Your failure or refusal to answer this simple question indicates that you have probably not read any other Vatican documents, Papal encyclicals in particular, that talk about modern society or economics.
The paragraph cited is not "simply a hedge." It is part of the introduction to the main ideas in the letter.
the flowery, sometimes almost impenetrable, ecclesiastical jargon
LOL! You reveal that you have not read many writings of this Pope. He writes MUCH more clearly and understandably than most of his recent predecessors. He does discuss complex ideas, though. If you can't understand the introduction to the document, then it is unlikely that you can understand what he says in the rest of the document as it builds upon the introduction. Thank you for admitting you don't understand this document at all.
Have a nice day. God bless.
Suffice it to say, your deference to the Pope appears to be blinding you to the radical nature of this Encyclical. It's the most socialist document ever written by a Pope. George Weigel, by the way, disagrees with you that the Pope is responsible for every word in the document. He blames some shady bunch called "The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace" for the stuff about world government and the forcible redistribution of wealth.
A great Pope has been followed by a severely flawed one. One of the many serious problems with the RCC is that Catholics are required to respect the Pope no matter what a dimwit he may be.