer
The harsh conditions of workers during the industrial revolution. Leo XIII wrote about the condition of workers in the new industrial society, with its long hours and unjust wages.
The lesson in the app has three questions, each with an explanation.
Words to know
- Encyclical
- A formal teaching letter from the pope to the Church and often to all people of good will.
- Rerum Novarum
- Leo XIII's 1891 encyclical on the condition of workers, the start of modern Catholic social teaching.
More terms in the Catholic glossary. More passages in the Scripture index.
Read the full lesson in the app
"What Is Catholic Social Teaching, and Where Did It Come From?" is lesson 1 of Catholic Social Teaching. In Saints Light you get the whole teaching, the Scripture quoted in full, all three questions and a step to live it this week.
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Related lessons
- Revolutions, Vatican I and the Modern Popes (Church History)