Reprint of the original, first published in 1882.

Many claim that Catholic Social Teaching implies the existence of a vast welfare state. In these pages, Anthony Esolen pulls back the curtain on these false philosophers, showing how they’ve undermined the authentic social teachings of the Church in order to neutralize the biggest threat to their plans for secularization — the Catholic Church. With the voluminous writings of Pope Leo XIII as his guide, Esolen explains that Catholic Social Teaching isn’t focused exclusively on serving the poor. Indeed, it offers us a rich treasure of insights about the nature of man, his eternal destiny, the sanctity of marriage, and the important role of the family in building a coherent and harmonious society. Catholic Social Teaching, explains Pope Leo, offers a unified worldview. What the Church says about the family is inextricable from what She says about the poor; and what She says about the Eucharist informs the essence of Her teachings on education, the arts — and even government. You will step away from these pages with a profound understanding of the root causes of the ills that afflict our society, and — thanks to Pope Leo and Anthony Esolen — well equipped to propose compelling remedies for them. Only an authentically Catholic culture provides for a stable and virtuous society that allows Christians to do the real work that can unite rich and poor. We must reclaim Catholic Social Teaching if we are to transform our society into the ideal mapped out by Pope Leo: a land of sinners, yes, but one enriched with love of God and neighbor and sustained by the very heart of the Church’s social teaching: the most holy Eucharist.

Pope Leo XIII, who reigned for over a quarter of a century, following the second longest reigning pope in history, Pope Pius IX, has come to be know as the Pope of the Rosary. During his pontificate he wrote twelve wonderful Encyclicals on the Rosary, encouraging Catholics to recite the Rosary with devotion and profit for their souls. Leo saw the Rosary as a cure for the ills of today. If we follow his advice and recite the Rosary with true devotion, we will see a cure of our own spiritual ills. From curing our own spiritual ills and working to become saints, we can influence those around us to do the same and bring about restoring the world to where it ought to be.

Prophesied as "A light in the heavens." 30 of his greatest encyclicals: Freemasonry, Christian Marriage, etc. Reads like chapters of one mighty book! Sheds the light of Faith on virtually all major problems we face today. Belongs in every Catholic home.