The Pope’s Brilliant Encyclical

At last the world has a Catholic pope who from his twenties learned to think about the world in the teeth of Marxism. So Pope John Paul H’s recent encyclical, Laborem Exercens, radiates with new and unusual angles of light. Ninety years ago, Pope Leo XIII revolutionized the way the Church addressed social questions, recognizing in Rerum Novarum (“On the Condition of Labor”) that the Christian vocation is not only to save one’s own immortal soul but also to work toward a just social order.

Recalling that encyclical, and others in its wake, Pope John Paul II has written a text more philosophical and more experiential than any in this entire ninety-year tradition. One of the key words he chooses is “solidarity.” In 1981, that choice cannot be accidental. Nor can the reader escape the powerful relevance for Poland of many passages whose general language, however, has meaning in several other cultures too. When, for example, the Pope praises labor unions but warns them not to become political parties, and not to become too deeply involved in political activities, the mind of the reader goes not only to Poland but to Britain’s Labor Party and to several other nations.

About the Author

Michael Novak

Michael Novak was a Catholic philosopher, journalist, novelist, and diplomat.

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At last the world has a Catholic pope who from his twenties learned to think about the world in the teeth of Marxism. So Pope John Paul H’s recent encyclical, Laborem Exercens, radiates with new and unusual angles of light. Ninety years ago, Pope Leo XIII revolutionized the way the Church addressed social questions, recognizing in Rerum Novarum (“On the Condition of Labor”) that the Christian vocation is not only to save one’s own immortal soul but also to work toward a just social order.

Recalling that encyclical, and others in its wake, Pope John Paul II has written a text more philosophical and more experiential than any in this entire ninety-year tradition. One of the key words he chooses is “solidarity.” In 1981, that choice cannot be accidental. Nor can the reader escape the powerful relevance for Poland of many passages whose general language, however, has meaning in several other cultures too. When, for example, the Pope praises labor unions but warns them not to become political parties, and not to become too deeply involved in political activities, the mind of the reader goes not only to Poland but to Britain’s Labor Party and to several other nations.