Money in Modern Social Encyclicals

The oft-used phrase ‘Money makes the world go round’ not only highlights the purely economic nature of money but also underscores its significant implications for politics, society, and humanity. It is, therefore, unsurprising that the subject of money is also addressed in religious doctrines. This book aims to present the Catholic Church’s official stance on money, as articulated in the papal social encyclicals. The popes are less concerned with monetary theories or abstract considerations about money, but rather with its use and the resulting consequences for both the community and the individual. Social encyclicals serve as a critical lens to analyze the role of money in contemporary society. Money, in itself, is neither inherently good nor bad; it must assume the status of a means and cannot function as an end in itself.