Afable, Athena

Briones, Isabel
Cabuslay, Kath
Gayod, Jaira
Lee, Suyeon

Laborem Exercens on Human Dignity, Common Good and Social Justice

Background (Lee & Gayod)

John Paul II wrote the Encyclical “Laborem Exercens” in 1981, on the 90th anniversary
of Leo XIII’s Encyclical “Rerum Novarum” on the question of labor. It was signed on September
14, feast of the Holy Cross.-VATICAN CITY DEC, 4, 1997.
1. In “Laborem Excercens” the concept of man’s dignity in work, structuring it in four
points: the subordination of work to man;
2. the primacy of the worker over the whole of instruments and conditioning that
historically constitute the world of labor;
3. the rights of the human person as the determining factor of all socio-economic,
technological and productive processes, that must be recognized;
4. Some elements that can help all men identify with Christ through their own work.
The Encyclical has an introduction and four chapters: “Work and Man,” “Conflict
Between Labor and Capital in the Present Phase of History,” “Rights of Workers,” and
“Elements for a Spirituality of Work.”

The Pope was not able to issue the document in time for the May 15 anniversary because
of an attempt on his life on May 13, 1981. He published Laborem Exercens a few months later,
in September 1981.
Some of the trends mentioned by John Paul within the encyclical are:
● Increased use of technology, especially information technology, which John Paul
predicted would bring changes comparable to the industrial revolution of the previous
century.
● Environmental issues. The Pope noted that some resources, particularly oil, were
becoming scarce. Also, the need to protect the environment was becoming apparent.
● People in the developing world wanted to be more involved in the global economy. John
Paul welcomed this trend, but feared it would bring unemployment for many skilled
workers as work was distributed more widely.
Not mentioned in the encyclical, but surely in John Paul’s mind as he addressed the
question of work, was the foundation of Solidarity, an independent trade union with strong
Catholic roots, in his native Poland in 1980. John Paul knew Lech Walesa, Solidarity’s founder,
and had met with him more than once during a homecoming visit in 1979.
Chapter 1 - Introduction (Gayod)
Pope John Paul states in the introduction that man "is the primary and fundamental way
for the Church" from his other encyclical, Redemptor Hominis. He emphasizes man as focal
point through redemption. And work is one of the ways that he achieves it. He emphasizes work
in this excerpt:

“Work is one of these aspects, a perennial and fundamental one, one that is always
relevant and constantly demands renewed attention and decisive witness. Because fresh
questions and problems are always arising, there are always fresh hopes, but also fresh fears and
threats, connected with this basic dimension of human existence: man's life is built up every day
from work, from work it derives its specific dignity, but at the same time work contains the
unceasing measure of human toil and suffering, and also of the harm and injustice which
penetrate deeply into social life within individual nations and on the international level.”

Pope John Paul elucidates and stresses the importance of work and what is entailed in the
term. He discusses that work has become an issue that is essential for the Church to discuss.
Another excerpt contains his views with regards to work and Church:

“It is not for the Church to analyze scientifically the consequences that these changes
may have on human society. But the Church considers it her task always to call attention to the
dignity and rights of those who work, to condemn situations in which that dignity and those
rights are violated, and to help to guide the above-mentioned changes so as to ensure authentic
progress by man and society.”

Chapter 2 - Work and Man (Afable)

Human dignity: Work is a fundamental action of man's existence on earth. The finality of
the work is always man himself. It takes objective and subjective meaning of work but the
second takes precedence "there is no doubt that human work has an ethical value of its own. And
means that one that carries out as a person is a subject himself." Technology is man's ally it can
be a man's enemy that takes away responsibility and satisfaction.
Social justice: That "in order to achieve social justice in the various parts of the world, in
the various countries, and in the relationships between them, there is a need for ever new
movements of solidarity of the workers and with the workers."
Common good: Work is a good thing for man - a good thing for his humanity - because
through work man not only transforms nature, adapting it to his own needs, but he also achieves
fulfillment as a human being and indeed, in a sense, becomes 'more a human being

Chapter 3 -Conflict Between Labor and Capital in the Present Phase of History (Briones)

~Basic priorities as a framework for discussing issues of labor, capital, and property ownership
*labor takes precedence over capital
*people are more important than things

~Ideas that are considered ERRORS: materialism and economism

~The pope recommended instead a philosophy of personalism

Chapter 4 - Rights of Workers (Cabuslay)

The Holy Father highlights that the human rights that are derived from work are a part of the
fundamental rights of the person.
· He discusses the need to take action against unemployment, which is a true social calamity
and a problem of a moral as well as an economic nature.
· Starting with the concept of the "indirect employer," in other words, "all the agents at the
national and international level that are responsible for the whole orientation of labor policy," he
notes that in order to solve the problem of unemployment, these agents "must make provision for
overall planning."
· It is fitting that women "should be able to fulfill their tasks in accordance with their own
nature, without being discriminated against and without being excluded from jobs for which they
are capable, but also without lack of respect for their family aspirations and for their specific role
in contributing, together with men, to the good of society."
· Besides wages, there are other social benefits whose objective is "to ensure the life and
health of workers and their families." In this regard, he notes the right to leisure time, which
should include weekly rest and yearly vacations.
· He affirms that man has the right to leave his country to seek better living conditions in
another. "The most important thing is that the person working away from his native land,
whether as a permanent emigrant or as a seasonal worker, should not be placed at a disadvantage
in comparison with the other workers in that society in the matter of working rights."

Chapter 5 - Elements of spirituality in work

In this last chapter, he underlines the elements that help give labor the meaning that it has
in God's eyes. Thus, "the knowledge that by means of work man shares in the work of creation
constitutes the most profound motive for undertaking it in various sectors." Pope John Paul
explains the importance of work in spirituality, elucidating the parts of the Bible that holds labor
in high esteem.
He also states that:
 “The Church considers it her duty to speak out on work from the viewpoint of its human
value and of the moral order to which it belongs, and she sees this as one of her important tasks
within the service that she renders to the evangelical message as a whole. At the same time she
sees it as her particular duty to form a spirituality of work which will help all people to come
closer, through work, to God, the Creator and Redeemer, to participate in his salvific plan for
man and the world and to deepen their friendship with Christ in their lives by accepting, through
faith, a living participation in his threefold mission as Priest, Prophet and King, as the Second
Vatican Council so eloquently teaches.”
Labor is participation in the work of the Creator and the Redeemer. Jesus Christ looks
upon work with love because he himself was a laborer. This is a doctrine, and at the same time a
program, that is rooted in the "Gospel of work" proclaimed by Jesus of Nazareth.
"By enduring the toil of work in union with Christ crucified for us, man in a way
collaborates with the Son of God for the redemption of humanity. He shows himself a true
disciple of Christ by carrying the cross in his turn every day in the activity that he is called upon
to perform.”
“In these present reflections devoted to human work we have tried to emphasize
everything that seemed essential to it, since it is through man's labour that not only "the fruits of
our activity" but also "human dignity, brotherhood and freedom" must increase on earth. Let the
Christian who listens to the word of the living God, uniting work with prayer, know the place
that his work has not only in earthly progress but also in the development ot the Kingdom of
God, to which we are all called through the power of the Holy Spirit and through the word of the
Gospel.”
At the very end, the Holy Father notes that he prepared this document for publication on
May 15, the date of the 90th anniversary of "Rerum Novarum," but that due to his hospital stay
after the attempt on his life on May 13, he was not able to complete the definitive revision on
time.