Catholic Social Thought: Encyclicals and Documents from Pope Leo XIII to Pope Francis (3rd Revised Edition)

This newly revised edition of the classic textbook offers students and scholars access to more than one hundred years of official statements of the Catholic Church on social issues. With documents ranging from Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum (1891) to Pope Francis’s Laudato Si’ (2015), this is the single most comprehensive collection available of the primary documents of Catholic social thought. Each document is preceded by an introductory essay and helpful notes, making it an exceptional teaching aid as well as reference tool.

David J. O’Brien is Professor Emeritus of Catholic Studies at the College of the Holy Cross. He has served as President of the Catholic Historical Association.
Thomas A. Shannon is Professor Emeritus of Religion and Social Ethics at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA.