«QUADRAGESIMO ANNO». - Encyclical of Pope Pius XI in commemoration of Rerum novarum («on the restoration of social order and the perfection of the law according to the Gospel»), 15 May 1931.
The encyclical is divided into three main parts, which respectively address: the great benefits that the encyclical of Leo XIII has brought to the Church and indeed to all human society; the vindication of its doctrine on the social and economic question against certain doubts that have arisen in recent times, and its further development in various points; and, finally, after a careful examination of modern economics and socialism, the root of contemporary social unrest and the sole path to its salutary restoration, namely the Christian reform of morals.
Having reaffirmed the right and duty to judge with supreme authority on social and economic questions, various problems are addressed and their correct solutions are indicated. Thus, among other things, regarding ownership or the right to property, its individual and social character, the duties attached to it, the powers of the State, and the titles of acquisition. On the relations between capital and labor, after noting the unjust claims of both sides, the guiding principle of just distribution is enunciated, and the elevation of the proletariat is urged. Regarding just wages (inasmuch as wages are not unjust by nature), three points are emphasized: the sustenance of the worker and his family, the conditions of the enterprise, and the necessity of the common good. The guiding principle of economics is then set forth, which is formed by social justice and charity, and not by free competition alone, nor much less by economic supremacy.
The encyclical examines the changes that have occurred since Leo XIII, such as in economic organization and socialist movements, to reaffirm the necessity of moral renewal, the Christianization of economic life, and the application of the law of charity. While acknowledging the difficulties of the task and the need for a unified path forward, it urges the union and cooperation of all good people. V. RERUM NOVARUM.