By Nate Nehring / Herald Forum
The election of American-born Cardinal Robert Prevost as the pope has given Catholics and non-Catholics alike reason to celebrate. The anticipation of the conclave was felt throughout the world, and the announcement of the first American pope was cause for joy in our country in particular. While the immediate excitement around the conclave and election of Pope Leo XIV is temporary, the Holy Father’s first action as the new pope gives lasting and practical reason for hope and joy.
The first action of a pope following the acceptance of his new role is to choose his papal name. In choosing his name, Pope Leo XIV has drawn a clear connection to his namesake from the 19th century, Pope Leo XIII: “I chose to take the name Leo XIV. There are different reasons for this, but mainly because Pope Leo XIII in his historic encyclical Rerum novarum addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution.”
Several years ago, I read Rerum novarum for the first time. This document has more meaningfully influenced my understanding of the rights of workers and the human dignity associated with labor than any other source. The text begins by making the case for the protection of private property against the ideology of Marxism. The highlight then follows that while each individual or employer has the right to private property, we ought not utilize this selfishly. Instead, once essential needs are taken care of, the remainder should go toward those whose essential needs are not yet cared for:
“Private ownership, as we have seen, is the natural right of man, and to exercise that right, especially as members of society, is not only lawful, but absolutely necessary. ‘It is lawful,’ says St. Thomas Aquinas, ‘for a man to hold private property; and it is also necessary for the carrying on of human existence.’ But if the question be asked: How must one’s possessions be used? — the Church replies without hesitation in the words of the same holy Doctor: ‘Man should not consider his material possessions as his own, but as common to all, so as to share them without hesitation when others are in need.’” (Paragraph 22)
In the context of Rerum novarum, it can be understood that the employer has an ethical duty to ensure that workers are paid just wages that can support the worker’s family. The document goes on to underline the dignity of the worker and the importance of work, which is a co-participation in the creative nature of God. Workers must be viewed not as means to an end but as ends in themselves: “The following duties bind the wealthy owner and the employer: not to look upon their work people as their bondsmen, but to respect in every man his dignity.” (Paragraph 20)
This 1891 encyclical was published in the context of the Industrial Revolution. Our newly-elected Pope Leo XIV recently offered his own commentary on the applicability of the social teaching of Rerum novarum in today’s society: “In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice and labor.”
In the coming years, many, if not all, sectors across our economy will face the challenges and opportunities presented by the emergence of artificial intelligence. As we consider the potential benefits such as increased productivity and lower costs, Pope Leo XIV’s election and namesake is a welcome reminder that our economic future must not neglect the human dignity of work and the paramount protection of the working class.
Nate Nehring is the chair of the Snohomish County Council, representing District 1. He and his wife live in Arlington, where they are raising their three young children.
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