Mortalium Animos (Encyclical) on Religious Unity

[CutlerB]

On another thread, I was encouraged to read Pope Pius XI’s 1928 encyclical Mortalium Animos on religious unity and ecumenism.

Before I go on: I haven’t read it completely yet, but am reading through it as I write this thread.

In the opening paragraphs the Pope says some interesting things, as is common in encyclicals. I find it hard to understand how this fits in with what the Church’s practice is today. Maybe you’d like to offer your comments and understanding of how the two approaches fit together?

Here are some of the statements I referenced:

For since [some] hold it for certain that men destitute of all religious sense are very rarely to be found, they seem to have founded on that belief a hope that the nations, although they differ among themselves in certain religious matters, will without much difficulty come to agree as brethren in professing certain doctrines, which form as it were a common basis of the spiritual life. For which reason conventions, …] at which a large number of listeners are present, and at which all without distinction are invited to join in the discussion, both infidels of every kind, and Christians, even those who have unhappily fallen away from Christ or who with obstinacy and pertinacity deny His divine nature and mission. Certainly such attempts can nowise be approved by Catholics, founded as they are on that false opinion which considers all religions to be more or less good and praiseworthy, since they all in different ways manifest and signify that sense which is inborn in us all, and by which we are led to God and to the obedient acknowledgment of His rule.

…]

1. But some are more easily deceived by the outward appearance of good when there is question of fostering unity among all Christians. This undertaking is so actively promoted as in many places to win for itself the adhesion of a number of citizens, and it even takes possession of the minds of very many Catholics and allures them with the hope of bringing about such a union as would be agreeable to the desires of Holy Mother Church, who has indeed nothing more at heart than to recall her erring sons and to lead them back to her bosom. But in reality beneath these enticing words and blandishments lies hid a most grave error, by which the foundations of the Catholic faith are completely destroyed.

The Pope seems to be quite strongly disapproving of what would nowadays be called “inter-religious or inter-denominational dialogue”. I’m not quite sure whether I’m reading that correctly, though. Maybe he is merely saying that settling for some pseudo-unity of focussing on and limiting to doctrines in common is not acceptable?

 

[Randy_Carson]

Without spending too much time on this, my impression is that the passage you quoted sounds an awful lot like paragraph 17 (or so) of Dominus Iesus.

You might want to give that a quick read.

 

[Fr_of_Jazz]

On another thread, I was encouraged to read Pope Pius XI’s 1928 encyclical Mortalium Animos on religious unity and ecumenism.

Before I go on: I haven’t read it completely yet, but am reading through it as I write this thread.

In the opening paragraphs the Pope says some interesting things, as is common in encyclicals. I find it hard to understand how this fits in with what the Church’s practice is today. Maybe you’d like to offer your comments and understanding of how the two approaches fit together?

Here are some of the statements I referenced:

The Pope seems to be quite strongly disapproving of what would nowadays be called “inter-religious or inter-denominational dialogue”. I’m not quite sure whether I’m reading that correctly, though. Maybe he is merely saying that settling for some pseudo-unity of focussing on and limiting to doctrines in common is not acceptable?

I don’t think it is against dialogue. As #7 in the encyclical makes clear, it rejects a view of some at the time who would have the church deny or renounce certain Catholic doctrines to achieve unity.

 

[CutlerB]

I don’t think it is against dialogue. As #7 in the encyclical makes clear, it rejects a view of some at the time who would have the church deny or renounce certain Catholic doctrines to achieve unity.

Good, I thought it might head that way. Interestingly enough, I have just reached Paragraph 7.

 

[Aelred_Minor]

It sounds to me like he is condemning syncretism, not authentic ecuminism or inter-religious dialogue.