What is “Rerum Novarum” and what does it have to do with the new pope?

After a new Pope is elected and accepts his office, he is asked what name he chooses. The selection often shows the direction that the new Holy Father wants for his pontificate.

In his May 10 address to the College of Cardinals, Pope Leo XIV explained the reasoning behind his choice of name:

“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 defense of human dignity, justice, and labor.”

An encyclical at a time of revolution

In 1891, the world was dealing with the impact of the Industrial Revolution. Pope Leo XIII saw the devastating effects that were happening as lives were forever changed. He understood that social inequality and the exploitation of workers were problems that needed to be addressed by both the world at large and the Church. Moving from an agrarian lifestyle to a more industrialized society brought with it the need for a new understanding of the dignity of work and how to best protect workers’ rights.

In Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo XIII stated that both workers and employers have rights and responsibilities. He laid out the responsibility of the State to protect workers’ rights by making sure that working conditions are healthy and safe. He rejected violence as a solution to the problem, arguing that human dignity must be at the center of all efforts to end poverty.

Rerum Novarum stressed the need for all people to live in solidarity, seeking the common good of both the individual and society. It has been called the foundation for Catholic Social Teaching which guides the Church to look at the social issues within our own time.

In pointing to Leo XIII and Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo XIV has indicated the importance of Catholic Social Teaching as we face the unique problems of our own time. As he told the College of Cardinals:

“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 defense of human dignity, justice, and labor.”

As the new pope draws our attention to Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum, this is an opportune moment for Catholics to read and study this important encyclical.

Father Tim Graff is the Archdiocese of Newark’s Secretary of Parish Mission and Vitality, Director of the Social Concerns Office, and Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin’s Liaison to Labor.