II I III
Latin Catlmlic Press
Under Severe Pressure
See Page 10
Official Newspaper of the Rockford Diocese
Vol, XVI--No. 29
ROCKFORD, JULY 21, 1961
10 PAGES
VATICAN CITY -- (NC) --]
His Holiness Pope John XXIII
in his long-heralded social en-
cyclical said that limited social-
ization can benefit society and
that rich countries have a duty
to help the underdeveloped na-
tions.
FOUR NEW SOCIAL prob-
lems confront modern man, the
Pope said in his letter to the
Catholic world. He said they
must be solved in terms of truth,
justice and love. He listed these
problems:
--The depressed state of agri-
culture in an increasingly indus-
trial and technological world.
---The great differences be-
tween the underdeveloped na-
tions and the technologically ad-
vanced nations.
--The world population in-
crease and its relation to eco-
notate development.
--The lack of mutual trust
among nations.
for Letter
The encyclical. Mater et Mag-
istra, was written, the Pope
said, because "We feel it Our
duty to keep alive the torch
lighted by Our great predeces-
sors and to exhort all to draw
from it inspiration and orienta-
tion in the search of a solution
to the social problems more
adapted to our times."
THE 2O,0~-WORD encyclical
commemorates the 70th anni-
versary of the publication of
Pope Leo XIII's great social en-
cyclical, Rerum Novarum. The
new encyclical is dated May 15.
But its release to the world was
held up until July 14 so that
translations in various languag-
es could be given out simul-
taneously.
The encyclical is divided into
four parts. The first part re-
views teachings of Rerum No-
varum and of subsequent docu-
ments on similar subjects issued
by Popes Plus XI and XII. Part
Two is an explanation and
development of the teachings of
Berum Novarum. Part Three
spells out the four major new
aspects of social life and the l
Church's teaching. The final
part discusses the reconstruc-
tion of social relationships on
the basis of truth, justice and
love.
Socialization
Underlining the teachings of
his predecessors. Pope John re-
affirmed the right of private
property. He spoke of the evils
of excessive governmental in-
terference in social and eco-
nomic life, but at the same time
warned that public authorities
may not remain inactive in
promoting the public good.
THE ENCYCLICAL discussed
at length the phenomenon of
"socialization." It is at the same
time, the Pope said. "an effect
and a cause of growing inter-
vention of the public authorities
in even the most crucial mat-
ters." Pope John labeled social-
ization the result of man's "na-
tural tendency to join to-
ether to attain objectives which
are beyond the capacity and
means at the disposal of single
individuals."
THE POPE HELD that so-
cialization brings many advan-
tages: "It makes possible, in
fact, the satisfaction of many
personal rights, especially those
called economic-social, such as,
for example, the right to the in-
dispensable means of human
maintenance, to health serv-
ices, to instruction at a higher
level, toa more thorough forma-
tion, to housing, to work, to
suitable leisure, to recreation."
Pope John said that while so-
cialization "restricts the range
of the individual as regards his
Plan to Print
New Encyclical
WASHINGTON -- (NC) --
The N.C.W.C. Publications
office announced that it will
issue the encyclical "Mater
et Magistra" of His Holiness
Pope John XXIII in pamphlet
form sometime in August.
liberty of action," it does not
necessarily reduce men to auto-
matons. He explained:
No Danger
"Socialization isnot to be con-
sidered as a product of natural
forces working in a determinis-
tic way; it is, on the contrary,
as we have observed, a creation
of men; beingr conscious, free
and intended by nature to work
m a responsible way even if in
their so acting they are obliged
to recognize and respect the
laws of economic development
and social progress and cannot
escape from all the pressures
of their environment.
"HENCE, WE CONSIDER
that socialization can and ought
to be realized in such a way as
to draw from it the advantages
contained therein and to remove
or restrain the" negative as-
pects
"So long as socialization con-
fines its activity within the
limits of the moral order, along
the lines indicated, it does not
of its nature, entail serious dan-
gers of restriction to the detri-
ment of individual human be-
ings; rather, it helps to promote
in them the expression and de-
velopment of truly personal
characteristics; it produces, too,
an organiv reconstruction of so-
ciety, which Our predecessor
Plus XI in the encyclical Qua-
dragesimo Anno put forward
and defended as the indispen-
sable prerequisite for the satis-
fying of the demands of social
justice."
Hails Encyclical
The Pontiff asserted that "re-
muneration for work, just as it
cannot be left entirely to the
law of the market neither
can it be fixed arbitrarily; it
must rather be determined ac-
cording to justice and equity."
Pope John hailed the issuing
of Rerum Novarum as a major
historic document enunciating
the Church's social teaching. He
said it was an action "not with-
out hazard."
HE SAID SOME believed
"that the Church, face to face
with the social question, should
confine herself to preaching re-
signation to the poor and to ex-
horting the rich to generosity."
But, said Pope John, "Leo XIII
did not hesitate to proclaim and
defend the rights of the worker."
Ibis ir~l~l~l Pope John noted that Rerum
I,~:~'~l~-mlNovarum clearly set down that
,~ pJ ~t," ~work cannot be treated as a
World News 2
May They Rest 2
Coming Events 2
Catholic Charities 2
Meet the Clergy 3
Family Clinic 3
Mission Column 5
Women's Page 6
commodity, that the State can-
not keep aloof from the eco-
nomic world, and that workers
have a right to organize. The
encyclical noted that 40 years
after Return Novarum, Plus XI
issued his encyclical, Quadra-
gesimo Anno, because doubts
had arisen concerning private
Theology for Everyman 7 property, the wage system and[
St. Vincent's Jottings 8 the attitude of Catholics towards[
Doris Answers Youth 8 : a type of moderate socialism. I
Legion of Decency 8'n [
For Teens Only 9 basic opposmon ]
TV Movie Guide 9 Pope John said Plus XI "era-[
'3. quiescant 10i phasizes that the opposition be-I
tween Communism and Chris-
tianity is fundamental and
makes it clear that Catholics are
in no way permitted to be sup-
porters of moderate socialism
because its supreme objective
is the welfare of society, and be-
cause it either proposes a form
of social structure that aims
solely at production, thus caus-
ing grave loss to human liberty,
or because it lacks every prin-
ciple of true social authority."
IN 1941, Plus XII again am-
plified the Church's social teach-
ing, affirming that "work is at
one and the same time a duty
and right of every human be-
ing,"
Considering the new social
problems facing the world to-
day, Pope John dwelt at length
on the problem of depressed
agriculture. He said that the
migration of farming popula-
tions to the cities has assumed
"massive proportions" in many
countries. He said that it is ne-
cessary "that tillers of the soil
may not be possessed of an in-
feriority complex but rather be
(Contimted on page 5)
Pope Leo XIII Pope John XXllI Pope Pins XI
RERUM NOVARUM MATER ET MAGISTRA QUADRAGESIMO ANNO
1891 1961 1931
ENCYCLICAL THIRD IN GREAT TRILOGY--The teachings of the Catholic church on social
problems is brought up-to-date and projected against present-day conditions in a great encycli-
cal letter "Mater et Magistra" (Mother and Teacher) just issued by His Holiness Pope John
XXIII. It is the third inn trilogy of great encyclicals dealing with this subject. The first was
"Re'rum Novarum" issued by Pope Leo XIII in 1891 and called the encyclical "On the Condition
of Labor." The second was "'Quadragesimo Anno" issued by Pope Pins XI 40 years later and
referred to as the encyclical "On Reconstructing the Social Order." Encyclicals take their Latin
names fl'om the first words of the Latin texts of the letters.
According to Social Action Expert
st
S
By Father John F. Cronin, S.S.
(N.C.W.C. NEWS SERVICE)
The two papal encyclicals
which have 'commemorated Leo
XXIII's trialblazing encyclical
on labor, "Rerum Novarum,"
have broadened the scope and
refined the principles laid down
in that encyclical.
Both came to grips with new
problems and situations that
have emerged since Pope Leo's
time.
Pope Leo's encyclical of May
15, 1891 was addressed to the
world but largely concerned it-
self with conditions brought
about by the industrial revolu-
tion. Its primary emphasis was
on labor in the manufacturing
and mining industries.
Pope Plus XI's encyclical of 40
years later, "Quadragesimo An-
no," covered a wider range but
touched mainly on manufactur-
ing, mining and commerce.
The present encyclical of His
Holiness Pope John XXIII in-
troduces the problems of farm-
ing and of underdeveloped na-
tions striving to catch up with
highly .industrialized countries.
Pope Leo emphasized "the
enormous fortunes of some few
individuals and the utter poverty
of the masses." But he rejected
socialism as a remedy, and firna-
ly upheld the right to private
property. He also defended the
right of labor to organize and
entered a strong plea for new
laws that would correct abuses
in society.
Structural Abuses
Pope Pius XI, like Pope Leo,
condemned the disparity of in-
come and wealth between the
rich few and the propertyless
many. But he went beyond his
predecessor in noting what
might be called "structural
abuses" in the economic system,
such as stock speculation, finan-
cial manipulation, excessive
competition and its opposite,
monopoly, and the corruption of
the state by finance capitalism.
In addition, he noted a corrup-
tion of morals, the denial of jus-
tice and charity, and a preval-
ence of greed.
Pope Pius XI repeated but
somewhat modified Pope Leo's
condemnation of socialism. He
I
!;i~:~i~ili if: ~ii~i:i:i 2 :;:
SOCIAL ENCYCLICALS OF POPES LEO AND PIUS -- His
Holiness Pope John's XXIII's 20,000-word encyclical "Mater et
Magistra" commemorates the 7Oth anniversary of the publica-
tion of Pope Leo XIII's great social encyclical "Rerum No-
varum" (left) and the 3Oth anniversary of Pope Plus Xl's
encyclical "Quadragesimo Anno," two great papal documents
warned against the threat posed
by Communism.
Goes Step Farther
While upholding the right of
property, as did Pope Leo, Plus
XI pointed out that ownership
has a social character as well
as an individual character. To
both capital and labor he point-
ed out their social obligations
as well as their rights.
He made more precise the
concept of a living wage by spe-
cifying that this be a tamily
wage.
He echoed Pope Leo's call for
proper social legislation, but also
called attention to the dangers
of loading excessive burdens on-
to the state.
Calls for Reform
Pope Plus XI's unique contri-
dealing with the social order. The opening paragraphs of each
are reproduced here as they appeared in the Vatican's official
publication, Acta Apostolicae Sedis, in 1891 and 1932, respec-
tively. Photos courtesy of Catholic University of America
library,
(N.C.W.C. NEWS SERVICE) [injustices and settle strikes de-
The new encyclical of His ltrimental to the common good.
Holiness Pope John XXIII was --Called for social insurance
drawn up to commemorate an-
niversaries of two major papal
documents dealing with the so-I
cial order. Here are main points l
of the three:
RERUM NOVARUM (On the
Condition of the Working Clas-
ses), issued by Pope Leo XIII
on May 15, 1891:
--Proclaimed the priority of
man and his family over the
State.
--Condemned not only Marxist
Communism and socialism, but
also monopoly capitalism and
industrial slavery. Socialism
was labeled a violation of man's
natural right to own property.
--Asserted that every worker
has a right to a living wage.
Right to Unionize
--Held that werkers have a
right to form unions, to engage
in collective bargaining, and to
strike for just cause.
~Said that the State has a
special duty to care for and
protect the workers, and that
the law should step in to right
bution was to call for a struc-
tural reform in society through
the creation of intermediary
economic bodies to regulate the
economy in the interest of jus-
the joint efforts of labor and
management to increase produc-
tivity and decrease costs in an
industry. Or it could be more
negative in scope, centering on
the regulation of abuses.
Here, for instance, bodies
provisions so as to give effec-
tive aid "not only in cases of ac-
cident, but also in sickness, old
age, and distress."
QUADRAGESIMO ANNO (On
Reconstructing the Social Or-
der), issued by Pope Plus XI
on May 15, 1931:
--Upheld Rerum Novarum as
"the Magna Charta upon wMch
all Christian activity in the so-
cial field ought to be based."
--Reiterated that true social-
ism is "utterly foreign to Chris-
tian truth," as its concept of
life is material rather than
spiritual.
--Condemned individualistic
capitalism and unrestrained
monopoly for crushing the mass
of mankind with "hardships and
difficulties."
--Asserted that "the worker
must be paid a wage sufficient
to support him and his family."
Working Mothers
--Declared it "an intolerable
abuse, and to be abolished at
all cost, for mothers on account
of the father's low wage to be
forced to engage in gainful oc-
cupation outside the home "
--Fostered international co-
operation: "Since the various
nations largely depend on one
another in economic matters
and need one another's help,
they should strive with a united
purpose and effort to promote
by wisely conceived pacts and
institutions a prosperous and
happy international cooperation
in economic life."
MATER ET MAGISTRA
(Mother and Teacher), bv Pope
John XXIII, dated May 1.5, 1961:
--Drew a sharp distinction be-
tween socialism and sociliza-
tion, condemning the first and
upholding the second. "So long
as socialization confines its ac-
tivity within the limits of the
moral order it helps to
promote truly personal char-
acteristics:"
--Declared that "every effort
must be made" to provide that
the rich accumulate only "a
,just share" of profits, and that
representing labor and manage-l"an ample sufficiency be sup-
ment could control destructivelplied to workingman."
types of competition, instead oflin~-~Held that "fruitful and last-
leaving such regulation to the " " peace is impossible if the
government, differences between people's so-
Primary Aspects cial and economic conditions
The primary aspects of the are too great.
great encyclical of Pope John
XXIII are these:
1. He has put into focus, in
terms of the problems of the
nuclear age, the social princi-
ples outlined by his predeces-
sors. It is especially helpful to
have a solemn reaffirmation of
the teachings of Pope Plus XII,
since these were often given in
the form of addresses to various
groups, in addition to the more
solemn radio messages to the
world,
2. This is a truly worldwide
encyclical, dealing not only with
the problems of labor and man-
agement in the industrialized
sector, but also with the eco-
nomic difficulties of agriculture
and the legitin~ate aspirations of
developing nations.
Allows for Diversity
3. The approach to the prob-
lem of industrial economics re-
fleets a high degree of economic
sophistication and a philosophy
that Americans will character-
ize as liberal. The complexity of
modern society is recognized.
The encyclical allows for diverse
forms of social organization and
a high degree of government in-
tervention for the sake of social
Calls for Cooperation
--Called for broad internation-
al cooperation to help the under.
developed nations overcome
their "permanent state of pover-
ty, of misery or of hunger" --
"perhaps the major problem"
of today.
--Asserted that in some coun-
tries the people are forced "to
undergo inhuman privations in
order to increase the output of
the national economy at a rate
of accelet,ation which goes be-
ond the limits permitted by
ustice and humanity."
--Saw man's God-given ge~nius
for adapting nature's "inex-
haustible resources" as the solu-
tion to problems stemmin~ from
current world population growth,
rejected artificial birth control,
~sterilization and abortion as ira-
moral.
School Begins
With 5th Grade
CLEVELAND -- (NC) -- St.
Helen parish will become the
first school in recent history of
this diocese to begin a school
welfare.
4. Most timely is the
call for aid to developing na-
tions, not only as a duty of jus-
tice and charity, but also as an
essential safeguard of world
Iwith the middle grades. The Rev.
urgent James J. Moran. pastor, said
the parish can't afford an eight
grade school, so school will be-
gin with the fifth grade.
Father Moran, who has 350
public grade and high school stu-
dents under catechism instruc-
tion, said that when the school
is completed, pupils for the first
four grades will continue attend-
ing public school and taking aft-
er class religious instruc .tom
