QUADRAGESIMO ANNO--timeless, boundless...

Quadragesimo Anno, authored by Pope Pius XI was conceived out of the necessity. Forty years after pope Leo XII issued the encyclical “Rerum Novarum”, and appealed to the good sense of the Christian community to care for the poor, of providing what is due to each and every member of society, much had yet to be done in achieving those. While Pope Pius XI lavishly praised Rerum Novarum,  he nevertheless reasoned that much had to be done to correct the order of society. Herein, he attacked the capitalist market economy and the folly of communist ideals as both oppressive. He  intoned that the product of capitalism is imperialism.

Moreover, the encyclical reminded Catholics of the church’s social teachings of caring for the poor and strongly castigated the institutions that oppressed them. These were--and currently too--are the structures that made it hard for the oppressed poor to rise above their social conditions. It is worthy to note that in the same encyclical, the Pope mentioned once again the importance of solidarity and cooperation. It enjoined public authority to respect the right to form associations. Herein, he emphasized the principle of subsidiary function that government institutions should not encroach upon such functions that fall under the purview of family and private organizations. 

Industrialization had created too many ill effects to the order of things. It  caused much disparity between the working class and the capital. And, the capitalists were enriching themselves at the expense of the poor. This has caused the rift between the two factions. This gap could escalate into a large scale conflict when exacerbated by mindless attempts to rouse the masses into open confrontation with the moneyed capitalist. 

The purpose of this encyclical is to remind people of the responsibility that each stakeholders have certain responsibilities in the promotion of common good—the responsibility of the workers to their employers, the responsibility of the employers to their workers and the responsibility of the state to ensure that each one these stakeholders abide by their respective duties and obligations. It then reiterates the purpose of the capital. Capital must rightfully be subjugated towards that of the promotion of common good.

Thus it attacked capitalism for it utter neglect of its responsibility. It called upon those that have the advantage and who control the resources never to look upon workers as mere beasts of burden. It is the only way that the working class would not be swayed by the ideas of the agitators who are working to sow discord and draw the wedge between capital and labor further. One of the evils that capitalism which could be considered detestable to the eye of the Pontiff is that ownership by the few. Herein starts a struggle for supremacy for control of resources.

The effect of industrialization was so widespread and drastic that it caused capitalism to evolve further. Capitalism evolved further so that it does not only pertain to the relation between the working class and the capital within a state. It resulted to conflicts between states in their struggle to control the world’s resources for them to provide economic benefits for their citizens. Further, strong states tend to influence a certain political situation by their economic might. It is then referred to as international economic imperialism. 

The differences, that the capitalist market economy in the state level could only be remedied by intervention of the state. It says that civil authority is so conceived not as a guardian of laws alone but it is so constituted so that public and private individuals’ well-being may develop out of the very structures of the state. However, this further asks the state to develop the individuals’ sense of participation by forming associations that help them actualize their rights and aspirations. It prescribes the principle of subsidiary function. Under the principle of subsidiarity, people should take responsibility to provide for their own welfare, given the situation they are dealing with. It is wrong for the government to take over what families or voluntary organizations can do for themselves.

More than anything, the encyclical put much emphasis on the role of the state towards ending the conflict that besets these two classes of people. It also places emphasis on the role that well-meaning people play in the harmonious relationship between these two “hostile” classes. It reasons that the state must devote itself to the reestablishment of Industries and Profession. This is to promote cooperation among different sectors and stakeholders. It even goes on to explain that a state has a role in harmonizing the private ownership to that of the common good. In the same manner and in the spirit of solidarity that it enjoins all nations to have a united front in promoting agreements for international cooperation among themselves and their respective institutions. 

Above all these, it places Divine Guidance at the pinnacle. As it has been said, “…to promote the common good truly and permanently, We hold it is first and above everything wholly necessary that God bless it and, secondly, that all men of good will work with united effort toward that end.” It says that public institutions and people themselves must conform to the needs of the common good. Only then when truly a more just and humane society could be achieved and social order is restored. 

However, while it calls on the government to provide the balancing effect in maintaining order in society. It is limited only to areas or situations that call for government intervention. It should be noted that the encyclical only advocates for an equitable playing field, free from the dictatorship of the wealthiest and devoid of government interference. In that same manner, it is ruling out any possibility of injecting socialist agenda to the social order. 

In this discussion, it is worthy to note some of the most notable contribution that the encyclical has offered to society and humanity as a whole. It is an insight to an era of hapless miseries and how the Catholic institution has responded to the needs of time. This response could still be very effective in dealing with the issues confronting our world today. 

The encyclical is a strong statement of Catholic’s social teaching. More than anything else it extols justice and fairness. In so many words it tries to capture the ears of sovereigns to listen to the message it tries to convey. When discussing the role of the state in its reconstruction of the social order, it gives a potent reminder for the reason why they are in power. The delivery of the message is evocative enough that it reverberates to the innermost part of the listeners senses.

In the current state of affairs the role of the state is often construed as mere preserver of the law and order. However, leaders have not quite understood why laws are promulgated in the first place. In an era of a more capitalistic orientation, rights of workers are, more often than not, trampled upon in favor of political expediency. It is the reason why, the encyclical is of great importance in upholding the rights of individuals. The encyclical thereby offers a very powerful guide for political leaders and economic managers in the promotion of the people’s well-being. 

On the other hand, the encyclical was candid and strong enough in its criticisms of capitalism as practiced. It disdains the fact that financial resources rest in hands of a select few—who may not necessarily be the owners. These are the business executives. As mentioned above, so many times, the Church has never abhorred private ownership. What is detestable is when private property is concentrated in the hands of a few. This would then boils down to the role the government is entrusted upon—which is providing a more equitable distribution. 

These are the two salient points this encyclical would want people to realize. It has been noted above that these points could still hold true or could be effective in dealing with our issues nowadays despite it being addressed to the people of some 80 years ago. The encyclical is a strong argument towards improving the plight of most workers around the globe. 

It is even more important in these times of globalization when the international economy is dominated by big multinational companies. It is worthy to note that these multinationals tend to favor developing economies as best places for them to establish business because of the so-called “cheap” labor. Most of these economies do not have enough safety nets for their workers, thus workers in these economies are more prone to abuses such as working beyond the normal working hours, below minimum wages among others. This situation is exacerbated by the fact that leaders of these states may tend to be powerless in face of these multinational corporations for fear of reprisal—losing a potential or actual source of revenue. 

It may be of great moment to note that right now, the world is experiencing what economists termed as the “worst” financial debacle the world has ever experienced since the Great Depression. While companies are struggling to survive this onslaught and workers are losing jobs, interestingly, executives of the same companies in Wall Street are enjoying huge bonuses. These bonuses are sinful enough that no less than President Barrack Obama calls for the scrapping of these bonuses.

These are just a few of the situations that better fit in to the scenario that had happened before. The best test for an idea is its applicability to the current state of affairs. Moreover, the evils of long ago are still in the midst and are even more potent. Hence it is of great importance that people, leaders of government and institutions alike look back to the inheritance the Catholic Church has bestowed to remedy the ills of this time. For the rest of humanity, it is going back to the basics.

Effects of this reading would, hopefully, improved the general conditions of the working class. The reading is most important to policy-makers and economic managers in helping them determine the kind of programs to correct abuses in the workplace. It is undeniable that even now, conditions of the workers in some places are still intolerable. Moving forward, changes in policies may spell some improvements in the general conditions of the workingmen. As mentioned, encyclicals are in so conceived in answer to the needs of time. Presently, civilizations are confronted with so much indignity brought about by doing away with the basic tenets of Christian traditions. 

By this reading, it is with great many hopes that people would come to embrace the social teachings of the Church. The objectives of Pius XI would not have come in vain for surely nations would unite as one in answering the call for a social order imbued with social justice. And by the strong and potent message it conveys it would awaken the spirit of those people who have the power o influence or institute change to do what are expected of them to improve the quality of life of every human being. Much is to be done and much confidence is placed on the inherent goodness of man to stand up for justice and equality.

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Leonel Agir