In support and better understanding of Pius XII

Il Giornale’s intrepid Andrea Tornielli has an interesting post on his blog.  My translation.

Yesterday there was officially announced the birth of a committee composed of politicians (bipartisan), men of culture [Read: artists, authors, etc.], teachers, journalists, which sign up with and support, to promote a greater understanding of the figure and the magisterium of Pius XII.  Papa Pacelli was in fact a modern Pope, his magisterium set the stage for the Second Vatican Council (it is enough to consider the Encyclical Divino afflante Spiritu which opened the way to the use of the historical-critical method for the study of Sacred Scripture, or the Encyclical Mediator Dei on liturgy): he is, in fact, the Pope most cited in the conciliar texts.  The Committee, in view of the 50th anniversary of his death, next October, aims to foster an in-depth examination of the figure of Pius XII according to the hermeneutic of reform and not of rupture, which Benedict XVI said is the correct key for interpreting and reading Vatican II.  I am among those who have signed and I invite the visitors of the blog to support this.  You will find the constitutive text of the Committee as a first comment on this threadTo support this, it is enough to send an e-mail with your proper name (not nickname!) and address.

comitatopapapacelli@gmail.com

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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10 Comments

  1. Prof. Basto says:

    Today, there was another announcement of Decrees approved by the Holy Father on the Causes of Saints, and, once again, sadly, there was no mention of the Decree regarding the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Pius XII, which was approved by the Congregation months ago, and still awaits papal confirmation.

  2. Jacob says:

    men of culture

    Allow me to be uncultured and say this: Ugh.

  3. Derik Castillo says:

    I sincerely hope that the truth comes forth in this committee,
    in order for those of us who are not very familiar with Pius XII
    to have an unbiased understanding of his papacy.

  4. Deusdonat says:

    God Bless Pope Pius XII. Every Jew should say this when they wake up in the morning.

  5. Padre Steve says:

    So many have misunderstood this holy man! God bless all those who
    are helping others to better understand his significance!

  6. Ottaviani says:

    God Bless Pope Pius XII. Every Jew should say this when they wake up in the morning.

    At that rate, they’ll start following Eugenio Zolli’s example and becoming Catholic!

  7. Boko Fittleworth says:

    Yeah, Jacob, I hear you. In all fairness, though, I think that concept has a different resonance in Europe than it does in the US.

  8. Atlanta says:

    Thank you for this. My grandfather gave me his bible and there is a portrait of HH Pope Pius XII in the front and an encyclical of Pope Pius XII inside. It was through a Catholic Facebook group that I actually started learning more about this Pope.

  9. Mitch says:

    Hope Benedict follows in his shoes..He was a great Pope

  10. Joseph Mary Pius says:

    To Jacob:

    I would like to respond to you, considering that, after the mention of “men of culture,” you posted your reaction:

    “Allow me to be uncultured and say this: Ugh.”

    While I do not understand why you are trying, perhaps, to convey either disdain, loathing, or just trepidation for men of culture…and though I don’t wish to place words in your mouth, I believe that this subject requires us to think differently about this than some may choose.

    The Church is the Church of all men: the babes, the ignorant, those who attended grade school only, men of high school and college education, doctors of philosophy, men of culture, and those whose luminous minds transcend the often short-sighted academy, and do not require its ratification by the award of an academic degree. I suppose I mean to say those men to whom the academy should turn so that they might share their extraordinary intellectual gifts with those who are supposed to be leading intellectual figures. (Which is why, as an aside, I am often bemused when universities award honorary doctorates to persons who are at the very pinnacle and zenith of their professions — as it would seem to me that such recognition should be bestowed by one who is, actually, greater than the one who is to receive.)

    In short, as Catholics, we should be proud of the fact that the Faith can, and must, inform men of every condition. This, in spite of the fact that many who are in those institutions that were, and should be, the bearers of culture, have gone astray. Let us not turn to the snobbery of provincialism and the fear of others who have had different experiences, simply because some who should be known as men of culture have chosen ideas not informed by the Faith.

    One of the glories of the Mystical Body of Christ is that all can be members. We can have, in the Church, men of indomitable intellect, such as Pope Benedict XVI, as well as “simpler” souls such as St. Jean-Marie Vianney,….and all are bound by a common faith that enriches their particular gifts.

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