Centesimus Annus

Encyclical Letter
His Holiness Pope John Paul II
On the Hundredth Anniversary of Rerum Novarum
May 1, 1991

Venerable Brothers, Beloved Sons and Daughters, Health and the Apostolic Blessing!

THE CENTENARY OF THE PROMULGATION of the encyclical which begins with the words "Rerum Novarum,"[1] by my predecessor of venerable memory Pope Leo XIII, is an occasion of great importance for the present history of the Church and for my own pontificate. It is an encyclical that has the distinction of having been commemorated by solemn papal documents from its fortieth anniversary to its ninetieth. It may be said that its path through history has been marked by other documents which paid tribute to it and applied it to the circumstances of the day.[2]

In doing likewise for the hundredth anniversary, in response to requests from many bishops, Church institutions, and study centers, as well as business leaders and workers, both individually and as members of associations, I wish first and foremost to satisfy the debt of gratitude which the whole Church owes to this great Pope and his "immortal document."[3] I also mean to show that the vital energies rising from that root have not been spent with the passing of the years, but rather have increased even more. This is evident from the various initiatives which have preceded, and which are to accompany and follow the celebration, initiatives promoted by episcopal conferences, by international agencies, universities and academic institutes, by professional associations and by other institutions and individuals in many parts of the world.

2. The present encyclical is part of these celebrations, which are meant to thank God--the origin of "every good endowment and every perfect gift" (Jan 1:17)--for having used a document published a century ago by the See of Peter to achieve so much good and to radiate so much light in the Church and in the world. Although the commemoration at hand is meant to honor Rerum Novarum, it also honors those encyclicals and other documents of my predecessors which have helped to make Pope Leo's encyclical present and alive in history, thus constituting what would come to be called the Church's "social doctrine," "social teaching" or even "social magisterium."

The validity of this teaching has already been pointed out in two encyclicals published during my pontificate: Laborem Exercens on human work, and Sollicitudo Rei Socialis on current problems regarding the development of individuals and peoples.[4]