To remedy these wrongs the socialists, working on the poor man's envy of the rich, are striving to do away with private property, and contend that individual possessions should become the common property of all, to be administered by the State or by municipal bodies. Dato a Roma presso san Pietro, il giorno 15 maggio 1891, anno decimo del nostro pontificato. And on this very account - that man alone among the animal creation is endowed with reason - it must be within his right to possess things not merely for temporary and momentary use, as other living things do, but to have and to hold them in stable and permanent possession; he must have not only things that perish in the use, but those also which, though they have been reduced into use, continue for further use in after time. "The child belongs to the father," and is, as it were, the continuation of the father's personality; and speaking strictly, the child takes its place in civil society, not of its own right, but in its quality as member of the family in which it is born. La società, perché la tutela di questa fu da natura commessa al sommo potere, tanto che la salute pubblica non è solo legge suprema, ma unica e totale ragione della pubblica autorità; le parti, poi, perché filosofia e Vangelo si accordano a insegnare che il governo è istituito da natura non a beneficio dei governanti, bensì dei governati. Lastly, the rich must religiously refrain from cutting down the workmen’s earnings, whether by force, by fraud, or by usurious dealing; and with all the greater reason because the laboring man is, as a rule, weak and unprotected, and because his slender means should in proportion to their scantiness be accounted sacred. Si favorisca dunque al massimo ciò che può in qualche modo migliorare la condizione di lui, sicuri che questa provvidenza, anziché nuocere a qualcuno, gioverà a tutti, essendo interesse universale che non rimangano nella miseria coloro da cui provengono vantaggi di tanto rilievo. Ed è questa un'altra prova che la proprietà privata è conforme alla natura. "(16) To sum up, then, what has been said: Whoever has received from the divine bounty a large share of temporal blessings, whether they be external and material, or gifts of the mind, has received them for the purpose of using them for the perfecting of his own nature, and, at the same time, that he may employ them, as the steward of God's providence, for the benefit of others. The foundational text of Catholic social teaching and political economy that makes absolutely everyone uncomfortable. Wages, as we are told, are regulated by free consent, and therefore the employer, when he pays what was agreed upon, has done his part and seemingly is not called upon to do anything beyond. Ella vuole e procura che soprattutto i proletari emergano dal loro infelice stato, e migliorino la condizione di vita. Consequently, it has rights and duties peculiar to itself which are quite independent of the State. Quando gli uomini sanno di lavorare in proprio, faticano con più alacrità e ardore, anzi si affezionano al campo coltivato di propria mano, da cui attendono, per sé e per la famiglia, non solo gli alimenti ma una certa agiatezza. Every one should put his hand to the work which falls to his share, and that at once and straightway, lest the evil which is already so great become through delay absolutely beyond remedy. Giacché il campo dissodato dalla mano e dall'arte del coltivato non è più quello di prima, da silvestre è divenuto fruttifero, da sterile ferace. Apologia secunda, 39, (Apologeticus, cap. Non è giusto, come abbiamo detto, che il cittadino e la famiglia siano assorbiti dallo Stato: è giusto invece che si lasci all'uno e all'altra tanta indipendenza di operare quanta se ne può, salvo il bene comune e gli altrui diritti. Non mancano finalmente i cattolici benestanti che, fatta causa comune coi lavoratori, non risparmiano spese per fondare e largamente diffondere associazioni che aiutino l'operaio non solo a provvedere col suo lavoro ai bisogni presenti, ma ad assicurarsi ancora per l'avvenire un riposo onorato e tranquillo. A rimedio di questi disordini, i socialisti, attizzando nei poveri l'odio ai ricchi, pretendono si debba abolire la proprietà, e far di tutti i particolari patrimoni un patrimonio comune, da amministrarsi per mezzo del municipio e dello stato. Zigliara's fame as a scholar at the forefront of the Thomist revival at the time of his rectorship of the College of St. Thomas after 1873 was widespread in Rome and elsewhere. The elements of theconflict now raging are unmistakable, in the vast expansion of industrialpursuits and the marvellous discoveries of science; in the changed relationsbetween masters and workmen; in the enormous fortunes of some few individuals,and the utter poverty of the masses; the increased self reliance and closermutual combination of the working classes; as also, finally, in the prevailingmoral degeneracy. hom 9, n. 7). 20. To such as these Catholic associations are of incalculable service, by helping them out of their difficulties, inviting them to companionship and receiving the returning wanderers to a haven where they may securely find repose. L'operaio venga animato al culto di Dio e all'amore della pietà, e specialmente all'osservanza dei giorni festivi. Tocchiamo ora un punto di grande importanza, e che va inteso bene per non cadere in uno dei due estremi opposti. Wilhelm Emmanuel von Ketteler and Cardinal Henry Edward Manning were also influential in its composition. That the spirit ofrevolutionary change, which has long been disturbing the nations of the world,should have passed beyond the sphere of politics and made its influence felt inthe cognate sphere of practical economics is not surprising. In presence of such mode of life and such example, prejudice gave way, the tongue of malevolence was silenced, and the lying legends of ancient superstition little by little yielded to Christian truth. Noi parliamo dello Stato non come è sostituito o come funziona in questa o in quella nazione, ma dello Stato nel suo vero concetto, quale si desume dai principi della retta ragione, in perfetta armonia con le dottrine cattoliche, come noi medesimi esponemmo nella enciclica sulla Costituzione cristiana degli Stati (enc. Il secondo fu uno degli estensori del documento insieme al domenicano cardinale Zigliara. "(13) But, when what necessity demands has been supplied, and one's standing fairly taken thought for, it becomes a duty to give to the indigent out of what remains over. Ad esempio, il lavoro dei minatori che estraggono dalla terra pietra, ferro, rame e altre materie nascoste nel sottosuolo, essendo più grave e nocivo alla salute, va compensato con una durata più breve. Private ownership, as we have seen, is the natural right of man, and to exercise that right, especially as members of society, is not only lawful, but absolutely necessary. In all agreements between masters and work people there is always the condition expressed or understood that there should be allowed proper rest for soul and body. In such cases, public authority may justly forbid the formation of such associations, and may dissolve them if they already exist. Such was the ardor of brotherly love among the earliest Christians that numbers of those who were in better circumstances despoiled themselves of their possessions in order to relieve their brethren; whence "neither was there any one needy among them. L'enciclica esprime una condanna nei confronti del socialismo, della teoria della lotta di classe, della massoneria, preferendo che la questione sociale venga risolta dall'azione combinata di Chiesa, Stato, impiegati e datori di lavoro. According to historian Howard J. Wiarda, its basic policies were deeply rooted in European Catholic social thought, especially those deriving from Rerum Novarum. But the Church, not content with pointing out the remedy, also applies it. The contention, then, that the civil government should at its option intrude into and exercise intimate control over the family and the household is a great and pernicious error. The door would be thrown open to envy, to mutual invective, and to discord; the sources of wealth themselves would run dry, for no one would have any interest in exerting his talents or his industry; and that ideal equality about which they entertain pleasant dreams would be in reality the levelling down of all to a like condition of misery and degradation. E ciò torna a vantaggio sia dei privati che del civile consorzio, perché la vita sociale abbisogna di attitudini varie e di uffici diversi, e l'impulso principale, che muove gli uomini ad esercitare tali uffici, è la disparità dello stato. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. 47. Wiarda concludes, that the Catholic social movement was not only powerful in its own right but it also fitted in an harmonized nicely with an older Portuguese history and political culture which emphasized a natural law tradition, patrimonialism, centralized direction and control, and the 'natural' orders and hierarchies of society. Sentono che da cupidi padroni vengono trattati in modo molto inumano e quasi non sono valutati più di quello che producono lavorando; nella società, in cui si trovano irretiti, invece di carità e di affetto fraterno, regnano le discordie intestine, compagne indivisibili della povertà orgogliosa e incredula. 10, a. Doubtless, before deciding whether wages axe fair, many things have to be considered; but wealthy owners and all masters of labor should be mindful of this - that to exercise pressure upon the indigent and the destitute for the sake of gain, and to gather one's profit out of the need of another, is condemned by all laws, human and divine. Ora, interessa il privato come il pubblico bene che sia mantenuto l'ordine e la tranquillità pubblica; che la famiglia sia ordinata conforme alla legge di Dio e ai principi di natura; che sia rispettata e praticata la religione; che fioriscano i costumi pubblici e privati; che sia inviolabilmente osservata la giustizia; che una classe di cittadini non opprima l'altra; che crescano sani e robusti i cittadini, atti a onorare e a difendere, se occorre, la patria. Another illuminating and exceptional encyclical by Pope Leo XIII, he investigates each major economic/societal issue of the modern day with a brutal clarity that is definitely needed. Sebbene tutti i cittadini senza eccezione alcuna, debbano cooperare al benessere comune che poi, naturalmente, ridonda a beneficio dei singoli, tuttavia la cooperazione non può essere in tutti né uguale né la stessa. It is still very relevant today. Poiché conosceranno e sentiranno che tutti gli uomini hanno origine da Dio, Padre comune; che tutti tendono a Dio, fine supremo, che solo può rendere perfettamente felici gli uomini e gli angeli; che tutti sono stati ugualmente redenti da Gesù Cristo e chiamati alla dignità della figliolanza divina, in modo che non solo tra loro, ma con Cristo Signore, primogenito fra molti fratelli, sono congiunti col vincolo di una santa fraternità. Papa ( Lleó XIII). Le varie tribolazioni di cui è intessuta la vita di quaggiù, Gesù Cristo, che pur ci ha redenti con redenzione copiosa, non le ha tolte; le ha convertite in stimolo di virtù e in maniera di merito, tanto che nessun figlio di Adamo può giungere al cielo se non segue le orme sanguinose di Lui. Ora, sebbene queste private associazioni esistano dentro la Stato e ne siano come tante parti, tuttavia in generale, e assolutamente parlando, non può lo Stato proibirne la formazione. In ogni convenzione stipulata tra padroni e operai vi è sempre la condizione o espressa o sottintesa dell'uno e dell'altro riposo; un patto contrario sarebbe immorale, non essendo lecito a nessuno chiedere o permettere la violazione dei doveri che lo stringono a Dio e a sé stesso. (Mat 16,26). Hereby, then, it lies in the power of a ruler to benefit every class in the State, and amongst the rest to promote to the utmost the interests of the poor; and this in virtue of his office, and without being open to suspicion of undue interference - since it is the province of the commonwealth to serve the common good. To create our... To see what your friends thought of this book, Rerum Novarum: On The Condition Of Working Classes. 26. Così le distanze, tanto care all'orgoglio, si accorciano; né riesce difficile ottenere che le due classi, stringendosi la mano, scendano ad amichevole accordo. In order that an association may be carried on with unity of purpose and harmony of action, its administration and government should be firm and wise. Let the working man be urged and led to the worship of God, to the earnest practice of religion, and, among other things, to the keeping holy of Sundays and holy days. Quindi deviare dallo scopo primitivo è corruzione; tornare ad esso è salvezza. Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae, Ia-Ilae, q. xciii, art. Leó pápa enciklikája a munkáskérdésről (az első pápai szociális körlevél) Róma, 1891 "In the sweat of thy face thou shalt eat bread. The foundations of the organization being thus laid in religion, We next proceed to make clear the relations of the members one to another, in order that they may live together in concord and go forward prosperously and with good results. 2. Con questa trasformazione della proprietà da personale in collettiva, e con l'eguale distribuzione degli utili e degli agi tra i cittadini, credono che il male sia radicalmente riparato. ENCYCLICAL OF POPE LEO XIII. 66, a. Rulers should, nevertheless, anxiously safeguard the community and all its members; the community, because the conservation thereof is so emphatically the business of the supreme power, that the safety of the commonwealth is not only the first law, but it is a government's whole reason of existence; and the members, because both philosophy and the Gospel concur in laying down that the object of the government of the State should be, not the advantage of the ruler, but the benefit of those over whom he is placed. Pope Leo's letter could have been written yesterday since he was discussing issues like private property, the rights of workers, the obligations of the wealthy, and the importance of voluntary organizations in Europe and the United States. A family, no less than a State, is, as We have said, a true society, governed by an authority peculiar to itself, that is to say, by the authority of the father. Non possono allo stesso modo e con gli stessi uffici cooperare al bene comune gli artigiani; tuttavia vi concorrono anch'essi potentemente con i loro servizi, benché in modo indiretto. In choosing a state of life, it is indisputable that all are at full liberty to follow the counsel of Jesus Christ as to observing virginity, or to bind themselves by the marriage tie. While it does outline an almost fascist-like society(class collaboration). Eccetto il caso di estrema necessità, questi, è vero, non sono obblighi di giustizia, ma di carità cristiana il cui adempimento non si può certamente esigere per via giuridica, ma sopra le leggi e i giudizi degli uomini sta la legge e il giudizio di Cristo, il quale inculca in molti modi la pratica del dono generoso e insegna: E' più bello dare che ricevere (At 20,35), e terrà per fatta o negata a sé la carità fatta o negata ai bisognosi: Quanto faceste ad uno dei minimi di questi miei fratelli, a me lo faceste (Mat 25,40). But human respect, or the dread of starvation, makes them tremble to take the step. All such societies, being free to exist, have the further right to adopt such rules and organization as may best conduce to the attainment of their respective objects. For they will understand and feel that all men are children of the same common Father, who is God; that all have alike the same last end, which is God Himself, who alone can make either men or angels absolutely and perfectly happy; that each and all are redeemed and made sons of God, by Jesus Christ, "the first-born among many brethren"; that the blessings of nature and the gifts of grace belong to the whole human race in common, and that from none except the unworthy is withheld the inheritance of the kingdom of Heaven. 41. I diritti vanno debitamente protetti in chiunque li possieda e il pubblico potere deve assicurare a ciascuno il suo, con impedirne o punirne le violazioni. Of this beneficent transformation Jesus Christ was at once the first cause and the final end; as from Him all came, so to Him was all to be brought back. 52. "(33) Hence, a man's labor necessarily bears two notes or characters. If one man hires out to another his strength or skill, he does so for the purpose of receiving in return what is necessary for the satisfaction of his needs; he therefore expressly intends to acquire a right full and real, not only to the remuneration, but also to the disposal of such remuneration, just as he pleases. These reflections cannot fail to keep down the pride of the well-to-do, and to give heart to the unfortunate; to move the former to be generous and the latter to be moderate in their desires. 39. 43. It is indisputable that on grounds of reason alone such associations, being perfectly blameless in their objects, possess the sanction of the law of nature. Rights must be religiously respected wherever they exist, and it is the duty of the public authority to prevent and to punish injury, and to protect every one in the possession of his own. A few lines after this sentence, the Pope gives a more comprehensive definition of the subject of Rerum novarum. Hence, to fall away from its primal constitution implies disease; to go back to it, recovery. 34. [24], The richer class have many ways of shielding themselves, and stand less in need of help from the State; whereas the mass of the poor have no resources of their own to fall back upon, and must chiefly depend upon the assistance of the State. 20. Auspice dei celesti favori e pegno della nostra benevolenza, a ciascuno di voi, venerabili fratelli, al vostro clero e al vostro popolo, con grande affetto nel Signore impartiamo l'apostolica benedizione. "What doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his soul? By the State we here understand, not the particular form of government prevailing in this or that nation, but the State as rightly apprehended; that is to say, any government conformable in its institutions to right reason and natural law, and to those dictates of the divine wisdom which we have expounded in the encyclical On the Christian Constitution of the State. Con l'accumulare pertanto ogni proprietà particolare, i socialisti, togliendo all'operaio la libertà di investire le proprie mercedi, gli rapiscono il diritto e la speranza di trarre vantaggio dal patrimonio domestico e di migliorare il proprio stato, e ne rendono perciò più infelice la condizione. E questi sono i doveri dei capitalisti e dei padroni: non tenere gli operai schiavi; rispettare in essi la dignità della persona umana, nobilitata dal carattere cristiano. Da qui risulterebbero grandi vantaggi, e in primo luogo una più equa ripartizione della ricchezza nazionale. L'ardente brama di novità che da gran tempo ha cominciato ad agitare i popoli, doveva naturalmente dall'ordine politico passare nell'ordine simile dell'economia sociale. 6. . Intervenga dunque l'autorità dello Stato e, posto freno ai sobillatori, preservi i buoni operai dal pericolo della seduzione e i legittimi padroni da quello dello spogliamento. Pope Leo provides a sort of "3rd way" between the extremes of Marxist Communism and Nationalist Fascism, focusing instead on the priority of the family--rather than prioritizing the state or the collective. First of all, it is personal, inasmuch as the force which acts is bound up with the personality and is the exclusive property of him who acts, and, further, was given to him for his advantage. As regards bodily labor, even had man never fallen from the state of innocence, he would not have remained wholly idle; but that which would then have been his free choice and his delight became afterwards compulsory, and the painful expiation for his disobedience. vita amorosamente a venire da lui per conforto, quanti sono stretti dal peso degli affanni (Mat 11,28); i deboli e i perseguitati abbraccia con atto di carità specialissima. Charity, as a virtue, pertains to the Church; for virtue it is not, unless it be drawn from the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ; and whosoever turns his back on the Church cannot be near to Christ. Ammette per la difesa dei diritti dei lavoratori le associazioni «sia di soli operai sia miste di operai e padroni»[1]. For, the result of civil change and revolution has been to divide cities into two classes separated by a wide chasm. The authority of the law should intervene to put restraint upon such firebrands, to save the working classes from being led astray by their maneuvers, and to protect lawful owners from spoliation. Therefore We cannot refrain from complaining of such spoliation as unjust and fraught with evil results; and with all the more reason do We complain because, at the very time when the law proclaims that association is free to all, We see that Catholic societies, however peaceful and useful, are hampered in every way, whereas the utmost liberty is conceded to individuals whose purposes are at once hurtful to religion and dangerous to the commonwealth. Questa pagina è stata modificata per l'ultima volta il 7 giu 2020 alle 07:34. 27, p. 356). "After all these things do the heathen seek . These three important benefits, however, can be reckoned on only provided that a man's means be not drained and exhausted by excessive taxation. Encíclica Rerum Novarum: Sobre la Cuestión Obrera – Papa León XIII – Google Books In his famous encyclical Rerum novarumPope Leo outlined the rights of workers to a fair wage, safe working conditions, and the formation of labor unionswhile affirming the rights of property and free enterprise, opposing both Marxism and laissez-faire capitalism. Ben diversa è la cosa se con la personalità si considera la necessità: due cose logicamente distinte, ma realmente inseparabili. Such unions should be suited to the requirements of this our age - an age of wider education, of different habits, and of far more numerous requirements in daily life. "(22) Such is the scheme of duties and of rights which is shown forth to the world by the Gospel. 15. "(29) In this respect all men are equal; there is here no difference between rich and poor, master and servant, ruler and ruled, "for the same is Lord over all. The Church, moreover, intervenes directly in behalf of the poor, by setting on foot and maintaining many associations which she knows to be efficient for the relief of poverty. I quali fini sono determinati dalla causa medesima che esige l'intervento dello Stato; e ciò significa che le leggi non devono andare al di là di ciò che richiede il riparo dei mali o la rimozione del pericolo. As a general principle it may be laid down that a workman ought to have leisure and rest proportionate to the wear and tear of his strength, for waste of strength must be repaired by cessation from hard work. The first work to point out the dangers of Karl Marx's ideology of Socialism and Communism from the Catholic perspective. Fair wages are defined in Rerum novarum as at least a living wage, but Leo recommended paying more than that: enough to support the worker, his wife and family, with a little savings leftover so that the worker can improve his condition over time. II-II, q. Se dunque alla società o a qualche sua parte è stato recato o sovrasta un danno che non si possa in altro modo riparare o impedire, si rende necessario l'intervento dello Stato. 3, ad 2m. Given at St. Peter's in Rome, the fifteenth day of May, 1891, the fourteenth year of Our pontificate. If through necessity or fear of a worse evil the workman accept harder conditions because an employer or contractor will afford him no better, he is made the victim of force and injustice. 23. Si danno però casi che rendono legittimo e doveroso il divieto. Che giova all'uomo l'acquisto di tutto il mondo con pregiudizio dell'anima sua?