A new edition of a classic text in Catholic social teaching.

"An indispensable book . . . for those seeking greater insight into Catholic social teaching."—John Coleman, SJ

This is an expanded and revised edition of Donal Dorr's classic Option for the Poor, focused on the first century of Catholic social teaching from Pope Leo XIII's 1891 encyclical Reum Novarum to the teachings of Pope John Paul II. The new edition includes five new chapters on the equality and complementarity of women; a critical examination of Pope Benedict's first encyclical, Deus caritas est; Benedict's encyclical Caritas in veritate; the follow-up to Caritas in veritate, "Towards Reforming the International Financial and Monetary Systems in the Context of Global Public Authority"; and the issue of ecology as it has been treated in Vatican documents for over half a century.

Throughout Dorr offers a masterful review of the development of each document and its strengths and weaknesses.

Donal Dorr is a theologian and missionary priest who has served as a consultor to the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and as a resource person for the Irish Missionary Union. He is the author of ten books, including the original Option for the Poor and the award-winning Spirituality and Justice (1985).