The Reception on the Encyclical Rerum novarum on the Polish Territories (1891-1918)

Abstract

The author limits the reception of the encyclical to some official enunciations made by the Catholic bishops of the Latin rite, concerning the social question. Aside to the Church's official teaching there were also other forms of its reception, ie the text of the encyclical was published in the press, commentaries were written etc. The author has taken into account fourteen Polish dioceses: three in the Prussian sector four in the Austrian and seven in the Russian. In each of the mentioned sectors the social and political situation was different. In the period of 1891-1918 the bishops announced over 120 pastoral letters and appeals devoted to the social question. Half of those letters and appeals was published in the Russian sector. The pastoral letters, following the line of the encyclical, severely criticised liberalism and socialism. Much attention, however, was devoted to the evaluation of the results of liberalism. Archbp. J. Bilczewski writes about the decline of morality, abysmal poverty of the working people, splitting of families and practical materialism. The author pinpoints that the fact that the bishops took an interest in the working people question was induced by socialism.

Aside to the principles of the Christian social order the bishops put forward a lot of postulates of the social reform. They touched upon the problem of family wages, the protection of women's and children's labour, holiday rest, duration of a working day and problem of accomodation. In two letters the bishops talk about setting minimum wages and about the workers participation in the enterprise's profits (Archbp. Bilczewski and bp. Pelczar). Strike was meant to be a possible solution. The bishops from the Austrian sector dealt mainly with the problems of the countryside. Archbp. Bilczewski postulated establishing a trade association of all workers from the country.

Those who took part in a survey carried out by „Przegląd Powszechny” (1906) thought that the most expedient thing was to spread the Christian social teaching and social work in keeping with the encyclical Rerum novarum.