Church Documents & Wisdom From the Popes

Articles, Blogs, & Speeches

• Guiding Principles of the Lay Apostolate - Pope Pius XII's insistence to the laity that they cooperate with "neutral and non-Catholic organizations and movements on the condition that and to the extent that you thereby serve the common good and the cause of God; secondly, play an important part in international organizations".
• Catholic Entrepreneurs Must live the Church's Social Teaching - Pope Francis reflecting on Christian entrepreneurship.
• Pope Francis Speech to Participants in the International Conference of the Christian Union of Business Executives - Greed, corruption, and individualism stand as temptations from the power of business to generate money, build truth and honesty, and contribute to fraternity.
• Pope Francis' Homily at Saint Patrick's Cathedral - We can get caught up measuring the value of our apostolic works by the standards of efficiency, good management, and outward success which govern the business world...But the true worth of our apostolate is measured by the value it has in God’s eyes.
• Simplicity and Witness in Business - Address by Pope Francis to the lay businesspersons on the importance of witness and simplicity in business.
• The Ethics of the Global Economy - Speech by Saint John Paul II to business and union leaders on key principles in light of globalization.
• Civilizing the Market through Ethical Business - Speech by Pope Francis to business leaders on the primacy of workers and the family in business.
• Rerum novarum - Encyclical by Pope Leo XIII in 1891 addressing the condition of the working classes. 
• Quadragesimo anno - Encyclical by Pope Pius XI in 1931 addressing the ethical implications of the economic order.

PDF Resources

• The Vocation of the Business Leader - Summary of Church teaching on the values and principles of business in service to the common good (Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development).

Vocation of the Business Leader - PDF Attached

• The Good of Private Enterprise - Speech by Saint John Paul II to Latin American Economic Forum on poverty, solidarity, and private enterprise.

John Paul II Speech to ECLAC - PDF Attached

• Private Enterprise, Business, and Entrepreneurship in the thought of Pius XII - Summary of the thought of Pius XII on the positive role of business within the proper ethical framework.

Private Enterprise, Entrepreneurship, and Business in the Teaching of Pius XII - PDF Attached