The Theological Thought of the Church, from Leo XIII to Leo XIV, in the Face of Technological Transformations in the World of Work

Abstract

This article analyzes the Church's theological thought in the face of transformations in the world of work, with an emphasis on the implications of technology, throughout the last century and a quarter, based on the Social Doctrine of the Church (SDC). To this end, it examines papal social encyclicals, considering that they cover this time period and are a set of documents endorsed by ecclesial institutions. The research adopts a qualitative approach, descriptive and explanatory in nature, combining bibliographic and documentary analysis. As a theoretical and methodological framework, it uses Marxist historical materialism, due to its capacity to elucidate the tensions between capital and labor and to foster critical dialogue with the SDC. The results indicate that theological thought is not monolithic, transforming itself over time and progressively moving away from a supposed neutrality to adopt a more critical perspective on the role of technologies and their insertion in society.

Keywords: Work. Capital. Technology. Social Doctrine of the Church. Marxism.