IN DOMINICO AGRO (On Instruction in
the Faith)
Pope
Clement XIII
Encyclical of
Pope Clement XIII promulgated on 14 June 1761.
To the Venerable Brothers, the Patriarchs,
Primates, Archbishops and Bishops.
Venerable Brothers, Greetings and Apostolic
Benediction.
In the Lord's field, for the tending of which
Divine Providence placed Us as overseer, there is nothing which demands as much
vigilant care and unremitting labor in its cultivation than guarding the good
seed of Catholic teaching which the Apostles received from Jesus Christ and
handed on to Us. If in laziness this is neglected, the enemy of the human race
will sow weeds while the workers sleep. Then weeds will be found which should
be committed to the flames rather than good grain to store in the barns.
However, St. Paul strongly encourages Us to protect the faith that the saints
handed on to Us.[1] He told Timothy to preserve the
sacred trust[2] because dangerous times were coming[3] when evil and deceitful
men would exist in the Church of God.[4] The insidious tempters would use their
work to try to infect unwary minds with errors which are hostile to evangelical
truth.
2. It often happens that certain unworthy ideas
come forth in the
3. The faithful--especially those who are
simple or uncultivated--should be kept away from dangerous and narrow paths
upon which they can hardly set foot without faltering. The sheep should not be
led to pasture through trackless places. Nor should peculiar ideas--even those
of Catholic scholars--be proposed to them. Rather, only those ideas should be
communicated which are definitely marked as Catholic truth by their universality,
ambiguity, and harmony. Besides, since the crowd cannot go up to the mountain[5] upon which the glory of the Lord came down, and
if whoever crosses the boundaries to see will die, the teachers of the people
should establish boundaries around them so that no word strays beyond that
which is necessary or useful for salvation. The faithful should obey the
apostolic advice not to know more than is necessary, but to know in
moderation.[6]
4. The popes clearly understood this. They
devoted all their efforts not only to cut short with the sword of anathema the
poisonous buds of growing error, but also to cut away certain developing ideas
which either could prevent the Christian people unnecessarily from bearing a
greater fruit of faith or could harm the minds of the faithful by their
proximity to error. So the Council of Trent condemned those heresies which
tried at that time to dim the light of the Church and which led Catholic truth
into a clearer light as if the cloud of errors had been dispersed. As our
predecessors understood that that holy meeting of the universal Church was so
prudent in judgment and so moderate that it abstained from condemning ideas
which authorities among Church scholars supported, they wanted another work
prepared with the agreement of that holy council which would cover the entire
teaching which the faithful should know and which would be far removed from any
error. They printed and distributed this book under the title of The Roman
Catechism.
There are aspects of their action worthy of
special praise. In it they compiled the teaching which is common to the whole
Church and which is far removed from every danger of error, and they proposed
to transmit it openly to the faithful in very eloquent words according to the
precept of Christ the Lord who told the apostles to proclaim in the light what
He had said in the dark and to proclaim from the rooftops what they heard in
secret.[7] They have obeyed His bride, the Church, whose words are, "Show
me where you recline at midday."[8] For where it is not midday and the
light is not so bright that truth can be clearly known, error can easily be
mistaken for truth because of its appearance of truth and can be distinguished
from truth only with difficulty in the darkness. They knew that there were
before and would again be people who attract those who seek food by the promise
of more abundant pastures of wisdom and knowledge and that many people would
come to those pastures because stolen waters are sweeter and hidden bread more
delightful.[9] Therefore, in case the Church should be deceived and wander
after the flocks of the companions who are themselves wanderers and unsettled
with no certainty of truth, who are always learning[10] but never arriving at
the knowledge of truth, they proposed that only what is necessary and very
useful for salvation be clearly and plainly explained in the Roman Catechism
and communicated to the faithful.
5. But even though this book, composed with
remarkable work and effort, was universally approved and welcomed with the
highest praises, at that time, the love of novelty almost wrested it from the
priests' hands by inspiring the production of more and more catechisms which
could compare in no way with the Roman Catechism. Thus two evils arose.
Agreement on a method of teaching was almost destroyed, and the weak members of
the faithful were scandalized at finding that they were no longer united by the
same language and topics. On the other hand, contentions arose from different
ways of transmitting Catholic truth and disunity of spirit and great
disagreements from rivalry while one declared he was a follower of Apollo,
another of Cephas, and another of Paul. We think that
nothing can be more fatal to God's greater glory than the bitterness of those
disagreements. Nothing can eliminate more disastrously the fruits which the
faithful should gain from Christian discipline.
Thus, in order to remove the double evil from
the Church, We must return to that method from which some, setting themselves
up in the Church as wiser, have insolently and imprudently led the faithful
away for some time. We think that the Roman Catechism should be offered to the
priests again so that just as it once strengthened the Catholic faith and
strengthened the minds of the faithful in the Church's teaching which is the
pillar of truth,[12] it may now turn them away from new ideas which neither
antiquity nor unanimity recommend. To make the book more easily accessible and
to correct the errors which have occurred in course of production, We have
ensured that the copy published by Our predecessor St. Pius V in accordance
with the decree of the Council of Trent is reprinted in
6. So since Our care and diligence are
providing a very suitable aid to remove the deceptions of wicked ideas at this
very difficult time for the Church and to spread and establish true and sound
teaching, it is your duty to see to it that the faithful accept it. Because the
popes wanted this book set before pastors almost as the norm of Catholic faith
and Christian discipline in order that unanimity might exist also in the method
of transmitting doctrine, We now strongly recommend it to you, venerable
brothers. We strongly encourage you to order that everybody who has the care of
souls should use it in instructing the faithful in the Catholic truth in order
to preserve unity of learning, charity, and harmony of spirits. For it is your
duty to be attentive to everybody's serenity. Finally, it is the bishop's duty
to watch carefully that nobody breaks the bond of unity and creates schisms by
proudly acting in his own interests.
7. If those who ought to present and explain
these books to the faithful are unsuitable teachers, they will prove useless or
almost useless. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that you choose for
the office of communicating Christian teaching to the faithful not only men
endowed with theological knowledge, but more importantly, men who manifest
humility, enthusiasm for sanctifying souls, and charity. The totality of
Christian practice does not consist in abundance of words nor
in skill of debating nor in the search from praise and glory but in true and
voluntary humility. There are those whom a greater wisdom raises up but also
separates from the society of other people. The more they know, the more they
dislike the virtue of harmony. Wisdom itself warns them with the word of God:
"Have salt in yourselves and be at peace among us."[13] Thus it is
necessary to have the salt of wisdom to preserve the love of neighbor and to
offset weaknesses. If they turn from zeal for wisdom and from concern for their
neighbor to disagreement, they have salt without peace-not a gift of virtue but
a cause for condemnation. The more they know, the worse they fail. The Apostle
James condemns them with these words: "If you are jealous and have
contentions in your hearts, do not boast and be liars against the truth. This
wisdom did not come down from on high. Rather, it is earthly, animal, diabolical. Inconstancy and every wicked deed accompany
jealousy and contention. The wisdom which comes from on high is first of all
pure. Then it is peaceful, modest, persuasive, agreeable
to good things, full of mercy and good fruits. It does not judge and is without
rivalry."[14]
8. Therefore, while We pray to God in
affliction of spirit and in humility of heart to bestow his indulgence and
mercy on our efforts to prevent disagreement disturbing the faithful, and to
ensure that in the bond of peace and in charity of spirit, we all know, praise,
and glorify the one God and our Lord Jesus Christ, We greet you with a holy
kiss and We lovingly impart Our apostolic blessing to all of you and to all the
faithful of your churches.
Given at
ENDNOTES
1. Heb 3.
2. 2Tm 1.14.
3. Ibid.. 3.1.
4. Ibid., 3.13.
5. Ex 19.12.
6. Rom 12.3.
7. Mt 10.27.
8. Ct 1.7.
9. Prv 9.17.
10. 2 Tm 3.7.
11. Gn 11.1.
12. 1 Tm 3.15.
13. Mk 9.49.
14. Jas 4.