Diuturnum illud

On June 29, 1881, in the fourth year of his pontificate, Pope Leo XIII issued the encyclical Diuturnum illud on the highest dignity in the realm of the state .

It takes up the topics of “state authority ” and “ citizen's duty of obedience ”. Although the Catholic Magisterium in the 20th century adheres to the concept of authority, considerable self-corrections have taken place with regard to the Christian doctrine of the state, which are summarized in individual documents of the Second Vatican Council .

He takes up this concept of the state and adds the power of God to it. In a further section he goes into the connections between “ authority and obedience ”. He then describes in the encyclical that the "divine authority" proceeds from the moral order and represents an authority appointed by God. Furthermore, he explains that obedience and natural law are indissolubly linked, which find their limits in justice.