Divini Illius Magistri – The Three Societies – Part 3

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Pope Pius XI has introduced us to the three societies to which man belongs – the family – the Church – and civil society. We have been exploring the nature and authority of the Catholic Church and Pope Pius XI quoted Pope Pius X in support of the authority of the Catholic Church. He goes on to quote an Italian layman to show that these teachings are not beyond the understanding of the laity.

Alessandro Manzoni was an Italian author and philosopher who lived from 1785 to 1873. He married Henriette Blondel, a Calvinist, in 1808. In 1810 Henriette was received into the Catholic Church and this led to her husband thinking more deeply on religious matters and he wrote a book on Catholic Morality – Osservazioni sulla Morale Cattolica – which is what Pope Pius XI quotes from.

“It is worthy of note how a layman, an excellent writer and at the same time a profound and conscientious thinker, has been able to understand well and express exactly this fundamental Catholic doctrine:

“The Church does not say that morality belongs purely, in the sense of exclusively, to her; but that it belongs wholly to her. She has never maintained that outside her fold and apart from her teaching, man cannot arrive at any moral truth; she has on the contrary more than once condemned this opinion because it has appeared under more forms than one.

She does however say, has said, and will ever say, that because of her institution by Jesus Christ, because of the Holy Ghost sent her in His name by the Father, she alone possesses what she has had immediately from God and can never lose, the whole of moral truth, ‘omnem veritatem’, in which all individual moral truths are included, as well those which man may learn by the help of reason, as those which form part of revelation or which may be deduced from it.” (Alessandro Manzoni – Osservazioni sulla Morale Cattolica, c. III) – (Divini Illius Magistri 20)

Many who oppose the Catholic Church’s claims in the spheres of morality and truth, promote false statements as to what the Catholic Church actually teaches. As Archbishop Fulton Sheen remarked in 1938:

“There are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions, however, who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church — which is, of course, quite a different thing.” (Radio Replies, American Edition – 1938)

It is ironic that those who often accuse the Catholic Church of claiming to have a monopoly on the truth, are usually promoting themselves or their own organisation as having a monopoly on the truth. Here’s Archbishop Fulton Sheen again, speaking of Communism.

“Because Communism is a philosophy of life which sets itself up as a counter-church, because it admits no conscience, no morality, except state conscience and state morality, because it possesses man down to the very core of his being, it has sounded the death knell of broad-mindedness. By that same token it has inaugurated the new intolerance — the intolerance of anti-Christianity, for whose error one must die as martyrs die for the truth of Christ.” (Archbishop Fulton Sheen – Quote from “Intolerance in the Coming Order.” – America magazine, July 4th, 1936)

In Fatima, Our Lady foretold that Russia would spread her errors if her requests were not heeded. Her requests were not heeded and Russia has indeed spread her communist errors throughout the world. Most so-called western democracies are now ruled by shameless politicians who take their orders from totalitarian masters. These seek to destroy man’s freedom. They do this whilst proclaiming that they seek to protect freedom. A sure sign that they are following the father of lies. This is why Pope Pius XI’s encyclical ‘Divini Illius Magistri’ is so important. It teaches us a proper understanding of the nature and authority of the three societies and of how they relate to one another.

“Therefore with full right the Church promotes letters, science, art in so far as necessary or helpful to Christian education, in addition to her work for the salvation of souls: founding and maintaining schools and institutions adapted to every branch of learning and degree of culture. (Codex luris Canonici, c. 1375) Nor may even physical culture, as it is called, be considered outside the range of her maternal supervision, for the reason that it also is a means which may help or harm Christian education.” (Divini Illius Magistri 21)

Anything that has a bearing on man’s ultimate end – either to help or to hinder his attainment of that end – falls under the scope of the Catholic Church. The Church promotes that which serves man’s last end and opposes, vehemently if necessary, that which hinders the salvation of souls.

“And this work of the Church in every branch of culture is of immense benefit to families and nations which without Christ are lost, as St. Hilary points out correctly: “What can be more fraught with danger for the world than the rejection of Christ?” (St Hilary – Commentar in Matth., cap. 18 ) Nor does it interfere in the least with the regulations of the State, because the Church in her motherly prudence is not unwilling that her schools and institutions for the education of the laity be in keeping with the legitimate dispositions of civil authority; she is in every way ready to cooperate with this authority and to make provision for a mutual understanding, should difficulties arise.” (Divini Illius Magistri 22)

Without Christ, man is lost. Christ founded the Catholic Church for the salvation of souls. It is His preferred means of salvation and He desires that all nations are guided by the wisdom of the Catholic Church which is none other than the wisdom of God Almighty.

“Again it is the inalienable right as well as the indispensable duty of the Church, to watch over the entire education of her children, in all institutions, public or private, not merely in regard to the religious instruction there given, but in regard to every other branch of learning and every regulation in so far as religion and morality are concerned.” (Codex luris Canonici, cc. 1381, 1382) (Divini Illius Magistri 23)

Today, one of the greatest failures in caring for children happens in the area of education, Catholic parents are being failed by those whose responsibility it is to ensure that the Catholic schools are in fact Catholic. This is not simply a criticism, it is a point of fact. In Ireland, as well as in most western democracies, the Catholic schools have been infiltrated by ‘change agents’ from non-governmental organisations. These are promoting false ideologies to children in Catholic schools which are totally opposed to Catholic Church teaching. These ideologies represent a danger to the eternal salvation of the children who are exposed to them. Far too many Catholics are unaware of the reality of what is going on and they simply allow their children to be indoctrinated with poisonous ideologies. These will rob their children of their long term happiness and, in the worst case scenario, will lead to their eternal damnation.

In the Irish context, we now have a situation where the bishops’ conference represents a manifest danger to children because of what they are promoting into the Catholic schools. Teachers in primary schools are encouraged by the bishops to show a sexually explicit cartoon video to children in sixth class. For those outside of Ireland, these children will be in the 11 – 13 year age bracket. The video was produced by Ireland’s largest abortion provider, the HSE, which is directly responsible for the deaths of more than 30,000 innocent human beings in their mother’s wombs. The Irish bishops recommend the HSE as a good resource for information on human sexuality despite the HSE’s promoting an ideology which is opposed to Catholic Church teaching. Letters to the Irish bishops are either ignored or met with vague responses. Not one bishop has publicly objected to the programmes which will corrupt the innocence of Catholic children.

The Irish bishops have also recommended a Relationships and Sexuality Education programme for junior cycle. These children will generally be between the ages of 13 and 16. Under this programme the children are to be taught about the different methods of contraception and will be given erroneous teaching with regard to Natural Family Planning. The programme fails to uphold the beautiful teachings of the Catholic Church on human sexuality. They are ignoring what Pope Pius XI said in an earlier part of ‘Divini Illius Magistri’.

“It is therefore as important to make no mistake in education, as it is to make no mistake in the pursuit of the last end, with which the whole work of education is intimately and necessarily connected.” (Divini Illius Magistri 7)

When sincere Catholics seek to address this most serious problem which puts the salvation of children in danger, the common response is that we should not ‘bash’ the bishops. This simplistic attitude fails to address the root of one of the most serious problems that Catholic children are faced with. The simple fact is that the Catholic schools are no longer Catholic. Children are taught matters contrary to the Catholic faith in these schools. Pope Pius XI was alarmed by the dangers such a situation represents for children, but today, his message is ignored and the levels of apostasy from the Catholic faith amongst the young are staggering. But don’t mention the bishops, whose responsibility it is to ensure that the Catholic schools uphold the teachings of the Catholic faith.

“Nor should the exercise of this right be considered undue interference, but rather maternal care on the part of the Church in protecting her children from the grave danger of all kinds of doctrinal and moral evil. Moreover this watchfulness of the Church not merely can create no real inconvenience, but must on the contrary confer valuable assistance in the right ordering and well-being of families and of civil society; for it keeps far away from youth the moral poison which at that inexperienced and changeable age more easily penetrates the mind and more rapidly spreads its baneful effects.

For it is true, as Leo XIII has wisely pointed out, that without proper religious and moral instruction “every form of intellectual culture will be injurious; for young people not accustomed to respect God, will be unable to bear the restraint of a virtuous life, and never having learned to deny themselves anything, they will easily be incited to disturb the public order.” (Pope Leo XIII – Nobilissima Gallorum Gens 3 – 1884) (Divini Illius Magistri 24)

What would Pope Leo XIII or Pope Pius XI make of the situation facing Catholic parents today? The Church has constantly urged Catholic parents not to send their children to schools which endanger their Catholic faith. Catholic parents have been urged not to send their children to non-Catholic schools. They have been urged to make sure to send their children to Catholic schools. But what are Catholic parents to do when the Catholic schools are no longer Catholic? When their bishops fail to protect the Catholic identity of the Catholic school? When their bishops are promoting immoral sex education programmes into the so-called Catholic schools?

Many Catholic parents will choose to home school their children in order to protect them from the false ideologies that are being promoted in the Catholic schools. Home schooling can be a very rewarding experience, however, it is not the ideal. The ideal for Catholic parents is to be able to send their children to a Catholic school where their bishop oversees everything that is taught in the school and ensures that nothing contrary to the faith is presented to the children. Such a bishop will take urgent measures to protect the children under his spiritual care.

A great modern example of this is Archbishop Alexander Sample of the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon. In February of 2023, Archbishop Sample issued a letter to the Catholic schools of his diocese instructing them that the pronouns to be used in referring to children in the Catholic schools must concur with the biological sex of the children.

Archbishop Sample received some heavy criticism for this approach. He then decided to close the diocesan Department for Catholic Schools. In October 2023 Archbishops Sample appointed Elias Moo as the director of the newly formed; Office for the Mission of Catholic Education.

Elias sent out an open letter of introduction which can be read at this link – Elias Moo Letter – I was overjoyed to note that Elias quotes from Pope Pius XI’s encyclical Divini Illius Magistri in his letter. Archbishop Sample is simply carrying out his duty to ensure that the Catholic schools in his archdiocese uphold Catholic Church teaching. Please God more bishops will follow his example. The problem of children and young people falling away from the Catholic faith will not be resolved until our bishops do their duty regarding Catholic schools in their dioceses. Parents must realise this!

To be cont’d…

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