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 with 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.
LEO XIII
________________________________________
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, 1929, 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.
|