Embracing a Socialist Vision: The Evolution of Catholic Social Thought, Leo XIII to John Paul II

Abstract

John Paul II used the occasion of his first detailed statement on economic justice (On Human Work, 1981) to point the way to a new relationship between Roman Catholic social thought and socialism. While the primary intent of the encyclical was to examine the nature of human work and the rights of workers, John Paul took this opportunity to call for the transformation of the present day economic order. In the context of this challenge, he outlined the possibility of a new collaboration between Catholic thought and socialism as a means of overcoming the serious limitations of the collectivist economies of the East and the capitalist economies of the West.1 In light of the new directions, the pope proposed that there may be a tendency among Catholics to look upon his economic thought as a fundamental break from the teachings of his predecessors. This judgment is hasty and unfounded. Although John Paul breaks new ground, his thought must be interpreted within a papal tradition characterized by an increasing openness to humanistic socialism in recent years. The interaction between Catholic thought and socialism has important religious, political, and economic implications. Although there has been obvious intellectual development during the past century in the Church's attitude toward socialism, this shift has often been ignored or minimized, especially in the West. As a result, many Catholics, including members of the hierarchy, have been unable to move beyond the Church's attitude toward socialism as it was articulated almost a century ago. This is unfortunate for a number of reasons. First, many members of the Church are denied an