MORTALIUM ANIMOS On Religious Unity

by Pope Pius XI

MORTALIUM ANIMOS ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS XI ON RELIGIOUS UNITY Never perhaps in the past have we seen, as we see in these our own times, the minds of men so occupied by the desire both of strengthening and of extending to the common welfare of human society that fraternal relationship which binds and unites us together, and which is a consequence of our common origin and nature. For since the nations do not yet fully enjoy the fruits of peace - indeed rather do old and new disagreements in various places break forth into sedition and civic strife - and since on the other hand many disputes which concern the tranquility and prosperity of nations cannot be settled without the active concurrence and help of those who rule the States and promote their interests, it is easily understood, and the more so because none now dispute the unity of the human race, why many desire that the various nations, inspired by this universal kinship, should daily be more closely united one to another. 2. A similar object is aimed at by some, in those matters which concern the New Law promulgated by Christ our Lord. For since they hold it for certain that men destitute of all religious sense are very rarely to be found, they seem to have founded on that belief a hope that the nations, although they differ among themselves in certain religious matters, will without much difficulty come to agree as brethren in professing certain doctrines, which form as it were a common basis of the spiritual life. For which reason conventions, meetings and addresses are frequently arranged by these persons, at which a large number of listeners are present, and at which all without distinction are invited to join in the discussion, both infidels of every kind, and Christians, even those who have unhappily fallen away from Christ or who with obstinacy and pertinacity deny His divine nature and mission. Certainly such attempts can nowise be approved by Catholics, founded as they are on that false opinion which considers all religions to be more or less good and praiseworthy, since they all in different ways manifest and signify that sense which is inborn in us all, and by which we are led to God and to the obedient acknowledgment of His rule. Not only are those who hold this opinion in error and deceived, but also in distorting the idea of true religion they reject it, and little by little. turn aside to naturalism and atheism, as it is called; from which it clearly follows that one who supports those who hold these theories and attempt to realize them, is altogether abandoning the divinely revealed religion. 3. But some are more easily deceived by the outward appearance of good when there is question of fostering unity among all Christians. 4. Is it not right, it is often repeated, indeed, even consonant with duty that all who invoke the name of Christ should abstain from mutual reproaches and at long last be united in mutual charity? Who would dare to say that he loved Christ, unless he worked with all his might to carry out the desires of Him, Who asked His Father that His disciples might be "one." And did not the same Christ will that His disciples should be marked out and distinguished from others by this characteristic, namely that they loved one "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another"?

Genres: Catholic, Religion, Nonfiction

34 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1998

About the author

Pope 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.

Reviews

[OSCAR · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Camden · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 . . ."

[R.. Mark Hamilton]

Ole Pius XI had a dim view of ecumenism.