On Thu, 4 Jun 1998, Richard Marens wrote:
> >
> And the Catholic Church played a big role in the "contribution" side of
> the equation. I suspect alot of Catholic Social Thought, which derives
> from the Thomistic notion that private property is fine as long as it is
> used for moral purpose, is in part based on nostalgia for this
> socio-economic role. Rerum Novarum, corporativism, the "human relations"
> school, Catholic unionism (which includes a good deal of American
> unionism) all contain an element of this attitude: that the upper class
> has responsibilities as well as rights, and the Church would be there to
> mediate and counsel both sides to end conflict.
I think Rerum Novarum was written out of fear that many working catholics would leave the church for socialist/communist parties.
Frances