|
Title: |
Amantissimus
|
|
Descr.: |
On The Care Of The Churches
|
|
Pope: |
Pope Pius IX
|
|
Date: |
April 8, 1862
|
|
To
the Bishops of the Eastern Churches.
Venerable
Brothers, Greetings and Apostolic Benediction.
1.
Our most beloved Redeemer, Christ the Lord, willed as you well
know, venerable brothers, to deliver all men from the captivity of
the devil, free them from the yoke of sin, call them from darkness
into his wonderful light and be their salvation. When he had
blotted out the handwriting of the decree against us, fastening it
to the cross, he formed and established the Catholic Church, won
by his blood, as the one "Church of the living God,"(1)
the one "kingdom of heaven,"(2) "the city set on a
hill,"(3) "one flock,"(4) and "one body"
steadfast and alive with "one Spirit,"(5) one faith, one
hope, one love joined and firmly held together by the same bonds
of sacraments, religion and doctrine. He further provided his
Church with leaders whom he chose and called. In addition, he
decreed that the Church will endure as long as the world, embrace
all peoples and nations of the whole world, and that whoever
accepts his divine religion and grace and perseveres to the end
will attain the glory of eternal salvation.
2.
To preserve forever in his Church the unity and doctrine of this
faith, Christ chose one of his apostles, Peter, whom he appointed
the Prince of his Apostles, his Vicar on earth, and impregnable
foundation and head of his Church. Surpassing all others with
every dignity of extraordinary authority, power and jurisdiction,
he was to feed the Lord's flock, strengthen his brothers, rule and
govern the universal Church. Christ not only desired that his
Church remain as one and immaculate to the end of the world, and
that its unity in faith, doctrine and form of government remain
inviolate. He also willed that the fullness of dignity, power and
jurisdiction, integrity and stability of faith given to Peter be
handed down in its entirety to the Roman Pontiffs, the successors
of this same Peter, who have been placed on this Chair of Peter in
Rome, and to whom has been divinely committed the supreme care of
the Lord's entire flock and the supreme rule of the Universal
Church.
3.
You above all, venerable brothers, have known how this dogma of
our religion has been unanimously and unceasingly declared,
defended and insisted upon in synods by the Fathers of the Church.
Indeed, they have never stopped teaching that "God is one,
Christ is one, the Church established upon Peter by the voice of
the Lord is one;"(6) "the massive foundation of the
great Christian state has been divinely built upon, as it were,
this rock, this very firm stone;"(7) "this Chair, which
is unique and the first of gifts, has always been designated and
considered as the Chair of Peter;"(8) "shining forth
throughout the world it maintains its primacy;"(9) "it
is also the root and matrix whence sacerdotal unity has
sprung;"(10) it is not only the head but also the mother and
teacher of all the Churches;"(11) "it is the mother city
of piety in which is the complete and perfect stability of the
Christian religion"(12) "and in which the preeminence of
the Apostolic Chair has always been unimpaired;"(13) "it
rests upon that rock which the haughty gates of hell shall never
overcome;"(14) "for it the Apostles poured out their
entire teaching with blood;"(15) "from it the rights of
the venerable communion are extended to all;"(16) "all
obedience and honor must be given to it."(17) "He who
deserts the Church will vainly believe that he is in the
Church;"(18) "whoever eats of the [Eucharist] and is not a
member of the Church, has profaned;"(19) "Peter, who
lives and presides in his own Chair, proffers the truth of faith
to those seeking it;"(20) "Peter, who lives up to this
time and always lives, exercises jurisdiction in his
successors;"(21) "he himself has spoken through
Leo;"(22) "the Roman Pontiff, who holds Primacy in the
entire world, is the Successor of Blessed Peter the Prince of the
Apostles and the true Vicar of Christ, the head of the whole
Church, and is the visible Father and Teacher of all
Christians."(23) There are other, almost countless, proofs
drawn from the most trustworthy witnesses which clearly and openly
testify with great faith, exactitude, respect and obedience that
all who want to belong to the true and only Church of Christ must
honor and obey this Apostolic See and Roman Pontiff.
4.
Now, truly, a multiplicity of holy things, a variety of legitimate
rites, obviously in no way oppose the unity of the Catholic
Church; rather, indeed, such diversity greatly enhances the
dignity of the Church itself. Not one, moreover, of you, venerable
brothers, is unaware that there are some who are striving to
deceive and lead into error the unguarded, especially, and the
inexperienced by maligning this Holy See as if the Holy See itself
upon receiving the separated Orientals into the Catholic faith
required them to abandon their own rite and embrace that of the
Latin Church. That this is false and far from truth is clearly
shown by the many constitutions and apostolic letters of our
Predecessors. They not only consistently declared to the Orientals
that such a condition was never intended, but also professed that
it was wholly their desire that the rites of the Eastern Churches,
into which no error against the Catholic Church or against moral
integrity had crept, would be completely preserved.
5.
Not only past, but recent acts of our departed Predecessors
clearly agree with such repeated and definite declarations of our
Predecessors. It can never be said that this Apostolic See has
ever enjoined upon the bishops, ecclesiastics, or the Oriental
peoples, who have returned to the Catholic faith, to change their
legitimate rites. In fact, the universal City of Constantinople
recently saw how our venerable brother Miletus, archbishop of
Dramea, to our deepest comfort and the joy of all good men,
returned to the bosom of the Catholic Church with his own rite and
solemn ceremonies, and how a great throng of people solemnly
processed after the event. Hence, venerable brothers, with
solicitude incessantly impress upon your diocesan clergy the need
to be zealous at every opportunity and by every means to expose
and refute the calumny by which evil men lead the inexperienced
into error and attempt to incite envy and hatred against this Holy
See.
6.
Ever since we have been placed on this Chair of Peter by the
hidden plan of divine providence and have thus been elevated to
the supreme rule of the universal Church, we have striven to
fulfill the duties of our apostolic ministry as the daily
direction and solicitude for the Churches demand of us. Because we
depend utterly on divine help, we do not fear the many nefarious
and sacrilegious destructions, attempts and attacks by which in
these disturbed times the enemies of the Catholic religion
endeavor to undermine its foundations, if that were ever possible.
No, indeed, the spiritual good and salvation of all people are our
constant concern.
7.
For indeed the charity of Christ compels us, and nothing could be
more pleasing than to undertake most willingly all the cares,
labors, deliberations necessary to hasten all people into the
unity of faith, the growth in the knowledge of God and the
recognition of our Lord, Jesus Christ "who is the way and the
truth and the life: the way certainly of a holy life, the truth of
divine doctrine, and the life of everlasting happiness."(24)
8.
Nor are you unknowing, venerable brothers, with what singular love
and assiduous zeal from the very beginning of our supreme
Pontificate, we have devoted our paternal care to that chosen
portion of the Lord's flock committed to your vigilance. From our
most recent letter, published on the 7th of last January, you are
able more and more to understand how strongly we feel about the
good and prosperity of the Oriental Churches.
9.
With this same letter, we have set up a special Congregation as
part of the Propagation of the Faith and of great assistance to it
- almost overwhelmed as it is with constant and very serious
services. This new department so excellently administers work from
the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith as it takes care
to manage expeditiously the affairs of the Oriental Churches. We
are sustained by the hope that our solicitude and counsel will
spiritually profit the Oriental peoples. We are in complete
confidence, furthermore, that the new special department so
recently established by us will never in any way swerve from the
purpose intended: that in handling your affairs, there will be a
steady progress in every way possible toward Catholic unity; an
increase in the success of your Churches; the protection of the
integrity of your legitimate rites; greater spiritual happiness
for all the faithful.
10.
That this Congregation may conscientiously carry out the duty we
entrusted to it and direct its zeal and efforts toward the greater
prosperity of your Churches, it is extremely necessary that it
thoroughly understand the spiritual needs of the Oriental peoples.
Since, venerable brothers, you fully know the condition and state
of the flock entrusted to you, in your wisdom you will properly
understand how important it is that you inform us as soon as
possible of all that concerns your Churches and your flocks. It
is, likewise, essential that you send us an accurate report on the
status of your dioceses in which you carefully explain whatever
pertains to the dioceses themselves that we may attentively
provide for the necessities of the faithful residing in them.
11.
It will comfort us greatly if each of you, venerable brothers, in
assiduously reporting all the affairs of your respective diocese,
will indicate the number of the faithful in the diocese; the
number of ecclesiastics who minister to the faithful; the
procedure for attending to the same faithful not only in regard to
faith but also to discipline of morals; the doctrine with which
the clergy is instructed; the education of the clergy; the means
and method of instructing the people in our most holy religion and
in moral integrity; the plan whereby the same people are inspired
and daily educated into greater piety and moral integrity. We also
desire to know exactly the condition of your schools and how many
youth customarily attend them. Since, venerable brothers, you well
know that all hope of both sacred and public affairs depends on
the right, salutary and religious education of children, it is of
particular concern that from their tender years they attend
Catholic schools where, diligently learning the truth of our
religion and commandments, they will escape the danger of having
their sensitive minds tainted with evil principles.
12.
If you need books, do not hesitate to make it known and at the
same time inform us of the books you consider most appropriate to
provide dogma for the clergy, promote the education of the people,
refute the teachings of those who are not Catholic, and foster the
piety of the faithful. Most importantly, when we hear from you
that in some places liturgical and ritual books are being used
into which either some error has crept or a change has been
arbitrarily introduced, it will be your duty to mention which
books these are and if at any time they have been approved by the
Holy See. Specify, too, if in your judgment they contain errors to
be corrected or abuses to be abolished. We especially desire to
learn from you, moreover, what progress holy catholic unity has
made in your dioceses, what obstacles have hindered it, and what
propitious means will remove such impediments so that unity itself
may daily advance and increase.
13.
Truly, venerable brothers, you see with how much love and
earnestness we have been mindful of your Eastern Churches and how
ardently we hope that among the Eastern people our most blessed
faith, religion and piety will take hold, thrive and flourish. We
are certain that you will devote all your energy and thought to
protecting and propagating our religion and to caring for the
salvation of your flock.
14.
Hostile men in these lamentable times never stop planting thorns
in the Lord's field, first with destructive and ephemeral books
and then with monstrous and depraved suppositions plainly opposed
to Catholic faith and dogma. Consequently, you rightly understand
how you must labor and ever be on your guard to keep the faithful
from those poisonous pastures, to urge them on to eternal
salvation, and to imbue them in greater measure with the teachings
of the Catholic Church.
15.
In order that you may more readily attain this goal, constantly
inspire the zeal of guardians of souls that in the conscientious
performance of their duty, they may untiringly announce the good
news of the Gospel to the wise and the foolish. Urge them to help
the Christian people by every good and holy work. Exhort them to
give instruction, especially to boys and those inexperienced in
the proofs of the Catholic Faith so that they may be guided in
moral discipline. Always admonish your diocesan priests that,
seriously reflecting upon the ministry they received in the Lord,
they take care to fulfill it fervently. In such a way they give
Christian people an example of all virtues, are attentive to
prayer, perfectly cultivate sacred studies, and exert all their
power to win the everlasting salvation of the faithful.
16.
Then, too, that you may always have at hand diligent and
industrious workers in cultivating the vineyard of the Lord, spare
no effort, venerable brothers, that the most excellent teachers
train young clerics in piety from the very beginning. May these be
formed in a true ecclesiastical spirit and very carefully
instructed, primarily in Sacred Scripture and the sacred sciences,
against any danger of error. To be sure, we are by no means
ignorant, venerable brothers, of the many difficulties you have
been exposed to in the exercise of your episcopal ministry. Take
comfort in the Lord, however, and recalling the powerful memory of
his virtue, be ambassadors for Christ, who gave up his life for
his sheep and left us an example that we may follow in his
footsteps.
17.
Everyone knows how much service and honor the families of monks
have been to the Catholic Church in the East. By the integrity of
their lives, the gravity of their conduct, and the fame of their
religious discipline, they were striving to present models of good
works to the faithful, to teach youth, to perfect themselves in
Scripture and studies, and to work zealously for their bishops in
beneficial service. In the distressing instability of conditions
and times, these holy families, valuable to the Christian and
civil state alike, have been deviating, in some places, from the
discipline of their own Order or have become completely extinct.
Since it would certainly be a great benefit to our religion if
these holy families, especially where they have died out, might be
restored and shine again among the Eastern nations in their
pristine glory, we earnestly ask that you express to us your
feelings on this matter and how the renewal of these holy families
might be achieved.
18.
We are thoroughly convinced that you, venerable brothers, will not
only most happily and willingly satisfy these our desires and
requests, but also that you will promptly reveal any other
concerns that you think should be mentioned for the greater
welfare in these regions of our most holy religion - and not only
of the clergy, but also of the faithful.
19.
From the Encyclical Letter of the Cardinal Prefect of the Council
of Our Congregation, you will know how pleasing it will be to us
to enjoy your presence next Pentecost when We, God willing, will
celebrate the solemn canonization of many saints. On that
occasion, if the circumstances of your dioceses permit, we shall
be able to see you, greet you lovingly, and receive from you the
reports of your dioceses.
20.
Meanwhile, venerable brothers, continue to fulfill your ministry
with ever greater ardor and effort. In all earnestness, provide
for the salvation of your faithful, both admonishing and exhorting
them to persevere more firmly in the profession of the Catholic
Religion; to observe religiously all the commandments of God and
of his holy Church; to walk worthily, pleasing to God and fruitful
in every good work.
21.
In accordance with your customary kindness, receive with paternal
affection those who, to our very great joy, return to the bosom of
the Church: expend all your care that they be nourished more
fervently with the words of faith. Strengthened thus through the
spiritual gift of grace, may they rein steadfast in their holy
calling and ardently walk with constancy in the path of the Lord,
following closely the way that leads to life. On behalf of your
admirable religion, never forsake all goodness, patience,
learning, gentleness and mildness as you try to gain for Christ
the pitiful errant: lead them back into his one sheepfold and
restore them to the hope of their eternal inheritance.
22.
In the critical difficulties that beset your episcopal office in
these worst of times, trust in the grace of our Lord, Jesus
Christ, keeping ever before you that those who teach many unto
justice will shine as the stars for all eternity. Finally,
venerable brothers, we want you to be sure of the special
benevolence with which we wait upon you in the Lord. In the
meantime, by no means do we omit in every prayer to beg humbly and
earnestly that God propitiously pour forth upon you the richest
gifts of his goodness: that they may also descend abundantly upon
the chosen flock committed to your vigilance.
23.
As a witness of all that we have said and as a pledge of our most
disposed will toward you, we affectionately bestow upon you our
Apostolic Blessing from the depth of our heart, venerable
brothers, and upon all the clergy and the faithful laity committed
to your care. Given at Rome at St. Peter's, 8 April, 1862. In the
sixteenth year of our Pontificate.
Endnotes:
1.
1 Tm. 3:15. | 2. Mt. 13:45 passim. | 3. Mt. 5:14. | 4. Jn. 10:16.
| 5. Eph 4:4 passim. | 6. St. Cyprian, epistle 40. | 7. St. Cyril
of Alexandria, in loan., Lib. II, c. 42. | 8. St. Optatus of
Milevis, 2 cont. Parmen., bk. 2, chap. 2. | 9. Council of Nicea
II, Act. 2. | 10. St. Cyprian, epistles 15 and 55. | 11. Pelagius
11, epistle 1 to the Oriental bishops, and the Council of Trent,
session 7 on baptism, can. 3. | 12. Synodal letter from John of
Constantinople to Pope Hormisdas; also Sozomen, Ecclesiastical
History, book 3, chapter 8. | 13. St. Augustine, epistle 62. | 14.
St. Augustine, in psalm contra part. Donat. | 15. Tertullian, de
praescript., 36.8. | 16. St. Ambrose, epistle 12 to Damasus. | 17.
Council of Ephesus, Act. 4. | 18. St. Cyprian, de unit, Ecclesiae.
| 19. St. Jerome, epistle 15 to Damasus. | 20. St. Peter
Chrysologus, epistle to Eutyches. | 21. Council of Ephesus. | 22.
Council of Chalcedon, Act. 2. | 23. Council of Florence in its
decree union. Graecorum. | 24. St. Leo, sermon 2 on the
resurrection of the Lord.
The above is provided for informational purposes only and may not be comprehensive. By using this site you agree to all terms. For terms
information, see "Important Notice" above and click
here.
|
