INSCRUTABILI
DEI CONSILIO
ENCYCLICAL OF POPE LEO XIII ON THE
EVILS OF SOCIETY
To
the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, and
Bishops of the Catholic World in Grace and
Communion avith the Apostolic See.
When
by God's unsearchable design, We, though all unworthy, were raised to
the height of apostolic dignity, at once We felt Ourselves moved by an
urgent desire and, as it were, necessity, to address you by letter, not
merely to express to you Our very deep feeling of love, but further, in
accordance with the task entrusted to Us from heaven, to strengthen you
who are called to share Our solicitude, that you may help Us to carry
on the battle now being waged on behalf of the Church of God and the salvation
of souls.
2.
For, from the very beginning of Our pontificate, the sad sight has presented
itself to Us of the evils by which the human race is oppressed on every
side: the widespread subversion of the primary truths on which, as on
its foundations, human society is based; the obstinacy of mind that will
not brook any authority however lawful; the endless sources of disagreement,whence
arrive civil strife, and ruthless war and bloodshed; the contempt of law
which molds characters and is the shield of righteousness; the insatiable
craving for things perishable, with complete forgetfulness of
things eternal, leading up to the desperate madness whereby so many wretched
beings, in all directions, scruple not to lay violent hands upon themselves;
the reckless mismanagement, waste, and misappropriation of the public
funds; the shamelessness of those who, full of treachery, make semblance
of being champions of country, of freedom, and every kind of right; in
fine, the deadly kind of plague which infects in its inmost recesses,
allowing it no respite and foreboding ever fresh disturbances and final
disaster.(1)
3.
Now, the source of these evils lies chiefly, We are convinced, in this,
that the holy and venerable authority of the Church, which in God's name
rules mankind, upholding and defending all lawful authority, has been
despised and set aside. The enemies of public order, being fully aware
of this, have thought nothing better suited to destroy the foundations
of society than to make an unflagging attack upon the Church of God, to
bring her into discredit and odium by spreading infamous calumnies and
accusing her of being opposed to genuine progress. They labor to weaken
her influence and power by wounds daily inflicted, and to overthrow the
authority of the Bishop of Rome, in whom the abiding and unchangeable
principles of right and good find their earthly
guardian and champion. From these causes have originated laws that shake
the structure of the Catholic Church, the enacting whereof we have to
deplore in so many lands; hence, too, have floured forth contempt of episcopal
authority; the obstacles thrown in the way of the discharge of ecclesiastical
duties; the dissolution of religious bodies; and the confiscation of property
that was once the support of the Church's ministers and of the poor. Thereby,
public institutions, vowed to charity and benevolence, have been withdrawn
from the wholesome control of the Church; thence, also, has arisen that
unchecked freedom to teach and spread abroad all mischievous principles,
while the Church's claim to train and educate youth is in every way outraged
and baffled. Such, too, is the purpose of the seizing of the temporal
power, conferred many centuries ago by Divine Providence on the Bishop
of Rome, that he might without let or hindrance use the authority conferred
by Christ for the eternal welfare of the nations.(2)
4.
We have recalled to your minds, venerable brothers, this deathly mass
of ills, not to increase the sorrow naturally caused by this most sad
state of things, but because we believe that from its consideration you
will most plainly see how serious are the matters claiming our attention
as well as devotedness, and with what energy We should work and, more
than ever, under the present adverse conditions, protect, so far as in
Us lies, the Church of Christ and the honor of the apostolic see-the objects
of so many slanders-and assert their claims.
5.
It is perfectly clear and evident, venerable brothers, that the very notion
of civilization is a fiction of the brain if it rest not on the abiding
principles of truth and the unchanging laws of virtue and justice, and
if unfeigned love knit not together the wills of men, and gently control
the interchange and the character of their mutual service. Now, who would
make bold to deny that the Church, by spreading the Gospel throughout
the nations, has brought the light of truth amongst people utterly savage
and steeped in foul superstition, and has quickened them alike to recognize
the Divine Author of nature and duly to respect themselves? Further, who
will deny that the Church has done away with the curse of slavery and
restored men to the original dignity of their noble nature; and-by uplifting
the standard of redemption in all quarters of the globe, by introducing,
or shielding under her protection, the sciences and arts, by founding
and taking into her keeping excellent charitable institutions which provide
relief for ills of every kind-has throughout the world, in private or
in public life, civilized the human race, freed it from degradation, and
with all care trained it to a way of Living such as befits the dignity
and the hopes of man? And if any one of sound mind compare the age in
which We live, so hostile to religion and to the Church of Christ, with
those happy times when the Church was revered as a mother by the nations,
beyond all question he will see that our epoch is rushing wildly along
the straight road to destruction; while in those times which most abounded
in excellent institutions, peaceful life, wealth, and prosperity the people
showed themselves most obedient to the Church's rule and laws. Therefore,
if the many blessings We have mentioned, due to the agency and saving
help of the Church, are the true and worthy outcome of civilization, the
Church of Christ, far from being alien to or neglectful of progress, has
a just claim to all men's praise as its nurse, its mistress, and its mother.
6.
Furthermore, that kind of civilization which conflicts with the doctrines
and laws of holy Church is nothing but a worthless imitation and meaningless
name. Of this those peoples on whom the Gospel light has never shown afford
ample proof, since in their mode of life a shadowy semblance only of civilization
is discoverable, while its true and solid blessings have never been possessed.
Undoubtedly, that cannot by any means be accounted the perfection of civilized
life which sets all legitimate authority boldly at defiance; nor can that
be regarded as liberty which, shamefully and by the vilest means, spreading
false principles, and freely indulging the sensual gratification of lustful
desires, claims impunity for all crime and misdemeanor, and thwarts the
goodly influence of the worthiest citizens of whatsoever class. Delusive,
perverse, and misleading as are these principles, they cannot possibly
have any inherent power to perfect the human race and fill it with blessing,
for "sin maketh nations miserable."(3) Such principles, as a
matter of course, must hurry nations, corrupted in mind and heart, into
every kind of infamy, weaken all right order, and thus, sooner or later,
bring the standing and peace of the State to the very brink of ruin.
7. Again, if We consider
the achievements of the
see of Rome, what can be more wicked than to deny how much and how well
the Roman bishops have served civilized society at large? For Our predecessors,
to provide for the peoples' good, encountered struggles of every kind,
endured to the utmost burdensome toils, and never hesitated to expose
themselves to most dangerous trials. With eyes fixed on heaven, they neither
bowed down their head before the threats of the wicked, nor allowed themselves
to be led by flattery or bribes into unworthy compliance. This apostolic
chair it was that gathered and held together the crumbling remains of
the old order of things; this was the kindly light by whose help the culture
of Christian times shone far and wide; this was an anchor or safety in
the fierce storms by which the human race has been convulsed; this was
the sacred bond of union that linked together nations distant in region
and differing in character; in short, this was a common center from which
was sought instruction in faith and religion, no less than guidance and
advice for the maintenance of peace and the functions of practical life.
In very truth it is the glory of the supreme Pontiffs that they steadfastly
set themselves up as a wall and a bulwark to save human society from falling
back into its former superstition and barbarism.
8.
Would that this healing authority had never been slighted or set aside!
Assuredly, neither would the civil power have lost that venerable and
sacred glory, the lustrous gift of religion, which alone renders the state
of subjection noble and worthy of man; nor would so many revolutions and
wars have been fomented to ravage the world with desolation and bloodshed;
nor would kingdoms, once so flourishing, but now fallen from the height
of prosperity, lie crushed beneath the weight of every kind of calamity.
Of this the peoples of the East also furnish an example, who, by breaking
the most sweet yoke that bound them to this apostolic see, forfeited the
splendor of their former greatness, their renown in science and art, and
the dignity of their sway.
9.
Of these remarkable benefits, however, which illustrious monuments of
all ages prove to have flowed upon every quarter of the world from the
apostolic see, this land of Italy has had the most abounding experience.
For it has derived advantages from the see of Rome proportionate to the
greater nearness of its natural situation. Unquestionably, to the Roman
Pontiffs it is that Italy
must own herself indebted for the substantial glory and majesty by which
she has been preeminent amongst nations. The influence and fatherly care
of the Popes have upon many occasions shielded her from hostile attack
and brought her relief and aid, the effect of which is that the Catholic
faith has been ever maintained inviolate in the hearts of Italians.
10.
These services of Our predecessors, to omit mention of many others, have
been witnessed to in a special manner by the records of the times of St.
Leo the Great, Alexander III, Innocent III, St. Pius V, Leo X, and other
Pontiffs,(4) by whose exertions or protection Italy has escaped unscathed
from the utter destruction threatened by barbarians; has kept unimpaired
her old faith, and, amid the darkness and defilement of the ruder age,
has cultivated and preserved in vigor the luster of science and the splendor
of art. To this, furthermore, bears witness Our own fostering city, the
home of the Popes, which, under their rule, reaped this special benefit,
that it not only was the strong citadel of the faith, but also became
the refuge of the liberal arts and the very abode of wisdom winning for
itself the admiration and respect of the whole world. As these facts in
all their amplitude have been handed down in historical records for the
perpetual remembrance of posterity, it is easy to understand that it is
only with hostile design and shameless calumny-meant to mislead men-that
any one can venture in speech and in writing to accuse the apostolic see
of being an obstacle to the civil progress of nations and to the prosperity
of Italy.
11.
Seeing, therefore, that all the hopes of Italy and of the whole world
lie in the power, so beneficent to the common good and profit, wherewith
the authority of the apostolic see is endowed, and in the close union
which binds all the faithful of Christ to the Roman Pontiff, We recognize
that nothing should be nearer Our heart than how to preserve safe and
sound the dignity of the Roman see, and to strengthen ever more and more
the union of members with the head, of the children with their father.
12.
Wherefore, that We may above all things, and in every possible way, maintain
the rights and freedom of this holy see, We shall never cease to strive
that Our authority may meet with due deference; that obstacles may be
removed which hamper the free exercise of Our ministry and that We may
be restored to that condition of things in which
the design of God's wisdom had long ago placed the Roman Pontiffs. We
are moved to demand this restoration, venerable brethren, not by any feeling
of ambition or desire of supremacy, but by the nature of Our office and
by Our sacred promise confirmed on oath; and further, not only because
this sovereignty is essential to protect and preserve the full liberty
of the spiritual power, but also because it is an ascertained fact that,
when the temporal sovereignty of the apostolic see is in question, the
cause of the public good and the well-being of all human society in general
are also at stake. Hence, We cannot omit, in the discharge of Our duty,
which obliges Us to guard the rights of holy Church, to renew and confirm
in every particular by this Our letter those declarations and protests
which Pius IX,(5) of sacred memory, Our predecessor, on many and repeated
occasions published against the seizing of the civil sovereignty and the
infringement of rights belonging to the Catholic Church. At the same time
We address ourselves to princes and chief rulers of the nations, and earnestly
beseech them in the august name of the Most High God, not to refuse the
Church's aid, proffered them in a season of such need, but with united
and friendly aims, to join themselves to her as the source of authority
and salvation, and to attach themselves to her more and more in the bonds
of hearty love and devotedness. God grant that-seeing the truth of Our
words and considering within themselves that the teaching of Christ is,
as Augustine used to say, "a great blessing to the State, if obeyed,"(6)
and that their own peace and safety, as well as that of their people,
is bound up with the safety of the Church and the reverence due to her-they
may give their whole thought and care to mitigating the evils by which
the Church and its visible head are harassed, and so it may at last come
to pass that the peoples whom they govern may enter on the way of justice
and peace, and rejoice in a happy era of prosperity and glory.
13.
In the next place, in order that the union of hearts between their chief
Pastor and the whole Catholic flock may daily be strengthened, We here
call upon you, venerable brothers, with particular earnestness, and strongly
urge you to kindle, with priestly zeal and pastoral care, the fire of
the love of religion among the faithful entrusted to you, that their attachment
to this chair of truth and justice may become closer and firmer, that
they may welcome all its teachings with
thorough assent of mind and will, wholly rejecting such opinion, even
when most widely received, as they know to be contrary to the Church's
doctrine. In this matter, the Roman Pontiffs, Our predecessors, and the
last of all, Pius IX, of sacred memory, especially in the General Council
of the Vatican, have not neglected, so often as there was need, to condemn
widespreading errors and to smite them with the apostolic condemnation.
This they did, keeping before their eyes the words of St. Paul: "Beware
lest any man cheat you by philosophy and vain deceit, according to the
tradition of men, according to the elements of the world and not according
to Christ."(7) All such censures, We, following in the steps of Our
predecessors, do confirm and renew from this apostolic seat of truth,
whilst We earnestly ask of the Father of lights(8) that all the faithful,
brought to thorough agreement in the like feeling and the same belief,
may think and speak even as Ourselves. It is your duty, venerable brothers,
sedulously to strive that the seed of heavenly doctrine be sown broadcast
in the field of God, and that the teachings of the Catholic faith may
be implanted early in the souls of the faithful, may strike deep root
in them, and be kept free from the ruinous blight of error. The more the
enemies of religion exert themselves to offer the uninformed, especially
the young, such instruction as darkens the mind and corrupts morals, the
more actively should we endeavor that not only a suitable and solid method
of education may flourish but above all that this education be wholly
in harmony with the Catholic faith in its literature and system of training,
and chiefly in philosophy, upon which the direction of other sciences
in great measure depends.(9) Philosophy seeks not the overthrow of divine
revelation, but delights rather to prepare its way, and defend it against
assailants, both by example and in written works, as the great Augustine
and the Angelic Doctor, with all other teachers of Christian wisdom, have
proved to Us.
14.
Now, the training of youth most conducive to the defense of true faith
and religion and to the preservation of morality must find its beginning
from an early stage within the circle of home life; and this family Christian
training sadly undermined in these our times, cannot possibly be restored
to its due dignity, save by those laws under which it was established
in the Church by her Divine Founder Himself. Our Lord Jesus Christ,
by raising to the dignity of a sacrament the contract of matrimony, in
which He would have His own union with the Church typified, not only made
the marriage tie more holy, but, in addition, provided efficacious sources
of aid for parents and children alike, so that, by the discharge of their
duties one to another, they might with greater ease attain to happiness
both in time and in eternity. But when impious laws, setting at naught
the sanctity of this great sacrament, put it on the same footing of mere
civil contracts, the lamentable result followed, that, outraging the dignity
of Christian matrimony, citizens made use of legalized concubinage in
place of marriage; husband and wife neglected their bounden duty to each
other; children refused obedience and reverence to their parents; the
bonds of domestic love were loosened; and alas! the worst scandal and
of all the most ruinous to public morality, very frequently an unholy
passion opened the door to disastrous and fatal separations. These most
unhappy and painful consequences, venerable brothers, cannot fail to arouse
your zeal and move you constantly and earnestly to warn the faithful committed
to your charge to listen with docility to your teaching regarding the
holiness of Christian marriage, and to obey laws by which the Church controls
the duties of married people and of their offspring.(10)
15.
Then, indeed, will that most desirable result come about, that the character
and conduct of individuals also will be reformed; for, just as from a
rotten stock are produced healthless branches or worthless fruits, so
do the ravages of a pestilence which ruins the household spread wide their
cruel infection to the hurt and injury of individual citizens. On the
other hand, when domestic society is fashioned in the mould of Christian
life, each member will gradually grow accustomed to the love of religion
and piety, to the abhorrence of false and harmful teaching, to the persuit
of virtue, to obedience to elders, and to the restraint of the insatiable
seeking after self interest alone, which so spoils and weakens the character
of men. To this end it will certainly help not a little to encourage and
promote those pious associations which have been established, in our own
times especially, with so great profit to the cause of the Catholic religion.
16.
Great indeed and beyond the strength of man are these objects of our hopes
and prayers, venerable brothers; but, since God has "made the
nations of the earth
for health,"(11) when He founded the Church for the welfare of the
peoples, and promised that He will abide with her by His assistance to
the end of the world, We firmly trust that, through your endeavors, the
human race, taking warning from so many evils and visitations, will submit
themselves at length to the Church, and turn for health and prosperity
to the infallible guidance of this apostolic see.
17.
Meanwhile, venerable brothers, before bringing this letter to a close,
We must express Our congratulations on the striking harmony and concord
which unites your minds among yourselves and with this apostolic see.
This perfect union We regard as not merely an impregnable bulwark against
hostile attacks, but also as an auspicious and happy omen, presaging better
times for the Church; and, while it yields great relief to Our weakness,
it seasonably encourages Us to endure with readiness all labors and all
struggles on behalf of God's Church in the arduous task which We have
undertaken.
18.
Moreover, from the causes of hope and rejoicing which We have made known
to you We cannot separate those tokens of love and obedience which you,
venerable brethren, in these first days of Our pontificate, have shown
Our lowliness, and with you so many of the clergy and the faithful, who
by letters sent, by offerings given, by pilgrimages undertaken, and by
other works of love, have made it clear that the devotion and charity
which they manifested to Our most worthy predecessor still lasts, so strong
and steadfast and unchanged as not to slacken toward the person of a successor
so much inferior. For these splendid tokens of Catholic piety We humbly
confess to the Lord that He is good and gracious, while to you, venerable
brothers, and to all Our beloved children from whom We have received them,
We publicly, from the bottom of Our heart, avow the grateful feelings
of Our soul, cherishing the fullest confidence that, in the present critical
state of things and in the difficulties of the times, this your devotion
and love and the devotion and love of the faithful will never fail Us.
Nor have We any doubt that these conspicuous examples of filial piety
and Christian virtue will be of such avail as to make Our most merciful
God, moved by these dutiful deeds, look with favor on His flock and grant
the Church peace and victory. But as We are sure that this peace and victory
will more quickly and more readily
be given Us, if the faithful are unremitting in their prayers and supplications
to obtain it, We earnestly exhort you, venerable brothers, to stir up
for this end the zeal and ardor of the faithful, taking the Immaculate
Queen of Heaven as their intercessor with God, and having recourse as
their advocates to St. Joseph, the heavenly patron of the Church, and
to Sts. Peter and Paul, the Princes of the Apostles. To the powerful patronage
of all these We humbly commit Our lowliness, all ranks of the ecclesiastical
hierarchy, and all the flock of Christ our Lord.
19.
For the rest, We trust that these days, on which We renew the memory of
Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, may be to you, venerable brothers,
and to all the fold of God, a source of blessing and salvation and fullness
of holy joy, praying our most gracious God that by the blood of the Lamb
without spot, which blotted out the handwriting that was against Us, the
sins We have committed may be washed away, and the judgment We are suffering
for them may mercifully be mitigated.
"The
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Charity of God, and the communication
of the Holy Spirit be with you all,"(12) venerable brothers; to each
and all of whom, as well as to Our beloved children, the clergy and faithful
of your churches, as a pledge of Our special good-will and as an earnest
of the protection of heaven, We lovingly impart the apostolic benediction.
Given
at St. Peter's, in Rome, on the solemnity of Easter, the twenty-first
day of April, 1878, in the first year of our pontificate
REFERENCES:
1).
This description of what is usually called a "corrupt government"
or the government of a "corrupt party" is, in fact, the description
of what necessarily happens to any government, or ruling party, when it
rejects the moral rules taught by the Church. A religious error is the
main root of all social and political evils.
2). An allusion
to the capture of the Papal States by the Piedmontese army (1860) and
to the usurpation of the temporal power of the Popes by King Victor Emmanuel
II, in 1870.
3). Prov. 14:34.
4). Pope St.
Leo I, Leo the Great (440-61), caused Attila, King of the Huns, to retreat
without having attacked Rome. Pope Alexander III ( 1159-81 ) fought against
the German Emperor Friedrick Barbarossa, to whom he opposed the Lombard
League. Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) strongly resisted the French King
Philip Augustus. St. Pius V was Pope from 1566 to 1572 and during his
reign occurred the naval victory over the Turks at Lepanto in 1571. Leo
X (John of Medici), Pope from 1513 to 1521, presided over one of the most
brilliant epochs in history: the "century of Leo X."
5). Pope Pius
IX (1846-78) proclaimed the dogmas of the Immaculate Conception and of
the infallibility of the Popes in all matters related to faith and morals;
published the Syllabus, or conspectus of modern errors; witnessed the
usurpation by Victor Emmanuel II of the temporal power of the Popes, but
never acknowledged it.
6). Letter 138,
to Marcellinus, 15 (PL 33, 532).
7). Col. 2:8.
8). James 1:17.
9). This point
is developed in the encyclical Aeterni Patris.
10). This point
is developed in the encyclical Arcanum. See also the encyclical
letter of Pope Pius XI, Divini Illius Magistri (December 31, 1~Z9, On
the Christian Education of Youth.)
11). Wisd. 1:14:
"For he created all things that they might be: and he made the nations
of the earth for health: and there is no poison of destruction in them,
nor kingdom of hell upon the earth."
12). 2 Cor.
13:13.
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