Vatican Radio) Leo XIII who died on the 20th July 1903 has gone down in history as
the first pope ever to have written a social encyclical. It was 1891 and the title
of this document was “ Rerum Novarum “, Latin words highlighting the novelty of the
theme explored. Veronica Scarisbrick asks Professor of Catholic Social Teaching
at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas here in Rome, Dominican Father Alejandro
Crosthwaite, to place this encyclical into an historical context for us. While
Father Crosthwaite explains how the Catholic Church's concern in social issues dates
back to the times of the Fathers of the Church, he also notes how this document breaks
new ground. As for the first time in history a Roman Pontiff begins to realise the
need to address social issues in a new way, expressing concern for the condition
of workers. Although Father Crosthwaite adds : "...the vision of society in this
document still tends to be a little paternalistic ..it's not until Vatican II basically,
although we already begin to see that in Pius XII in his Christmas radio messages
and in John XXIII's writings that the worker himself or herself is a subject and is
called to be an actor member . That will not be explicit until John Paul II's encyclical
'Laborem Exercens' ..." Listen :