d) THE CHURCH IS ONE

"Unity in faith, unity in communion"

The true Church of Jesus Christ, prefigured in the Old Testament by Noah's Ark and by Mount Zion and referred to as the vineyard, the field, the ship, the sheepfold, the house, the army, the kingdom of God, the body of Christ, must bear on its brow the resplendent note of unity.  Just as there is but one Lord, one faith, one baptism, in the same way there must be unity of belief in those who belong to the Church.  Just as Jesus Christ died to gather into one the dispersed children of God, in the same way there must be unity of love, unity of communion.  The profession of the same doctrine ‑- namely unity in faith ‑- and total submission to the same Head, representing God ‑- namely unity in communion ‑- was the divine Savior's last thought as he fervently prayed to the Father for his present and future followers, "so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be one in us." This was the twofold unity the Apostle inculcated, when he said: "Strive to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace."¹⁷

"Unity of faith, unity of governance, unity of the sacraments"

Since God is one and truth is one, the Church, too, must be one.  Unity, in fact, is the first note to shine on the brow of Christ's Church.  Unity of faith, unity of governance, unity of sacraments,

the kind of unity Christ himself fashioned!  Unity of faith: because all the members making up the Church must believe in the same truths and profess the same doctrines under pain of ceasing to be Catholics.  Hence, no freedom of thought, no whim of private interpretation, no interference of the individual in what has to do with the faith.

Unity of governance: Christ's Church forms a single immense family, a well-knit body, a real society, arranged and organized with an interior and exterior organism, perfect in every aspect.  Hence, over each diocese we find a bishop, who is its father, its shepherd, and its teacher.  Over all the bishops we find the Pope, who is the foundation, the head, and the sovereign of all.  Everything centers on the Pope and everything comes down from the Pope to the faithful with such a marvelous ebb and flow of life that even unbelievers are amazed at all this and are compelled to admire the marvelous structure and the amazing unity of that glorious hierarchical society.

Unity of sacraments, because in Christ's Church all not only use the same sacraments but use them in basically the same way.  All pray with the same words, all offer God the same sacrifice of praise, the same spotless oblation, which, according to prophecy, was to be offered in the whole world from the rising of the sun to its setting.¹⁸

"The Church is the body of Christ, a family, a city"

The Apostle teaches us that the Church is the body of Jesus Christ.  Now, the members of a body are united with each other in a continuous exchange of reciprocal services.  Each member supports and helps the other, and together all share the same goods, namely energy, health, movement, and life.  If a member stopped contributing to the general well-being or stopped drawing from this common source, it would, by that very fact, become powerless and stop living.  Hence, one cannot say: "I don't need you," because all the members, the head as well as the hands, the hands as well as the feet, contribute to the beauty, to the harmony of the whole.

The Church is a family.  Now, all the members of a family are united with each other in a similar way.  The weaker one leans on the stronger one, the stronger one defends the weaker one.  Each member's good name, good fortune and good health redound on everyone and form a common reserve.  The father's authority is passed on to mother and children.  The mother's love is shared with the father

and the children, while the children's innocence is reflected on their parents.  The gain of one becomes the gain of the other; the poverty of one, the poverty of the other; the disgrace of one, the disgrace of the other; the glory of one, the glory of the other.  When one member of the family suffers, all the others suffer with him.  When one is happy, all the others are happy with him.  So, the human family is like the human body, an exchange of mutual services and functions, in a reciprocal partnership of love.

The Church is a city, a city founded on the top of a high mountain.  Now, even here, each one's riches redound to the good of the others, and the abundance of some makes up for the poverty of the others.  Some contribute to the common support by work, others look after the good administration of the enterprise.  Each one has his own personal worth, his own private rights.  But there is also a common treasury, in which all share according to their rights and their capacity.  What marvelous harmony this is in which everything is intertwined, interconnected, correlated in a vast network of needs and benefits.¹⁹

"Variety does not harm its marvelous unity"

Look at this holy edifice, and you will see that variety does not harm its marvelous unity.  Each stone has its own form, its own place, its own special purpose.  Some stones are at the base, others at the very top.  The more gorgeous and splendid ones adorn the sanctuary and the altar.  Others, more common, but no less useful, are disseminated all over and form the main body of the building.  Some stones are buried underground and are altogether unknown, but they hold up the weight of the whole building.  Some are exposed to the gaze of people but are often such a trivial ornament that if they were to be removed, the temple would not be any less beautiful or any less solid.

This is a vivid image of society, of the family and of the Church, as God instituted them.  In them, the individual must keep to his place and with simplicity accept the position in which God has put him, since God is the author of honors, distributor of dignities, and supreme arbiter of our destiny.  A Christian's real joy is doing the will of God.  St. Paul says that we are  building on the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone on which the whole well-constructed edifice rises and becomes the Lord's holy

temple.  On this cornerstone, you, too, have been erected into a dwelling place of God through the Spirit.

These stones (...) would not form a solid edifice if they did not adhere to each other with a certain order, if they did not, so to speak, stay together in peace and mutual love.  In the same way, Christians can truly form the house of God only if they are intimately united by the bonds of love: "People build the house of the Lord only when they are held together by love." (Domum Domini non faciunt, nisi quando charitate compaginantur.)  Charity (...) is the precious mortar of the Christian society.  The great law of attraction is what brings to perfection and reaffirms the mutual love we owe our brothers and sisters.  It gives the human heart solidity and elasticity, filling it with power, compassion, and mercy.²⁰

"Strong in truth, strong in love, strong in unity"

To all I say: be firm, be fearless, be immovable in supporting and defending the inviolable rights of the Church and its august Head.  But, as Leo XIII admonishes, always do so with that moderation of manners and language that do not take away but add force to rights and truth and make the truth easily understood even by the most reluctant minds.

If we insist so much on this point, it is because in our times, unfortunately, so many people twist and ignore even the most elementary principles of Christianity.  We cannot repeat these things too often.  Hence, our fortitude must be made attractive through our prudence and charity; and, in turn, our prudence and charity must draw power from our fortitude: "Resist, steadfast in faith!"

Strong in truth, strong in love, strong also in unity: this is the fulfillment and the fruit of charity.

Unity!  This was the last recommendation the Holy Father offered us in the warmest and most affectionate terms.  This is also the recommendation that, in his name, I offer you with all the passion of my heart: unity!  Unity of mind, unity of heart, unity of action.  During these very troubled times we are going through, we can support each other only if we are united, if we stand together.  There is no sacrifice of opinion we should not make in order to preserve this unity, in

which alone lies the secret of victory.²¹

"A system of liberalism that is altogether new"

What can we say about certain people who, not satisfied with their role as subjects in the Church of God, believe they can also have a role in its governance?

It is on the basis of this insane pretension that they have been concocting a system of liberalism that is entirely new, all the more dangerous for its being clothed in a beautiful image.  It is a pharisaical system that, unfortunately, manages to seduce so many simple souls and take possession of certain minds that are neither wicked nor mean.  It is an anarchical system that ends up dividing our forces and sowing discord among the sons and daughters of the same father, among the members of the same family.  It is a barbaric system that does not hesitate, when it can, to mortify immortal souls and kill off every germ of charity in the hearts of so many people (...).

The gravest dangers for the Church are not violent and barbaric persecutions, which the Church has been used to for centuries and which, thank God, she knows how to turn to her own advantage; nor discussions by enlightened minds and by science, because she knows she will come out victorious.  Reason, history and God's promises are on her side.  The most insidious and most dangerous enemies are the weaknesses of some of her own, as well as their insane pride, ambitious designs, and hypocritical wiles.  In no way are their behavior and their actions in keeping with the spirit of true and perfect Catholics, which they claim to be. ²²

"Indifference to the more endearing virtues of Christianity"

Once more I must lift my voice against a new outbreak of this deadly system.  Once again I must remind you that it is not at all in keeping with the true Catholic spirit for people to consume themselves in protestations of loyalty and devotion to the Pope, as these people do, while at the same time showing little respect for the bishops united with the Pope, undermining the bishops' governance in roundabout ways, or maliciously twisting their acts and intentions.

I denounce those who identify themselves, as it were, with the Holy See, proclaiming themselves its defenders, its only loyal sons and daughters, its only faithful spokespersons.  I am troubled by those who condemn as disobedient to the Church certain people, even in positions of authority, who really are extremely devoted to it.  I protest against those who claim an exclusive monopoly on Catholicism.  They talk as if they were infallible teachers, condemning  and anathematizing, in the name of Religion and Pope, all those who do not agree with their opinions or, all too often, with their exaggerations and eccentricities (...).

I resent those who pretend they can solve the most difficult, the most intricate, the most delicate questions in the religious or religious-scientific field by more or less spontaneous plebiscites by people without authority and almost always without competence.  I rebel against those who batch together otherwise highly respectable persons with the enemies of Religion, often accusing them of having broken the faith or having somehow perverted it simply because the latter have different opinions on matters that are purely political or still left free to the discussion of the learned by the wise moderation of the Holy See (...).

I am deeply grieved that some people do not see anything good, nay, just evil, in the thinking or activities of fellow human beings who disagree ‑- or are believed to disagree ‑-with their views (...).  I am distressed by those who act indifferent to the most lovable virtues of Christianity and all but ridicule people who espouse these virtues and cherish them highly (...).

All this is in open contradiction to the spirit that should animate a sincere Catholic.  Whoever does not understand this spirit, whoever does not experience it, has lost the sense of Christ.²³

"Hierarchical unity is essential"

Not only dogmatic unity but also hierarchical unity pertains to the essential unity of the Church.  Christ prayed to his Father that the faithful "be one, as I and the Father are one."²⁴

"Woe to him who dares break this chain"

In these days of anarchy, we cannot repeat often enough: we must be united!  The people must be united with their pastors.  The pastors and clergy must be united among themselves in the hierarchical order.  And all ‑- clergy and people alike ‑- must be united with the bishop, who, in perfect union with the Pope, the Supreme Pontiff, is the link that binds you to the invisible Shepherd, Jesus Christ.  This is the sacred chain we find in the Catholic Church.  Woe to him who dares break this chain!  Whoever detaches himself from the adjoining link becomes the sport of the wicked and the instrument of perdition for many.²⁵

"The Church must always remain hierarchically ordered if she is to overcome"

A contentious spirit has always been a shameful thing, but it is all the more so today when we are surrounded by hostile and vicious enemies, eager to annihilate the Church and souls.  "In the battle we are presently waging for matters of vital importance," the Holy Father said some time ago, "everybody should work together, with one mind and one heart, toward the one common goal, namely to protect the great interests of religion and society."

We cannot expect to achieve this goal with the more or less passionate arguments of certain restless spirits, with the more or less subtle discussions on how best to marshall our forces, with a forced and external submission that still leaves mistrust, suspicion, and alienation in the depth of one's heart.  We cannot achieve this goal with rivalries, jealousies, exclusive and egoistical ways of acting.  Nor can we achieve this goal with a harsh and callous zeal that mistakes the power of the sacred ministry for blind partisan violence and thinks it is honoring God by attacking people who may be absolutely upright and dedicated to the interests of the Church and its august Head, but whose dedication is without show, pretence, or human passions.

I will say over and over again: what will vindicate the rights of the Holy See and restore order to the Church and, with order, peace, is for people to observe hierarchical dependence, to abandon themselves humbly and trustingly, like sons and daughters, to the paternal authority governing them.  Let me be even clearer: what we need is for people to submit their minds and hearts to their shepherds and,

through them and with them, to the Shepherd of the Church who guides us all.  Hence, the Church must always remain hierarchically ordered, if she is to be victorious.  This is the secret of her power, this is the strategy for victory.²⁶

"Even among dissident Churches the Catholic Church has sons and daughters"

We know that the ways of the Lord are not ours and that even among dissident Churches the Catholic Church has sons and daughters, sons and daughters at least in desire, if not in fact.  They are generous souls that deserve to have been born within our unity and already belong to the Church through invisible and hidden bonds that only God knows (...).

Though separated from the body of the Church, they belong to its soul.  When political interests will no longer need to preserve this wall of separation keeping the great European family apart; when the interests of earth disappear in the face of the interests of Heaven; when the great law of evangelical charity will be better understood and practiced by all, oh, then ‑- I and others do not hesitate to say so ‑- the universal Shepherd will discover, to his pleasant surprise, countless sheep that belonged to him in places where the eye of man could only see wolves.  Then, people from the East and people from the West will embrace like brothers and sisters in the same Temple.  The ancient Te Deum will reverberate through the great Church of St. Sophia in Constantinople, while the immortal bones of Saints John Chrysostom and Gregory Nazianzen will exult with joy.  Then, from all corners of the universe, the most distant and diverse peoples will converge on the center of unity, on Rome (...).  I feel, nay, I am certain, that out of many families there will then emerge one family, out of many peoples one people, out of our humanity one fold under the guidance of one Shepherd.²⁷

"The great unity toward which we are hastening"

The day has to come when justice and peace will kiss, when the sun of Christian civilization will once again shine on the world, when the social edifice will rest on an indestructible foundation.

It is up to us to hasten this day.  How?  By winning over our brothers and sisters to the truth by example more than by words, by openly professing our faith, by living in conformity with this faith and by convincing everybody that only from the Roman Pontificate can Italy hope for deliverance and true well-being.  Of this many people are already convinced.  Leaving aside all partisan rivalry, we must now all work together toward this holy and noble goal, prompted by the purest love for Church and country.  Relying on the moral ideals found in society, we must help prepare a people that can be ruled in a paternal way and make the difficult task of governing easier for those in authority.  We must, above all, have recourse to God in prayer, because we must never forget that "unless the Lord guard the city, in vain does the guard keep vigil" (Ps 127).

Oh, yes, we must pray, dearly beloved.  We must pray that the erring return to the faith, that the kingdom of Jesus Christ will spread ever more, and that the goals of his Vicar will be realized.  We must pray and hope.

There is already in progress a return to right and sound ideas.  Many are on this return journey or are acknowledging the need to do so.  The disappointments and disillusionments of life have done a good job in shaking the multitudes.  We can see with our own eyes that ungodliness, whatsoever its disguise, is pure and simple tyranny; that its promises are lies; that its fruits bring death.  The most popular writers are taking back today what they arrogantly stated yesterday.  Today, influential people are uttering, albeit timidly, noble words hardly ever heard in years past. Everything points to a slow but progressive evolution of ideas. Everything makes us think that society, nauseated by the filthy materialism corrupting and degrading it, is on its way to the longed-for renewal.  Everything, as De Maistre used to say, foreshadows some sort of great unity, toward which we are hastening.

This is without doubt the unity foretold by the Gospel, the religious unity to be achieved through the Church, the unity that will make of the whole earth one fold and one Shepherd.

Dearly beloved, man tosses and turns, but God is leading him.  I repeat:

we must pray and hope.²⁸