Thoughts on Responding to Magnifica Humanitas

There has been a good deal of discussion and analysis done on Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical.  This is, of course, only to be expected, as are the usual comments about the true aims and goals of the Catholic Church’s social encyclicals.  Consequently, everyone talks about what is in them, but not what they are, and especially not what social justice is or how to understand it.

The Virginia Declaration of Rights and the Just Third Way

This coming Friday, June 12, 2026, is the 250^th anniversary of the adoption of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, the first article of which is generally consistent with the Just Third Way of Economic Personalism: “That all men are by nature equally free and independent, and have certain inherent rights, of which, when they enter into a state of society, they cannot, by any compact, deprive or divest their posterity; namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.”

Making Sense of Social Justice

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

MAKING SENSE OF SOCIAL JUSTICE

A Guide to Understanding Magnifica Humanitas is Now Available in Spanish

 

(Arlington, Virginia, USA, May 15, 2026) Justice University Press, an imprint of the Center for Economic and Social Justice (CESJ), a think tank promoting a free market, private property-based approach to widespread capital ownership without redistribution, is pleased to announce the release of Personalismo Económico: Propiedad, Poder y Justicia para Cada Persona (ISBN: 978-1-60210-011-4), a book applying the personalist thought of Pope John Paul II. Translated into Spanish by Dr. María Teresa Rosón de Pérez Lozano of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina in Buenos Aires, Personalismo Económico makes Economic Personalism: Property, Power and Justice for Every Person (2020) by Michael D. Greaney and Dawn K. Brohawn available to a new audience.

A short but substantive work, Personalismo Económico presents a summary of natural law moral principles and sound methods of finance designed to establish and maintain economic justice for all. In English or in Spanish, Personalismo Económico is an essential orientation to understand and advance the message of Pope Leo XIV’s new encyclical for people of all faiths and philosophies everywhere.

Dar Sentido a la Justicia Social

PARA PUBLICACIÓN INMEDIATA

DAR SENTIDO A LA JUSTICIA SOCIAL

Una guía para comprender Magnifica Humanitas ya está disponible en español

 

(Arlington, Virginia, EE. UU., 15 de mayo de 2026) Justice University Press, una editorial del Centro para la Justicia Económica y Social (CESJ), un grupo de expertos que promueve un enfoque de libre mercado basado en la propiedad privada para una propiedad generalizada del capital sin redistribución, se complace en anunciar el lanzamiento de Personalismo Económico: Propiedad, Poder y Justicia para Cada Persona (ISBN: 978-1-60210-011-4), un libro que aplica el pensamiento personalista del Papa Juan Pablo II. Traducido al español por la Dra. María Teresa Rosón de Pérez Lozano de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Argentina en Buenos Aires, Personalismo Económico pone a disposición de una nueva audiencia Economic Personalism: Property, Power and Justice for Every Person (2020) de Michael D. Greaney y Dawn K. Brohawn.

Una obra breve pero sustantiva, Personalismo Económico presenta un resumen de los principios morales de la ley natural y métodos sólidos de finanzas diseñados para establecer y mantener la justicia económica para todos. En inglés o en español, Personalismo Económico es una orientación esencial para comprender y promover el mensaje de la nueva encíclica del Papa León XIV para personas de todas las religiones y filosofías en todo el mundo.

A New Encyclical . . . So What?

Word on the street is Pope Leo XIV is issuing a new “encyclical” on May 15, 2026.  The document, provisionally titled Magnifica Humanitas (hmmm . . .) is expected to be a follow-up on Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 effort, Rerum Novarum, “On Labor and Capital,” which some (erroneously, if it matters) consider the first “social encyclical.”

Economic Personalism and Distributism, Part II: Analysis

    In last week’s posting on this subject, we briefly answered four questions posed by a professor about distributism and the Just Third Way of Economic Personalism: 1) What lead you to become a proponent of this economic system in the first place? 2) What are a few of the most important principles of this economic system? 3) What do you see as the major advantages of this system? 4) What are the major challenges?

Economic Personalism and Distributism, Part I: Questions and Answers

  Recently a genuine college professor got in touch with us and asked us if we would mind answering a few questions about the Just Third Way of Economic Personalism.  He wanted to know how it stacks up against “distributism.”  Yes, we are aware that some (former) distributists now insist on calling the system developed by G.K. Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc “localism.”

Faith, Reason, and Irrationality

As we have often noted on this blog, we like it when Faithful Readers send in comments or questions we can answer and use as the raw material for a posting . . . especially when the FR does most of the work him- or herself.  Today’s question-and-answer is from a Reader who is both Faithful and faithful (although not in our faith), whom we shall call “Rocky.”  And what was her (or his, as the case may be) comment or question . . . or a bit of both?  As Rocky (and maybe even Bullwinkle) said,

Whither Venezuela?

 After spending most of the first part of this week bemoaning the effect of AI on readin’ and ritin’ after viewing several videos on the subject — we ain’t got no information on no ’rithmetic — we decided to surrender to the machine (while reserving the right to criticize such dependency at such time as we are no longer pressed for time and can take the time to write something ourselves) and steal a summary one of the AI programs generated for a proposal the Center for Economic and Social Justice (CESJ) put forward a number of years ago and dusted off in light of what we can euphemistically call “recent events.”

A Short Course in Social Justice, I: What is Social Justice?

Ask anybody.  Go ahead.  We dare you.  For best results, carry a microphone and have somebody pointing a videocam at you and whoever (or whatever) you are asking.  And the question? “What is social justice?”

Can It Happen Here? Part II: The Solution

 Last week we took a look at a book with a hook in a nook with a cook.  That in itself is not unusual, even without a visit from Dr. Suess.  We read a lot of books.  We even write a lot of books.

Can It Happen Here? Part I: The Problem

 Recently, a Faithful Reader sent us a copy of “Disappeared to a Foreign Prison” by Sarah Stillman, from the November 24, 2025, issue of The New Yorker.  No, this is not a commentary on the New Yorker article, but on a few thoughts that bubbled up as we read the article.

The Meaning and Purpose of Life, II: Justice as Love

In Part I of this article, we looked at the question, “Why do I exist?” as answered by the legendary Fulton Sheen.  Admittedly, Sheen’s answer was framed within a specific philosophy and religious faith, but that takes nothing away from its universality.  To summarize, the meaning and purpose of life is to become more fully human by conforming yourself to human nature.

The Meaning and Purpose of Life, I: The Burning Question

If we believe media hype and the typical behavior of other people, the answer to the question as to the meaning and purpose of life is to be better, have more, or do more than someone else.  If we believe philosophers and spiritual leaders, however, we tend to come up with a different response, and one that argues a fundamentally different orientation than treating other people as either competition or accomplices.

What Would Trajan Do? Part II

 As we saw last week, Ancient Rome had a problem with slaves convicted of crimes doing the work of honest municipal slaves, receiving pay and benefits, and generally causing scandal by taking jobs from other slaves and foreigners.  Still, rather than simply get rid of the illegal slaves (which would have exacerbated the chronic labor shortage), the Emperor Trajan came up with a solution.

What Would Trajan Do? Part I

 Once upon a time, in the glory days of the Roman Empire, Pliny the Younger had a problem.  It seems certain slaves of the lesser sort — those who had been condemned to slavery for criminal activities — had managed to insinuate themselves into the ranks of municipal slaves.

Own or Be . . . What?

 AI — Artificial Intelligence — has been in the news a lot recently.  Possibly this is because the powers-that-be and so-called world leaders seem to exhibit so little of the natural kind.  That purportedly being the case, a regular reader of this blog began asking questions of AI (who better to ask?) about what people who have always worked for a living or who expected to have to work for a living are going to do when AI has taken all the jobs, the Universal Basic Income bites the dust, and the government can no longer fund welfare or even Social Security.

Dignity, Sovereignty, Faith, and Reason

In today’s posting, we’re taking a look at some basic principles of the Just Third Way of Economic Personalism.  As we understand it, the Just Third Way begins and ends with the dignity and sovereignty of the human person. Any plan, program, activity, or thought contrary to or which undermines the dignity or sovereignty of the human person must be rejected or reformed to the point where it either enhances human dignity or at least does no material harm.

Personalism and Justice

Recently we got an enquiry regarding a misunderstanding about our use of the term “Economic Personalism” and some potential confusion with the virtue of justice.  Someone (Person A) had expressed disagreement with our using the term Economic Personalism to describe a type of economic democracy and then asked if we were trying to change the name of the Center for Economic and Social Justice to the Center for Economic Personalism.  Quick answer: No.

A Rational Approach to Taxation, Part I

Reportedly, vice presidential candidate Tim Walz “created ‘the most progressive tax system in the country’ for Minnesota.”  Pundits believe this will help Kamala Harris in her tax proposals.  It will probably do that . . . but are Harris’s tax proposals what is needed?  Come to think of it, are Trump’s tax proposals any better?