Abstract / DOI
The Social Teaching of Pope John Paul II. The Social Teaching of Pope John Paul II has two periods. From the beginning of his pontificate until the fall of the Iron Curtail (1989–1991) it reflects his fierce struggle against the Communist ideology and repressive regimes in his homeland as well as beyond. Redemptor hominis (1979), Laborem exercens (1981) and his summa Centesimus annus (1991) reflect this confrontation, whereas Sollicitudo rei socialis (1987) deals with the onsetting globalization. A second set of issues during the second part of his pontificate focuses on individual ethics and the dealing with past wrongs. His largely forgotten apologies for the wrongdoings of the church in history are a major expression of this. They are to set new standards for the starting millennium. The article argues that the message of this pope, which has become the object of innerchurch polarizations, should be evaluated from a distance to do justice to it in a differentiated way.