Quadragesimo Anno - On Social Reconstruction (49th Anniversary of Rerum Novarum)

"Quadragesimo Anno" by Pope Pius XI, published in 1931, commemorates forty years since Pope Leo XIII's influential encyclical, "Rerum Novarum," which addressed the condition of workers.

Pius XI revisits the social and economic issues raised by his predecessor, particularly the growing divide between the wealthy and the working class, and examines the impact and reception of Leo XIII's teachings.

The text critiques both individualism and the various forms of socialism, arguing that a just and stable social order requires a Christian reform of morals alongside structural changes that respect both the individual and social nature of ownership and labor.

It emphasizes the Church's right and duty to speak on moral matters related to economics and proposes solutions including fair wages, opportunities for workers to acquire property, and the formation of industry-based associations, while ultimately asserting that social reconstruction depends on a return to Gospel principles and charity.

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