Private Property Is Moral

This article, written by Fr. Kenneth Novak in the July 2005 edition of The Angelus magazine, relates to St. Thomas Aquinas' teachings behind the morality of owning private property.

We Distributists believe that private property - especially productive private property - be widely distributed to as many as economic possible, while restraining the power of both big government and big business. We oppose monopolization of the means of production and distribution into fewer and fewer hands.

Since we also believe in the principle of subsidiarity - that is, taking care of affairs on the lowest level possible - we hold that we must start changing our respective societies toward a Distributist direction from the bottom-up.

And always, always starting with prayer and penance before Almighty God. For as Our Lord Jesus taught, "Unless the Lord build the house, the laborers build in vain."