Pope Leo XIII- Rerum Novarum

POPE LEO XIII AND RERUM NOVARUM

Encyclical is a letter from a Christian leader , particularly the pope which is intended for general distribution among churches . The tern originally applied to some of the letters written by Saint Paul and early church called Apostolic Fathers that were sent to many churches . After the time of the Apostolic Fathers , bishops wrote encyclicals to the churches in their care

In modern times , encyclical has come to mean a letter written by the pope to Roman Catholic churches throughout the world . These letters have addressed

such s as church teachings , church discipline current social and moral issues , peace , the rights of workers , and the plight of people living under oppression

Pope Leo XIII

With the election to papacy by Leo XII in 1878 comes a new age in the history of the Roman Catholic Church . His reign was the second longest in papal history . Only Pius IX served longer . Leo wrote many encyclicals . One of the most famous was Rerum Novarum which he wrote in May 15 , 1891 . The aforementioned encyclical upheld the rights of labor

Pope Leo XIII sought to convince liberal administrations that it is possible for the church and the state to live in harmony . During his papacy , particularly intense anti-church feelings were expressed by Italy , France , and Germany

The pope was successful in reducing the liberal administrations limitations against the church . However he was a failure in Italy and France . If truth be told , in 1880 , new anti-church laws...