Vigilanti cura

With the encyclical Vigilanti cura (Latin: with vigilant concern) about the light plays , from June 29, 1936, Pope Pius XI. pointed out that the film is also a serious aid for religious education.

Contents overview

introduction
Art has an essential task to perform
Crusade for Public Morality by the Legion of Decency
The art of film must rise to the height of the Christian conscience
What should a necessary monitoring consist of?
Closing words and blessings

Use of a new medium

This encyclical was the signal for the Catholic Church to turn to church film work. So Pius XI. generally fixed:

"The film does not have to be a mere pleasure, it does not only need to fill in empty and idle hours, it can and must with its positive effects become a means of education and lead positively to the good."

But the Pope also warns of “the bad effects of immoral films” and at the same time emphasizes “the value of entertainment films”. He also calls for dealing with the new medium and opposes trash and immorality. His warning against reprehensible films has long shaped Catholic film work.

Social means of communication

With this letter the Church recognized a new means of social communication and gave it great importance. This knowledge is later expressed in various documents. Communication is understood as a gift from God, it is a social means for internal church understanding as well as for that of the church with the world.

alertness

On the basis of the experience of the American Catholics with the Legion of Decency , the Pope expresses himself on fundamental considerations, but he also made suggestions for practice:

"It is therefore one of the most urgent tasks of our time to watch and work that film is no longer a school of seduction, but that it transforms itself into a valuable means of educating and elevating humanity."

In his circular, the Pope recalled earlier comments on the film. Pius XI. also reminds us that he called the film "the great gift of art ". He must obey the law of morality . He therefore proposes the publication of regularly published and carefully prepared lists. Because of the changing living conditions, customs and traditions in the various countries, a separate classification must be created for each nation. In each country, therefore, the bishops should create a permanent national audit office. This should be given the task of promoting good films, classifying all films and publishing their evaluation.

Film control

This encyclical led to the establishment of Catholic film offices and film magazines in many countries. The statutes of the Pontifical Film Commission of 1952 also referred to this encyclical:

“The Pontifical Film Commission generally abstains from positive or negative judgments about manuscripts or film strips. According to the intentions of the Apostolic Letter Vigilanti cura, it relies on the competent national centers set up by the episcopate in the individual countries. "

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