Timothy Gordon Rules for Retrogrades Podcast PART 2: Explaining Rerum Novarum
May 14, 2025
This discussion highlights the relevance of Pope Leo XIII's encyclical Rerum Novarum in today's society. It emphasizes the vital connection between labor and capital, the dignity of workers, and the moral responsibilities of employers. A fascinating matchmaking initiative is explored, promoting structured connections and social responsibility. The conversation also critiques the separation of church and state, the implications of the 14th Amendment, and the importance of homeschooling as a pathway to a robust Catholic education.
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Labor and Capital Complementarity
- Pope Leo XIII emphasized that labor and capital are complementary, not hostile forces.
- Religion should cultivate virtue to harmonize their relationship and prevent injustices.
Private Property as Natural Right
- Rerum Novarum elevated private property to a natural right, influenced by Lockean Thomists.
- This was a novel Catholic recognition differing from previous Thomistic views.
Understanding Subsidiarity
- Subsidiarity means higher authorities should not usurp roles rightly belonging to more proximate authorities.
- This principle strongly supports small government and paternal governance within families.
