130 Years Later, 'Rerum Novarum' and the Gig Economy

May 15 will be the 130th anniversary of Leo XIII’s landmark encyclical on human labor, "Rerum Novarum." Looking at the situation of many workers in the emerging industrial order of the late 19th century, the pope went so far as to claim that, "At this moment the condition of the working population is the question of the hour." Of course, that was 1891. Some might say that Leo's reflections, however helpful they may have been, are not all that relevant today. Commemorating Leo's letter may have some purpose for those interested in the history of Catholic social teaching, but can it still teach us anything?