ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS XI ON CHRISTIAN EDUCATION TO THE PATRIARCHS, PRIMATES, ARCHBISHOPS,
BISHOPS, AND OTHER ORDINARIES IN PEACE AND COMMUNION WITH THE APOSTOLIC SEE AND
TO ALL THE FAITHFUL OF THE CATHOLIC WORLD.
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Representative on earth of that divine Master who while embracing in the immensity
of His love all mankind, even unworthy sinners, showed nevertheless a special tenderness
and affection for children, and expressed Himself in those singularly touching words:
"Suffer the little children to come unto Me,"[1] We also on every occasion have
endeavored to show the predilection wholly paternal which We bear towards them,
particularly by our assiduous care and timely instructions with reference to the
Christian education of youth.
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And so, in the spirit of the Divine Master, We have directed a helpful word, now
of admonition, now of exhortation, now of direction, to youths and to their educators,
to fathers and mothers, on various points of Christian education, with that solicitude
which becomes the common Father of all the Faithful, with an insistence in season
and out of season, demanded by our pastoral office and inculcated by the Apostle:
"Be instant in season, out of season; reprove, entreat, rebuke in all patience and
doctrine."[2] Such insistence is called for in these our times, when, alas, there
is so great and deplorable an absence of clear and sound principles, even regarding
problems the most fundamental.
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Now this same general condition of the times, this ceaseless agitation in various
ways of the problem of educational rights and systems in different countries, the
desire expressed to Us with filial confidence by not a few of yourselves, Venerable
Brethren, and by members of your flocks, as well as Our deep affection towards youth
above referred to, move Us to turn more directly to this subject, if not to treat
it in all its well-nigh inexhaustible range of theory and practice, at least to
summarize its main principles, throw full light on its important conclusions, and
point out its practical applications.
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Let this be the record of Our Sacerdotal Jubilee which, with altogether special
affection, We wish to dedicate to our beloved youth, and to commend to all those
whose office and duty is the work of education.
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Indeed never has there been so much discussion about education as nowadays; never
have exponents of new pedagogical theories been so numerous, or so many methods
and means devised, proposed and debated, not merely to facilitate education, but
to create a new system infallibly efficacious, and capable of preparing the present
generations for that earthly happiness which they so ardently desire.
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The reason is that men, created by God to His image and likeness and destined for
Him Who is infinite perfection realize today more than ever amid the most exuberant
material progress, the insufficiency of earthly goods to produce true happiness
either for the individual or for the nations. And hence they feel more keenly in
themselves the impulse towards a perfection that is higher, which impulse is implanted
in their rational nature by the Creator Himself. This perfection they seek to acquire
by means of education. But many of them with, it would seem, too great insistence
on the etymological meaning of the word, pretend to draw education out of human
nature itself and evolve it by its own unaided powers. Such easily fall into error,
because, instead of fixing their gaze on God, first principle and last end of the
whole universe, they fall back upon themselves, becoming attached exclusively to
passing things of earth; and thus their restlessness will never cease till they
direct their attention and their efforts to God, the goal of all perfection, according
to the profound saying of Saint Augustine: "Thou didst create us, O Lord, for Thyself,
and our heart is restless till it rest in Thee."[3]
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It is therefore as important to make no mistake in education, as it is to make no
mistake in the pursuit of the last end, with which the whole work of education is
intimately and necessarily connected. In fact, since education consists essentially
in preparing man for what he must be and for what he must do here below, in order
to attain the sublime end for which he was created, it is clear that there can be
no true education which is not wholly directed to man's last end, and that in the
present order of Providence, since God has revealed Himself to us in the Person
of His Only Begotten Son, who alone is "the way, the truth and the life," there
can be no ideally perfect education which is not Christian education.
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From this we see the supreme importance of Christian education, not merely for each
individual, but for families and for the whole of human society, whose perfection
comes from the perfection of the elements that compose it. From these same principles,
the excellence, we may well call it the unsurpassed excellence, of the work of Christian
education becomes manifest and clear; for after all it aims at securing the Supreme
Good, that is, God, for the souls of those who are being educated, and the maximum
of well-being possible here below for human society. And this it does as efficaciously
as man is capable of doing it, namely by cooperating with God in the perfecting
of individuals and of society, in as much as education makes upon the soul the first,
the most powerful and lasting impression for life according to the well-known saying
of the Wise Man, "A young man according to his way, even when he is old, he will
not depart from it."[4] With good reason therefore did St. John Chrysostom say,
"What greater work is there than training the mind and forming the habits of the
young?"[5]
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But nothing discloses to us the supernatural beauty and excellence of the work of
Christian education better than the sublime expression of love of our Blessed Lord,
identifying Himself with children, "Whosoever shall receive one such child as this
in my name, receiveth me."[6]
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Now in order that no mistake be made in this work of utmost importance, and in order
to conduct it in the best manner possible with the help of God's grace, it is necessary
to have a clear and definite idea of Christian education in its essential aspects,
viz., who has the mission to educate, who are the subjects to be educated, what
are the necessary accompanying circumstances, what is the end and object proper
to Christian education according to God's established order in the economy of His
Divine Providence.
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Education is essentially a social and not a mere individual activity. Now there
are three necessary societies, distinct from one another and yet harmoniously combined
by God, into which man is born: two, namely the family and civil society, belong
to the natural order; the third, the Church, to the supernatural order.
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In the first place comes the family, instituted directly by God for its peculiar
purpose, the generation and formation of offspring; for this reason it has priority
of nature and therefore of rights over civil society. Nevertheless, the family is
an imperfect society, since it has not in itself all the means for its own complete
development; whereas civil society is a perfect society, having in itself all the
means for its peculiar end, which is the temporal well-being of the community; and
so, in this respect, that is, in view of the common good, it has pre-eminence over
the family, which finds its own suitable temporal perfection precisely in civil
society.
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The third society, into which man is born when through Baptism he reaches the divine
life of grace, is the Church; a society of the supernatural order and of universal
extent; a perfect society, because it has in itself all the means required for its
own end, which is the eternal salvation of mankind; hence it is supreme in its own
domain.
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Consequently, education which is concerned with man as a whole, individually and
socially, in the order of nature and in the order of grace, necessarily belongs
to all these three societies, in due proportion, corresponding, according to the
disposition of Divine Providence, to the co-ordination of their respecting ends.
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And first of all education belongs preeminently to the Church, by reason of a double
title in the supernatural order, conferred exclusively upon her by God Himself;
absolutely superior therefore to any other title in the natural order.
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The first title is founded upon the express mission and supreme authority to teach,
given her by her divine Founder: "All power is given to me in heaven and in earth.
Going therefore teach ye all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever
I have commanded you, and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation
of the world."[7] Upon this magisterial office Christ conferred infallibility, together
with the command to teach His doctrine. Hence the Church "was set by her divine
Author as the pillar and ground of truth, in order to teach the divine Faith to
men, and keep whole and inviolate the deposit confided to her; to direct and fashion
men, in all their actions individually and socially, to purity of morals and integrity
of life, in accordance with revealed doctrine."[8]
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The second title is the supernatural motherhood, in virtue of which the Church,
spotless spouse of Christ, generates, nurtures and educates souls in the divine
life of grace, with her Sacraments and her doctrine. With good reason then does
St. Augustine maintain: "He has not God for father who refuses to have the Church
as mother."[9]
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Hence it is that in this proper object of her mission, that is, "in faith and morals,
God Himself has made the Church sharer in the divine magisterium and, by a special
privilege, granted her immunity from error; hence she is the mistress of men, supreme
and absolutely sure, and she has inherent in herself an inviolable right to freedom
in teaching.'[10] By necessary consequence the Church is independent of any sort
of earthly power as well in the origin as in the exercise of her mission as educator,
not merely in regard to her proper end and object, but also in regard to the means
necessary and suitable to attain that end. Hence with regard to every other kind
of human learning and instruction, which is the common patrimony of individuals
and society, the Church has an independent right to make use of it, and above all
to decide what may help or harm Christian education. And this must be so, because
the Church as a perfect society has an independent right to the means conducive
to its end, and because every form of instruction, no less than every human action,
has a necessary connection with man's last end, and therefore cannot be withdrawn
from the dictates of the divine law, of which the Church is guardian, interpreter
and infallible mistress.
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This truth is clearly set forth by Pius X of saintly memory:
Whatever a Christian does even in the order of things of earth, he may not overlook
the supernatural; indeed he must, according to the teaching of Christian wisdom,
direct all things towards the supreme good as to his last end; all his actions,
besides, in so far as good or evil in the order of morality, that is, in keeping
or not with natural and divine law, fall under the judgment and jurisdiction of
the Church.[11]
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It is worthy of note how a layman, an excellent writer and at the same time a profound
and conscientious thinker, has been able to understand well and express exactly
this fundamental Catholic doctrine:
The Church does not say that morality belongs purely, in the sense of exclusively,
to her; but that it belongs wholly to her. She has never maintained that outside
her fold and apart from her teaching, man cannot arrive at any moral truth; she
has on the contrary more than once condemned this opinion because it has appeared
under more forms than one. She does however say, has said, and will ever say, that
because of her institution by Jesus Christ, because of the Holy Ghost sent her in
His name by the Father, she alone possesses what she has had immediately from God
and can never lose, the whole of moral truth, omnem veritatem, in which
all individual moral truths are included, as well those which man may learn by the
help of reason, as those which form part of revelation or which may be deduced from
it.[12]
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Therefore with full right the Church promotes letters, science, art in so far as
necessary or helpful to Christian education, in addition to her work for the salvation
of souls: founding and maintaining schools and institutions adapted to every branch
of learning and degree of culture.[13] Nor may even physical culture, as it is called,
be considered outside the range of her maternal supervision, for the reason that
it also is a means which may help or harm Christian education.
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And this work of the Church in every branch of culture is of immense benefit to
families and nations which without Christ are lost, as St. Hilary points out correctly:
"What can be more fraught with danger for the world than the rejection of Christ?"[14]
Nor does it interfere in the least with the regulations of the State, because the
Church in her motherly prudence is not unwilling that her schools and institutions
for the education of the laity be in keeping with the legitimate dispositions of
civil authority; she is in every way ready to cooperate with this authority and
to make provision for a mutual understanding, should difficulties arise.
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Again it is the inalienable right as well as the indispensable duty of the Church,
to watch over the entire education of her children, in all institutions, public
or private, not merely in regard to the religious instruction there given, but in
regard to every other branch of learning and every regulation in so far as religion
and morality are concerned.[15]
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Nor should the exercise of this right be considered undue interference, but rather
maternal care on the part of the Church in protecting her children from the grave
danger of all kinds of doctrinal and moral evil. Moreover this watchfulness of the
Church not merely can create no real inconvenience, but must on the contrary confer
valuable assistance in the right ordering and well-being of families and of civil
society; for it keeps far away from youth the moral poison which at that inexperienced
and changeable age more easily penetrates the mind and more rapidly spreads its
baneful effects. For it is true, as Leo XIII has wisely pointed out, that without
proper religious and moral instruction "every form of intellectual culture will
be injurious; for young people not accustomed to respect God, will be unable to
bear the restraint of a virtuous life, and never having learned to deny themselves
anything. they will easily be incited to disturb the public order."[16]
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The extent of the Church's mission in the field of education is such as to embrace
every nation, without exception, according to the command of Christ: "Teach ye all
nations;"[17] and there is no power on earth that may lawfully oppose her or stand
in her way. In the first place, it extends over all the Faithful, of whom she has
anxious care as a tender mother. For these she has throughout the centuries created
and conducted an immense number of schools and institutions in every branch of learning.
As We said on a recent occasion:
Right back in the far-off middle ages when there were so many (some have even said
too many) monasteries, convents, churches, collegiate churches, cathedral chapters,
etc., there was attached to each a home of study, of teaching, of Christian education.
To these we must add all the universities, spread over every country and always
by the initiative an under the protection of the Holy See and the Church. That grand
spectacle, which today we see better, as it is nearer to us and more imposing because
of the conditions of the age, was the spectacle of all times; and they who study
and compare historical events remain astounded at what the Church has been able
to do in this matter, and marvel at the manner in which she had succeeded in fulfilling
her God-given mission to educate generations of men to a Christian life, producing
everywhere a magnificent harvest of fruitful results. But if we wonder that the
Church in all times has been able to gather about her and educate hundreds, thousands,
millions of students, no less wonderful is it to bear in mind what she has done
not only in the field of education, but in that also of true and genuine erudition.
For, if so many treasures of culture, civilization and literature have escaped destruction,
this is due to the action by which the Church, even in times long past and uncivilized,
has shed so bright a light in the domain of letters, of philosophy, of art and in
a special manner of architecture.[18]
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All this the Church has been able to do because her mission to educate extends equally
to those outside the Fold, seeing that all men are called to enter the kingdom of
God and reach eternal salvation. Just as today when her missions scatter schools
by the thousand in districts and countries not yet Christian, from the banks of
the Ganges to the Yellow river and the great islands and archipelagos of the Pacific
ocean, from the Dark Continent to the Land of Fire and to frozen Alaska, so in every
age the Church by her missionaries has educated to Christian life and to civilization
the various peoples which now constitute the Christian nations of the civilized
world.
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Hence it is evident that both by right and in fact the mission to educate belongs
preeminently to the Church, and that no one free from prejudice can have a reasonable
motive for opposing or impeding the Church in this her work, of which the world
today enjoys the precious advantages.
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This is the more true because the rights of the family and of the State, even the
rights of individuals regarding a just liberty in the pursuit of science, of methods
of science and all sorts of profane culture, not only are not opposed to this pre-eminence
of the Church, but are in complete harmony with it. The fundamental reason for this
harmony is that the supernatural order, to which the Church owes her rights, not
only does not in the least destroy the natural order, to which pertain the other
rights mentioned, but elevates the natural and perfects it, each affording mutual
aid to the other, and completing it in a manner proportioned to its respective nature
and dignity. The reason is because both come from God, who cannot contradict Himself:
"The works of God are perfect and all His ways are judgments."[19]
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This becomes clearer when we consider more closely and in detail the mission of
education proper to the family and to the State.
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In the first place the Church's mission of education is in wonderful agreement with
that of the family, for both proceed from God, and in a remarkably similar manner.
God directly communicates to the family, in the natural order, fecundity, which
is the principle of life, and hence also the principle of education to life, together
with authority, the principle of order.
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The Angelic Doctor with his wonted clearness of thought and precision of style,
says: "The father according to the flesh has in a particular way a share in that
principle which in a manner universal is found in God.... The father is the principle
of generation, of education and discipline and of everything that bears upon the
perfecting of human life."[20]
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The family therefore holds directly from the Creator the mission and hence the right
to educate the offspring, a right inalienable because inseparably joined to the
strict obligation, a right anterior to any right whatever of civil society and of
the State, and therefore inviolable on the part of any power on earth.
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That this right is inviolable St. Thomas proves as follows:The child is naturally
something of the father . . . so by natural right the child, before reaching the
use of reason, is under the father's care. Hence it would be contrary to natural
justice if the child, before the use of reason, were removed from the care of its
parents, or if any disposition were made concerning him against the will of the
parents.[21]
And as this duty on the part of the parents continues up to the time when the child
is in a position to provide for itself, this same inviolable parental right of education
also endures. "Nature intends not merely the generation of the offspring, but also
its development and advance to the perfection of man considered as man, that is,
to the state of virtue"[22] says the same St. Thomas.
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The wisdom of the Church in this matter is expressed with precision and clearness
in the Codex of Canon Law, can. 1113: "Parents are under a grave obligation to see
to the religious and moral education of their children, as well as to their physical
and civic training, as far as they can, and moreover to provide for their temporal
well-being."[23]
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On this point the common sense of mankind is in such complete accord, that they
would be in open contradiction with it who dared maintain that the children belong
to the State before they belong to the family, and that the State has an absolute
right over their education. Untenable is the reason they adduce, namely that man
is born a citizen and hence belongs primarily to the State, not bearing in mind
that before being a citizen man must exist; and existence does not come from the
State, but from the parents, as Leo XIII wisely declared: "The children are something
of the father, and as it were an extension of the person of the father; and, to
be perfectly accurate, they enter into and become part of civil society, not directly
by themselves, but through the family in which they were born."[24] "And therefore,"
says the same Leo XIII, "the father's power is of such a nature that it cannot be
destroyed or absorbed by the State; for it has the same origin as human life itself."[25]
It does not however follow from this that the parents' right to educate their children
is absolute and despotic; for it is necessarily subordinated to the last end and
to natural and divine law, as Leo XIII declares in another memorable encyclical,
where He thus sums up the rights and duties of parents: "By nature parents have
a right to the training of their children, but with this added duty that the education
and instruction of the child be in accord with the end for which by God's blessing
it was begotten. Therefore it is the duty of parents to make every effort to prevent
any invasion of their rights in this matter, and to make absolutely sure that the
education of their children remain under their own control in keeping with their
Christian duty, and above all to refuse to send them to those schools in which there
is danger of imbibing the deadly poison of impiety."[26]
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It must be borne in mind also that the obligation of the family to bring up children,
includes not only religious and moral education, but physical and civic education
as well,[27] principally in so far as it touches upon religion and moralit.
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This incontestable right of the family has at various times been recognized by nations
anxious to respect the natural law in their civil enactments. Thus, to give one
recent example, the Supreme Court of the United States of America, in a decision
on an important controversy, declared that it is not in the competence of the State
to fix any uniform standard of education by forcing children to receive instruction
exclusively in public schools, and it bases its decision on the natural law: the
child is not the mere creature of the State; those who nurture him and direct his
destiny have the right coupled with the high duty, to educate him and prepare him
for the fulfillment of his obligations.[28]
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History bears witness how, particularly in modern times, the State has violated
and does violate rights conferred by God on the family. At the same time it shows
magnificently how the Church has ever protected and defended these rights, a fact
proved by the special confidence which parents have in Catholic schools. As We pointed
out recently in Our letter to the Cardinal Secretary of State:
The family has instinctively understood this to be so, and from the earliest days
of Christianity down to our own times, fathers and mothers, even those of little
or no faith, have been sending or bringing their children in millions to places
of education under the direction of the Church.[29]
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It is paternal instinct, given by God, that thus turns with confidence to the Church,
certain of finding in her the protection of family rights, thereby illustrating
that harmony with which God has ordered all things. The Church is indeed conscious
of her divine mission to all mankind, and of the obligation which all men have to
practice the one true religion; and therefore she never tires of defending her right,
and of reminding parents of their duty, to have all Catholic-born children baptized
and brought up as Christians. On the other hand so jealous is she of the family's
inviolable natural right to educate the children, that she never consents, save
under peculiar circumstances and with special cautions, to baptize the children
of infidels, or provide for their education against the will of the parents, till
such time as the children can choose for themselves and freely embrace the Faith.[30]
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We have therefore two facts of supreme importance. As We said in Our discourse cited
above: The Church placing at the disposal of families her office of mistress and
educator, and the families eager to profit by the offer, and entrusting their children
to the Church in hundreds and thousands. These two facts recall and proclaim a striking
truth of the greatest significance in the moral and social order. They declare that
the mission of education regards before all, above all, primarily the Church and
the family, and this by natural and divine law, and that therefore it cannot be
slighted, cannot be evaded, cannot be supplanted.[31]
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From such priority of rights on the part of the Church and of the family in the
field of education, most important advantages, as we have seen, accrue to the whole
of society. Moreover in accordance with the divinely established order of things,
no damage can follow from it to the true and just rights of the State in regard
to the education of its citizens.
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These rights have been conferred upon civil society by the Author of nature Himself,
not by title of fatherhood, as in the case of the Church and of the family, but
in virtue of the authority which it possesses to promote the common temporal welfare,
which is precisely the purpose of its existence. Consequently education cannot pertain
to civil society in the same way in which it pertains to the Church and to the family,
but in a different way corresponding to its own particular end and object.
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Now this end and object, the common welfare in the temporal order, consists in that
peace and security in which families and individual citizens have the free exercise
of their rights, and at the same time enjoy the greatest spiritual and temporal
prosperity possible in this life, by the mutual union and co-ordination of the work
of all. The function therefore of the civil authority residing in the State is twofold,
to protect and to foster, but by no means to absorb the family and the individual,
or to substitute itself for them.
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Accordingly in the matter of education, it is the right, or to speak more correctly,
it is the duty of the State to protect in its legislation, the prior rights, already
described, of the family as regards the Christian education of its offspring, and
consequently also to respect the supernatural rights of the Church in this same
realm of Christian education.
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It also belongs to the State to protect the rights of the child itself when the
parents are found wanting either physically or morally in this respect, whether
by default, incapacity or misconduct, since, as has been shown, their right to educate
is not an absolute and despotic one, but dependent on the natural and divine law,
and therefore subject alike to the authority and jurisdiction of the Church, and
to the vigilance and administrative care of the State in view of the common good.
Besides, the family is not a perfect society, that is, it has not in itself all
the means necessary for its full development. In such cases, exceptional no doubt,
the State does not put itself in the place of the family, but merely supplies deficiencies,
and provides suitable means, always in conformity with the natural rights of the
child and the supernatural rights of the Church.
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In general then it is the right and duty of the State to protect, according to the
rules of right reason and faith, the moral and religious education of youth, by
removing public impediments that stand in the way. In the first place it pertains
to the State, in view of the common good, to promote in various ways the education
and instruction of youth. It should begin by encouraging and assisting, of its own
accord, the initiative and activity of the Church and the family, whose successes
in this field have been clearly demonstrated by history and experience. It should
moreover supplement their work whenever this falls short of what is necessary, even
by means of its own schools and institutions. For the State more than any other
society is provided with the means put at its disposal for the needs of all, and
it is only right that it use these means to the advantage of those who have contributed
them.[32]
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Over and above this, the State can exact and take measures to secure that all its
citizens have the necessary knowledge of their civic and political duties, and a
certain degree of physical, intellectual and moral culture, which, considering the
conditions of our times, is really necessary for the common good.
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However it is clear that in all these ways of promoting education and instruction,
both public and private, the State should respect the inherent rights of the Church
and of the family concerning Christian education, and moreover have regard for distributive
justice. Accordingly, unjust and unlawful is any monopoly, educational or scholastic,
which, physically or morally, forces families to make use of government schools,
contrary to the dictates of their Christian conscience, or contrary even to their
legitimate preferences.
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This does not prevent the State from making due provision for the right administration
of public affairs and for the protection of its peace, within or without the realm.
These are things which directly concern the public good and call for special aptitudes
and special preparation. The State may therefore reserve to itself the establishment
and direction of schools intended to prepare for certain civic duties and especially
for military service, provided it be careful not to injure the rights of the Church
or of the family in what pertains to them. It is well to repeat this warning here;
for in these days there is spreading a spirit of nationalism which is false and
exaggerated, as well as dangerous to true peace and prosperity. Under its influence
various excesses are committed in giving a military turn to the so-called physical
training of boys (sometimes even of girls, contrary to the very instincts of human
nature); or again in usurping unreasonably on Sunday, the time which should be devoted
to religious duties and to family life at home. It is not our intention however
to condemn what is good in the spirit of discipline and legitimate bravery promoted
by these methods; We condemn only what is excessive, as for example violence, which
must not be confounded with courage nor with the noble sentiment of military valor
in defense of country and public order; or again exaltation of athleticism which
even in classic pagan times marked the decline and downfall of genuine physical
training.
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In general also it belongs to civil society and the State to provide what may be
called civic education, not only for its youth, but for all ages and classes. This
consists in the practice of presenting publicly to groups of individuals information
having an intellectual, imaginative and emotional appeal, calculated to draw their
wills to what is upright and honest, and to urge its practice by a sort of moral
compulsion, positively by disseminating such knowledge, and negatively by suppressing
what is opposed to it.[33] This civic education, so wide and varied in itself as
to include almost every activity of the State intended for the public good, ought
also to be regulated by the norms of rectitude, and therefore cannot conflict with
the doctrines of the Church, which is the divinely appointed teacher of these norms.
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All that we have said so far regarding the activity of the State in educational
matters, rests on the solid and immovable foundation of the Catholic doctrine of
The Christian Constitution of States set forth in such masterly fashion
by Our Predecessor Leo XIII, notably in the Encyclicals Immortale Dei and
Sapientiae Christianae. He writes as follows:
God has divided the government of the human race between two authorities, ecclesiastical
and civil, establishing one over things divine, the other over things human. Both
are supreme, each in its own domain; each has its own fixed boundaries which limit
its activities. These boundaries are determined by the peculiar nature and the proximate
end of each, and describe as it were a sphere within which, with exclusive right,
each may develop its influence. As however the same subjects are under the two authorities,
it may happen that the same matter, though from a different point of view, may come
under the competence and jurisdiction of each of them. If follows that divine Providence,
whence both authorities have their origin, must have traced with due order the proper
line of action for each. The powers that are, are ordained of God.[34]
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Now the education of youth is precisely one of those matters that belong both to
the Church and to the State, "though in different ways," as explained above. Therefore,
continues Leo XIII, between the two powers there must reign a well-ordered harmony.
Not without reason may this mutual agreement be compared to the union of body and
soul in man. Its nature and extent can only be determined by considering, as we
have said, the nature of each of the two powers, and in particular the excellence
and nobility of the respective ends. To one is committed directly and specifically
the charge of what is helpful in worldly matters; while the other is to concern
itself with the things that pertain to heaven and eternity. Everything therefore
in human affairs that is in any way sacred, or has reference to the salvation of
souls and the worship of God, whether by its nature or by its end, is subject to
the jurisdiction and discipline of the Church. Whatever else is comprised in the
civil and political order, rightly comes under the authority of the State; for Christ
commanded us to give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things
that are God's.[35]
-
Whoever refuses to admit these principles, and hence to apply them to education,
must necessarily deny that Christ has founded His Church for the eternal salvation
of mankind, and maintain instead that civil society and the State are not subject
to God and to His law, natural and divine. Such a doctrine is manifestly impious,
contrary to right reason, and, especially in this matter of education, extremely
harmful to the proper training of youth, and disastrous as well for civil society
as for the well-being of all mankind. On the other hand from the application of
these principles, there inevitably result immense advantages for the right formation
of citizens. This is abundantly proved by the history of every age. Tertullian in
his Apologeticus could throw down a challenge to the enemies of the Church
in the early days of Christianity, just as St. Augustine did in his; and we today
can repeat with him:
Let those who declare the teaching of Christ to be opposed to the welfare of the
State, furnish us with an army of soldiers such as Christ says soldiers ought to
be; let them give us subjects, husbands, wives, parents, children, masters, servants,
kings, judges, taxpayers and tax gatherers who live up to the teachings of Christ;
and then let them dare assert that Christian doctrine is harmful to the State. Rather
let them not hesitate one moment to acclaim that doctrine, rightly observed, the
greatest safeguard of the State.[36]
-
While treating of education, it is not out of place to show here how an ecclesiastical
writer, who flourished in more recent times, during the Renaissance, the holy and
learned Cardinal Silvio Antoniano, to whom the cause of Christian education is greatly
indebted, has set forth most clearly this well established point of Catholic doctrine.
He had been a disciple of that wonderful educator of youth, St. Philip Neri; he
was teacher and Latin secretary to St. Charles Borromeo, and it was at the latter's
suggestion and under his inspiration that he wrote his splendid treatise onThe Christian
Education of Youth. In it he argues as follows:
The more closely the temporal power of a nation aligns itself with the spiritual,
and the more it fosters and promotes the latter, by so much the more it contributes
to the conservation of the commonwealth. For it is the aim of the ecclesiastical
authority by the use of spiritual means, to form good Christians in accordance with
its own particular end and object; and in doing this it helps at the same time to
form good citizens, and prepares them to meet their obligations as members of a
civil society. This follows of necessity because in the City of God, the Holy Roman
Catholic Church, a good citizen and an upright man are absolutely one and the same
thing. How grave therefore is the error of those who separate things so closely
united, and who think that they can produce good citizens by ways and methods other
than those which make for the formation of good Christians. For, let human prudence
say what it likes and reason as it pleases, it is impossible to produce true temporal
peace and tranquillity by things repugnant or opposed to the peace and happiness
of eternity.[37]
-
What is true of the State, is true also of science, scientific methods and scientific
research; they have nothing to fear from the full and perfect mandate which the
Church holds in the field of education. Our Catholic institutions, whatever their
grade in the educational and scientific world, have no need of apology. The esteem
they enjoy, the praise they receive, the learned works which they promote and produce
in such abundance, and above all, the men, fully and splendidly equipped, whom they
provide for the magistracy, for the professions, for the teaching career, in fact
for every walk of life, more than sufficiently testify in their favour.[38]
-
These facts moreover present a most striking confirmation of the Catholic doctrine
defined by the Vatican Council:
Not only is it impossible for faith and reason to be at variance with each other,
they are on the contrary of mutual help. For while right reason establishes the
foundations of Faith, and, by the help of its light, develops a knowledge of the
things of God, Faith on the other hand frees and preserves reason from error and
enriches it with varied knowledge. The Church therefore, far from hindering the
pursuit of the arts and sciences, fosters and promotes them in many ways. For she
is neither ignorant nor unappreciative of the many advantages which flow from them
to mankind. On the contrary she admits that just as they come from God, Lord of
all knowledge, so too if rightly used, with the help of His grace they lead to God.
Nor does she prevent the sciences, each in its own sphere, from making use of principles
and methods of their own. Only while acknowledging the freedom due to them, she
takes every precaution to prevent them from falling into error by opposition to
divine doctrine, or from overstepping their proper limits, and thus invading and
disturbing the domain of Faith.[39]
-
This norm of a just freedom in things scientific, serves also as an inviolable norm
of a just freedom in things didactic, or for rightly understood liberty in teaching;
it should be observed therefore in whatever instruction is imparted to others. Its
obligation is all the more binding in justice when there is question of instructing
youth. For in this work the teacher, whether public or private, has no absolute
right of his own, but only such as has been communicated to him by others. Besides
every Christian child or youth has a strict right to instruction in harmony with
the teaching of the Church, the pillar and ground of truth. And whoever disturbs
the pupil's Faith in any way, does him grave wrong, inasmuch as he abuses the trust
which children place in their teachers, and takes unfair advantage of their inexperience
and of their natural craving for unrestrained liberty, at once illusory and false.
-
In fact it must never be forgotten that the subject of Christian education is man
whole and entire, soul united to body in unity of nature, with all his faculties
natural and supernatural, such as right reason and revelation show him to be; man,
therefore, fallen from his original estate, but redeemed by Christ and restored
to the supernatural condition of adopted son of God, though without the preternatural
privileges of bodily immortality or perfect control of appetite. There remain therefore,
in human nature the effects of original sin, the chief of which are weakness of
will and disorderly inclinations.
-
"Folly is bound up in the heart of a child and the rod of correction shall drive
it away."[40] Disorderly inclinations then must be corrected, good tendencies encouraged
and regulated from tender childhood, and above all the mind must be enlightened
and the will strengthened by supernatural truth and by the means of grace, without
which it is impossible to control evil impulses, impossible to attain to the full
and complete perfection of education intended by the Church, which Christ has endowed
so richly with divine doctrine and with the Sacraments, the efficacious means of
grace.
-
Hence every form of pedagogic naturalism which in any way excludes or weakens supernatural
Christian formation in the teaching of youth, is false. Every method of education
founded, wholly or in part, on the denial or forgetfulness of original sin and of
grace, and relying on the sole powers of human nature, is unsound. Such, generally
speaking, are those modern systems bearing various names which appeal to a pretended
self-government and unrestrained freedom on the part of the child, and which diminish
or even suppress the teacher's authority and action, attributing to the child an
exclusive primacy of initiative, and an activity independent of any higher law,
natural or divine, in the work of his education.
-
If any of these terms are used, less properly, to denote the necessity of a gradually
more active cooperation on the part of the pupil in his own education; if the intention
is to banish from education despotism and violence, which, by the way, just punishment
is not, this would be correct, but in no way new. It would mean only what has been
taught and reduced to practice by the Church in traditional Christian education,
in imitation of the method employed by God Himself towards His creatures, of whom
He demands active cooperation according to the nature of each; for His Wisdom "reacheth
from end to end mightily and ordereth all things sweetly."[41]
-
But alas! it is clear from the obvious meaning of the words and from experience,
that what is intended by not a few, is the withdrawal of education from every sort
of dependence on the divine law. So today we see, strange sight indeed, educators
and philosophers who spend their lives in searching for a universal moral code of
education, as if there existed no decalogue, no gospel law, no law even of nature
stamped by God on the heart of man, promulgated by right reason, and codified in
positive revelation by God Himself in the ten commandments. These innovators are
wont to refer contemptuously to Christian education as "heteronomous," "passive","obsolete,"
because founded upon the authority of God and His holy law.
-
Such men are miserably deluded in their claim to emancipate, as they say, the child,
while in reality they are making him the slave of his own blind pride and of his
disorderly affections, which, as a logical consequence of this false system, come
to be justified as legitimate demands of a so-called autonomous nature.
-
But what is worse is the claim, not only vain but false, irreverent and dangerous,
to submit to research, experiment and conclusions of a purely natural and profane
order, those matters of education which belong to the supernatural order; as for
example questions of priestly or religious vocation, and in general the secret workings
of grace which indeed elevate the natural powers, but are infinitely superior to
them, and may nowise be subjected to physical laws, for "the Spirit breatheth where
He will."[42]
-
Another very grave danger is that naturalism which nowadays invades the field of
education in that most delicate matter of purity of morals. Far too common is the
error of those who with dangerous assurance and under an ugly term propagate a so-called
sex-education, falsely imagining they can forearm youths against the dangers of
sensuality by means purely natural, such as a foolhardy initiation and precautionary
instruction for all indiscriminately, even in public; and, worse still, by exposing
them at an early age to the occasions, in order to accustom them, so it is argued,
and as it were to harden them against such dangers.
-
Such persons grievously err in refusing to recognize the inborn weakness of human
nature, and the law of which the Apostle speaks, fighting against the law of the
mind;[43] and also in ignoring the experience of facts, from which it is clear that,
particularly in young people, evil practices are the effect not so much of ignorance
of intellect as of weakness of a will exposed to dangerous occasions, and unsupported
by the means of grace.
-
In this extremely delicate matter, if, all things considered, some private instruction
is found necessary and opportune, from those who hold from God the commission to
teach and who have the grace of state, every precaution must be taken. Such precautions
are well known in traditional Christian education, and are adequately described
by Antoniano cited above, when he says:
Such is our misery and inclination to sin, that often in the very things considered
to be remedies against sin, we find occasions for and inducements to sin itself.
Hence it is of the highest importance that a good father, while discussing with
his son a matter so delicate, should be well on his guard and not descend to details,
nor refer to the various ways in which this infernal hydra destroys with its poison
so large a portion of the world; otherwise it may happen that instead of extinguishing
this fire, he unwittingly stirs or kindles it in the simple and tender heart of
the child. Speaking generally, during the period of childhood it suffices to employ
those remedies which produce the double effect of opening the door to the virtue
of purity and closing the door upon vice.[44]
-
False also and harmful to Christian education is the so-called method of "coeducation."
This too, by many of its supporters, is founded upon naturalism and the denial of
original sin; but by all, upon a deplorable confusion of ideas that mistakes a leveling
promiscuity and equality, for the legitimate association of the sexes. The Creator
has ordained and disposed perfect union of the sexes only in matrimony, and, with
varying degrees of contact, in the family and in society. Besides there is not in
nature itself, which fashions the two quite different in organism, in temperament,
in abilities, anything to suggest that there can be or ought to be promiscuity,
and much less equality, in the training of the two sexes. These, in keeping with
the wonderful designs of the Creator, are destined to complement each other in the
family and in society, precisely because of their differences, which therefore ought
to be maintained and encouraged during their years of formation, with the necessary
distinction and corresponding separation, according to age and circumstances. These
principles, with due regard to time and place, must, in accordance with Christian
prudence, be applied to all schools, particularly in the most delicate and decisive
period of formation, that, namely, of adolescence; and in gymnastic exercises and
deportment, special care must be had of Christian modesty in young women and girls,
which is so gravely impaired by any kind of exhibition in public.
-
Recalling the terrible words of the Divine Master: "Woe to the world because of
scandals!"[45] We most earnestly appeal to your solicitude and your watchfulness,
Venerable Brethren, against these pernicious errors, which, to the immense harm
of youth, are spreading far and wide among Christian peoples.
-
In order to obtain perfect education, it is of the utmost importance to see that
all those conditions which surround the child during the period of his formation,
in other words that the combination of circumstances which we call environment,
correspond exactly to the end proposed.
-
The first natural and necessary element in this environment, as regards education,
is the family, and this precisely because so ordained by the Creator Himself. Accordingly
that education, as a rule, will be more effective and lasting which is received
in a well-ordered and well-disciplined Christian family; and more efficacious in
proportion to the clear and constant good example set, first by the parents, and
then by the other members of the household.
-
It is not our intention to treat formally the question of domestic education, nor
even to touch upon its principal points. The subject is too vast. Besides there
are not lacking special treatises on this topic by authors, both ancient and modern,
well known for their solid Catholic doctrine. One which seems deserving of special
mention is the golden treatise already referred to, of Antoniano, On the Christian
Education of Youth, which St. Charles Borromeo ordered to be read in public
to parents assembled in their churches.
-
Nevertheless, Venerable Brethren and beloved children, We wish to call your attention
in a special manner to the present-day lamentable decline in family education. The
offices and professions of a transitory and earthly life, which are certainly of
far less importance, are prepared for by long and careful study; whereas for the
fundamental duty and obligation of educating their children, many parents have little
or no preparation, immersed as they are in temporal cares. The declining influence
of domestic environment is further weakened by another tendency, prevalent almost
everywhere today, which, under one pretext or another, for economic reasons, or
for reasons of industry, trade or politics, causes children to be more and more
frequently sent away from home even in their tenderest years. And there is a country
where the children are actually being torn from the bosom of the family, to be formed
(or, to speak more accurately, to be deformed and depraved) in godless schools and
associations, to irreligion and hatred, according to the theories of advanced socialism;
and thus is renewed in a real and more terrible manner the slaughter of the Innocents.
-
For the love of Our Savior .Jesus Christ, therefore, we implore pastors of souls,
by every means in their power, by instructions and catechisms, by word of mouth
and written articles widely distributed, to warn Christian parents of their grave
obligations. And this should be done not in a merely theoretical and general way,
but with practical and specific application to the various responsibilities of parents
touching the religious, moral and civil training of their children, and with indication
of the methods best adapted to make their training effective, supposing always the
influence of their own exemplary lives. The Apostle of the Gentiles did not hesitate
to descend to such details of practical instruction in his epistles, especially
in the Epistle to the Ephesians, where among other things he gives this advice:
"And you, fathers, provoke not your children to anger."[46] This fault is the result
not so much of excessive severity, as of impatience and of ignorance of means best
calculated to effect a desired correction; it is also due to the all too common
relaxation of parental discipline which fails to check the growth of evil passions
in the hearts of the younger generation. Parents therefore, and all who take their
place in the work of education, should be careful to make right use of the authority
given them by God, whose vicars in a true sense they are. This authority is not
given for their own advantage, but for the proper up-bringing of their children
in a holy and filial "fear of God, the beginning of wisdom," on which foundation
alone all respect for authority can rest securely; and without which, order, tranquillity
and prosperity, whether in the family or in society, will be impossible.
-
To meet the weakness of man's fallen nature, God in His Goodness has provided the
abundant helps of His grace and the countless means with which He has endowed the
Church, the great family of Christ. The Church therefore is the educational environment
most intimately and harmoniously associated with the Christian family.
-
This educational environment of the Church embraces the Sacraments, divinely efficacious
means of grace, the sacred ritual, so wonderfully instructive, and the material
fabric of her churches, whose liturgy and art have an immense educational value;
but it also includes the great number and variety of schools, associations and institutions
of all kinds, established for the training of youth in Christian piety, together
with literature and the sciences, not omitting recreation and physical culture.
And in this inexhaustible fecundity of educational works, how marvelous, how incomparable
is the Church's maternal providence! So admirable too is the harmony which she maintains
with the Christian family, that the Church and the family may be said to constitute
together one and the same temple of Christian education.
-
Since however the younger generations must be trained in the arts and sciences for
the advantage and prosperity of civil society, and since the family of itself is
unequal to this task, it was necessary to create that social institution, the school.
But let it be borne in mind that this institution owes its existence to the initiative
of the family and of the Church, long before it was undertaken by the State. Hence
considered in its historical origin, the school is by its very nature an institution
subsidiary and complementary to the family and to the Church. It follows logically
and necessarily that it must not be in opposition to, but in positive accord with
those other two elements, and form with them a perfect moral union, constituting
one sanctuary of education, as it were, with the family and the Church. Otherwise
it is doomed to fail of its purpose, and to become instead an agent of destruction.
-
This principle we find recognized by a layman, famous for his pedagogical writings,
though these because of their liberalism cannot be unreservedly praised. "The school,"
he writes, "if not a temple, is a den." And again: "When literary, social, domestic
and religious education do not go hand in hand, man is unhappy and helpless."[47]
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From this it follows that the so-called "neutral" or "lay" school, from which religion
is excluded, is contrary to the fundamental principles of education. Such a school
moreover cannot exist in practice; it is bound to become irreligious. There is no
need to repeat what Our Predecessors have declared on this point, especially Pius
IX and Leo XIII, at times when laicism was beginning in a special manner to infest
the public school. We renew and confirm their declarations,[48] as well as the Sacred
Canons in which the frequenting of non-Catholic schools, whether neutral or mixed,
those namely which are open to Catholics and non-Catholics alike, is forbidden for
Catholic children, and can be at most tolerated, on the approval of the Ordinary
alone, under determined circumstances of place and time, and with special precautions.[49]
Neither can Catholics admit that other type of mixed school, (least of all the so-called
"école unique," obligatory on all), in which the students are provided with separate
religious instruction, but receive other lessons in common with non-Catholic pupils
from non-Catholic teachers.
-
For the mere fact that a school gives some religious instruction (often extremely
stinted), does not bring it into accord with the rights of the Church and of the
Christian family, or make it a fit place for Catholic students. To be this, it is
necessary that all the teaching and the whole organization of the school, and its
teachers, syllabus and text-books in every branch, be regulated by the Christian
spirit, under the direction and maternal supervision of the Church; so that Religion
may be in very truth the foundation and crown of the youth's entire training; and
this in every grade of school, not only the elementary, but the intermediate and
the higher institutions of learning as well. To use the words of Leo XIII:
It is necessary not only that religious instruction be given to the young at certain
fixed times, but also that every other subject taught, be permeated with Christian
piety. If this is wanting, if this sacred atmosphere does not pervade and warm the
hearts of masters and scholars alike, little good can be expected from any kind
of learning, and considerable harm will often be the consequence.[50]
-
And let no one say that in a nation where there are different religious beliefs,
it is impossible to provide for public instruction otherwise than by neutral or
mixed schools. In such a case it becomes the duty of the State, indeed it is the
easier and more reasonable method of procedure, to leave free scope to the initiative
of the Church and the family, while giving them such assistance as justice demands.
That this can be done to the full satisfaction of families, and to the advantage
of education and of public peace and tranquillity, is clear from the actual experience
of some countries comprising different religious denominations. There the school
legislation respects the rights of the family, and Catholics are free to follow
their own system of teaching in schools that are entirely Catholic. Nor is distributive
justice lost sight of, as is evidenced by the financial aid granted by the State
to the several schools demanded by the families.
-
In other countries of mixed creeds, things are otherwise, and a heavy burden weighs
upon Catholics, who under the guidance of their Bishops and with the indefatigable
cooperation of the clergy, secular and regular, support Catholic schools for their
children entirely at their own expense; to this they feel obliged in conscience,
and with a generosity and constancy worthy of all praise, they are firmly determined
to make adequate provision for what they openly profess as their motto: "Catholic
education in Catholic schools for all the Catholic youth." If such education is
not aided from public funds, as distributive justice requires, certainly it may
not be opposed by any civil authority ready to recognize the rights of the family,
and the irreducible claims of legitimate liberty.
-
Where this fundamental liberty is thwarted or interfered with, Catholics will never
feel, whatever may have been the sacrifices already made, that they have done enough,
for the support and defense of their schools and for the securing of laws that will
do them justice.
-
For whatever Catholics do in promoting and defending the Catholic school for their
children, is a genuinely religious work and therefore an important task of "Catholic
Action." For this reason the associations which in various countries are so zealously
engaged in this work of prime necessity, are especially dear to Our paternal heart
and are deserving of every commendation.
-
Let it be loudly proclaimed and well understood and recognized by all, that Catholics,
no matter what their nationality, in agitating for Catholic schools for their children,
are not mixing in party politics, but are engaged in a religious enterprise demanded
by conscience. They do not intend to separate their children either from the body
of the nation or its spirit, but to educate them in a perfect manner, most conducive
to the prosperity of the nation. Indeed a good Catholic, precisely because of his
Catholic principles, makes the better citizen, attached to his country, and loyally
submissive to constituted civil authority in every legitimate form of government.
-
In such a school, in harmony with the Church and the Christian family, the various
branches of secular learning will not enter into conflict with religious instruction
to the manifest detriment of education. And if, when occasion arises, it be deemed
necessary to have the students read authors propounding false doctrine, for the
purpose of refuting it, this will be done after due preparation and with such an
antidote of sound doctrine, that it will not only do no harm, but will an aid to
the Christian formation of youth.
-
In such a school moreover, the study of the vernacular and of classical literature
will do no damage to moral virtue. There the Christian teacher will imitate the
bee, which takes the choicest part of the flower and leaves the rest, as St. Basil
teaches in his discourse to youths on the study of the classics.[51] Nor will this
necessary caution, suggested also by the pagan Quintilian,[52] in any way hinder
the Christian teacher from gathering and turning to profit, whatever there is of
real worth in the systems and methods of our modern times, mindful of the Apostle's
advice: "Prove all things: hold fast that which is good."[53] Hence in accepting
the new, he will not hastily abandon the old, which the experience of centuries
has found expedient and profitable. This is particularly true in the teaching of
Latin, which in our days is falling more and more into disuse, because of the unreasonable
rejection of methods so successfully used by that sane humanism, whose highest development
was reached in the schools of the Church. These noble traditions of the past require
that the youth committed to Catholic schools be fully instructed in the letters
and sciences in accordance with the exigencies of the times. They also demand that
the doctrine imparted be deep and solid, especially in sound philosophy, avoiding
the muddled superficiality of those "who perhaps would have found the necessary,
had they not gone in search of the superfluous."[54] In this connection Christian
teachers should keep in mind what Leo XIII says in a pithy sentence:
Greater stress must be laid on the employment of apt and solid methods of teaching,
and, what is still more important, on bringing into full conformity with the Catholic
faith, what is taught in literature, in the sciences, and above all in philosophy,
on which depends in great part the right orientation of the other branches of knowledge.[55]
-
Perfect schools are the result not so much of good methods as of good teachers,
teachers who are thoroughly prepared and well-grounded in the matter they have to
teach; who possess the intellectual and moral qualifications required by their important
office; who cherish a pure and holy love for the youths confided to them, because
they love Jesus Christ and His Church, of which these are the children of predilection;
and who have therefore sincerely at heart the true good of family and country. Indeed
it fills Our soul with consolation and gratitude towards the divine Goodness to
see, side by side with religious men and women engaged in teaching, such a large
number of excellent lay teachers, who, for their greater spiritual advancement,
are often grouped in special sodalities and associations, which are worthy of praise
and encouragement as most excellent and powerful auxiliaries of "Catholic Action."
All these labor unselfishly with zeal and perseverance in what St. Gregory Nazianzen
calls "the art of arts and the science of sciences,"[56] the direction and formation
of youth. Of them also it may be said in the words of the divine Master: "The harvest
indeed is great, but the laborers few."[57] Let us then pray the Lord of the harvest
to send more such workers into the field of Christian education; and let their formation
be one of the principal concerns of the pastors of souls and of the superiors of
Religious Orders.
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It is no less necessary to direct and watch the education of the adolescent, "soft
as wax to be moulded into vice,"[58] in whatever other environment he may happen
to be, removing occasions of evil and providing occasions for good in his recreations
and social intercourse; for "evil communications corrupt good manners."[59]
-
More than ever nowadays an extended and careful vigilance is necessary, inasmuch
as the dangers of moral and religious shipwreck are greater for inexperienced youth.
Especially is this true of impious and immoral books, often diabolically circulated
at low prices; of the cinema, which multiplies every kind of exhibition; and now
also of the radio, which facilitates every kind of communications. These most powerful
means of publicity, which can be of great utility for instruction and education
when directed by sound principles, are only too often used as an incentive to evil
passions and greed for gain. St. Augustine deplored the passion for the shows of
the circus which possessed even some Christians of his time, and he dramatically
narrates the infatuation for them, fortunately only temporary, of his disciple and
friend Alipius.[60] How often today must parents and educators bewail the corruption
of youth brought about by the modern theater and the vile book!
-
Worthy of all praise and encouragement therefore are those educational associations
which have for their object to point out to parents and educators, by means of suitable
books and periodicals, the dangers to morals and religion that are often cunningly
disguised in books and theatrical representations. In their spirit of zeal for the
souls of the young, they endeavor at the same time to circulate good literature
and to promote plays that are really instructive, going so far as to put up at the
cost of great sacrifices, theaters and cinemas, in which virtue will have nothing
to suffer and much to gain.
-
This necessary vigilance does not demand that young people be removed from the society
in which they must live and save their souls; but that today more than ever they
should be forewarned and forearmed as Christians against the seductions and the
errors of the world, which, as Holy Writ admonishes us, is all "concupiscence of
the flesh, concupiscence of the eyes and pride of life."[61] Let them be what Tertullian
wrote of the first Christians, and what Christians of all times ought to be, "sharers
in the possession of the world, not of its error."[62]
-
This saying of Tertullian brings us to the topic which we propose to treat in the
last place, and which is of the greatest importance, that is, the true nature of
Christian education, as deduced from its proper end. Its consideration reveals with
noonday clearness the pre-eminent educational mission of the Church.
-
The proper and immediate end of Christian education is to cooperate with divine
grace in forming the true and perfect Christian, that is, to form Christ Himself
in those regenerated by Baptism, according to the emphatic expression of the Apostle:
"My little children, of whom I am in labor again, until Christ be formed in you."[63]
For the true Christian must live a supernatural life in Christ: "Christ who is your
life,"[64] and display it in all his actions: "That the life also of Jesus may be
made manifest in our mortal flesh."[65]
-
For precisely this reason, Christian education takes in the whole aggregate of human
life, physical and spiritual, intellectual and moral, individual, domestic and social,
not with a view of reducing it in any way, but in order to elevate, regulate and
perfect it, in accordance with the example and teaching of Christ.
-
Hence the true Christian, product of Christian education, is the supernatural man
who thinks, judges and acts constantly and consistently in accordance with right
reason illumined by the supernatural light of the example and teaching of Christ;
in other words, to use the current term, the true and finished man of character.
For, it is not every kind of consistency and firmness of conduct based on subjective
principles that makes true character, but only constancy in following the eternal
principles of justice, as is admitted even by the pagan poet when he praises as
one and the same "the man who is just and firm of purpose."[66] And on the other
hand, there cannot be full justice except in giving to God what is due to God, as
the true Christian does.
-
The scope and aim of Christian education as here described, appears to the worldly
as an abstraction, or rather as something that cannot be attained without the suppression
or dwarfing of the natural faculties, and without a renunciation of the activities
of the present life, and hence inimical to social life and temporal prosperity,
and contrary to all progress in letters, arts and sciences, and all the other elements
of civilization. To a like objection raised by the ignorance and the prejudice of
even cultured pagans of a former day, and repeated with greater frequency and insistence
in modern times, Tertullian has replied as follows:
We are not strangers to life.We are fully aware of the gratitude we owe to God,
our Lord and Creator. We reject none of the fruits of His handiwork; we only abstain
from their immoderate or unlawful use. We are living in the world with you; we do
not shun your forum, your markets, your baths, your shops, your factories, your
stables, your places of business and traffic. We take shop with you and we serve
in your armies; we are farmers and merchants with you; we interchange skilled labor
and display our works in public for your service. How we can seem unprofitable to
you with whom we live and of whom we are, I know not.[67]
-
The true Christian does not renounce the activities of this life, he does not stunt
his natural faculties; but he develops and perfects them, by coordinating them with
the supernatural. He thus ennobles what is merely natural in life and secures for
it new strength in the material and temporal order, no less then in the spiritual
and eternal.
-
This fact is proved by the whole history of Christianity and its institutions, which
is nothing else but the history of true civilization and progress up to the present
day. It stands out conspicuously in the lives of the numerous Saints, whom the Church,
and she alone, produces, in whom is perfectly realized the purpose of Christian
education, and who have in every way ennobled and benefited human society. Indeed,
the Saints have ever been, are, and ever will be the greatest benefactors of society,
and perfect models for every class and profession, for every state and condition
of life, from the simple and uncultured peasant to the master of sciences and letters,
from the humble artisan to the commander of armies, from the father of a family
to the ruler of peoples and nations, from simple maidens and matrons of the domestic
hearth to queens and empresses. What shall we say of the immense work which has
been accomplished even for the temporal well-being of men by missionaries of the
Gospel, who have brought and still bring to barbarous tribes the benefits of civilization
together with the light of the Faith? What of the founders of so many social and
charitable institutions, of the vast numbers of saintly educators, men and women,
who have perpetuated and multiplied their life work, by leaving after them prolific
institutions of Christian education, in aid of families and for the inestimable
advantage of nations?
-
Such are the fruits of Christian education. Their price and value is derived from
the supernatural virtue and life in Christ which Christian education forms and develops
in man. Of this life and virtue Christ our Lord and Master is the source and dispenser.
By His example He is at the same time the universal model accessible to all, especially
to the young in the period of His hidden life, a life of labor and obedience, adorned
with all virtues, personal, domestic and social, before God and men.
-
Now all this array of priceless educational treasures which We have barely touched
upon, is so truly a property of the Church as to form her very substance, since
she is the mystical body of Christ, the immaculate spouse of Christ, and consequently
a most admirable mother and an incomparable and perfect teacher. This thought inspired
St. Augustine, the great genius of whose blessed death we are about to celebrate
the fifteenth centenary, with accents of tenderest love for so glorious a mother:
O Catholic Church, true Mother of Christians! Not only doest thou preach to us,
as is meet, how purely and chastely we are to worship God Himself, Whom to possess
is life most blessed; thou does moreover so cherish neighborly love and charity,
that all the infirmities to which sinful souls are subject, find their most potent
remedy in thee. Childlike thou are in molding the child, strong with the young man,
gentle with the aged, dealing with each according to his needs of mind of body.
Thou does subject child to parent in a sort of free servitude, and settest parent
over child in a jurisdiction of love. Thou bindest brethren to brethren by the bond
of religion, stronger and closer then the bond of blood .... Thou unitest citizen
to citizen, nation to nation, yea, all men, in a union not of companionship only,
but of brotherhood, reminding them of their common origin. Thou teachest kings to
care for their people, and biddest people to be subject to their kings. Thou teachest
assiduously to whom honor is due, to whom love, to whom reverence, to whom fear,
to whom comfort, to whom rebuke, to whom punishment; showing us that whilst not
all things nor the same things are due to all, charity is due to all and offense
to none.[68]
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Let us then, Venerable Brethren, raise our hands and our hearts in supplication
to heaven, "to the Shepherd and Bishop of our Souls,"[69] to the divine King "who
gives laws to rulers," that in His almighty power He may cause these splendid fruits
of Christian education to be gathered in ever greater abundance "in the whole world,"
for the lasting benefit of individuals and of nations.
As a pledge of these heavenly favors, with paternal affection We impart to you,
Venerable Brethren, to your clergy and your people, the Apostolic Benediction.
-
Marc., X, 14: Sinite parvulos venir ad me.
-
II Tim., IV, 2: Insta opportune importune: argue, obsecra increpa in
omni patientia et doctrina.
-
Confess., I, I: Fecisti nos, Domine, ad Te. et inquietum est cor nostrum
donec requiescat in Te .
-
Prov. XXII, 6: Adolescens iuxta viam suam etiam cum senuerit non recedet
ab ea .
-
Hom. 60, in c. 18 Matth.: Ouid maius quam animis moderari, quam adolescentulorum
fingere mores?
-
Marc., IX, 36: Quisquis unum ex huiusmodi pueris receperit in nomine meo, me
recipit.
-
Matth., XXVIII, 18-20: Data est mihi omnis potestas in caelo et in terra. Euntes
ergo docete omnes gentes, baptizantes eos in nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus
Sancti: docentes eos servare omnia quaecumque mandavi vobis. Et ecce ego vobiscum
sum omnibus diebus usque ad consummationem saeculi.
-
Pius IX, Ep. Quum non sine, 14 Iul, 1864: Columna et firmamentum viritatis
a Divino suo Auctore fuit constituta, ut omnes homines divinam edoceat fidem, eiusque
depositum sibi traditum integrum inviolatumque custodiat, ac homines eotumque consortia
et actiones ad morum honestatem vitaeque integritatem, iuxta revelatae doctrinae
normam, dirigat et fingat.
-
De Symbolo ad catech., XIII: Non habebit Deum patrem, qui Ecclesiam
noluerit habere matrem.
-
Ep. enc. Libertas, 20 Iun. 1888: in fide atque in institutione morum,
divini magisterii Ecclesiam fecit Deus ipse participem, eamdemque divino eius beneficio
falli nesciam: quare magistra mortalium est maxima ac tutissima, in eaque inest
non violabile ius ad magisterii libertatem.
-
Ep. enc. Singulari quadam. 24 Sept. 1912: Quidquid homo christianus
agat, etiam in ordine rerum terrenarum, non ei licet bona negligere quae sunt supra
naturam, immo oportet ad summum bonum, tamquam ad ultimum finem, ex christianae
sapientiae praescriptis omnia dirigat: omnes autem actiones eius, quatenus bonae
aut malae sunt in genere morum, id est cum iure naturali et divino congruunt aut
discrepant, indicio et iurisdictioni Ecclesiae subsunt.
-
A. Manzoni, Osservazioni sulla Morale Cattolica, c. III.
-
Codex luris Canonici, c. 1375.
-
Commentar. in Matth., cap. 18: Quid mundo tam periculosum quam non
recepisse Christum?
-
Cod. I.C., cc. 1381, 1382.
-
Ep. enc. Nobilissima Gallorum Gens, 8 Febr. 1884: male sana omnis futura
est animarum cultura: insueti ad verecundiam Dei adolescentes nullam ferre poterunt
honeste vivendi disciplinam, suisque cupiditatibus nihil unquam negare ausi, facile
ad miscendas civitates pertrahentur.
-
Matth., XXVIII, 19: docete omnes gentes.
-
Discourse to the students of Mondragone College, May 14,1929.
-
Deut., XXXII, 4: Dei perfecta sunt opera, et omnes viae eius indicia
.
-
S. Th., 2-2, Q. CII, a. I: Carnalis pater particulariter participat rationem
principii quae universaliter invenitur in Deo. . . . Pater est principium et generationis
et educatonis et disciplinae, et omnium quae ad perfectionem humanae vitae pertinent.
-
S. Th., 2-2, Q. X, a. 12: Filius enim naturaliter est aliquid patris . . .;
ita de iure naturali est quod filius, antequam habeat usum rationis, sit sub cura
patris. Unde contra iustitiam naturalem esset, si puer, antequam habeat usum rationis,
a cura parentum subtrahatur, vel de eo aliquid ordinetur invitis parentibus.
-
Suppl. S. Th. 3; p. Q. 41, a. 1: Non enim intendit natura solum generationem
prolis, sed etiam traductionem et promotionem usque ad perfectum statum hominis
in quantum homo est, qui est virtutis status.
-
Cod. I. C. , c. 1113: Parentes gravissima obligatione tenentur prolis educationem
tum religiosam et moralem, tum physicam et civilem pro viribus curandi, et etiam
temporali eorum bono providendi.
-
Ep. enc. Rerum novarum, 15 Maii 1891: Filii sunt aliquid patris, et
velut paternae amplificatio quaedam personae proprieque loqui si volumus, non ipsi
per se, sed per communitatem domesticam, in qua generati sunt, civilem ineunt ac
participant societatem.
-
Ep. enc. Rerum novarum, 15 Maii 1891: Patria potestas est eiusmodi,
ut nec extingui, neque absorberi a republica possit, quia idem et commune habet
cum ipsa hominum vita principium .
-
Ep. enc. Sapientiae christianae, 10 Ian. 1890: Natura parentes habent
ius suum instituendi, quos procrearint, hoc adiuncto officio, ut cum fine, cuius
gratia sobolem Dei beneficio susceperunt, ipsa educatio conveniat et doctrina puerilis.
Igitur parentibus est necessanum eniti et contendere, ut omnem in hoc genere propulsent
iniuriam, omninoque pervincant ut sua in potestate sit educere liberos, uti par
est, more christiano, maximeque prohibere scholis iis, a quibus periculum est ne
malum venenum imbibant impietatis.
-
Cod I. C.,c.1113.
-
"The fundamental theory of liberty upon which all governments in this Union
repose excludes any general power of the State to standardize its children by forcing
them to accept instruction from public teachers only. The child is not the mere
creature of the State; those who nurture him and direct his destiny have the right
coupled with the high duty, to recognize, and prepare him for additional duties."
U.S. Supreme Court Decision in the Oregon School Case, June 1, 1925.
-
Letter to the Cardinal Secretary of State, May 30, 1929.
-
Cod. I. C., c. 750, & 2. S. Th., 2, 2. Q. X., a. 12.
-
Discourse to the students of Mondragone College, May 14,1929.
-
Discourse to the students of Mondragone College, May 14,1929.
-
P. L. Taparelli, Saggio teor. di Diritto Naturale, n. 922; a work never
sufficiently praised and recommended to university students (Cfr. Our Discourse
of Dec. 18, 1927).
-
Ep. enc. Immortale Dei, 1 Nov. 1885: Deus humani generis procurationem
inter duos potestates partitus est, scilicet eccesiasticam et civilem, alteram quidem
divinis, alteram humanis rebus praepositam. Utraque est in suo genere maxima: habet
utraque certos, quibus contineatur, terminos, eosque sua cuiusque natura causaque
proxime definitos; unde aliquis velut orbis circumscribitur, in quo sua cuiusque
actio iure proprio versetur. Sed quia utriusque imperium est in eosdem, cum usuvenire
possit, ut res una atque eadem quamquam aliter atque aliter, sed tamen eadem res,
ad utriusque ius iudiciumque pertineat, debet providentissimus Deus, a quo sunt
ambae constitutae, utriusque itinera recte atque ordine composiusse. Quae autem
sunt, a Deo ordinatae sunt (Rom., XIII, 1).
-
Ep. enc. Immortale Dei, 1 Nov. 1885: Itaque inter utramque potestatem
quaedam intercedat necesse est ordinata colligatio: quae quidem coniunctioni non
immerito comparatur, per quam anima et corpus in homine copulantur. Qualis autem
et quanta ea sit, aliter iudicari non potest, nisi respiciendo, uti diximus, ad
utriusque naturam, habendaque ratione excellentiae et nobilitatis causarum; cum
alteri proxime maximeque propositum sit rerum mortalium curare commoda, alteri caelestia
ac sempiterna bona comparare. Quidquid igitur est in rebus humanis quoquo modo sacrum,
quidquid ad salutem animorum cultumve Dei pertinet, sive tale illud sit natura sua,
sive rursus tale intelligatur propter caussam ad quam refertur, id est omne in potestate
arbitrioque Ecclesiae: cetera vero, quae civile et politicum genus complectitur,
rectum est civili auctoritati esse subiecta, cum lesus Christus iusserit, quae Caesaris
sint, reddi Caesari, quae Dei, Deo.
-
Ep. 138: Proinde qui doctrinam Christi adversam dicunt esse reipublicae,
dent exercitum talem, quales doctrinas Christi esse milites iussit; dent tales provinciales,
tales maritos, tales coniuges, tales parentes, tales filios, tales dominos, tales
servos, tales reges, tales iudices, tales denique debitorum ipsius fisci redditores
et exactores, quales esse praecipit doctrina christiana, et audeant eam dicere adversam
esse reipublicae, ima vero non dubitent eam confiteri magnam, si obtemperetur, salutem
esse reiublicae.
-
Dell 'educaz. crist., lib. I, c. 43.
-
Letter to the Cardinal Secretary of State, May 30, 1929.
-
Conc. Vat., Sess. 3, cap. 4. Neque solum fides et ratio inter se dissidere nunquam
possunt, sed opem quoque sibi mutuam ferunt, cum recta ratio fidei fundamenta demonstret
eiusque lumine illustrata rerum divinarum scientiam excolat, fides vero rationem
ab erroribus liberet ac tueatur eamque multiplici cognitione instruat. Quapropter
tantum abest. ut Ecclesia humanarum artium et disciplinarium culturae obsistat,
ut hanc multis modis invet atque promoveat. Non enim commoda ab iis ad hominum vitam
dimanantia aut ignorat aut dispicit; fatetur immo, eas, quemadmodum a Deo scientiarum
Domino profectae sunt, ita, si rite pertractentur, ad Deum iuvante eius gratia perducere.
Nec sane ipsa vetat, ne huiusmodi disciplinae in suo quaeque ambitu propriis utantur
principiis et propria methodo; sed iustam hanc libertatem agnoscens, id sedulo cavet,
ne divinae doctrinae repugnando errores in se suscipiant, aut fines proprios transgressae
ea, quae sunt fidei, occupent et perturbent.
-
Prov., XXII, 15: Stultitia colligata est in corde pueri: et virga disciplinae
fugabit eam.
-
Sap., VIII, 1: attingit a fine usque ad finem fortiter, et disponit omnia suaviter.
-
Io., III, 8: Spiritus ubi vult spirat.
-
Rom., VII, 23.
-
Silvio Antonio, Dell 'educazione cristiana dei figliuoli, lib. II,
e. 88.
-
Matth., XVIII, 7: Vae mundo a scandalis!
-
Eph., VI, 4: Patres, nolite ad iracundiam provocare filios vestros.
-
Nic. Tommaseo, Pensieri sull 'educazione, Parte I, 3, 6.
-
Pius IX, Ep. Quum non sine, 14 Jul. 1864. - Syllabus, Prop. 48. - Leo
XIII, alloc.Summi Pontificatus, 20 Aug. 1880, Ep. enc.Nobilissima,
8 Febr. 1884, Ep. enc.Quod multum, 22 Aug. 1886, Ep.Officio sanctissimo,
22 Dec. 1887, Ep. enc. Caritatis, 19 Mart. 1894, etc. (cfr. Cod. I.C. cum.
Fontium Annot., c. 1374).
-
Cod. I.C., c. 1374.
-
Ep. enc. Militantis Ecclesiae, 1 Aug. 1897: Necesse est non modo certis
horis doceri iuvenes religionem, sed reliquam institutionem omnem christianae pietatis
sensus redolere. Id si desit, si sacer hic halitus non doctorum animos ac discentum
pervadat foveatque, exiguae capientur ex qualibet doctrina utilitates; damna saepe
consequentur haud exigua.
-
P.G., t. 31, 570.
-
Inst. Or., I, 8.
-
I Thess., V, 21: omnia probate; quod bonum est tenete.
-
Seneca, Epist. 45: invenissent forsitan necessaria nisi et superflua quaesiissent.
-
Leo XII, Ep. enc., Insrutabli 21 Apr. 1878: . . . alacrius adnitendum
est, ut non solum apta ac solida institutionis methodus, sed maxime institutio ipsa
catholicae fidei omnino confommis in litteris et disciplinis vigeat, praesertim
autem in philosophia, ex qua recta aliarum scientiarum ratio magna ex parte dependet.
-
Oratio II, P.G., t. 35, 426: ars artium et scientia scientiarvum.
-
Matth., IX, 37: Messis quidem multa, operarii autem pauci.
-
Horat., Art. poet., v. 163: cereus in vitium flecti.
-
I Cor. XV, 33: corrumpunt mores bonos colloquia mala.
-
Conf., VI, 8.
-
I lo., II, 16: concupiscentia carnis, concupiscentia oculorum et superbia
vitae.
-
De Idololatria, 14: compossessores mundi, non erroris.
-
Gal., IV, 19: Filioli mei, quos iterum parturio, donec formetur Christus in
vobis.
-
Col., III, 4: Christus, vita vestra.
-
II Cor., IV, II: ut et vita lesu manifestetur in carne nostra mortali.
-
Horat ., Od., 1,III, od. 3, v. 1: lustum et tenacem propositi virum.
-
Apol., 42: Non sumus exules vitae. Meminimus gratiam nos debere Deo Domino Creatori;
nullum fructum operum eius repudiamus; plane temperamus, ne ultra modum aut perperam
utamur. Itaque non sine foro, non sine macello, non sine balneis, tabernis, officinis,
stabulis, nundinis vestris, caeterisque commerciis cohabitamus in hoc saeculo. Navigamus
et nos vobiscum et militamus et rusticamur, et mercamur, proinde miscemus artes,
operas nostras publicamus usui vestro. Quomodo infructuosi videamur negotiis vestris,
cum quibus et de quibus vivimus, non scio.
-
De moribus Eccleslae catholicae, lib. 1, c. 30: Merito Ecclesia catholica Mater
christianorum verissima, non solum ipsum Deum, cuius adeptio Vita est beatissima,
purissime atque castissime colendum praedicas; sed etiam proximi dilectionem atque
charitatem ita complecteris, ut variorum morborum, quibus pro peccatis suis animae
aegrotant, omnis apud te medicina praepolleat. Tu pueriliter, pueros, fortiter iuvenes,
quiete senes prout cuiusque non corporis tantum, sed et animi aetas est, exerces
ac doces. Tu parentibus filios libera quadam servitute subiungis, parentes filiis
pia dominatione praeponis. Tu fratribus fratres religionis vinculo firmiore atque
arctiore quam sanguinis nectis . . . Tu cives civibus, gentes gentibus, et prorsus
homines primorum parentum recordatione, non societate tantum, sed quadam etiam fraternitate
coniungis. Doces Reges prospicere populis; mones populos se subdere Regibus. Quibus
honor debeatur, quibus affectus, quibus reverentia, quibus timor, quibus consolatio,
quibus admonitio, quibus cohortatio, quibus disciplina, quibus obiurgatio, quibus
supplicium, sedulo doces; ostendens quemadmodum et non omnibus omnia, et omnibus
charitas, et nulli debeatur iniuria.
-
Cfr. I Petr., II, 25: ad Pastorem et Episcopum animarum vrotrarum.