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1. You, Our Beloved Son, and Venerable Brothers and your very noble
nation, this year will celebrate a most happy event, the eighth centenary of
the independence of Portugal; it is the third since its
restoration to freedom. We cannot pass this over in forgetfulness and silence.
2. And indeed there is a special reason why We, together with you,
commemorate the liberty you have achieved, seeing that also by the efforts of
the Roman Pontiffs, as is well known, your fatherland of old was a free state juridically constituted.
3. In the twelfth century Our predecessors Innocent II, Lucius II, and Alexander III accepted the service of
obedience offered by Alfonso Henriques, first Count
of Portugal and afterward King. They promised him their protection over all the
territory which he had recovered in battle from Moorish domination and declared
its liberation legitimate. The acts by which this was accomplished honorably rewarded the Portuguese people for their
outstanding success in safeguarding the faith they had acquired.
4. And indeed the Catholic faith, which nourished the nation of Portugal from its very origin, was the
principal force which raised your fatherland to the peak of its glory,
extending the boundaries of both religion and empire1 The Church
adorned Portugal with all the embellishments of
culture and rendered it worthy of its sacred endeavors
in missions. Of this, history itself speaks and to this events testify most
splendidly.
5. When the sons of King John I asked him to permit the first overseas
expedition which liberated the city of Ceuta, that great prince asked them
whether or not it would promote the service of God. In like manner, all the
following expeditions were especially aimed at propagating the faith. In the
West faith had motivated those signed with the cross, and the same faith had
animated the military orders who fought strenuously against the Moors.
6. Displaying a white standard ornamented with a purple cross of the
divine Redeemer, the ships which transported the intrepid explorers bound for
the western shore and islands of Africa also carried missionaries. Henry the
Navigator, who supported your colonial and sacred expeditions, said that the
missionaries hoped to subject the barbarians to the sweet yoke of Jesus Christ.
7. And that prince of Portuguese explorers, Vasco Da
Gama, weighing anchor to begin his fortunate trip to India, had with him two religious men of
the Order of the Most Holy Trinity. One of them, after he had brought the light
of the gospel to nations in India with apostolic zeal, suffered
martyrdom. But just as in all ages of the Church, so also at that time and in
those far distant regions, the blood of this martyr and of the other heroic
missionaries of Portugal became the seed of Christianity.
Their illustrious example greatly inspired the Catholic world, including the
spirited citizens of your fatherland, to promote more widely the works of the
apostolate.
8. And now, when more than a few European nations have been lost to the
Church because of the changes in these calamitous times, We see your people and
their Spanish brothers opening paths and laboring for
the Church in the spacious lands of Africa, Asia, and America. There they recruit numerous
adherents of the Church to replace those who have miserably left her embrace.
Then dioceses, parishes, sacred seminaries, monasteries, hospitals, and public
orphanages arise almost everywhere in these places to prove the vital force and
perennial virtue of the Catholic Church.
9. But how does it happen that you, although not numerous, achieve such
good deeds?2 Where did the people of Portugal get that vigorous
strength with which they were able to dominate the shores of Africa and Asia
and even the distant land of America? Without a doubt this came about because
that nation, as the greatest poet of Portugal sang, persevered in an ardent and
strong faith; also, your leaders were preeminent in
Christian wisdom and prudence. Therefore, God used your nation as a precious
instrument for admirable accomplishments.
10. Distinguished men such as Alphonsus of
Albuquerque and John de Castro prudently governed the Portuguese colonies. They
gave protection and assistance to the good missionaries, whom highly esteemed
kings like John II gladly sent to the regions accredited to their rule. Then
all the world admired your nation because of its strength and outstanding labors, which humanized barbarous lands. Contrastingly, the
Catholic faith languished when the zeal for sacred missions became torpid and
died. Also, the governors of the state finally obstructed missionary
activities, to say nothing of protecting them, and scattered the orders of
religious men, weakening and enervating their undertakings. Thus it is that the
flame of missionary work flickered, together with the Christian faith and
charity which bore and nourished that same flame.
11. It will not be useless for you to turn your mind and soul also to those
things which do not glow with the light of glory. But it is Our intention at
present, while you are about to celebrate the auspicious and illustrious deeds
of your reowned fatherland with many solemnities, to
exhort you with fatherly concern to recall those distinguished deeds which so
many of the sowers of evangelical truth among you
have accomplished; then you also will feel yourselves drawn again and again to
the zeal of this apostolate of your ancestors .
12. This celebration of your prosperity is linked to the present renewal
among you of the vigor of your spiritual life. The
Apostolic See and your country have mutually agreed on matters concerning missionary
work. It is therefore fitting that you use this opportunity to increase your
apostolic and missionary labors and so emulate those
of old.
13. But what person, animated by apostolic zeal, can neglect the multitude
of men, to the number of a hundred times a hundred thousand, dwelling in lands
subject to Portugal, who, for the most part are still waiting for the light of
the Gospel? Who in your generous nation would nor support missionaries, who
have brought the greatest praise and profit to the people of Portugal, in order that converts may
continue to increase daily?
14. Therefore, as you recall joyfully such illustrious memories of your
fatherland and its glory, remember the almost numberless men in your colonies who
still await those who may teach them the truths of God and impart to them
"the unfathomable riches of Christ"3 We repeat to you the
words and exhortation of our divine Redeemer to the Apostles: "Lift up
your eyes and behold that the fields are already white for the
harvest."4 "for the harvest indeed is great, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to
send forth laborers into his harvest."5
15. Truly, "the laborers are few!" The
old dioceses of Portuguese Africa suffer from a lack of heralds of the divine
word, and few missionaries are assigned to vast sections of the earth.
16. "Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest"; pray especially
that God may inspire both the people of Portugal and those of the nations subject to
your rule to become priests or coadjutor brothers or nuns or catechists devoted
to missionary work.
17. This holy and most urgent intention should have the principal place in
the prayers of each priest. Those who have been called to the sacred orders of
the contemplative life are to pray for this special intention, and the
faithful, when reciting the rosary so highly commended by the Blessed Virgin at
Fatima, should entreat this same Virgin to
intercede in favor of this divine vocation in order
that the missions will flourish.
18. And it seems important to determine special days on which, with the
august sacrament of the altar exposed for adoration, the works of the sacred
missions are commended in appropriate sermons. And We desire that this be done
annually in each parish, in the colleges, and in the seminaries. May the youth
especially approach the Eucharistic table to receive the bread of the strong
and "the corn of the elect."6 Then perhaps not a few among
them will experience with the greatest joy of soul, the divine call to this
kind of vocation.
19. But who more aptly than the clergy can encourage such most holy
beginnings? We therefore earnestly exhort the priests of Portugal to join the
Missionary Union of the Clergy. This pious association, which We and Our
nearest predecessor highly commended, exists in almost every nation to encourage
Christian people to actively support mission affairs.
20. We also wish that the Missionary Association for Portuguese Priests,
which is in its infancy, will increase rapidly. It is from priests especially
of this association that We hope to obtain that skillful
labor by which infant trees are carefully chosen and
cultivated; these Christ nurtures in his vineyard so that they may in time be
transplanted into the field of the missions.
21. Indeed also God himself expects something great and of the first rank
from his ministers. It is that they diligently prepare the fields and cultivate
them, so that such little trees can sprout. It is the task of priests to
propagate among the faithful a knowledge of the mission apostolate; as Our
predecessor Pius XI admonished, no one should be considered a priest w ho does
not burn with charity for the missions.7
22. To you therefore, We repeat the words and command which are found in
the encyclical letter Rerum Ecclesiae: "You are
ordered to establish among you the Missionary Society of the Clergy, or, if
already established, to urge it daily to more zealous action by your counsel,
exhortation, and authority."8
23. The purpose of this society is to disseminate articles concerning these
things. If published articles which make mention of this serious matter and of
the needs of the missionaries are not circulated, there is no doubt that not
only the Christian people but also the clergy have nothing to consider.
24. We are well-disposed toward the magazine which the Missionary Society
of the Clergy of Portugal publishes under the banner "O clero e as missões", and We
earnestly desire that it flourish more every day to remind all Portuguese
priests of their duty to promote the Catholic faith. May it inflame them with a
more active zeal for this apostolate.
25. We likewise approve, with the same good will, other articles on this
matter. For them We predict that they will bring forth more and better fruit by
teaching and inspiring the people.
26. We grant a special blessing to those priests who generously strive to
propagate the Missionary Union of the Clergy. For them and their zeal We pray
that all goes well; and particularly that the apostolic zeal with which they
are on fire will reveal to them numberless ways by which they may be able to
attain their most holy purpose.
27. We desire besides that in the seminaries, the candidates for the sacred
priesthood be taught a solid knowledge of missions. This will strengthen the
formation of the priestly character and will be very appropriate to every task
assigned by the counsel of a provident God.
28. But, dear Son of Ours and Venerable Brothers, if one of them is called
to undertake sacred missions "then neither the poverty of the cleric nor
the needs of the diocese may exempt or restrain you from giving consent, since
your people, having at hand, so to speak, the aids of salvation, are far less
distant from salvation than the pagans. When such an occasion arises, for the
love of Christ and of souls, make the sacrifice of the loss of one of the
clergy, if indeed it is to be considered a loss. For the one you have lost as a
helper and a companion of your labors, the divine
Founder of the Church will replace either by inspiring other applicants for the
sacred ministry or by a more generous liberality of graces for the
diocese."9
29. In the archdiocese of Goa, priests and members of religious
orders born in that nation abound. So We hope that in the other regions under
Portuguese rule, a beginning of this kind of work may be generously promoted so
that they too may have an indigenous clergy as soon as possible modeled on the splendid example of Goa. Nor, in the same place with equal
needs, should there be any lack of nuns born in the same land in which they
exercise their ministry.
30. It is indeed admirable that Portugal has always undertaken to raise the
people of its far-flung possessions to its own level of Christian culture. We
know you will recruit and prepare natives of these possessions to form a
nucleus of clergy for their own country. Do whatever lies in your power, so
that this hope will not be in vain, but soon obtain the desired fulfillment.
31. But it is not enough to have a choice of many missionaries. It is
essential to train them in sanctity and instruct them in all their duties.
32. You have, and no doubt appreciate, that notable memorial of the
solicitude of the Apostolic See for those to be trained properly for work in
the sacred missions. It is the Portuguese Society for the Promotion of the
Catholic Foreign Missions, which Our predecessor Pius XI encouraged. We
strongly endorse it also. This does not mean that We trust less the works and
zeal of the religious orders and congregations of both sexes because, in the
course of the ages, the greatest number of missionaries came from them. For
this reason We place Our great hope in these orders and congregations, as do
the missionaries themselves. And since We know well the spiritual needs of the
Portuguese colonies, We desire that others join in the missionary efforts. The
local ordinaries indeed should cherish and protect them, so that the number of
consecrated laborers grows daily.
33. To the appropriate collegiate rectors and governors of other religious
societies, We declare our fervent desire that the candidates for the work of
the missions be properly trained in correct doctrine and virtue.
34. These same persons must diligently consider that no one can enter upon
the difficult and arduous road of this apostolate who has not been called to it
by a special grace of God. Similarly no one can continue on this road who does
not correspond worthily to the divine inspiration and his vocation .
35. Indeed the herald of evangelical truth must of necessity be a 12man of
God not only because he has been divinely called, but also because he has vowed
himself to Him fully and perpetually. "Truly" - as our predecessor
Benedict XV teaches in the admirable apostolic letter Maximum illud - "he must be a man of God, who preaches God; he
must hate sin, who commands to hate sin. More progress will be made in
preaching the faith by example than by words, especially among infidels who are
led by the senses rather than by reason."10
36. What is required here, is that sanctity of life which has cast deep
roots into the soul, not that defective and empty probity which is easily
infected by the corrupt habits of the infidels. Those who are described by Paul
as "having a semblance indeed of piety, but disowning its power11
are not the salt of the earth which cures completely the wounds of corruption,
nor the light of the world which teaches the way of salvation to those sitting
in the shadow of death. And would that they themselves may not become liable to
these corruptions, or, what is worse, unhappy teachers of them.
37. And besides it is necessary that the candidate be properly instructed
in all things which pertain both to solid doctrine and to pastoral care, so
that he may become "as a wise builder"12 for the kingdom of God.
38. Nor is it enough to have acquired an extensive and excellent knowledge
of sacred learning, but he must know also the worldly disciplines which affect
his work. But if he is not in possession of these sacred and secular
disciplines, and is led only by his enthusiasm, he is placing the foundation of
the building to be erected on shifting sand.
39. Following in the footsteps of Him who "went about doing good and
healing"13 and obeying the command of His who said, "heal the
sick"14 and "make disciples of all nations,"15
the missionary not only speaks learnedly and wisely of the kingdom of God, but
also attempts to heal bodies infected with disease and misery. Thus at the same
time that he raises the minds, he lifts up the souls, bound to the impiety of
superstition and plunged in rough barbarism, to a more civilized life, and
commands them to begin to shine with the light of evangelical doctrine.
40. Indeed there never was a time when the Church did not erect next to the
Church building orphanages and hospitals and schools. And who else than the
apostolic herald of Christian truth will be "the wise architect" of
these most holy works? How indeed can he accomplish this unless he is pious,
knowledgeable, and virtuous?
41. And all that We have communicated up to the present by way of
explanation and exhortation for missionaries is to be repeated also for those
who serenely but laboriously and beneficially labor
to properly train sisters, whose pious zeal supplies the necessary aids for the
support of the sacred missions.
42. We know that the congregations of sisters in Portugal are growing every day. Among them
therefore let a diligent and careful choice be made of those who are called to
the aid of the missions. In such a manner they may set out daily - in greater
numbers and better trained - to enter upon their tasks as nurses of the sick,
teachers of children, mistresses of catechetics, and
able to perform all the tasks which their special apostolic duties demand.
43. Let those on whose labors this most serious
enterprise depends consider well that the sisters will happily produce greater
blessings for the missions in proportion to the aptness and diligence of the
training which their minds and souls have received. And would that by the
inspiration of God the zeal of many holy native sisters may be added to the skillful activities of the missionaries.
44. In dealing with these matters, We have not forgotten you, most beloved
sons, who have already obeyed that command of the divine Master: "Put out
into the deep."16 We extend Our goodwill to you, who are already laboring and fatigued in the middle of the sea, striving to
extend the boundaries of the Kingdom of God. And having lifted up your spirit,
We address to one and all of you the words of the Apostle of the gentiles:
"Use all care to present thyself to God as a man approved, a worker that
need not be ashamed."17 "Be thou an example to the faithful
in speech, in conduct, in charity, in faith, in chastity."18 And
We also desire with the Apostle to suggest to you the necessary aids by which
these exhortations may be put into action. We commend especially this most
effective counsel: "Pursue righteousness."19 For if divine
grace fills your soul, all the things which surround you will not be able to
influence you, seeing that the Kingdom of God is ruled by this law: "The
Kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and buried in three
measures of flour, until all of it was leavened."20
45. The annals of your sacred missions admirably testify to the truth of
this law. Some attempted, usually unsuccessfully, to replace Catholic missions
with those of lay people. On the other hand those apostolic men Francis Xavier
and John de Brito contributed not only to the
spiritual salvation of souls, but also to the greater expansion of the fortunes
of Portugal. Therefore follow them with fitting emulation.
46. This year, as you know, on March 15, is the fourth centenary of the
divine call of St. Francis Xavier to the sacred missions of India in Portuguese
territory. He learned of his call from a letter which John III, King of
Portugal, sent to Rome to his legate requesting good,
virtuous missionaries for the regions of India. Beyond all doubt it may be said
that the saint, the patron of sacred missions, repaid your nation with most
generous interest for the splendid assistance which helped this apostolic man
to respond freely and gladly to his divine call. He could have done nothing
greater for the good of Portugal if he had been born in your country. You see
how great and how beneficent the virtue of purity is. From it We hope for happy
results also for your projects. Therefore what St. Francis Xavier, Blessed John
de Brito, and the other apostolic men of your nation
took for themselves as the purpose and end of their sacred missions to the
great profit of religion and the nation of Portugal, We may express in these
words of the divine Master: "And for them I sanctify myself, that they
also may be sanctified in truth.21
47. And now, before We end our letter, We address the generous people of Portugal who are most dear to us.
48. Christ the Lord commits to the care of all who already enjoy the
blessings of Redemption this duty, that they share these same blessings with
their brethren who do not yet possess these heavenly graces. Now your brethren
inhabit your vast colonies, well to the number of many hundred thousand, and,
in a special way, they ask of you and wait for the light of evangelical truth.
49. We exhort all of you therefore that, with the holy rivalry that exists
among you, you will carry forward your sacred missions with all the means
within your power.
50. Your ancestors, whose magnificent deeds you commemorate this year with
festivities, surrounded their leaders and knights, waving flags signed with the
cross, and either accompanied them, or - if this was not possible - followed
them with prayers, a zealous good will, and their assistance. So too you should
consider yourselves highly honored if you have
contributed to the growth of the sacred missions your sons, your prayers, your
aid.
51. And in a special way this most holy rivalry of which We speak extends
to those who serve in the peaceful ranks of Catholic Action.
52. Without doubt God will shower upon the noble nation of Portugal the
liberality of His blessings as he did at its birth. And the Blessed Virgin Mary
of the Rosary, who is venerated at Fatima and is the same great Mother of God
who obtained a great victory at Lepanto, will be with
you with her powerful protection. Also with you will be St. Francis Xavier, the
Patron of the Missions and a sort of adopted son of your country, and Blessed
John de Brito, together with the resplendent phalanx
of the other Portuguese saints of the missions.
53. Meanwhile however may the Apostolic Blessing be an auspice of heavenly
graces, and a testimony of Our paternal benevolence, which We impart to you,
Our Beloved Son, and to you, Venerable Brothers, and to each flock committed to
your care, with great love.
Given at Rome, at St.
Peter's, June 13, the feast of St. Anthony, 1940, in the second year of Our
Pontificate.
PIUS XII
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