Is Rerum Novarum the Answer to Today’s Labor Crisis? | Fr. Gregory Pine & Fr. Joseph-Anthony Kress

January 15, 2026

Understanding Rerum Novarum

In this podcast episode of Godsplaining, Fr. Gregory Pine and Fr. Joseph-Anthony Kress explore whether the Catholic Church’s foundational social teaching — Rerum Novarum — can still speak to modern economic and labor issues such as wage stagnation, job insecurity, ethical employment, and the dignity of work. They connect historical Catholic social doctrine with contemporary labor crises, weighing the encyclical’s principles against challenges like global inequality, worker rights, and the role of the state in protecting labor. The hosts highlight how Rerum Novarum addresses labor rights, the common good, just wages, the rights of workers to organize, and ethical responsibility of employers, and discuss its relevance today.

More on the Catholic View of Labor & Private Property

Does the Catholic Church support Private Property?

The Catholic Church strongly affirms the right to private property as a natural right rooted in human dignity and freedom. In Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo XIII defends private ownership as essential for family stability, personal responsibility, and economic freedom. At the same time, the Church teaches that private property is not absolute—it is ordered toward the common good, meaning possessions should be used responsibly and with concern for the needs of others. This balance rejects both collectivist socialism and unrestrained individualism.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Rerum Novarum considered foundational for Catholic social teaching?

Because it was the first major papal document to systematically address modern economic and social issues from a moral perspective. It laid the groundwork for later encyclicals and shaped the Church’s consistent principles on human dignity, solidarity, the common good, and subsidiarity in the socio-economic context.

Does Rerum Novarum reject capitalism or socialism?

Rerum Novarum does not fully endorse either extreme. It rejects state socialism and unregulated laissez-faire capitalism while affirming private property rights and calling for economic systems that respect human dignity and social justice.

Can Rerum Novarum influence current labor policy?

While not a political manifesto, its moral framework has influenced Catholic social thought and can inform ethical labor policies, business practices, and discussions on living wages, union rights, and wellbeing of workers in contemporary society.