Rerum Novarum in Modern China: A Focus on Xu Zongze's Theology of Work

Rerum Novarum ordained by Pope Leo XIII in 1891 was a turning point of Vatican which started to respond to the social changes from Roman Catholic perspective. The encyclical focused mainly on the social issues of labour and work at that time. Although it was translated to Chinese in 1928 and was published in 1930s, Chinese Catholic had noticed it earlier in early 1920s. Furthermore, Chinese Catholic scholars tried to adapt it to the Chinese situation. Meanwhile, Xu Zongze (1886-1947) brought forward Catholic theological ideas on labour and work in Chinese context which are based on Rerum Novarum. On the one hand, through comparing Xu's thought with the North Star (an important Chinese Catholic magazine at that time), this article points out that Xu's thought of work has influenced other Chinese Catholic scholars in the same era. On the other hand, the author draws the outline of his theological thought of work and evaluates his ideas within the Catholic social teaching tradition. The purpose of this article is to present the picture of the conflicts between the official teachings of Vatican and the practice of local church.