Acerbo nimis

Catholic Catechism of the Dioceses of Germany (1959)

Acerbo nimis is an encyclical from Pope Pius X. It dates from April 15, 1905 and has the subtitle: "On teaching in the Christian doctrine of the faith".

Passing on the Faith

In Acerbo nimis , Pope Pius X expressed his concern that religious ignorance was the main reason for serious evils to arise in the world. The Pope therefore demanded that catechesis should be based on the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church . The doctrines, he emphasizes, are irreplaceable for the human ability to think and for enlightenment.

Religious instruction

Religious instruction was, wrote Pius X., as he had already mentioned in his inaugural encyclical E supremi apostolatus , a concern of the Shepherd and was of great value and importance. As the first duty of the pastoral ministry, the Pope set out the proclamation of the Gospel and the doctrine and laid out in 24 points some provisions on the instruction of the young, the preparation for the reception of the sacraments , the establishment of a catechesis association in each parish , the establishment of religious schools in larger cities and holding regular catechesis in the parishes.

Catechesis and homily

In his encyclical the Pope deplored the neglect of catechesis on the part of the faithful. By its very nature, it is not easy, on a theoretical level, to give believers an adequate understanding of the truths of religion . He went on to say that it is not easy for the clergy to find appropriate formulations for the sacred content. Pius X emphasizes that homilies and catechesis are not the same in that the homily is mostly addressed to people who have already been catechized, while catechetical teaching is devoted to those who are ignorant of questions of faith, especially children. But the fact is, he said, that many priests and bishops turn to whole parishes Sunday after Sunday that are not catechized. Likewise, there are many parishes in which, Sunday after Sunday, the pastors' homilies - although stylishly formulated - are so empty of content that they leave whole groups of God's people without instructions on the eternal truths.

A catechism

After the publication of this encyclical, Pius X published a catechism for the diocese of Rome in 1905 , which is still exemplary in its kind. Many years later, Pope John Paul II confirmed the desire to offer everyone a good catechism, saying:

"Religious ignorance is spreading in a disturbing way, the need for a clear and sparkling representation of faith becomes all the more noticeable ..."

In response to this need, John Paul II published the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 1992 .

literature

Catholic catechism of the dioceses of Germany, August Lax publishing house, Hildesheim, 1959

Web links

Text of the encyclical