Laborem Exercens
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Latin : Through work Encyclical letter of Pope John Paul II |
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| Date | 14 September 1981 |
| Argument | On Human Work on the 90th anniversary of Rerum novarum |
| Encyclical number | 3 of 14 of the pontificate |
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Laborem exercens (Latin: Through Work) is an encyclical written by Pope John Paul II in 1981, on human work. It is part of the larger body of Catholic social teaching, which traces its origin to Pope Leo XIII's 1891 encyclical Rerum novarum.
It had become customary for popes to publish new writings on social issues at ten-year intervals since Rerum novarum, in order to keep the teachings relevant to the current times. Laborem exercens was written in honor of the 90th anniversary, and makes reference to Rerum novarum and to several of the subsequent writings.
The pope was not able to issue the document on the May 15 anniversary because of the assassination attempt two days earlier. He published Laborem exercens a few months later, in September 1981.
Some of the trends mentioned by John Paul within the encyclical are:
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.
Laborem exercens begins with a scriptural argument that work is more than just an activity or a commodity, but an essential part of human nature.
Work was not a result of Adam’s sin, but was given to humanity from the moment of creation. John Paul draws from this passage the conclusion that work is essential to human nature, and that "man is the subject of work."
Man has to subdue the earth and dominate it, because as the "image of God" he is a person, that is to say, a subjective being capable of acting in a planned and rational way, capable of deciding about himself, and with a tendency to self-realization. As a person, man is therefore the subject of work.
John Paul makes a distinction between work and toil. Work is an integral part of human nature; while toil, according to Genesis, was a consequence of sin. The two cannot be separated now, but we can still find the uplifting and fulfilling aspect of work, which John Paul names industriousness.
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