Socialism - A Selection of Papal Quotes and Church Teaching

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I decided to create this post due to a conversation in another thread, where the question was raised if one can be both Catholic and Socialist/Marxist/Communist.

I believe it to be very clear that the answer to the above question is the negative, however it may be helpful to lay out some evidence for this claim.

(This post may be very long as it will include extensive quotation and excerpts, etc.)
The first port of call will be “Rerum Novarum”, Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical on capital and labour as it seems to be the encyclical most explicitly commenting on this ideas.

The document: http://www.vatican.va/content/leo-x...nts/hf_l-xiii_enc_15051891_rerum-novarum.html

Some quotes from that encyclical:

“To remedy these wrongs the socialists, working on the poor man’s envy of the rich, are striving to do away with private property, and contend that individual possessions should become the common property of all, to be administered by the State or by municipal bodies. They hold that by thus transferring property from private individuals to the community, the present mischievous state of things will be set to rights, inasmuch as each citizen will then get his fair share of whatever there is to enjoy. But their contentions are so clearly powerless to end the controversy that were they carried into effect the working man himself would be among the first to suffer. They are, moreover, emphatically unjust, for they would rob the lawful possessor, distort the functions of the State, and create utter confusion in the community.”

“Socialists, therefore, by endeavoring to transfer the possessions of individuals to the community at large, strike at the interests of every wage-earner, since they would deprive him of the liberty of disposing of his wages, and thereby of all hope and possibility of increasing his resources and of bettering his condition in life”

“The socialists, therefore, in setting aside the parent and setting up a State supervision, act against natural justice, and destroy the structure of the home.”

“Hence, it is clear that the main tenet of socialism, community of goods, must be utterly rejected, since it only injures those whom it would seem meant to benefit, is directly contrary to the natural rights of mankind, and would introduce confusion and disorder into the commonweal. The first and most fundamental principle, therefore, if one would undertake to alleviate the condition of the masses, must be the inviolability of private property.” (Emphasis added).
 
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St. Pope John Paul II’s Encyclical “Centesimus Annus” is next:
  1. “The fundamental error of socialism is anthropological in nature. Socialism considers the individual person simply as an element, a molecule within the social organism, so that the good of the individual is completely subordinated to the functioning of the socio-economic mechanism. Socialism likewise maintains that the good of the individual can be realized without reference to his free choice, to the unique and exclusive responsibility which he exercises in the face of good or evil. Man is thus reduced to a series of social relationships, and the concept of the person as the autonomous subject of moral decision disappears, the very subject whose decisions build the social order. From this mistaken conception of the person there arise both a distortion of law, which defines the sphere of the exercise of freedom, and an opposition to private property. A person who is deprived of something he can call “his own,” and of the possibility of earning a living through his own initiative, comes to depend on the social machine and on those who control it. This makes it much more difficult for him to recognize his dignity as a person, and hinders progress towards the building up of an authentic human community.”
  2. “From the same atheistic source, socialism also derives its choice of the means of action condemned in Rerum novarum, namely, class struggle.”
  3. “Therefore class struggle in the Marxist sense and militarism have the same root, namely, atheism and contempt for the human person, which place the principle of force above that of reason and law.”
  4. Rerum novarum is opposed to State control of the means of production, which would reduce every citizen to being a “cog” in the State machine.
  5. “Also worthy of emphasis is the fact that the fall of this kind of “bloc” or empire was accomplished almost everywhere by means of peaceful protest, using only the weapons of truth and justice. While Marxism held that only by exacerbating social conflicts was it possible to resolve them through violent confrontation, the protests which led to the collapse of Marxism tenaciously insisted on trying every avenue of negotiation, dialogue, and witness to the truth, appealing to the conscience of the adversary and seeking to reawaken in him a sense of shared human dignity.”
  6. “Marxism had promised to uproot the need for God from the human heart, but the results have shown that it is not possible to succeed in this without throwing the heart into turmoil.”
 
  1. “In the recent past, the sincere desire to be on the side of the oppressed and not to be cut off from the course of history has led many believers to seek in various ways an impossible compromise between Marxism and Christianity.” (Emphasis added)
  2. In Rerum novarum, Leo XIII strongly affirmed the natural character of the right to private property, using various arguments against the socialism of his time. This right, which is fundamental for the autonomy and development of the person, has always been defended by the Church up to our own day.
  3. “Marxism thus ends up by affirming that only in a collective society can alienation be eliminated. However, the historical experience of socialist countries has sadly demonstrated that collectivism does not do away with alienation but rather increases it, adding to it a lack of basic necessities and economic inefficiency.”
  4. “Besides, Catholic social doctrine is not a surrogate for capitalism. In fact, although decisively condemning “socialism,” the church, since Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum , has always distanced itself from capitalistic ideology, holding it responsible for grave social injustices”
  5. “The Marxist solution has failed, but the realities of marginalization and exploitation remain in the world, especially the Third World, as does the reality of human alienation, especially in the more advanced countries. Against these phenomena the Church strongly raises her voice.” (Emphasis added)
Octogesima Adveniens - Aposotlic Letter of Pope Paul VI
  1. “Too often Christians attracted by socialism tend to idealize it in terms which, apart from anything else, are very general: a will for justice, solidarity and equality. They refuse to recognize the limitations of the historical socialist movements, which remain conditioned by the ideologies from which they originated.”
  2. “While, through the concrete existing form of Marxism, one can distinguish these various aspects and the questions they pose for the reflection and activity of Christians, it would be illusory and dangerous to reach a point of forgetting the intimate link which radically binds them together, to accept the elements of Marxist analysis without recognizing their relationships with ideology, and to enter into the practice of class struggle and its Marxist interpretations, while failing to note the kind of totalitarian and violent society to which this process leads.”
 
*Pope Pius IX - Encyclical “Notis Et Nobiscum”
  1. “You are aware indeed, that the goal of this most iniquitous plot is to drive people to overthrow the entire order of human affairs and to draw them over to the wicked theories of this Socialism and Communism , by confusing them with perverted teachings. But these enemies realize that they cannot hope for any agreement with the Catholic Church, which allows neither tampering with truths proposed by faith, nor adding any new human fictions to them.”
  2. “As regards this teaching and these theories, it is now generally known that the special goal of their proponents is to introduce to the people the pernicious fictions of Socialism and Communism by misapplying the terms “liberty” and “equality.””
  3. “But if the faithful scorn both the fatherly warnings of their pastors and the commandments of the Christian Law recalled here, and if they let themselves be deceived by the present-day promoters of plots, deciding to work with them in their perverted theories of Socialism and Communism , let them know and earnestly consider what they are laying up for themselves. The Divine Judge will seek vengeance on the day of wrath. Until then no temporal benefit for the people will result from their conspiracy, but rather new increases of misery and disaster. For man is not empowered to establish new societies and unions which are opposed to the nature of mankind.”
 
Leo XIII - Encyclical on Socialis “Quod Apostolici Muneris”
  1. “You understand, venerable brethren, that We speak of that sect of men who, under various and almost barbarous names, are called socialists, communists, or nihilists, and who, spread over all the world, and bound together by the closest ties in a wicked confederacy, no longer seek the shelter of secret meetings, but, openly and boldly marching forth in the light of day, strive to bring to a head what they have long been planning - the overthrow of all civil society whatsoever.”
  2. “They debase the natural union of man and woman, which is held sacred even among barbarous peoples; and its bond, by which the family is chiefly held together, they weaken, or even deliver up to lust. Lured, in fine, by the greed of present goods, which is “the root of all evils, which some coveting have erred from the faith,”(3) they assail the right of property sanctioned by natural law; and by a scheme of horrible wickedness, while they seem desirous of caring for the needs and satisfying the desires of all men, they strive to seize and hold in common whatever has been acquired either by title of lawful inheritance, or by labor of brain and hands, or by thrift in one’s mode of life.”
  3. “For, “the church of the living God, which is the pillar and ground of truth,”(6) hands down those doctrines and precepts whose special object is the safety and peace of society and the uprooting of the evil growth of socialism.”
  4. “Even family life itself, which is the cornerstone of all society and government, necessarily feels and experiences the salutary power of the Church,… You know also that the doctrines of socialism strive almost completely to dissolve this union; since, that stability which is imparted to it by religious wedlock being lost, it follows that the power of the father over his own children, and the duties of the children toward their parents, must be greatly weakened.”
  5. “And since they know that the Church of Christ has such power to ward off the plague of socialism as cannot be found in human laws, in the mandates of magistrates, or in the force of armies, let them restore that Church to the condition and liberty in which she may exert her healing force for the benefit of all society.”
 
Pope Leo XIII - Encyclical “Graves de Communi Re”
  1. “At the very beginning of Our pontificate We clearly pointed out what the peril was which confronted society on this head, and We deemed it Our duty to warn Catholics, in unmistakable language, how great the error was which was lurking in the utterances of socialism, and how great the danger was that threatened not only their temporal possessions, but also their morality and religion.”
  2. “They differ from each other as much as the sect of socialism differs from the profession of Christianity.”
  3. “This is the intention; this is the work of those who wish that the people should be animated by Christian sentiments and should be protected from the contamination of socialism which threatens them.”
  4. “The harvest of misery is before our eyes, and the dreadful projects of the most disastrous national upheavals are threatening us from the growing power of the socialistic movement.”
Benedict XV - Encyclical “Ad Beatissimi Apostolorum”
  1. “It is not our intention here to repeat the arguments which clearly expose the errors of Socialism and of similar doctrines. Our predecessor, Leo XIII, most wisely did so in truly memorable Encyclicals; and you, Venerable Brethren, will take the greatest care that those grave precepts are never forgotten, but that whenever circumstances call for it, they should be clearly expounded and inculcated in Catholic associations and congresses, in sermons and in the Catholic press.”
 
Pope Pius XI - Encyclical “Quadragesimo Anno”
  1. “Other Encyclicals of Our Predecessor had in a way prepared the path for that outstanding document and proof of pastoral care: namely, those on the family and the Holy Sacrament of Matrimony as the source of human society,[1] on the origin of civil authority[2] and its proper relations with the Church,[3] on the chief duties of Christian citizens,[4] against the tenets of Socialism[5] against false teachings on human liberty,[6] and others of the same nature fully expressing the mind of Leo XIII.” (Emphasis added)
  2. "There remains to Us, after again calling to judgment the economic system now in force and its most bitter accuser, Socialism, and passing explicit and just sentence upon them, to search out more thoroughly the root of these many evils and to point out that the first and most necessary remedy is a reform of morals. "
  3. “Socialism, against which Our Predecessor, Leo XIII, had especially to inveigh, has since his time changed no less profoundly than the form of economic life. For Socialism, which could then be termed almost a single system and which maintained definite teachings reduced into one body of doctrine, has since then split chiefly into two sections, often opposing each other and even bitterly hostile, without either one however abandoning a position fundamentally contrary to Christian truth that was characteristic of Socialism.”
  4. "If Socialism, like all errors, contains some truth (which, moreover, the Supreme Pontiffs have never denied), it is based nevertheless on a theory of human society peculiar to itself and irreconcilable with true Christianity. Religious socialism, Christian socialism, are contradictory terms; no one can be at the same time a good Catholic and a true socialist. (Emphasis added)
  5. “And so, Venerable Brethren and Beloved Sons, having surveyed the present economic system, We have found it laboring under the gravest of evils. We have also summoned Communism and Socialism again to judgment and have found all their forms, even the most modified, to wander far from the precepts of the Gospel.” (Emphasis added)
  6. “We make this pronouncement: Whether considered as a doctrine, or an historical fact, or a movement, Socialism, if it remains truly Socialism, even after it has yielded to truth and justice on the points which we have mentioned, cannot be reconciled with the teachings of the Catholic Church because its concept of society itself is utterly foreign to Christian truth.”
 
Pope John XXIII - Encyclical “Mater et Magistra”
  1. "Pope Pius XI further emphasized the fundamental opposition between Communism and Christianity, and made it clear that no Catholic could subscribe even to moderate Socialism. The reason is that Socialism is founded on a doctrine of human society which is bounded by time and takes no account of any objective other than that of material well-being. Since, therefore, it proposes a form of social organization which aims solely at production, it places too severe a restraint on human liberty, at the same time flouting the true notion of social authority. " (Emhasis added)
Other Quotations:

Pope Pius XI further emphasized the fundamental opposition between Communism and Christianity, and made it clear that no Catholic could subscribe even to moderate Socialism. The reason is that Socialism is founded on a doctrine of human society which is bounded by time and takes no account of any objective other than that of material well-being. Since, therefore, it proposes a form of social organization which aims solely at production; it places too severe a restraint on human liberty, at the same time flouting the true notion of social authority. - Pope John XXIII, from a radio message.
 
Wow that was a whole lot longer than I thought. Anyway sorry if that’s a lot, and some of the numbering got messed up due to the automatic numbering thing, but there you go. 🙂
 
Now please give us your definition of socialism. And note I didn’t ask for the definition, but yours. There are many.

One point caught my eye as I skimmed those posts which was one definition of socialism as being the collective ownership of all property. Say what? There are people who class themsleves as socialists who don’t believe that all means of production should be state owned let alone private property.

Most people’s idea of socialism is that some part of the social system is not run by individuals but controlled by the government on behalf of the people. This happens already such as as police forces, fire brigades, some medical facilities etc.

So there are various degrees of socialism as well as different definitions. And are suggesting that everyone discusses on view on the matter.

Good luck with that…
 
Catholic social teaching is much more nuanced than the above quotes presume to show. We work under a dichotomy of capitalism/socialism. Therefore if the Church condemns socialism, we must be good followers of Mises and Friedman. That’s not how Catholic social teaching works.
 
To be fair, I’ve shared several papal documents about socialism on CAF. I think there are just some folks that are unlikely to be convinced. I myself think socialism is a terrible thing, although I have critiques of pure capitalism, too.
 
StudentMI said:
Catholic social teaching is much more nuanced than the above quotes presume to show. We work under a dichotomy of capitalism/socialism. Therefore if the Church condemns socialism, we must be good followers of Mises and Friedman. That’s not how Catholic social teaching works.
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Thanks for that. I agree, it’s not an either/or situation. It’s more ‘does this specific part of the system (however you want to describe it), align with church teaching?’ Tagging the term ‘socialism’ to anything at all will have a large proportion of the population dismiss it immediately without needing an explanation of how it works.
 
Yes. It’s very practical, always with a focus to the common good. If you read places like the Acton Institute you get a skewed view of what the Church teaches. If you read actual papal encyclicals and statements you’ll see a much more varied approach, including things like socialization of certain means of production, community organized welfare systems, worked owned resources, free markets, etc
 
StudentMI said:
…including things like socialization of certain means of production, community organized welfare systems, worked owned resources, free markets, etc
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There’s all your red flags right there. You can imagine that sentence being used in a Trump rally just to get the crowd whipped up.
 
Freddy said:
There’s all your red flags right there. You can imagine that sentence being used in a Trump rally just to get the crowd whipped up.
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Oh definitely. Unfortunately especially in the US Catholics know little of Church social teaching. One side focuses on top down governance through and through, the other advocates unbridled capitalism. It’s unfortunate. Look at the furor over Pope Francis’ statements and how people seriously asked ‘is he a Marxist?’ St John Paul II, who right wingers love to say defeated communism, said far more left wing sounding things than Francis ever has.
 
Is politics taught in the US? I’m assuming you’re from there for some reason. I travelled around the States last year for a few months. Mostly the southern states. But my wife and I had a rule: if we’re propping a bar somewhere (which was most nights) and we get talking to the locals (which happened in most bars) then do not talk about guns, religion or politics. I’m not sure that after a few beers a left leaning, gun control atheist would have gone down too well.

So absent a few close calls, politics was rarely discussed with our hosts. A lost opportunity. But at least I came home with all my teeth intact.
 
Freddy said:
Is politics taught in the US? I’m assuming you’re from there for some reason.
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I’m from Michigan, yes. I was homeschooled from fourth grade on so my political education was more varied to say the least. I remember in first grade we were shown a documentary on Martin Luther King and I came away with the impression that America was racist until he died, and then everyone mourned him and racism was gone. Almost like he was a messiah figure. That may have been my Lutheran upbringing that gave me that conclusion but it seemed like the movie made that point.
 
Freddy said:
Now please give us your definition of socialism. And note I didn’t ask for the definition, but yours. There are many.
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Nope. I posted this for fellow Catholics, to help them understand the Church’s teaching.
Not to start an argument about socialism x and socialism y.
 
But in Europe, in the nineteenth century, the two models were joined by a third, socialism, which quickly split into two different branches, one totalitarian and the other democratic. Democratic socialism managed to fit within the two existing models as a welcome counterweight to the radical liberal positions, which it developed and corrected. It also managed to appeal to various denominations. In England it became the political party of the Catholics, who had never felt at home among either the Protestant conservatives or the liberals. In Wilhelmine Germany, too, Catholic groups felt closer to democratic socialism than to the rigidly Prussian and Protestant conservative forces. In many respects, democratic socialism was and is close to Catholic social doctrine and has in any case made a remarkable contribution to the formation of a social consciousness.
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In this day and age we must define what we mean by socialism, as the above quote illustrates.
 
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