Sapientiae christianae pope leo xiii biography
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This latter is shown forth in the case of private persons whoobey the prompting of right reason in the direction of their own conduct; whilethe former is the characteristic of those who are set over others, and chieflyof rulers of the State, whose duty it is to exercise the power of command, sothat the political prudence of private individuals would seem to consist whollyin carrying out faithfully the orders issued by lawful authority.(35)
37.
No one is unaware how deeply and from thevery beginning the import of that precept has been implanted in the breast ofChristians, and what abundant fruits of concord, mutual benevolence, piety,patience, and fortitude it has produced. Wherefore, to love both countries, that of earth below and that of heaven above, yet in such mode that the love of our heavenly surpass the love of our earthly home, and that human laws be never set above the divine law, is the essential duty of Christians, and the fountainhead, so to say, from which all other duties spring.
For the Church is the holy City of the living God, born of God Himself, and by Him built up and established. From this doctrine touching the relations of politics and religion originate important consequences which we cannot pass over in silence.
28. We are bound, then, to love dearly the country whence we have received the means of enjoyment this mortal life affords, but we have a much more urgent obligation to love, with ardent love, the Church to which we owe the life of the soul, a life that will endure forever.
We have fallen upon times when a violent and well-nigh daily battle is being fought about matters of highest moment, a battle in which it is hard not to be sometimes deceived, not to go astray and, for many, not to lose heart. Whence it is that they who would break away from Christiandiscipline are working to corrupt family life, and to destroy it utterly, rootand branch.
Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903), born Vincenzo Gioacchino Pecci, served as pope from 1878 to 1903 and is best known for his encyclical Rerum Novarum, which addressed social justice during the Industrial Revolution, alongside his efforts to modernize the Church and engage with the contemporary world.
FAQ: Who Was Pope Leo XIII and What Was He Known For?
1.
Union of minds, therefore, requires, together with a perfect accord in the one faith, complete submission and obedience of will to the Church and to the Roman Pontiff, as to God Himself. And inasmuch as the destiny of the State depends mainly on the disposition of those who are at the head of affairs, it follows that the Church cannot give countenance or favor to those whom she knows to be imbued with a spirit of hostility to her; who refuse openly to respect her rights; who make it their aim and purpose to tear asunder the alliance that should, by the very nature of things, connect the interests of religion with those of the State.
Cf. Rom. 12:4-5.
19. Commands that are issued adversely to the honor due to God, and hence are beyond the scope of justice, must be looked upon as anything rather than laws. On like grounds, the Church, the guardian always of her own right and most observant of that of others, holds that it is not her province to decide which is the best amongst many diverse forms of government and the civil institutions of Christian States, and amid the various kinds ofState rule she does not disapprove of any, provided the respect due to religion and the observance of good morals be upheld.
In like manner, the Prince of the Apostles gave this courageous and sublime answer to those who would have deprived him of the liberty of preaching the Gospel: "If it be just in the sight of God to hear you rather than God, judge ye, for we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard."(8)
11. Itrests with you, venerable brothers, to take measures that Our voice may reacheverywhere, and that one and all may understand how urgent it is to reduce topractice the teachings set forth in this Our letter.
From such an unholy purpose they allow not themselves to be turnedaside by the reflection that it cannot, even in any degree, be carried outwithout inflicting cruel outrage on the parents. This kind of conduct is profitable only to the enemies of the faith, for nothing emboldens the wicked so greatly as the lack of courage on the part of the good.
The office, indeed, of preaching, that is, of teaching, lies by divine right in the province of the pastors, namely, of the bishops whom "the Holy Spirit has placed to rule the Church of God."(15) It belongs, above all, to the Roman Pontiff, vicar of Jesus Christ, established as head of the universal Church, teacher of all :hat pertains to morals and faith.
16.
"The faith of the whole Church should be one, according to the precept (1 Cor. 1:10): "Let all speak the same thing, and let there be no schisms among you"; and this cannot be observed save on condition that questions which arise touching faith should be determined by him who presides over the whole Church, whose sentence must consequently be accepted without wavering.