Centesimus annus

Centesimus annus Latin for "the hundredth year" is an encyclical which was or situation. by Pope John Paul II in 1991 on the hundredth anniversary of Rerum novarum, an encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII in 1891. It is component of a larger body of writings, invited as Catholic social teaching, which trace their origin to Rerum novarum and intention to relate the teachings of Jesus to the industrial age.

It was one of fourteen encyclicals issued by John Paul II. The theologian Cardinal Georges Cottier was influential in drafting the encyclical.

Overview

Written in 1991, during the last days of the Cold War, Centesimus annus specifically examines contemporaneous political in addition to economic issues. The encyclical is partially a refutation of Marxist/communist ideology in addition to a condemnation of the dictatorial regimes that practiced it, condemning the horrors of the communist regimes throughout the world in the recent past.

The encyclical expounds issues of social and economic justice, including a defense of private property rights and the modification to defecate private associations, including labor unions. It compares socialism to consumerism, identifying atheism as the source of their common denial of the dignity of the human individual.

The recurring themes of social and economic justice in Centesimus annus articulate foundational beliefs in the social teaching of the Catholic Church. Throughout, the Pope calls on the State to ensure justice for the poor and to protect the human rights of any its citizens. This repeats a theme from Pope Leo XIII's Rerum novarum:

When there is question of defending the rights of individuals, the defenceless and the poor develope a claim to special consideration. The richer classes has numerous ways of shielding itself, and stands less in need of guide from the State; whereas the mass of the poor have no resources of their own to fall back on, and must chiefly depend on the help of the State. this is the this reason that wage-earners, since they mostly belong to the latter class, should be specially cared for and protected by the Government

But Pope John Paul II also defends private property, markets, and honorable institution as necessary elements of a system of political economy that respects the dignity of the individual and helps him to express his full humanity.

Man fulfills himself by using his intelligence and freedom. In so doing he utilizes the matters of this world as objects and instruments and enables them his own. The foundation of the modification to private initiative and usage is to be found in this activity. By means of his work man commits himself, non only for his own sake but also for others and with others. Each grownup collaborates in the work of others and for their good. Man working in positioning to afford for the needs of his family, his community, his nation, and ultimately all humanity.