Quinquagesimo ante anno

Pius XI, 1922

Quinquagesimo ante anno ( Latin ; German: fifty years ago ) is an encyclical from Pope Pius XI. in which he wrote on December 23, 1929 on the occasion of his fiftieth jubilee as a priest about the highlights of his pontificate .

For the priest anniversary

In the first part, the Pope recalled that he was ordained a priest “fifty years ago” in the Lateran Basilica and that many happy and tragic events have taken place since then. He emphasized that on this occasion, with the Apostolic Constitution Auspicantibus nobis of January 6, 1929, he had declared the coming year 1930 as an extraordinary holy year . He expressed his thanks to all believers and thanked God for the great calling, he expressed his hope for a peaceful time. In his first encyclical, Ubi arcano Dei, of December 23, 1922, he wrote - he continues - about the intentions of his pontificate and emphasized that his goals could only be achieved with God's help.

Highlights of his pontificate

In the following section, the Pope listed important events that, from his point of view , should clarify the high points, but also the importance of the Holy See . Examples are:

Conclusion of the Lateran Treaties
75th anniversary of the dogma of the " Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Mother Mary "
Concordats and treaties with Portugal , Romania and Prussia
Approaches to the Eastern Churches and encounters with patriarchs and bishops of the Eastern Christian churches
the incorporation of the various parishes , congregations and religious orders into canon law
the founding of several Catholic colleges and universities , for example in Russia and the Czech Republic
the establishment and expansion of seminaries in Rome
the celebrations in Stockholm for the 1100th return of the arrival of St. Ansgar (829), the apostle of Scandinavia
the 1000th anniversary of the death of St. Wenceslas († 929), the Bohemian national saint
the beatification of Claude de la Colombière

Web links

Text of the encyclical (Italian)