Understanding Communism
I have written that some
people are communist, even in the Church and in government without even knowing
it. This is because most people do not
know what communism is and the best lesson in this is Pope Pius XI in
1937. It is long so even if you do not
have the time now, at least read the highlights.
ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS XI ON ATHEISTIC COMMUNISM
19th of March, 1937
TO
THE PATRIARCHS, PRIMATES, ARCHBISHOPS, BISHOPS, AND OTHER ORDINARIES
IN PEACE AND COMMUNION WITH THE APOSTOLIC SEE.
Venerable Brethren, Health and Apostolic Benediction.
The promise of a Redeemer brightens the first page of the history of mankind,
and the confident hope aroused by this promise softened the keen regret for a
paradise which had been lost. It was this hope that accompanied the human race
on its weary journey, until in the fullness of time the expected Savior came to
begin a new universal civilization, the Christian civilization, far superior
even to that which up to this time had been laboriously achieved by certain
more privileged nations.
2. Nevertheless, the struggle between good and evil remained in the world as a
sad legacy of the original fall. Nor has the ancient tempter ever ceased to
deceive mankind with false promises. It is on this account that one convulsion
following upon another has marked the passage of the centuries, down to the
revolution of our own days. This modern revolution, it may be said, has
actually broken out or threatens everywhere, and it exceeds in amplitude and
violence anything yet experienced in the preceding persecutions launched
against the Church. Entire peoples find themselves in danger of falling back
into a
3. This all too imminent danger, Venerable Brethren, as you have already
surmised, is bolshevistic and atheistic Communism,
which aims at upsetting the social order and at undermining the very
foundations of Christian civilization .
4. In the face of such a threat, the Catholic Church could not and does not
remain silent. This Apostolic See, above all, has not refrained from raising
its voice, for it knows that its proper and social mission is to defend truth,
justice and all those eternal values which Communism ignores or attacks. Ever
since the days when groups of "intellectuals" were formed in an
arrogant attempt to free civilization from the bonds of morality and religion,
Our Predecessors overtly and explicitly drew the attention of the world to the
consequences of the dechristianization of human
society. With reference to Communism,
Our Venerable Predecessor, Pius IX, of holy memory, as early as 1846 pronounced
a solemn condemnation, which he confirmed in the words of the Syllabus
directed against "that infamous doctrine of so-called Communism which is
absolutely contrary to the natural law itself, and if once adopted would
utterly destroy the rights, property and possessions of all men, and even
society itself."[1]
Later on, another of Our predecessors, the immortal Leo XIII, in his Encyclical
Quod Apostolici Muneris,
defined Communism as "the fatal plague which insinuates itself into the
very marrow of human society only to bring about its ruin."[2]
With clear intuition he pointed out that the atheistic movements existing among
the masses of the Machine Age had their origin in that school of philosophy
which for centuries had sought to divorce science from the life of the Faith
and of the Church.
5. During Our Pontificate We too have frequently and
with urgent insistence denounced the current trend to atheism which is
alarmingly on the increase. In 1924 when Our relief-mission returned from the
Soviet Union We condemned Communism in a special Allocution[3]
which We addressed to the whole world. In
our Encyclicals Miserentissimus Redemptor,[4] Quadragesimo Anno,[5] Caritate Christi,[6] Acerba Animi,[7] Dilectissima Nobis,[8] We raised a solemn protest against the
persecutions unleashed in
civilization, themselves bear witness, by their unceasing attacks in word and
act, that even to this hour the Papacy has continued faithfully to protect the
sanctuary of the Christian religion, and that it has called public attention to
the perils of Communism more frequently and more effectively than any other
public authority on earth.
6. To Our great satisfaction, Venerable Brethren, you have, by means of
individual and even joint pastoral Letters, accurately transmitted and
explained to the Faithful these admonitions. Yet despite Our frequent and
paternal warning the peril only grows greater from day to day because of the
pressure exerted by
clever agitators. Therefore We believe it to be Our
duty to raise Our voice once more, in a still more solemn missive, in accord
with the tradition of this Apostolic See, the Teacher of Truth, and in accord
with the desire of the whole Catholic world, which makes the appearance of such
a document but natural. We trust that the echo of Our
voice will reach every mind free from prejudice and every heart sincerely
desirous of the good of mankind. We wish this the more because Our words are now receiving sorry confirmation from the
spectacle of the bitter fruits of subversive ideas, which We foresaw and
foretold, and which are in fact multiplying fearfully in the countries already
stricken, or threatening every other country of the world.
7. Hence We wish to expose once more in a brief
synthesis the principles of atheistic Communism as they are manifested chiefly
in bolshevism. We wish also to indicate its method of action and to contrast
with its false principles the clear doctrine of the Church, in order to inculcate
anew and with greater insistence the means by which the Christian civilization,
the true civitas humana,
can be saved from the satanic scourge, and not merely saved, but better
developed for the well-being of human society.
8. The Communism of today, more emphatically than similar movements in the
past, conceals in itself a false messianic idea. A pseudo-ideal of justice, of
equality and fraternity in labor impregnates all its doctrine and activity with
a deceptive mysticism, which communicates a zealous and contagious enthusiasm
to the multitudes entrapped by delusive promises. This is especially true in an
age like ours, when unusual misery has resulted from the unequal distribution
of the goods of this world. This pseudo-ideal is even boastfully advanced as if
it were responsible for a certain economic progress. As a matter of fact, when
such progress is at all real, its true causes are quite different, as for
instance the intensification of industrialism in countries which were formerly
almost without it, the exploitation of immense natural resources, and the use
of the most brutal methods to insure the achievement of gigantic projects with
a
minimum of expense.
9. The doctrine of modern Communism, which is often concealed under the most
seductive trappings, is in substance based on the principles of dialectical and
historical materialism previously advocated by Marx, of which the theoricians of bolshevism claim to possess the only genuine
interpretation. According to this doctrine there is in the world only one
reality, matter, the blind forces of which evolve into plant, animal and man.
Even human society is nothing but a phenomenon and form of matter, evolving in
the same way. By a law of inexorable necessity and through a perpetual conflict
of forces, matter moves towards the final synthesis of a classless society. In
such a doctrine, as is evident, there is no room for the idea of God; there is
no difference between matter and spirit, between soul and body; there is
neither survival of the soul after death nor any hope in a future life.
Insisting on the dialectical aspect of their
materialism, the Communists claim that the conflict which carries the world
towards its final synthesis can be accelerated by man. Hence they endeavor to
sharpen the antagonisms which arise between the various classes of society.
Thus the class struggle with its consequent violent hate and destruction takes
on the
aspects of a crusade for the progress of humanity. On the other hand, all other
forces whatever, as long as they resist such systematic violence, must be
annihilated as hostile to the human race.
10. Communism, moreover, strips man of his liberty, robs human personality of
all its dignity, and removes all the moral restraints that check the eruptions
of blind impulse. There is no recognition of any right of the individual in his
relations to the collectivity; no natural right is accorded to human
personality, which is a mere cog-wheel in the Communist system. In man's
relations with other individuals, besides, Communists
hold the principle of absolute equality, rejecting all hierarchy and
divinely-constituted authority, including the authority of parents. What men call authority and subordination
is derived from the community as its first and only font. Nor is the individual
granted any property rights over material goods or the means of production, for
inasmuch as these are the source of further wealth, their possession would give
one man power over another. Precisely on this score, all forms of private property
must be eradicated, for they are at the origin of all economic enslavement
11. Refusing to human life any sacred or spiritual character, such a doctrine
logically makes of marriage and the family a purely artificial and civil
institution, the outcome of a specific economic system. There exists no
matrimonial bond of a juridico-moral nature that is
not subject to the whim of the individual or of the collectivity. Naturally,
therefore, the notion of an indissoluble marriage-tie is scouted. Communism is
particularly characterized by the rejection of any link that binds woman to the
family and the home, and her
emancipation is proclaimed as a basic principle. She is withdrawn from the
family and the care of her children, to be thrust instead into public life and
collective production under the same conditions as man. The care of home and
children then devolves upon the collectivity. Finally, the right of education
is
denied to parents, for it is conceived as the exclusive prerogative of the
community, in whose name and by whose mandate alone parents may exercise this
right.
12. What would be the condition of a human society based on such materialistic
tenets? It would be a collectivity with no other hierarchy than that of the
economic system. It would have only one mission: the production of material
things by means of collective labor, so that the goods of this world might be
enjoyed in a paradise where each would "give according to his powers"
and would "receive according to his needs." Communism recognizes in
the collectivity the right, or rather, unlimited discretion, to draft
individuals for the labor of the collectivity with no regard for their personal
welfare; so that even
violence could be legitimately exercised to dragoon the recalcitrant against
their wills. In the Communistic commonwealth morality and law would be nothing
but a derivation of the existing economic order, purely earthly in origin and
unstable in character. In a word. the
Communists claim to inaugurate a new era
and a new civilization which is the result of blind evolutionary forces
culminating in a humanity without God.
13. When all men have finally acquired the collectivist mentality in this
Utopia of a really classless society, the political State, which is now
conceived by Communists merely as the instrument by which the proletariat is
oppressed by the capitalists, will have lost all reason for its existence and
will "wither away."
However, until that happy consummation is realized, the State and the powers of
the State furnish Communism with the most efficacious and most extensive means
for the achievement of its goal.
14. Such, Venerable Brethren, is the new gospel which bolshevistic
and atheistic Communism offers the world as the glad tidings of deliverance and
salvation! It is a system full of errors and sophisms. It is in opposition both
to reason and to Divine Revelation. It subverts the social order, because it
means the
destruction of its foundations; because it ignores the true origin and purpose
of the State; because it denies the
rights, dignity and liberty of human personality.
15. How is it possible that such a system, long since rejected
scientifically and now proved erroneous by experience, how is it, We ask, that such a system could spread so rapidly in all
parts of the world? The explanation lies in the fact that too few have been
able to grasp the nature of Communism. The majority instead succumb to its
deception, skillfully concealed by the most extravagant promises. By pretending
to desire only the betterment of the condition of the working classes, by
urging the removal of the very real abuses chargeable to the liberalistic
economic order, and by demanding a more equitable distribution of this world's
goods (objectives entirely and undoubtedly legitimate), the Communist takes
advantage of the present world-wide economic crisis to draw into the sphere of
his influence even those sections of the populace which on principle reject all
forms of materialism and terrorism. And as every error contains its element of
truth, the partial truths to which We have referred
are astutely presented according to the needs of time and place, to conceal,
when convenient, the repulsive crudity and inhumanity of Communistic principles
and tactics. Thus the Communist ideal wins over many of the better minded
members of the community. These in turn become the apostles of the movement
among the
younger intelligentsia who are still too immature to recognize the intrinsic
errors of the system. The preachers of Communism are also proficient in
exploiting racial antagonisms and political divisions and oppositions. They
take advantage of the lack of orientation characteristic of modern agnostic
science
in order to burrow into the universities, where they bolster up the principles
of their doctrine with pseudo-scientific arguments.
16. If we would explain the blind acceptance of Communism by so many thousands
of workmen, we must remember that the way had been already prepared for it by
the religious and moral destitution in which wage-earners had been left by
liberal economics. Even on Sundays and holy days, labor-shifts were given no
time to attend to their essential religious duties. No one thought of building
churches within convenient distance of factories, nor of facilitating the work
of the priest. On the contrary, laicism was actively and persistently promoted,
with the result that we are now reaping the fruits of the errors so often
denounced by Our Predecessors and by Ourselves. It can
surprise no one that the Communistic fallacy should be spreading in a world
already to a large extent de-Christianized.
17. There is another explanation for the rapid diffusion of the Communistic
ideas now seeping into every nation, great and small, advanced and backward, so
that no corner of the earth is free from them. This explanation is to be found in a propaganda
so truly diabolical that the world has perhaps never witnessed its like before.
It is directed from one common center. It is shrewdly adapted to the varying
conditions of diverse peoples. It has at its disposal great financial
resources, gigantic organizations, international congresses, and countless
trained workers. It makes use of pamphlets and reviews, of cinema, theater and
radio, of schools and even universities. Little by little it penetrates into
all classes of the people and even reaches the better-minded groups of the
community, with the result that few are aware of the poison which increasingly
pervades their minds and hearts.
18. A third powerful factor in the diffusion of Communism is the conspiracy of silence on the part of a
large section of the non-Catholic press of the world. We say conspiracy,
because it is impossible otherwise to
explain how a press usually so eager to exploit even the little daily
incidents of life has been able to
remain silent for so long about the horrors perpetrated in Russia, in Mexico
and even in a great part of Spain; and that it should have relatively so
little to say concerning a world organization as vast as Russian Communism.
This silence is due in part to shortsighted political policy, and is favored by
various occult forces which for a long time have been working for the overthrow
of the Christian Social Order.
19. Meanwhile the sorry effects of this propaganda are before our eyes. Where
Communism has been able to assert its power - and here We
are thinking with special affection of the people of
and the Christian religion by banishing every remembrance of them from the
hearts of men, especially of the young. Bishops and priests were exiled, condemned
to forced labor, shot and done to death in inhuman fashion; laymen suspected of
defending their religion were vexed, persecuted, dragged off to trial and
thrown into prison.
20. Even where the scourge of Communism has not yet had time enough to exercise
to the full its logical effects, as witness Our
beloved
every monastery was destroyed. Every vestige of the Christian religion was
eradicated, even though intimately linked with the rarest monuments of art and
science. The fury of Communism has not confined itself to the indiscriminate
slaughter of Bishops, of thousands of priests and religious of both sexes; it
searches out above all those who have been devoting their lives to the welfare
of the working classes and the poor. But the majority of its victims have been
laymen of all conditions and classes. Even up to the present moment, masses of them are slain almost daily for
no other offense than the fact that they are good Christians or at least
opposed to atheistic Communism. And this fearful destruction has been
carried out with a hatred and a savage
countries.
21. Nor can it be said that these atrocities are a transitory phenomenon, the
usual accompaniment of all great revolutions, the isolated excesses common to
every war. No, they are the natural fruit of a system which lacks all inner
restraint. Some restraint is necessary for man considered either as an
individual or in society. Even the
22. This, unfortunately, is what we now behold. For the first time in history
we are witnessing a struggle, cold-blooded in purpose and mapped out to the
least detail, between man and "all that is called
God."[9] Communism is by its nature anti-religious. It considers
religion as "the opiate of the people" because the
principles of religion which speak of a life beyond the grave dissuade the
proletariat from the dream of a Soviet paradise which is of this world.
23. But the law of nature and its Author cannot be flouted with impunity.
Communism has not been able, and will not be able, to achieve its objectives
even in the merely economic sphere. It is true that in
failed despite all to stem the tide of moral corruption, cannot even prevent
the dissolution of society itself.
24. In making these observations it is no part of Our
intention to condemn en masse the peoples of the
interests of the country. We recognize that many others were deceived by
fallacious hopes. We blame only the system, with its authors and abettors who
considered
25. We have exposed the errors and the violent, deceptive tactics of bolshevistic and atheistic Communism. It is now time,
Venerable Brethren, to contrast with it the true notion, already familiar to
you, of the civitas humana
or human society, as taught by reason and Revelation through the mouth of the
Church, Magistra Gentium.
26. Above all other reality there exists one supreme
Being: God, the omnipotent Creator of all things, the all-wise and just Judge
of all men. This supreme reality, God, is the absolute condemnation of the impudent
falsehoods of Communism. In truth, it is not because men believe in God that He
exists; rather
because He exists do all men whose eyes are not deliberately closed to the
truth believe in Him and pray to Him.
27. In the Encyclical on Christian Education[10] We
explained the fundamental doctrine concerning man as it may be gathered from
reason and Faith. Man has a spiritual and immortal soul. He is a person,
marvelously endowed by his Creator with gifts of body and mind. He is a true
"microcosm," as the ancients said, a world in miniature, with a value
far surpassing that of the vast inanimate cosmos. God alone is his last end, in
this life and the next. By sanctifying grace he is raised to the dignity of a
son of God, and incorporated into the
28. Just as matrimony and the right to its natural use are of divine origin, so
likewise are the constitution and fundamental prerogatives of the family fixed
and determined by the Creator. In the Encyclical on Christian Marriage[11] and in Our other Encyclical on Education, cited
above, we have treated these topics at considerable length.
29. But God has likewise destined man for civil society according to the dictates
of his very nature. In the plan of the Creator, society is a natural means
which man can and must use to reach his destined end. Society is for man and not vice versa. This must not be understood
in the sense of liberalistic
individualism, which subordinates society to the selfish use of the individual;
but only in the sense that by means of an organic union with society and by
mutual collaboration the attainment of earthly happiness is placed within the
reach of all. In a further sense, it is society which affords the opportunities
for the development of all the individual and social gifts bestowed on human
nature. These natural gifts have a value surpassing the immediate interests of
the moment, for in society they reflect the divine perfection, which would not
be true were man to live alone. But on final analysis, even in this latter
function, society is made for man, that he may recognize this reflection of
God's perfection, and refer it in praise and adoration to the Creator. Only man, the human person, and not society
in any form is endowed with reason and a morally free will.
30. Man cannot be exempted from his divinely-imposed obligations toward civil
society, and the representatives of authority have the right to coerce him when
he refuses without reason to do his duty. Society, on the other hand, cannot
defraud man of his God-granted rights, the most important of which We have indicated above. Nor can society systematically void
these rights by making their use impossible. It is therefore according to the
dictates of reason that ultimately all material things should be ordained to
man as a person, that through his mediation they may find their way to the
Creator. In this wise we
can apply to man, the human person, the words of the Apostle of the Gentiles,
who writes to the Corinthians on the Christian economy of salvation: "All
things are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's."[12] While
Communism impoverishes human personality by inverting the terms of the relation
of man to society, to what lofty heights is man not elevated by reason and
Revelation!
31. The directive principles concerning the social-economic order have been
expounded in the social Encyclical of Leo XIII on the question of labor.[13] Our own Encyclical on the Reconstruction of the Social
Order[14] adapted these principles to present needs. Then, insisting anew on
the age-old doctrine of the Church concerning the individual and social
character of private property, We explained clearly the right and dignity of
labor, the relations of mutual aid and collaboration which should exist between
those who possess capital and those who work, the salary due in strict justice
to the worker for himself and for his family.
32. In this same Encyclical of Ours We have shown that the means of saving the
world of today from the lamentable ruin into which a moral liberalism has
plunged us, are neither the class-struggle nor terror, nor yet the autocratic
abuse of State power, but rather the infusion of social justice and the sentiment
of Christian love into the social-economic order. We have indicated how a sound
prosperity is to be restored according to the true principles of a sane
corporative system which respects the proper hierarchic structure of society;
and how all the occupational groups should be fused into a harmonious unity
inspired by the principle of the common good. And the genuine and chief
function of public and civil authority consists precisely in the efficacious
furthering of this harmony and coordination of all social forces.
33. In view of this organized common effort towards peaceful living, Catholic
doctrine vindicates to the State the dignity and authority of a vigilant and
provident defender of those divine and human rights on which the Sacred
Scriptures and the Fathers of the Church insist so often. It is not true that
all have equal rights in civil society. It is not true that there exists no
lawful social hierarchy. Let it suffice to refer to the Encyclicals of Leo XIII
already cited, especially to that on State powers,[15]
and to the other on the
Christian Constitution of States.[16] In these documents the Catholic will find
the principles of reason and the Faith clearly explained, and these principles
will enable him to defend himself against the errors and perils of a
Communistic conception of the State. The enslavement of man despoiled of his
rights, the
denial of the transcendental origin of the State and its authority, the
horrible abuse of public power in the service of a collectivistic terrorism, are
the very contrary of all that corresponds with natural ethics and the will of
the Creator. Both man and civil society derive their origin from the Creator,
Who has mutually ordained them one to the other. Hence neither can be exempted
from their correlative obligations, nor deny or diminish each other's rights.
The Creator Himself has regulated this mutual relationship in its fundamental
lines, and it is by an unjust usurpation that Communism arrogates to itself the
right
to enforce, in place of the divine law based on the immutable principles of
truth and charity, a partisan political program which derives from the
arbitrary human will and is replete with hate.
34. In teaching this enlightening doctrine the Church has no other intention
than to realize the glad tidings sung by the Angels above the cave of Bethlehem
at the Redeemer's birth: "Glory to God . . . and . . . peace to men . .
.,"[17] true peace and true happiness, even here below as far as is
possible, in
preparation for the happiness of heaven - but to men of good will. This
doctrine is equally removed from all extremes of error and all exaggerations of
parties or systems which stem from error. It maintains a constant equilibrium
of truth and justice, which it vindicates in theory and applies and promotes in
practice, bringing into harmony the rights and duties of all parties. Thus
authority is reconciled with liberty, the dignity of the individual with that
of the State, the human personality of the subject with the divine delegation
of the superior; and in this way a balance is struck between the due dependence
and well-ordered love of a man for himself, his family and country, and his
love of other families and other peoples, founded on the love of God, the
Father of all, their first principle and last end. The Church does not separate
a proper regard for temporal welfare from solicitude for the eternal. If she
subordinates the former to the latter according to the words of her divine
Founder, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His justice, and all these
things shall be added unto you,"[18] she is nevertheless so far from being
unconcerned with human affairs, so far from hindering civil progress and
material advancement, that she actually fosters and promotes them in the most
sensible and efficacious manner. Thus even in the sphere of social-economics,
although the Church has never proposed a definite technical system, since this
is not her field, she has nevertheless clearly outlined the guiding principles
which, while susceptible of varied
concrete applications according to the diversified conditions of times and
places and peoples, indicate the safe way of securing the happy progress of
society.
35. The wisdom and supreme utility of this doctrine are admitted by all who
really understand it. With good reason outstanding statesmen have asserted
that, after a study of various social systems, they have found nothing sounder
than the principles expounded in the Encyclicals Rerum
Novarum and Quadragesimo
Anno. In non-Catholic, even in non-Christian countries, men recognize the great
value
to society of the social doctrine of the Church. Thus, scarcely a month ago, an
eminent political figure of the
36. But the enemies of the Church, though forced to acknowledge the wisdom of
her doctrine, accuse her of having failed to act in conformity with her
principles, and from this conclude to the necessity of seeking other solutions.
The utter falseness and injustice of this accusation is shown by the whole
history of Christianity. To refer only to a single typical trait, it was
Christianity that first affirmed the real and universal brotherhood of all men
of whatever race and condition. This doctrine she proclaimed by a method, and
with an amplitude andconviction, unknown to preceding
centuries; and with it she
potently contributed to the abolition of slavery. Not bloody revolution, but
the inner force of her teaching made the proud Roman matron
see in her slave a sister in Christ. It is Christianity that adores the
Son of God, made Man for love of man, and become not only the "Son of a
Carpenter" but Himself a
"Carpenter."[19] It was Christianity that raised manual labor to its
true dignity, whereas it had hitherto been so despised that even the moderate
Cicero did not hesitate to sum up the general opinion of his time in words of
which any modern sociologist would be ashamed: "All artisans are engaged
in sordid trades,
for there can be nothing ennobling about a workshop."[20]
37. Faithful to these principles, the Church has given new life to human
society. Under her influence arose prodigious charitable organizations, great
guilds of artisans and workingmen of every type. These guilds, ridiculed as
"medieval" by the liberalism of the last century, are today claiming
the admiration of our contemporaries in many countries who
are endeavoring to revive them in some modern form. And when other systems
hindered her work and raised obstacles to the salutary influence of the Church,
she was never done warning them of their error. We need but recall with what
constant firmness and energy
Our Predecessor, Leo XIII, vindicated for the workingman the right to organize,
which the dominant liberalism of the more powerful States relentlessly denied
him. Even today the authority of this Church doctrine is greater than it seems;
for the influence of ideas in the realm of facts, though invisible and not
easily measured, is surely of predominant importance.
38. It may be said in all truth that the Church, like Christ, goes through the
centuries doing good to all. There would be today neither Socialism nor
Communism if the rulers of the nations had not scorned the teachings and
maternal warnings of the Church. On the bases of liberalism and laicism they
wished to build other social edifices which, powerful and imposing as they
seemed at first, all too soon revealed the weakness of their foundations, and
today are crumbling one after another before our eyes, as everything must
crumble that is not grounded on the one corner stone which is Christ Jesus.
39. This, Venerable Brethren, is the doctrine of the Church, which alone in the
social as in all other fields can offer real light and assure salvation in the
face of Communistic ideology. But this doctrine must be consistently reduced to
practice in every-day life, according to the admonition of St. .James the
Apostle: "Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own
selves."[21] The most urgent need of the present day is therefore the
energetic and timely application of remedies which will effectively ward off
the catastrophe that daily grows more threatening. We cherish the firm hope
that the fanaticism with which the sons of darkness work day and night at their
materialistic and atheistic propaganda will at least serve the holy purpose of
stimulating the sons of light to a like and even greater zeal for the honor of
the Divine Majesty.
40. What then must be done, what remedies must be employed to defend Christ and
Christian civilization from this pernicious enemy? As a father in the midst of
his family, We should like to speak quite intimately
of those duties which the great struggle of our day imposes on all the children
of the Church; and We
would address Our paternal admonition even to those sons who have strayed far
from her.
41. As in all the stormy periods of the history of the Church, the fundamental
remedy today lies in a sincere renewal of private and public life according to
the principles of the Gospel by all those who belong to the Fold of Christ,
that they may be in truth the salt of the earth to preserve human society from
total
corruption.
42. With heart deeply grateful to the Father of Light, from Whom
descends "every best gift and every perfect gift,"[22] We see on all
sides consoling signs of this spiritual renewal. We see it not only in so many
singularly chosen souls who in these last years have been elevated to the
sublime heights of sanctity,
and in so many others who with generous hearts are making their way towards the
same luminous goal, but also in the new flowering of a deep and practical piety
in all classes of society even the most cultured, as We pointed out in Our
recent Motu Proprio In multis solaciis of October 28
last, on the occasion of
the reorganization of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.[23]
43. Nevertheless We
cannot deny that there is still much to be done in the way of spiritual
renovation. Even in Catholic countries there are still too many who are
Catholics hardly more than in name. There are too many who fulfill more or less
faithfully the more essential obligations of the religion they boast of
professing, but have no desire of knowing it better, of deepening their inward
conviction, and still less of bringing into conformity with the external gloss
the inner splendor of a right and unsullied conscience, that recognizes and
performs all its duties under the eye of God. We know how much Our Divine
Savior detested this empty pharisaic show, He Who
wished that all should adore the Father "in spirit and in truth."[24]
The Catholic who does not live really and sincerely according to the Faith he
professes will not long be master of himself in these days when the winds of
strife and persecution blow so fiercely, but will be swept away defenseless in
this new deluge which threatens the world. And thus, while he is preparing his
own ruin, he is exposing to ridicule the very name of Christian.
44. And here We wish, Venerable Brethren, to insist
more particularly on two teachings of Our Lord which have a special bearing on
the present condition of the human race: detachment from earthly goods and the
precept of charity. "Blessed are the poor in spirit" were the first
words that fell from the lips of
the Divine Master in His sermon on the mount.[25] This lesson is more than ever
necessary in these days of materialism athirst for the goods and pleasures of
this earth. All Christians, rich or poor, must keep their eye fixed on heaven,
remembering that "we have not here a lasting city, but we seek one that is
to
come."[26] The rich should not place their happiness in things of earth
nor spend their best efforts in the acquisition of them. Rather, considering
themselves only as stewards of their earthly goods, let them be mindful of the
account they must render of them to their Lord and Master, and value them as
precious means that God has put into their hands for doing good; let them not
fail, besides, to distribute of their abundance to the poor, according to the
evangelical precept.[27] Otherwise there shall be verified of them and their
riches the harsh condemnation of St. James the Apostle: "Go to now, ye
rich men; weep and howl in your miseries which shall come upon you. Your riches
are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten; your gold and silver is
cankered; and the rust of them shall be for a testimony against you and shall
eat your flesh like fire. You have stored up to yourselves wrath against the
last days. .
."[28]
45. But the poor too, in their turn, while engaged, according to the laws of
charity and justice, in acquiring the necessities of life and also in bettering
their condition, should always remain "poor in spirit,"[29] and hold
spiritual goods in higher esteem than earthly property and pleasures. Let them
remember that the world will never be able to rid itself of misery, sorrow and
tribulation, which are the portion even of those who seem most prosperous. Patience,
therefore, is the need of all, that Christian patience which comforts
the heart with the divine assurance of eternal happiness. "Be patient,
therefore, brethren," we repeat with St. .lames, "until the coming of
the Lord. Behold the husbandman waiteth for the
precious fruit of the earth, patiently bearing until he receive the early and
the later rain. Be you therefore also patient and strengthen your hearts, for
the coming of the Lord is at hand."[30] Only thus will be fulfilled the
consoling promise of the Lord: "Blessed are the poor!" These words
are no vain consolation, a promise as empty as those of the Communists. They
are the words of life, pregnant with a sovereign reality. They are fully
verified here on earth, as well as in eternity. Indeed, how many of the poor,
in anticipation of the
look for in vain!
46. Still more important as a remedy for the evil we are considering, or
certainly more directly calculated to cure it, is the precept of charity. We
have in mind that Christian charity, "patient and kind,"[32] which
avoids all semblance of demeaning paternalism, and all ostentation; that
charity which from the very beginning of Christianity won to Christ the poorest
of the poor, the slaves. And We are grateful to all
those members of charitable associations, from the conferences of St. Vincent
de Paul to the recent great relief organizations, which are perseveringly
practicing the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. The more the working men
and the poor realize what the spirit of love animated by the virtue of Christ
is doing for them, the more readily will they abandon the false persuasion that
Christianity has lost its efficacy and
that the Church stands on the side of the exploiters of their labor.
47. But when on the one hand We see thousands of the needy, victims of real
misery for various reasons beyond their control, and on the other so many round
about them who spend huge sums of money on useless things and frivolous
amusement, We cannot fail to remark with sorrow not only that justice is poorly
observed, but that the precept of charity also is not sufficiently appreciated,
is not a vital thing in daily life. We desire therefore, Venerable Brethren,
that this divine precept, this precious mark of identification left by Christ
to His true disciples, be ever more fully explained by pen and word of mouth;
this precept which teaches us to see in those who suffer Christ Himself, and
would have us love our brothers as Our Divine Savior has loved us, that is,
even at the sacrifice of ourselves, and, if need be, of our very life. Let all then
frequently meditate on those words of the final sentence, so consoling yet so
terrifying, which the Supreme Judge will pronounce on the day of the Last
Judgment: "Come, ye blessed of my Father . . . for I was hungry and you
gave me to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me to drink . . . Amen, I say to
you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren you did it to
me."[33] And the
reverse: "Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire . . . for I
was hungry and you gave me not to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me not to
drink . . . Amen, I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these
least. neither did you do it to me."[34]
48. To be sure of eternal life, therefore, and to be able to help the poor
effectively, it is imperative to return to a more moderate way of life, to
renounce the joys, often sinful, which the world today holds out in such
abundance; to forget self for love of the neighbor. There is a divine
regenerating force in this "new precept" (as Christ called it) of Christian
charity.[35] Its faithful observance will pour into the heart an inner peace
which the world knows not, and will finally cure the ills which oppress
humanity.
49. But charity will never be true charity unless it takes justice into
constant account. The Apostle teaches that "he that loveth
his neighbor hath fulfilled the law" and he gives the reason: "For,
Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not
steal . . . and if there be any other commandment, it is comprised in this
word: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself."[36] According to the Apostle, then, all the commandments,
including those which are of strict justice, as those which forbid us to kill
or to steal,
may be reduced to the single precept of true charity. From this it follows that
a "charity" which deprives the workingman of the salary to which he
has a strict title in justice, is not charity at all, but only its empty name
and hollow semblance. The wage-earner is not to receive as alms what is his due
in justice.
And let no one attempt with trifling charitable donations to exempt himself from the great duties imposed by justice. Both
justice and charity often dictate obligations touching on the same
subject-matter, but under different aspects; and the very dignity of the
workingman makes him justly and acutely sensitive to
the duties of others in his regard.
50. Therefore We turn again in a special way to you,
Christian employers and industrialists, whose problem is often so difficult for
the reason that you are saddled with the heavy heritage of an unjust economic
regime whose ruinous influence has been felt through many generations. We bid
you be mindful of your responsibility. It is unfortunately true that the manner
of acting in certain Catholic circles has done much to shake the faith of the
working-classes in the religion of Jesus Christ. These groups have refused to
understand that Christian charity demands the recognition of certain rights due
to the workingman, which the Church has explicitly acknowledged. What is to be
thought of the action of those Catholic employers who in one place succeeded in
preventing the reading of Our Encyclical Quadragesimo
Anno in their local churches? Or of those Catholic industrialists who even to
this day have shown themselves hostile to a labor movement that We Ourselves
recommended? Is it not deplorable that the right of
private property defended by the Church should so often have been used as a
weapon to defraud the workingman of his just salary and his social rights?
51. In reality, besides commutative justice, there is also social justice with
its own set obligations, from which neither employers nor workingmen can
escape. Now it is of the very essence of social justice to demand for each
individual all that is necessary for the common good. But just as in the living
organism it
is impossible to provide for the good of the whole unless each single part and
each individual member is given what it needs for the exercise of its proper
functions, so it is impossible to care for the social organism and the good of
society as a unit unless each single part and each individual member - that is
to say, each individual man in the dignity of his human personality - is
supplied with all that is necessary for the exercise of his social functions.
If social justice be satisfied, the result will be an intense activity in
economic life as a whole, pursued in tranquillity and
order. This activity will be proof of the health of the social body, just as
the health of the human body is recognized in the undisturbed regularity and
perfect efficiency of the whole organism.
52. But social justice cannot be said to have been satisfied as long as
workingmen are denied a salary that will enable them to secure proper
sustenance for themselves and for their families; as long as they are denied
the opportunity of acquiring a modest fortune and forestalling the plague of
universal pauperism; as long as they cannot make suitable provision through
public or private insurance for old age, for periods of illness and
unemployment. In a word, to repeat what has been said in Our Encyclical Quadragesimo Anno: "Then only will the economic and
social order be soundly established and attain its ends, when it offers, to all
and to each, all those goods which the wealth and resources of nature,
technical science and the
corporate organization of social affairs can give. These goods should be
sufficient to supply all necessities and reasonable comforts, and to uplift men
to that higher standard of life which, provided it be used with prudence, is not only not a hindrance but is of singular help to
virtue."[37]
53. It happens all too frequently, however, under the salary system,
that individual employers are helpless to ensure justice unless, with a
view to its practice, they organize institutions the object of which is to
prevent competition incompatible with fair treatment for the workers. Where
this is true, it is the duty of contractors and employers to support and
promote such necessary organizations as normal instruments enabling them to
fulfill their obligations of justice. But the laborers too must be mindful of
their duty to
love and deal fairly with their employers, and persuade themselves that there
is no better means of safeguarding their own interests.
54. If, therefore, We consider the whole structure of economic life, as We have
already pointed out in Our Encyclical Quadragesimo
Anno, the reign of mutual collaboration between justice and charity in
social-economic relations can only be achieved by a body of professional and
inter professional organizations,
built on solidly Christian foundations, working together to effect, under forms
adapted to different places and circumstances, what has been called the Corporation .
55. To give to this social activity a greater efficacy, it is necessary to
promote a wider study of social problems in the light of the doctrine of the
Church and under the aegis of her constituted authority. If the manner of
acting of some Catholics in the social-economic field has left much to be
desired, this
has often come about because they have not known and pondered sufficiently the
teachings of the Sovereign Pontiffs on these questions. Therefore, it is of the
utmost importance to foster in all classes of society an intensive program of
social education adapted to the varying degrees of intellectual culture. It is
necessary with all care and diligence to procure the widest possible diffusion
of the teachings of the Church, even among the working-classes. The minds of men
must be illuminated with the sure light of Catholic teaching, and their wills
must be drawn to follow and apply it as the norm of right living in the
conscientious fulfillment of their manifold social duties. Thus they will
oppose that incoherence and discontinuity in Christian life which We have many times lamented. For there are some who, while
exteriorly faithful to the practice of their religion, yet in the field of
labor and industry, in the professions,
trade and business, permit a deplorable cleavage in their conscience, and live
a life too little in conformity with the clear principles of justice and
Christian charity. Such lives are a scandal to the weak, and to the malicious a
pretext to discredit the Church.
56. In this renewal the Catholic Press can play a prominent part. Its foremost
duty is to foster in various attractive ways an ever better understanding of
social doctrine. It should, too, supply accurate and complete information on
the activity of the enemy and the means of resistance which have been found
most effective in various quarters. It should offer useful suggestions and warn
against the insidious deceits with which Communists endeavor, all too
successfully, to attract even men of good faith.
57. On this point We have already insisted in Our
Allocution of May 12th of last year, but We believe it to be a duty of special
urgency, Venerable Brethren, to call your attention to it once again. In the beginning
Communism showed itself for what it was in all its perversity; but very soon it
realized that it was thus alienating the people. It has therefore changed its
tactics, and strives to entice the multitudes by trickery of various forms,
hiding its real designs behind ideas that in themselves are good and
attractive. Thus, aware of the universal desire for peace, the leaders of
Communism pretend to be the most zealous promoters and propagandists in the
movement for world amity. Yet at the same time they stir up a
class-warfare which causes rivers of blood to flow, and, realizing that their
system offers no internal guarantee of peace, they have recourse to unlimited
armaments. Under various names which do not suggest Communism, they establish
organizations and periodicals with the sole purpose of carrying their ideas
into quarters otherwise inaccessible. They try perfidiously to worm their way even into
professedly Catholic and religious organizations. Again, without receding an
inch from their subversive principles, they invite Catholics to collaborate
with them in the realm of so-called humanitarianism and charity; and at times
even make proposals that are in perfect harmony with the Christian spirit and
the doctrine of the Church. Elsewhere they carry their hypocrisy so
far as to encourage the belief that Communism, in countries where faith and
culture are more strongly entrenched, will assume another and much milder form.
It will not interfere with the practice of religion. It will respect liberty of
conscience. There are some even who refer to certain changes recently
introduced into soviet legislation as a proof that Communism is about to
abandon its program of war against God.
58. See to
it, Venerable Brethren, that the Faithful do not allow
themselves to be deceived! Communism is intrinsically wrong,
and no one who would save Christian civilization may collaborate with it in any
undertaking whatsoever. Those who permit themselves to be deceived into lending
their aid towards the
triumph of Communism in their own country, will be the
first to fall victims of their error. And the greater the antiquity and
grandeur of the Christian civilization in the regions where Communism
successfully penetrates, so much more devastating will be the hatred displayed
by the godless.
59. But "unless the Lord keep the city, he watcheth in vain that keepeth
it."[38] And so, as a final and most efficacious remedy, We recommend, Venerable Brethren, that in your dioceses you
use the most practical means to foster and intensify the spirit of prayer
joined with Christian penance. When the Apostles asked the Savior why they had
been unable to drive the evil spirit from a demoniac, Our Lord answered:
"This kind is not cast out but by prayer and fasting."[39] So, too,
the evil which today torments humanity can be conquered only by a world-wide crusade
of prayer and penance. We ask especially the
Contemplative Orders, men and women, to redouble their prayers and sacrifices
to obtain from heaven efficacious aid for the Church in the present struggle.
Let them implore also the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Virgin who,
having crushed the head of the serpent of old, remains
the sure protectress and invincible "Help of
Christians."
60. To apply the remedies thus briefly indicated to the task of saving the
world as We have traced it above, Jesus Christ, our
Divine King, has chosen priests as the first-line ministers and messengers of
His gospel. Theirs is the duty, assigned to them by a special vocation, under
the direction of their Bishops and
in filial obedience to the Vicar of Christ on earth, of keeping alight in the
world the torch of Faith, and of filling the hearts of the Faithful with that
supernatural trust which has aided the Church to fight and win so many other
battles in the name of Christ: "This is the victory which overcometh the world, our Faith."[40]
61. To priests in a special way We recommend anew the
oft-repeated counsel of Our Predecessor, Leo XIII, to go to the workingman. We
make this advice Our own, and faithful to the
teachings of Jesus Christ and His Church, We thus complete it: "Go to the
workingman, especially where he is poor; and in general, go to the poor."
The poor are obviously more exposed than others to the wiles of agitators who,
taking advantage of their extreme need, kindle their hearts to envy of the rich
and urge them to seize by force what fortune seems to have denied them
unjustly. If the priest will not go to the workingman and to the
poor, to warn them or to disabuse them of prejudice and false theory, they will
become an easy prey for the apostles of Communism .
62. Indisputably much has been done in this direction, especially after the
publication of the Encyclicals Rerum Novarum and Quadragesimo Anno. We
are happy to voice Our paternal approval of the
zealous pastoral activity manifested by so many Bishops and priests who have
with due prudence and caution been planning and applying new methods of
apostolate more adapted to modern needs. But for the
solution of our present problem, all this effort is still inadequate. When our
country is in danger, everything not strictly necessary, everything not bearing
directly on the urgent matter of unified defense, takes second place. So we
must act in today's crisis. Every other enterprise, however attractive and
helpful, must yield before the vital need of protecting the very foundation of
the Faith and of Christian civilization. Let our parish priest, therefore,
while providing of course for the normal needs of the Faithful, dedicate the better part of their endeavors and their zeal to
winning back the laboring masses to Christ and
to His Church. Let them work to infuse the Christian spirit into
quarters where it is least at home. The willing response of the masses, and
results far exceeding their expectations, will not fail to reward them for
their strenuous pioneer labor. This has been and continues to be our experience
in
other capitals, where zealous parish communities are being formed as new
churches are built in the suburban districts, and real miracles are being
worked in the conversion of people whose hostility to religion has been due
solely to the fact that they did not know it.
63. But the most efficacious means of apostolate among the poor and lowly is
the priest's example, the practice of all those sacerdotal virtues which We
have described in Our Encyclical Ad Catholici Sacerdotii.[41] Especially needful, however, for the
present situation is the shining example of a life which is humble, poor and
disinterested, in imitation of a Divine Master Who could say to the world with
divine simplicity: "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air nests,
but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head."[42] A priest who is
really poor and disinterested in the Gospel sense may work among his flock
marvels recalling a Saint Vincent de Paul, a Cure of Ars,
a Cottolengo, a Don Bosco
and so many others; while an avaricious and selfish priest, as We have noted in
the above mentioned Encyclical, even though he should not plunge with Judas to
the abyss of treason, will never be more than empty "sounding brass"
and useless "tinkling cymbal."[43] Too often, indeed, he will be a
hindrance rather than an instrument of grace in the midst of his people.
Furthermore, where a secular priest or religious is obliged by his office to
64. After this appeal to the clergy, We extend Our
paternal invitation to Our beloved sons among the laity who are doing battle in
the ranks of Catholic Action. On another occasion[44]
We have called this movement so dear to Our heart "a particularly
providential assistance" in the work of the Church during
these troublous times. Catholic Action is in effect a social apostolate also,
inasmuch as its object is to spread the Kingdom of Jesus Christ not only among
individuals, but also in families and in society. It must, therefore, make it a
chief aim to train its members with special care and to prepare them to fight
the battles of the Lord. This task of formation, now more urgent and
indispensable than ever, which must always precede direct action in the field,
will assuredly be served by study-circles, conferences, lecture-courses and the
various other activities undertaken with a view to making known the Christian
solution of the social problem.
65. The militant leaders of Catholic Action thus properly prepared and armed,
will be the first and immediate apostles of their fellow workmen. They will be
an invaluable aid to the priest in carrying the torch of truth, and in
relieving grave spiritual and material suffering, in many sectors where
inveterate
anti-clerical prejudice or deplorable religious indifference has proved a
constant obstacle to the pastoral activity of God's ministers. In this way they
will collaborate, under the direction of especially qualified priests, in that
work of spiritual aid to the laboring classes on which We
set so much store, because it is the means best calculated to save these, Our
beloved children, from the snares of Communism.
66. In addition to this individual apostolate which, however useful and
efficacious, often goes unheralded, Catholic Action must organize propaganda on
a large scale to disseminate knowledge of the fundamental principles on which,
according to the Pontifical documents, a Christian .Social Order must build.
67. Ranged with Catholic Action are the groups which We
have been happy to call its auxiliary forces. With paternal affection We exhort these valuable organizations also to dedicate
themselves to the great mission of which We have been treating, a cause which
today transcends all others in vital importance.
68. We are thinking likewise of those associations of workmen, farmers,
technicians, doctors, employers, students and others of like character, groups of men and women who live in the
same cultural atmosphere and share the same way of life. Precisely these
groups and organizations are destined to introduce into society that order
which We have envisaged in Our Encyclical Quadragesimo Anno, and thus to spread in the vast and
various fields of culture and labor the recognition of the
69. Even where the State, because of changed social and economic conditions,
has felt obliged to intervene directly in order to aid and regulate such
organizations by special legislative enactments, supposing always the necessary
respect for liberty and private initiative, Catholic Action may not urge the
circumstance as an excuse for abandoning the field. Its members should
contribute prudently and intelligently to the study of the problems of the hour
in the light of Catholic doctrine. They should loyally and generously
participate in the formation of the new institutions, bringing to them the
Christian spirit which is the basic principle of order wherever men work
together in fraternal harmony.
70. Here We should like to address a particularly
affectionate word to Our Catholic workingmen, young and old. They have been
given, perhaps as a reward for their often heroic fidelity in these trying
days, a noble and an arduous mission. Under the guidance of their Bishops and
priests, they are to bring back
to the Church and to God those immense multitudes of their brother-workmen who,
because they were not understood or treated with the respect to which they were
entitled, in bitterness have strayed far from God. Let Catholic workingmen show
these their wandering brethren by word and example that the Church is a tender
Mother to all those who labor and suffer, and that she has never failed, and
never will fail, in her sacred maternal duty of protecting her children. If
this mission, which must be fulfilled in mines, in factories, in shops,
wherever they may be laboring, should at times require great sacrifices, Our workmen will remember that the Savior of the world has
given them an example not only of toil but of self immolation.
71. To all Our children, finally, of every social rank
and every nation, to every religious and lay organization in the Church, We
make another and more urgent appeal for union. Many times Our paternal heart
has been saddened by the divergencies - often idle in
their causes, always tragic in their consequences - which array in opposing camps
the sons of the same
72. But in this battle joined by the powers of darkness against the very idea
of Divinity, it is Our fond hope that, besides the host which glories in the
name of Christ, all those - and they comprise the overwhelming majority of
mankind, - who still believe in God and pay Him homage may take a decisive
part. We
therefore renew the invitation extended to them five years ago in Our
Encyclical Caritate Christi, invoking their loyal and
hearty collaboration "in order to ward off from mankind the great danger
that threatens all alike." Since, as We then
said, "belief in God is the unshakable foundation of all social order and
of all responsibility on earth, it follows that all those who do not want anarchy
and terrorism ought to take energetic steps to prevent the enemies of religion
from attaining the goal they have so brazenly proclaimed to the world."[45]
73. Such is the positive task, embracing at once theory and practice, which the
Church undertakes in virtue of the mission, confided to her by Christ, of constructing
a Christian society, and, in our own times, of resisting unto victory the
attacks of Communism. It is the duty of the Christian State to concur actively
in this spiritual enterprise of the Church, aiding her with the means at its
command, which although they be external devices, have nonetheless for their
prime object the good of souls.
74. This means that all diligence should be exercised by States to prevent within
their territories the ravages of an anti-God campaign which shakes society to
its very foundations. For there can be no authority on earth unless the
authority of the Divine Majesty be recognized; no oath will bind which is
not sworn in the Name of the Living God. We repeat what We
have said with frequent insistence in the past, especially in Our Encyclical Caritate Christi: "How can any contract be maintained,
and what value can any treaty have, in which every guarantee of conscience is
lacking? And how can there be talk of
guarantees of conscience when all faith in God and all fear of God have vanished?
Take away this basis, and with it all moral law falls,
and there is no remedy left to stop the gradual but inevitable destruction of
peoples, families, the State, civilization itself."[46]
75. It must likewise be the special care of the State to create those material conditions
of life without which an orderly society cannot exist. The State must take
every measure necessary to supply employment, particularly for the heads of families
and for the young. To achieve this end demanded by the pressing needs of the
common welfare, the wealthy classes must be induced to assume those burdens
without which human society cannot be saved nor they
themselves remain secure. However, measures taken by the State with this end in
view ought to be of such a nature that they will really affect those who
actually possess more than their share of capital resources, and who continue
to accumulate them to the grievous detriment of others.
76. The State itself, mindful of its responsibility before God and society, should
be a model of prudence and sobriety in the
constantly and singly in mind the common good. State functionaries and all employees
are obliged in conscience to perform their duties faithfully and unselfishly,
imitating the brilliant example of distinguished men of the past and of our own
day, who with unremitting labor sacrificed their all for the good of their
country. In international trade-relations let all means be sedulously employed
for the removal of those artificial barriers to economic life which are the
effects of distrust and hatred. All must remember that the peoples of the earth
form but one family in God.
77. At the same time the State must allow the Church full liberty to fulfill
her divine and spiritual mission, and this in itself will be an effectual contribution
to the rescue of nations from the dread torment of the present hour. Everywhere
today there is an anxious appeal to moral and spiritual forces; and rightly so,
for the evil we must combat is at its origin primarily an evil of the spiritual
order. From this polluted source the monstrous emanations of the communistic
system flow with satanic logic. Now, the Catholic Church is
undoubtedly preeminent among the moral and religious forces of today. Therefore
the very good of humanity demands that her work be allowed to proceed unhindered.
78. Those who act otherwise, and at the same time
fondly pretend to attain their objective with purely political or economic
means, are in the grip of a dangerous error. When religion is banished from the school,
from education and from public life, when the representatives of Christianity
and its sacred rites are held up to ridicule, are we not really fostering the
materialism which is the fertile soil of Communism.? Neither force, however well organized it be, nor earthly ideals
however lofty or noble, can control a movement whose roots lie in the excessive
esteem for the goods of this world.
79. We trust that those rulers of nations, who are at all aware of the extreme danger
threatening every people today, may be more and more convinced of their supreme
duty not to hinder the Church in the fulfillment of her mission. This is the
more imperative since, while this mission has in view man's happiness in heaven,
it cannot but promote his true felicity in time.
80. We cannot conclude this Encyclical Letter without addressing some words to those
of Our children who are more or less tainted with the
Communist plague. We earnestly exhort them to hear the voice of their loving
Father. We pray the Lord to enlighten them that they may abandon the slippery
path which will precipitate one and all to ruin and catastrophe, and that they
recognize that Jesus Christ, Our Lord, is their only Savior: "For there is
no other name under heaven given to man, whereby we must be saved."[47]
81. To hasten the advent of that "peace of Christ in the
82. With eyes lifted on high, our Faith sees the new heavens and the new earth described
by Our first Predecessor, St. Peter.[49] While the
promises of the false prophets of this earth melt away in blood and tears, the
great apocalyptic prophecy of the Redeemer shines forth in heavenly splendor:
"Behold, I make all things new."[50] Venerable Brethren, nothing
remains but to raise Our paternal hands to call down
upon you, upon your clergy and people, upon the whole Catholic family, the
Apostolic Benediction. Given at
1937, the 16th year of our Pontificate. PIUS XI
________________________________
1. Encycl. Qui Pluribus, Nov. 9, 1864 (Acta Pii IX, Vol
I, p. 13). Cf. Syllabus,
IV, (A.S.S., vol. III, p. 170).
2. Encycl. Quod Apostolici Muneris, Dec. 28, 1928 (Acta Leonis XII, Vol. 1, p.
46).
3. Dec. 18, 1924: A.A.S., Vol. XVI (1924), pp. 494-495.
4. May 8, 1928: A.A.S., Vol. XX (1928), pp. 165-178.
5. May 15, 1931: A.A.S., Vol. XXIII (1931), pp. 177-228.
6. May 3, 1932: A.A.S., Vol. XXIV (1932), pp. 177-194.
7. Sept. 29, 1932: A.A.S., Vol. XXIV (1932), pp. 321-332.
8. June 3, 1933: A.A.S., Vol. XXV (1933), pp. 261-274.
9. Cf. Thessalonians, II, 4.
10. Encycl. Divini Illius Magistri, Dec. 31, 1929
(A.A.S., Vol. XXII, 1930 pp.
47-86).
11. Encycl. Casti Connubii, Dec. 31, 1930 (A.A.S., Vol. XX- II, 1930, pp.
539-592).
12. I Corinthians, III, 23.
13. Encycl. Rerum Novarum, May 15, 1891 (Acta Leonis XIII Vol. IV, pp. 177-209).
14. Encycl. Quadragesimo Anno, May
15, 1931 (A.A.S., Vol. XXIII, 1931, pp.
177-228).
15. Encycl. Diuturnum Illud, June 20, 1881 (Acta Leonis XIII, Vol. I, . 210-22).
16. Encycl. Immortale Dei,
Nov. 1, 1885 (Acta Leonis
XIII, Vol. II, pp.
146-168).
17. St. Luke, 11, 14.
18. St. Matthew, VI, 33.
20. Cicero, De Officiis, Bk. I, c.
42.
21. St. James, I, 22.
22. St. James, I, 17.
23. A.A.S., vol. XXVIII (1936); pp. 421424.
24.
25. St. Matthew, V, 3.
26. Hebrews, XIII, 14.
27. St. Luke, Xl, 41.
28. St. James, V, 1-3.
29. St. Matthew, V, 3.
30. St. James, V, 7, 8.
31. St. Luke, VI, 20.
32. I Corinthians, XIII, 4.
33. St. Matthew, XXV, 34-40.
34. St. Matthew, XXV, 41-45.
35.
36. Romans, XIII, 8, 9.
37. Encycl. Quadragesimo Anno, May
15, 1931 (A.A.S., Vol. XXIII, 1931, p. 202).
38. Psalms, CXXVI, 1.
39. St. Matthew, XVII, 20
40. I Epist. St.
41 Dec. 20, 1935, A.A.S., vol. XXVIII (1936), pp. 5-53. 42. St. Matthew, VIII,
20.
43. I Corinthians, XIII, 1.
44. May 12, 1936.
45. Encycl. Caritate Christi, May
3, 1932 (A.A.S., vol. XXIV, p. 184).
46. Encycl. Caritate Christi, May
3, 1932 (A.A.S., vol. XX-IV, 1932, p. 190).
47. Acts, IV, 12.
48. Encycl. Ubi Arcano,
Dec. 23, 1922 (A.A.S., Vol. XIV, 1922,p.691).
1.
50. Apoc. XXI, 5.
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