Sapientiae christianae

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Sapientiae christianae is an encyclical written by Pope Leo XIII. which he published on January 10, 1890 with the subtitle: "About Christians as Citizens".

About the Christian order

The rapid industrialization of Europe and the social upheavals caused the Pope to make the following statement about the essential civil duties of Christians :

“According to divine law, it is due to the Church and in the Church to the Roman Bishop to determine in both ordinances (civil and ecclesiastical) what is to be believed and what is to be done”.

It is understood to mean that Christians are bound in their conscience and feel committed to public order .

About resistance and commitment to faith

When Leo XIII. writes in this encyclical

"To shrink from an enemy or to remain silent when allegations are made that contradict the truth, is characterless and must be fought",

so he appears as the highest defender of the Catholic Church . Because, he continues to write

“This behavior only favors the enemies of the faith. Because nothing encourages the bad guys more than the lack of courage on the part of the good guys. "

The statement

"Christians are born to fight"

now do not characterize Christians as bloody fighters, because he adds:

"The main elements of this duty are to confess the Catholic teaching openly and without excuses and to spread it to the utmost of our powers."

The godless state

A godless state is only a deceptive appearance of a community, this applies to the individual; but it is just as true of society , of the family, as of the state. Because society was by nature not created for the purpose of being human's ultimate goal. Rather, he should only find in it and through it suitable aids in order to reach his perfection. An ungodly state misses its purpose and its natural destiny in the worst way; Such a society among people was no longer to be viewed as a community, but as an imitation and deceptive appearance of a community. Its key message culminates in:

“One must love the earthly fatherland from which we have our mortal life”.

About duty and obedience

Public authority is therefore sacred to Christians, and in their bearers they also recognize in a certain way the reflection and image of the Divine Majesty. They respect the law with just and due reverence, not out of fear of violence and punishment, but as a duty of conscience. But if the laws of the state were clearly inconsistent with divine law, then resistance would be a duty and obedience a crime; and it also represents a dishonor for the state itself:

"Because whatever harms religion is also an outrage against the state".

State and family

The family can be seen as the receiving device of civil society. The state is to a large extent at the same time family life, which can promote fate but also destroy it at the same time. It is therefore the responsibility of the parents to pass on the faith . The Pope warned that those who move away from Christian discipline and destroy family life are guilty of a crime against natural law . It is the duty and responsibility of parents to father children and raise them in the Christian faith.

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