Immortale Dei


Immortale Dei

An encyclical letter written by Pope Leo XIII in 1885. It was written in response to controversy in France about whether a Catholic could obey a state not founded on Catholic principles. Leo held that a Catholic does have the obligation to obey such a state and to work within it to promote the common good, regardless of the state's origins. It is one of the foundational documents of modern Catholic teaching on social justice.