Rerum Novarum (On Capital and Labor)
Rerum Novarum
Authority: Pope Leo XIII
Official Summary & Scope
Foundational encyclical of modern Catholic Social Teaching, defending workers' rights, fair wages, private property, and condemning socialism.
Opening Proclamation (Incipit)
"Rerum Novarum establishes principles of human dignity in economic life, duties of employers and workers, and state intervention limits."