By Filip Przybylo
There is a certain elephant in the room in Ireland and the West. That elephant is Socialism.
Over a hundred years ago, Pope Leo XIII addressed the social question of his time in the encyclical Rerum Novarum. While an encyclical primarily on labour, Rerum Novarum contains an unambiguous denunciation of Socialism.
Pope Leo XIII described socialist doctrines as “emphatically unjust, for they would rob the lawful possessor, distort the functions of the State, and create utter confusion in the community.”[1]
An Unheeded Call
The Church’s teachings regarding the social question have not only been disregarded but also violently opposed in the century following the promulgation of Rerum Novarum. Both National Socialist Germany and the Soviet Union heavily attacked private property.
While both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union have ceased to exist, this does not mean, however, that socialism is dead.
Ireland’s Predicament
In Ireland, many political parties and their policies have a distinctly socialist flavour. Sinn Féin’s youth wing, Ógra Shinn Féin, lists socialism as one of the ideals on which their political campaigning is based.[2]
People Before Profit advocates for “ a 32-county eco-socialist republic”[3] and Labour Party TD Conor Sheehan expressed that “Labour is calling for the Land Development Agency to be properly resourced, given the power to purchase private land compulsorily…”[4]
Such a policy would be fundamentally socialist.
The Social Democrats’ General Election Manifesto 2024 states that “the State and the not-for-profit sector should be at the heart of housing delivery.” [5]
When it comes to policies, Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) have been a disastrous failure, driving a large exodus of landlords both in 2016, when they were applied to a few areas of the country, and this year, when RPZs were expanded nationwide. Rent controls have not worked for the benefit of the rental sector time and again over the past century.
On top of this, Sinn Féin advocates for a “three-year emergency ban on rent increases.”[6] The Social Democrats have taken a similar position[7].
Worldwide Problem
According to a recent Gallup poll, 66% of American Democrats view socialism more positively than capitalism. This observation has been proven true with the victory of Zohran Mamdani, a “democratic socialist”, in the Democratic Party’s primary for mayor of New York City.
China is ruled by the iron fist of the Chinese Communist Party. Putin, contrary to the faux-right narrative, honors Stalin and the Soviet Union.
Moreover, Venezuela is still ruled by Maduro, and Daniel Ortega has not stopped persecuting the Church in Nicaragua.
Socialism and Communism
Some might argue that while the Church condemns Marxist socialism, she does not condemn all forms of socialism. After all, almost all of the above examples are not related to Marxism per se.
Michael Sean Winters of the National Catholic Reporter takes a similar view. In July, he wrote that it would be great if America “could embrace democratic socialist principles and policies.” Before this, he admitted that “the Catholic Church was one of the great opponents of Marxist socialism.”
However, Pope Leo XIII did not specify the kind of socialism opposed to Catholic Doctrine. Socialism, be it Marxist, “democratic”, “self-managing”, or any other kind, is contrary to Catholic doctrine. The teaching of the Popes is clear: No Catholic can subscribe even to moderate socialism; the right to private property is inviolable.
A similar objection would be that most Irish leftists do not advocate a complete abolition of private property; therefore, such a categorisation of these positions as socialist is false.
Such an objection, however, fails to consider that attacking private property exalts the functions of the state and, therefore, leads to more radical socialist contentions. Engels himself advocated for restricting private property through the democratic process[8].
What comes next
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, therefore, disregarding Socialism as an artefact of history would do much disservice to the fight for Christian Civilisation. Narrowing the crisis of these days to a simple “wokeism”, however harmful it may be, leaves room for the revolutionary advancement of socialism as well as many false alternatives. Unabashedly defending man’s right to private property, based on the teaching of the Church, against the current onslaught is indispensable.
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[1] https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_15051891_rerum-novarum.html, 14
[2] https://sinnfein.ie/ogra-shinn-fein/ Accessed: 29/9/2025
[3] https://www.pbp.ie/policies/general-election-2024-manifesto/ Accessed: 29/9/2025
[4] https://labour.ie/news/2025/02/10/dail-housing-motion-sets-out-labours-case-for-radical-change-not-more-pandering-to-private-investors/ Accessed: 29/9/2025
[5] https://www.socialdemocrats.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/GE24Manifesto.pdf pg. 5
[6] https://housing.sinnfein.ie/private-homes/
[7] https://www.socialdemocrats.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/GE24Manifesto.pdf pg. 7
[8] https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/11/prin-com.htm , 18
