Sardaryan G.T. Liberal turn of the Catholic social teaching during the pontificate of Leo XIII

Abstract: The subject of this research is the perception by the Catholic Church of the problems of development and establishment of the states in the late XIX – early XX centuries, as well as significant changes in reactionary approach of the Church, inherent to it during the first years after the French Revolution. The object of this research is the Catholic social teaching during the period of pontificate of Leo XIII. The author gives particular attention to the key encyclical “Rerum Novarum”, and underlines that it should not be viewed as the starting point of the Catholic social doctrine, but rather as a crucial state in its development. The main conclusion consists in the fact that the popular in the Western and Russian science approach, which suggests consideration of the pontificate of Leo XIII as the reference point of the Catholic social doctrine, is inherently erroneous. Moreover, the assurance that “Rerum Novarum” and other encyclicals of Leo XIII are the embodiment of the liberal turn of the Catholic Church, is quite far from the truth. Nevertheless, it in no way diminishes the importance of the change of paradigm of perception of democracy and liberalism realized by Leo XIII.

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