Rerum Novarum, on the Condition of the Working Classes Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII on Capital and Labor by Pope Leo XIII

"What's old is new. 'Pope Leo XIII addressed the social question in the content of the first industrial revolution. Today, the Church offers her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and artificial intelligence.'--Pope Leo XIV, First Address to the College of Cardinals, 2025. In 1891, as strikes paralyzed nations and socialist revolution loomed, Pope Leo XIII issued Rerum Novarum--a groundbreaking document that reshaped Catholic social thought. Confronting industrial capitalism's brutality while rejecting Marxism, Leo XIII charted a third way. 'When a man engages in remunerative labor, the impelling reason and motive of his work is to obtain property, and thereafter to hold it as his very own.' Leo XIII defended private property while demanding just wages, reasonable hours, and workers' dignity. He affirmed unions but rejected revolutionary violence. His vision inspired global labor reforms and founded modern Catholic social teaching. Published as Pope Leo XIV invokes this legacy to address AI and digital disruption, this edition features historical context, paragraph summaries, and illuminating footnotes for today's reader. Essential reading for understanding Catholic responses to economic injustice--then and now."--from the back cover.