It is a part of the tradition of Catholic social teaching. The letter was written at a time when the Reagan administration was implementing libertarian policies of laissez-faire capitalism, and it may be interpreted as a reaction to what was seen as hostility towards the Catholic Church's teachings on social justice, subsidiarity, corporatism and distributism.
The letter is part of Catholic social teaching. It was written during an era when the Reagan administration promoted laissez-faire capitalism, and it may be interpreted as a reaction to what appeared to be hostility towards the Church's teachings on social justice, decentralization, corporatism, and distributism.