Mater et magistra

Mater et magistra Latin for 'Mother and Teacher' Encyclical of Pope John XXIII
Signature date	15 May 1961
Subject	On the increasing development of social issues in the light of the Christian doctrine
Number	5 of 8 of the pontificate
Text	In Latin In English
← Princeps pastorum   Aeterna Dei sapientia →

Part of a series on
Catholic social teaching
Emblem of the Holy See
Overview
Social teachings of the papacy Distributism Solidarity Subsidiarity Tranquillitas ordinis
Pope Leo XIII Rerum novarum
Pope Pius XI Divini redemptoris Mit brennender Sorge Non abbiamo bisogno Quadragesimo anno
Pope Pius XII Social teachings
Pope John XXIII Mater et magistra Pacem in terris
Second Vatican Council Dignitatis humanae Gaudium et spes
Pope Paul VI Octogesima adveniens Populorum progressio
Pope John Paul II Laborem exercens Sollicitudo rei socialis Centesimus annus Evangelium vitae
Pope Benedict XVI Caritas in veritate
Pope Francis Evangelii gaudium Laudato si' Fratelli tutti
Other figures Gaspard Mermillod René de La Tour du Pin Heinrich Pesch Dorothy Day Óscar Romero Joseph Bernardin Hilaire Belloc G. K. Chesterton
Catholicism portal
v t e

Mater et magistra is the encyclical written by Pope John XXIII on the topic of "Christianity and Social Progress". It was promulgated on 15 May 1961. The title means "mother and teacher", referring to the role of the church. It describes a necessity to work towards authentic community in order to promote human dignity. It taught that the state must sometimes intervene in matters of health care, education, and housing.