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An Important Encyclical's 10th Anniversary By Msgr. George G. Higgins The Yardstick August 27, 2001     This year marks the 10th anniversary of Pope John Paul II's encyclical "Centesimus Annus." In celebrating this anniversary, the Acton Institute -- a conservative Catholic think tank located in Grand Rapids, Mich., and directed by Father Robert Sirico -- published in a special edition of its official periodical a series of articles on the highlights of the encyclical.     Disappointingly, little or nothing is said in these articles about John Paul's teaching on the role of unions in a free and democratic society.     This is a case of deja vu all over again, for my own notes show that when "Centesimus Annus" was published in 1991, the media in general and conservative and neoconservative publications in particular either ignored or played down those sections of the encyclical dealing with the role of unions.     There is no one section of the encyclical dealing exclusively and comprehensively with the trade union question. Taken as a whole, however, the encyclical's treatment of the issue is impressive.     Like Pope Leo XIII, John Paul II -- who already had written a major encyclical on human work in 1981, "Laborem Exercens" -- offers a strong and unambiguous defense of trade unions.     After paying tribute to the labor movement in various regions of the world for its leadership during the past century in promoting the kinds of reform advocated in Leo XIII's "Rerum Novarum," the pope emphasizes that there is still a need for a strong and effective labor movement, not only in the Third World, but also in economically developed countries.     Unions, he says, are important not only in negotiating labor contracts, but also as "places where workers can express themselves. They serve the development of an authentic culture of work and help workers to share in a fully human way in the life of their places of employment."     In a related context, the pope, as he had done previously in "Laborem Exercens," emphasizes "the legitimacy of workers' efforts to obtain full respect for their dignity and to gain broader areas of participation in the life of industrial enterprises so that ... they can in a certain sense work for themselves through the exercise of their intelligence and freedom."     This is a clear call for new experiments in co-management and co-ownership and, in general, for a broader definition of the role of trade unions over and above their somewhat limited role in traditional collective bargaining.     The Associated Press summary of "Centesimus Annus" 10 years ago quoted Jim Green, a well-known labor historian at the University of Massachusetts, as saying that the encyclical is important at a time when unions have been criticized as special-interest groups.     Professor Green was right about that. The labor movement from top to bottom has welcomed the encyclical enthusiastically as a statement of its moral authority and as further evidence, if such is needed, that Catholic social teaching, going all the way back to "Rerum Novarum," is strongly supportive of labor's legitimate goals and, as indicated above, favors a broadening of these goals with a view to developing expanded forms of genuine economic democracy.     It remains to be seen when American conservatives and neoconservatives will respond in practice, as opposed to pure theory, to the pope's strong endorsement of trade unions and his equally strong words about the legitimacy of workers' efforts to gain broader areas of participation in the life of the industrial enterprises in which they are employed.   Papal Social Encyclicals    Other Catholic Social Teachings General Articles of Interest   Catholic Worker Connection Msgr. George Higgins  Home Page E-Mail: Fr. Sinclair Oubre