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On Fostering True Religious Unity: Mortalium Animos
Perhaps the ecumenical dizziness spun from the first Parliament of Religions (Chicago, 1893) and the horrific modern wars like the First World War (and their wearying effect on society) were on the mind of Pius XI when he wrote this encyclical (1928). Times were hard enough all over and people were tired: who wanted to fight about religion of all things? As a result, the cause of fostering unity among men of all religions—among those calling themselves Christians—was catching on fast and generating indifference, even among Catholics, to the objective truths of the True Faith. This ecumenism was being motivated by a false idea of “one flock” under the guise of a falsely-understood charity. Pius XI here denounces the dreamers, calls inconceivable a “federation of Christians in which each member retains his own opinions...in matters of faith,” and, proclaims that the only ecumenism is to convert the world to Catholicism.
16 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1998
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About the author
Pope Pius XI
100 books23 followersPope Pius XI,born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, reigned as Pope from 6 February 1922 to his death in 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929. He took as his papal motto, "Pax Christi in Regno Christi," translated "The Peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ."
Pius XI issued numerous encyclicals, including Quadragesimo Anno , in the 40th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII's groundbreaking social encyclical Rerum Novarum, highlighting the capitalistic greed of international finance, and social justice issues, and Quas primas, establishing the feast of Christ the King. The encyclical Studiorum Ducem, promulgated 29 June 1923, was written on the occasion of the 6th centenary of the canonization of Thomas Aquinas, whose thought is acclaimed as central to Catholic philosophy and theology. The encyclical also singles out the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Angelicum as the preeminent institution for the teaching of Aquinas: "ante omnia Pontificium Collegium Angelicum, ubi Thomam tamquam domi suae habitare dixeris" (before all others the Pontifical Angelicum College, where Thomas can be said to dwell).
To establish or maintain the position of the Catholic Church, he concluded a record number of concordats, including the Reichskonkordat with Germany (Germany's betrayals of which he condemned four years later in the encyclical Mit brennender Sorge ("With Burning Anxiety")). During his pontificate, the longstanding hostility with the Italian government over the status of the papacy and the Church in Italy was successfully resolved in the Lateran Treaty of 1929. He was unable to stop the persecution of the Church and the killing of clergy in Mexico, Spain and the Soviet Union. He canonized important saints, including Thomas More, Petrus Canisius, Konrad von Parzham, Andrew Bobola and Don Bosco. He beatified and canonized Thérèse de Lisieux, for whom he held special reverence, and gave equivalent canonization to Albertus Magnus, naming him a Doctor of the Church due to the spiritual power of his writings. Pius XI created the feast of Christ the King in response to anti-clericalism. He took a strong interest in fostering the participation of lay people throughout the Catholic Church, especially in the Catholic Action movement. The end of his pontificate was dominated by speaking out against Hitler and Mussolini and defending the Catholic Church from intrusions into Catholic life and education.
He died on 10 February 1939 in the Apostolic Palace and is buried in the Papal Grotto of Saint Peter's Basilica. In the course of excavating space for his tomb, two levels of burial grounds were uncovered which revealed bones now venerated as the bones of St. Peter.
Pius XI issued numerous encyclicals, including Quadragesimo Anno , in the 40th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII's groundbreaking social encyclical Rerum Novarum, highlighting the capitalistic greed of international finance, and social justice issues, and Quas primas, establishing the feast of Christ the King. The encyclical Studiorum Ducem, promulgated 29 June 1923, was written on the occasion of the 6th centenary of the canonization of Thomas Aquinas, whose thought is acclaimed as central to Catholic philosophy and theology. The encyclical also singles out the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Angelicum as the preeminent institution for the teaching of Aquinas: "ante omnia Pontificium Collegium Angelicum, ubi Thomam tamquam domi suae habitare dixeris" (before all others the Pontifical Angelicum College, where Thomas can be said to dwell).
To establish or maintain the position of the Catholic Church, he concluded a record number of concordats, including the Reichskonkordat with Germany (Germany's betrayals of which he condemned four years later in the encyclical Mit brennender Sorge ("With Burning Anxiety")). During his pontificate, the longstanding hostility with the Italian government over the status of the papacy and the Church in Italy was successfully resolved in the Lateran Treaty of 1929. He was unable to stop the persecution of the Church and the killing of clergy in Mexico, Spain and the Soviet Union. He canonized important saints, including Thomas More, Petrus Canisius, Konrad von Parzham, Andrew Bobola and Don Bosco. He beatified and canonized Thérèse de Lisieux, for whom he held special reverence, and gave equivalent canonization to Albertus Magnus, naming him a Doctor of the Church due to the spiritual power of his writings. Pius XI created the feast of Christ the King in response to anti-clericalism. He took a strong interest in fostering the participation of lay people throughout the Catholic Church, especially in the Catholic Action movement. The end of his pontificate was dominated by speaking out against Hitler and Mussolini and defending the Catholic Church from intrusions into Catholic life and education.
He died on 10 February 1939 in the Apostolic Palace and is buried in the Papal Grotto of Saint Peter's Basilica. In the course of excavating space for his tomb, two levels of burial grounds were uncovered which revealed bones now venerated as the bones of St. Peter.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 12, 2023
Un documento molesto para el católico modernista hodierno y para el tradicionalista por igual: Para el primero, le muestra que el sometimiento a la silla petrina es condición para la (re)unificación de la Iglesia, de hecho, de manera implícita el Papa Pío XI aludió a que no hay cristianos propiamente fuera de Roma sino herejes y cismáticos. Ninguno de ellos es plenamente (o realmente) cristiano y por tanto únicamente puede serlo bajo el cobijo de Roma. Cualquier intento de soslayar las diferencias es un non possumus para el pontífice. Con ello Achille Ratti dio al traste con la posibilidad de estos eventos de unión entre iglesias muy comunes en su época. El ecumenismo por tanto sería contrario a lo dicho por este documento. Para el tradicionalista el documento es baremo para medir la desviación de su iglesia de una doctrina estimada cara para la iglesia romana: la completa e irrenunciable adhesión al magisterio pontificio y la obediencia al romano pontifíce para devenir miembro de la única y verdadera iglesia.
El Papa condenó un error que parece plasmarse en el Concilio Vaticano II que es decir que la Iglesia está fragmentada y espera su próxima reunificación. Reitero, para Ratti, ya había una iglesia verdadera que era la romana y las otras "iglesias" era grupúsculos de herejes y cismáticos. Punto. En este tenor, no queda sino catequizar a los desviados y no tratarlos como hermanos. Por eso el documento "Mortalium animos" puede resultar incómodo en nuestra época. Su valor radica ya en ser testimonio de otra iglesia; que por fe debemos considerar que es la misma desde San Pedro y hasta Francisco, pero que para el mundo ha mutado bastante para sobrevivir.
El Papa condenó un error que parece plasmarse en el Concilio Vaticano II que es decir que la Iglesia está fragmentada y espera su próxima reunificación. Reitero, para Ratti, ya había una iglesia verdadera que era la romana y las otras "iglesias" era grupúsculos de herejes y cismáticos. Punto. En este tenor, no queda sino catequizar a los desviados y no tratarlos como hermanos. Por eso el documento "Mortalium animos" puede resultar incómodo en nuestra época. Su valor radica ya en ser testimonio de otra iglesia; que por fe debemos considerar que es la misma desde San Pedro y hasta Francisco, pero que para el mundo ha mutado bastante para sobrevivir.
August 5, 2021
A short encyclical debunking the error of false ecumenism using scripture and other Catholic doctrine. A must read for anyone in order to understand the Catholic Church’s stance on other religions promoting a false sense of unity. AMDG
September 26, 2018
Pope Pius XI very clearly explains why what was passing as "Christian ecumanism" was wrong and anti-Catholic in spirit, and points out the true path to Christian unity: "There is but one way in which the unity of Christians may be fostered, and that is by furthering the return to the one true Church of Christ of those who are separated from it . . ."
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January 15, 2017Ole Pius XI had a dim view of ecumenism.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews