A Pocket Guide to Rerum Novarum

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Pope Leo XIV has expressed concern about how artificial intelligence (AI) will affect the labor economy and the development of young people seeking productive expression of their God-given gifts. How do these concerns relate to those of the pontiff from whom the pope took his name, Leo XIII, in his groundbreaking 1891 encyclical written during the second phase of the Industrial Revolution?

In a clear, straightforward style, Pope Leo XIII expounds on key issues such as:

The dangers of socialism for the rights of individuals and families
The rise of propaganda aimed at whipping up class envy
How the right to private property is imperative both in divine law and civil law
Ten obligations of employers to workers and four obligations of workers to employers
Ways the Church and the gospel uphold human dignity and guide us to our final goal
How Christians are called to live frugally and use resources wisely for the sake of their families and the common good
The duty of the government to provide distributive justice
The wisdom of subsidiarity and the need for voluntary associations in which Christians and workers can support each other