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To
the ordinaries of places, given December 20, 1949.
The
Catholic Church, although she does not take part in congresses and
other conventions called "ecumenical," yet has never
ceased, as is clear from many Pontifical documents, nor will she
in the future ever cease, to follow with the most intense interest and
to promote by earnest prayers to God, all efforts toward the
attainment of what is so dear to the Heart of Christ Our Lord,
namely, that all who believe in Him "may be made perfect in
one."(1)
For
she embraces with truly maternal affection all who return to her
as the true Church of Christ; and hence, worthy of all. praise and
encouragement are all those plans and projects which, with the
consent of Ecclesiastical Authority, have been undertaken and are
being carried forward, either for the proper Catholic instruction
of future converts or for the more thorough training of persons
already converted to the faith.
Now
in many parts of the world, as a result of various external events
and changes of views on the part of people, but especially in
consequence of the common prayers of the faithful through the
grace of the Holy Spirit, there has grown constantly in the minds
of many persons separated from the Catholic Church the desire for
a return to unity on the part of all who believe in the Lord
Christ. To the children of the Church this is surely a cause of
true and holy joy in the Lord, and at the same time an invitation
to help all those who sincerely seek the truth, by earnest prayer
to God imploring for them the grace of light and strength.
However,
some of the initiatives that have hitherto been taken by various
individuals or groups, with the aim of reconciling dissident
Christians to the Catholic Church, although inspired by the best
of intentions, are not always based on right principles, or if
they are, yet they are not free from special dangers, as
experience too has already shown. Hence this Supreme Sacred
Congregation, which has the responsibility of conserving in its
entirety and protecting the deposit of the faith, has seen fit to
recall to mind and to prescribe the following:
I.
Since the above-mentioned "union" is a matter which
pertains primarily to the authority and office of the Church, it
should be attended to with special care by the Bishops, whom
"the Holy Ghost hath placed to rule the Church of
God."(2) They should, therefore, not only diligently and
effectively watch over this entire activity, but also prudently
promote and direct it, for the purpose of both helping those who
seek the truth and the true Church, and protecting the faithful
against the dangers which may easily flow from the activity of
this "Movement."
Hence
they must in the first place be fully aware of everything that has
been and is being done through this "Movement" in their
dioceses. For this purpose they shall designate well-qualified
priests who, according to the doctrine and norms prescribed by the
Holy See, for example by the Encyclicals "Satis cognitum,"(3)
"Mortalium animos,"(4) and "Mystici Corporis
Christi,"(5) shall pay close attention to everything which
concerns the "Movement" and report thereon to the
Bishops in the manner and at the time which they shall prescribe.
They
shall watch with special care over publications which may be
issued in any form by Catholics on this matter, and shall see that
the canons "on the previous censure and prohibition of
books" (canons 1384 seq.) are observed. And they shall not
fail to do the same with regard to publications of non-Catholics
on the same subject, in as far as these are published, or read, or
sold by Catholics.
They
shall also diligently provide whatever may be of service to
non-Catholics who desire to know the Catholic faith; they shall
designate persons and Offices to which these non-Catholics may go
for consultation; and a fortiori they shall see to it that those
who are already converted to the faith shall easily find means of
more exact and deeper instruction in the Catholic faith, and of
leading a more positively religious life, especially through
appropriate meetings and group assemblies, through Spiritual
Exercises and other works of piety.
II.
As regards the manner and method of proceeding in this work, the
Bishops themselves will make regulations as to what is to be done
and what is to be avoided, and shall see that these are observed
by all. They shall also be on guard lest, on the false pretext
that more attention should be paid to the points on which we agree
than to those on which we differ, a dangerous indifferentism be
encouraged, especially among persons whose training in theology is
not deep and whose practice of their faith is not very strong. For
care must be taken lest, in the so-called "irenic"
spirit of today, through comparative study and the vain desire for
a progressively closer mutual approach among the various
professions of faith, Catholic doctrine - either in its dogmas or
in the truths which are connected with them - be so conformed or
in a way adapted to the doctrines of dissident sects, that the
purity of Catholic doctrine be impaired, or its genuine and
certain meaning be obscured.
Also
they must restrain that dangerous manner of speaking which
generates false opinions and fallacious hopes incapable of
realization; for example, to the effect that the teachings of the
Encyclicals of the Roman Pontiffs on the return of dissidents to
the Church, on the constitution of the Church, on the Mystical
Body of Christ, should not be given too much importance seeing
that they are not all matters of faith, or, what is worse, that in
matters of dogma even the Catholic Church has not yet attained the
fullness of Christ, but can still be perfected from outside. They
shall take particular care and shall firmly insist that, in going
over the history of the Reformation and the Reformers the defects
of Catholics be not so exaggerated and the faults of the Reformers
be so dissimulated, or that things which are rather accidental be
not so emphasized, that what is most essential, namely the
defection from the Catholic faith, be scarcely any longer seen or
felt. Finally, they shall take precautions lest, through an
excessive and false external activity, or through imprudence and
an excited manner of proceeding, the end in view be rather harmed
than served.
Therefore
the whole and entire Catholic doctrine is to be presented and
explained: by no means is it permitted to pass over in silence or
to veil in ambiguous terms the Catholic truth regarding the nature
and way of justification, the constitution of the Church, the
primacy of jurisdiction of the Roman Pontiff, and the only true
union by the return of the dissidents to the one true Church of
Christ. It should be made clear to them that, in returning to the
Church, they will lose nothing of that good which by the grace of
God has hitherto been implanted in them, but that it will rather
be supplemented and completed by their return. However, one should
not speak of this in such a way that they will imagine that in
returning to the Church they are bringing to it something
substantial which it has hitherto lacked. It will be necessary to
say these things clearly and openly, first because it is the truth
that they themselves are seeking, and moreover because outside the
truth no true union can ever be attained.
III.
With regard especially to mixed assemblies and conferences of
Catholics with non-Catholics, which in recent times have begun to
be held in many places to promote "union" in the faith,
there is need of quite peculiar vigilance and control on the part
of Ordinaries. For if on the one hand these meetings afford the
desired opportunity to spread among non-Catholics the knowledge of
Catholic doctrine, which is generally not sufficiently known to
them, yet on the other hand they easily involve no slight danger
of indifferentism for Catholics. In cases where there seems to be
some hope of good results, the Ordinary shall see that the thing
is properly managed, designating for these meetings priests who
are as well qualified as possible to explain and defend Catholic
doctrine properly and appropriately. The faithful, however, should
not attend these meetings unless they have obtained special
permission from Ecclesiastical Authority, and this shall be given
only to those who are known to be well instructed and strong in
their faith. Where there is no apparent hope of good results, or
where the affair involves special dangers on other grounds, the
faithful are to be prudently kept away from the meetings, and the
meetings themselves are soon to be ended or gradually suppressed.
As experience teaches that larger meetings of this sort usually
bear little fruit and involve greater danger, these should be
permitted only after very careful consideration.
To
colloquies between Catholic and non-Catholic theologians, none
should be sent but priests who have shown themselves truly fit for
such work by their knowledge of theology and their firm adherence
to the principles and norms which the Church has laid down in this
matter.
IV.
All the aforesaid conferences and meetings, public and non-public,
large and small, which are called for the purpose of affording an
opportunity for the Catholic and the non-Catholic party for the
sake of discussion to treat of matters of faith and morals, each
presenting on even terms the doctrine of his own faith, are
subject to the prescriptions of the Church which were recalled to
mind in the "Monitum, Cum compertum," of this
Congregation under date of 5 June, 1948.(6) Hence mixed congresses
are not absolutely forbidden; but they are not to be held without
the previous permission of the competent Ecclesiastical Authority.
The Monitum, however, does not apply to catechetical instructions,
even when given to many together, nor to conferences in which
Catholic doctrine is explained to non-Catholics who are
prospective converts: even though the opportunity is afforded for
the non-Catholics to explain also the doctrine of their church so
that they may understand clearly and thoroughly in what respect it
agrees with the Catholic doctrine and in what it differs therefrom.
Neither
does the said Monitum apply to those mixed meetings of Catholics
and non-Catholics in which the discussion does not turn upon faith
and morals but upon ways and means of defending the fundamental
principles of the natural law or of the Christian religion against
the enemies of God who are now leagued together, or where the
question is how to restore social order, or other topics of that
nature. Even in these meetings, as is evident, Catholics may not
approve or concede anything which is in conflict with divine
revelation or with the doctrine of the Church even on social
questions.
As
to local conferences and conventions which are within the scope of
the Monitum as above explained, the Ordinaries of places are
given, for three years from the publication of this
Instruction,(7) the faculty of granting the required previous
permission of the Holy See, on the following conditions:
1.
That communicatio in sacris be entirely avoided;
2.
that the presentations of the matter be duly inspected and
directed;
3.
that at the close of each year a report be made to this Supreme
Sacred Congregation, stating where such meetings were held and
what experience was gathered from them.
As
regards the colloquies of theologians above mentioned, the same
faculty for the same length of time is granted to the Ordinary of
the place where such colloquies are held, or to the Ordinary
delegated for this work by the common consent of the other
Ordinaries, under the same conditions as above, but with the
further requirement that the report to this Sacred Congregation
state also what questions were treated, who were present, and who
the speakers were for either side.
As
for the interdiocesan conferences and congresses, either national
or international, the previous permission of the Holy See, special
for each case, is always required; and in the petition asking for
it, it must also be stated what are the questions to be treated
and who the speakers are to be. And it is not allowed before this
permission has been obtained, to begin the external preparation of
such meetings or to collaborate with non-Catholics who begin such
preparation.
V.
Although in all these meetings and conferences any communication
whatsoever in worship must be avoided, yet the recitation in
common of the Lord's Prayer or of some prayer approved by the
Catholic Church, is not forbidden for opening or closing the said
meetings.
VI.
Although each Ordinary has the right and duty to conduct, promote,
and preside over this work in his own diocese, yet the cooperation
of several Bishops will be appropriate or even necessary in
establishing offices and works to observe, study, and control this
work as a whole. Accordingly it will rest with the Ordinaries
themselves to confer together and consider how a proper uniformity
of action and coordination can be obtained.
VII.
Religious Superiors are bound to watch and to see to it that their
subjects adhere strictly and faithfully to the prescriptions laid
down by the Holy See or by the local Ordinaries in this matter.
In
order that so noble a work as the "union" of all
Christians in one true faith and Church may daily grow into a more
conspicuous part of the entire care of souls, and that the whole
Catholic people may more earnestly implore this "union"
from Almighty God, it will certainly be of assistance that in some
appropriate way, for example through Pastoral Letters, the
faithful be instructed regarding these questions and projects, the
prescriptions of the Church in the matter, and the reasons on
which they are based. All, especially priests and religious,
should be exhorted and warmly encouraged to be zealous by their
prayers and sacrifices to ripen and promote this work, and all
should be reminded that nothing more effectively paves the way for
the erring to find the truth and to embrace the Church than the
faith of Catholics, when it is confirmed by the example of upright
living.
Given
at Rome, from the Holy Office, 20 Dec., 1949.
Endnotes:
1.
1 John 17:23. | 2. Acts 20:28. | 3. Acta Leonis XIII, Vol. 16
(1897), p. 157. | 4. AAS, Vol. 20 (1928), p. 5. | 5. Ibid., Vol.
35 (1943), p. 193. | 6. AAS 40-257; reported above in this same
volume, under canon 1325. | 7. The date of publication is 31
January, 1950. |
