| Details of Encyclical | Name of Encyclical | Date Written |
| All people have a right to private property. Written by Pope Leo XIII | |
| Reaffirms the need for a social order by justice and charity. Written by Pope Pius XI | |
| Says that church is the teacher in distinguishing between good and evil. Written by Pope John XXIII | |
| Affirms the inviolability of human rights. Written by Pope John XXIII | |
| Calls for a new sense of service by the church in a rapidly changing world. Written by Vatican II | |
| Calls attention to the worsening marginalization of the poor. Written by Pope Paul VI | |
| Calls on Christians to live up to the duty of participation in social and political reform as a way of discovering the truth and living out the Gospel. Written by Pope Paul VI | |
| Presents work as a fundamental dimension of human existence. Written by Pope John Paul II | |
| Expanding on the notion of development in Populorum Progressio, reviews the state of world development in the past two decades. Written by Pope John Paul II | |
| Brought Rerum Novarum up to date and tied it to 'the preferential option for the poor.' Written by Pope John Paul II | |
| Benedict makes essential connections between charity and truth, between the protection of life and the pursuit of justice, and between rich and poor. Written by Pope Benedict XVI | |