The main points of Rerum novarum include the necessity of private property, the dignity of labor, the mutual responsibilities of employers and workers, workers’ right to organize, the state’s role in protecting the rights of workers, and the Roman Catholic Church’s role in responding to societal changes and serving as a moral authority. Rerum novarum also responded to ideologies that developed from the Industrial Revolution: socialism and communism. The encyclical rejects socialism, stating it injures those it aims to benefit, contradicts natural rights, and causes confusion and disorder.
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