Publisher's Synopsis
This book deals with just one aspect of Catholic social teaching, the principle of private property. This aspect is only one among many principles in social ethics, but continues to be the source of controversy. This study examines the degree of continuity in papal teaching on private property between Rerum Novarum (1881) and Laborem Exercens (1981), and how the pontiffs of this century adapted this principle to new problems and developments. The contribution of this volume is the gathering together of the many influences which shaped the teaching of the Magisterium in social ethics in the specific area of property rights. These influences include, among others, the problems facing a pope, the drafters and theologians who assisted in the writing of social encyclicals, schools of thought which influenced contemporary debates, and various objections leveled at this teaching. Contents: Leo XIII and Private Property; Pius XI and Private Property; Pius XII and Private P John XXII and Private Property; Paul VI and Private Property; John Paul II and Private Property; and Conclusions.
