1950 Christmas message of Pope Pius XII.


XIX, Topt

I'lSO Ckr'ii-hy\A6 • .

1950 Christmas Message

of Pope Pius XII

National Catholic Welfare Conference

1312 Massachusetts Avenue, N. W. Washington 5, D. C.



Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2016

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Holy Father's 1950 Christmas Message to the World

Official English translation of the Annual Christmas Message

of Pope Pius XI I, broadcast to the world December 23, 1950.

I

The End of the Holy Year

A YEAR has already passed, Ven-erable Brethren, and beloved
children, since last Christmas Eve, that

memorable day when, amid the intense

expectation of the Catholic world, We
promulgated and initiated the great

Jubilee which has left a profound

mark on the life of the Church and

surpassed the most sanguine hopes.

We still seem to hear, as if it hap-
pened yesterday, the blows of the

hammer opening the sacred portal,
that has been the spiritual goal of all

nations, and to listen to the jubilant

applause of the faithful which greeted

the announcement.

At that moment the Angel of the
Lord, as it were, sped from that

sacred threshold to the four corners

of the earth to marshal and escort to

the common fatherland of the faithful
the countless throngs of pilgrims who,

yearning to be purified in the life-

giving waters of penance, eagerly

sought to bring about the great return

and to win the great pardon.

Today, the same Angel seems to

say, as of old the Archangel said to

Tobias: *Tt is time therefore that I

return to him that sent me; but bless
ye God, and publish all his wonderful

works. (Tob. 12,20).

The word "end,” which the law
of the present life imposes on all that

is dearest and most sacred and on

every event be it the most joyous and

fruitful, shall be also written on the

Holy Doors of Jubilee, leaving in our

hearts a sense at once of supreme joy

and of nostalgic regret, like to that

which accompanied the three Apostles

as they came down from Mount
Thabor.

If it is right and fitting that we
return thanks at all times and in all

places to the Father, Giver of every

good and perfect gift, how much more
fervidly tomorrow, when We have
put the seal on the Holy Door, will
there arise from Our heart and Our
lips the thanksgiving hymn which
the voices of the Catholic world will
chant in harmony with a special note
of exultation, in a thousand different

accents, yet with one sole sentiment.

Incomparable Marvel

As We pause for the last time on
the threshold trodden by the feet of
so many pilgrims who came to seek
their purification and pardon, there
will be present to Our mind, as in a
single vision, all the wonderful events
of this truly incomparable year, the
grandeur and magnificence of the great
liturgical functions, the invisible

splendors, ever so much more beauti-

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ful, of souls renewed and sanctified

in tears of repentance at the tribunal

of penance, and in tears of love at the

foot of the altar.

We shall live again in thoughts of
solemn canonization and beatification
ceremonies, the living witness of the

great achievements of human nature,
strengthened by Divine Grace and of

the numerous beneficient works to
which the Church has given birth in
every age.

We shall hear again the irrepres-
sible shouts of jubilation, the devout

prayers and hymns whose enthusiastic
chorus was re-echoed from the vaults

of the Vatican Basilica, which, being

unable to hold the ever-growing mul-

titudes took on new dimensions,
stretching forth the arms of its colon-

nades to receive them. We shall see
again in spirit Easter Sunday and the
Feast of Corpus Christi, the evening

of the canonization of St. Maria
Goretti, the morning lit with an un-
usual secret splendor when the dogma
of the Assumption of Mary was pro-
claimed. We shall see once more the
great processions of penance and pro-
pitiation which honored, through the
streets of Christian Rome, the vener-
able images of the Crucified and of the
Virgin.

There will crowd in upon Our mind
the memories of all the congresses
which have met to study the sacred
sciences and problems of the aposto-
late, the echoes of Our discourses, the
living voice of peoples throughout the

world, the Pontifical documents ad-

dressed to such a great variety of per-

sons, and especially the Encyclical
Humani Generis, and Our exhortations

to the clergy, from which we expect
the most fruitful results.

Touching Memories

There will pass before Our mind’s
eye with deep sense of loss the cher-
ished memory of your countenances,
the countenances of you, especially,
Venerable Brethren in the Episcopacy,
who flocked to Us in such imposing
numbers and listened to Our words
with such docility, and then your
countenances also, beloved sons and
daughters.

We shall never be able to forget
the expression of your eyes, even
more the motion of your lips, when
you came to confide in Us your sor-
rows and your intimate hopes. Our
heart was touched with unspeakable

emotion every time We descended into
the midst of Our dear Christian peo-
ple.

No anxiety, no weariness was ever
able to prevent Us from satisfying your
earnest desire, or make Us omit Our
meetings with you. To admit you into
Our presence, or rather to expect you
and to long for you, was more a need
of Our heart than a duty of Our pas-
toral oflice. Every time We delayed in
saluting you, calling out your names
by nations, by dioceses, by parishes and
by groups. We wished, as it were, to
gather all your words, all your prayers

which you desired to have pass through
Our hands in order to present them
to Jesus.

How We would have then wished to
press all of you to Our heart, to
make known to all how We returned
tenderness with tenderness, and instill
a word of confidence and of hope into

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all your hearts—into your hearts espe-
cially, beloved of Jesus and Ourselves,
the poor and sick, who on some days
formed the most beautiful adornment

of the Vatican Basilica, and in whom
We have always seen the richest and
most precious treasure of the Qiurch.

The Discovery of the Tomb of the
Prince of the Apostles

If, however, during the Holy Year
the Confession of St. Peter in the Vati-

can has been the witness and center of
such impressive manifestations of the

unity of Catholics of the entire world
in faith and in love, the glory of this
sacred place has been increased also

in another respect: the excavations be-

neath the same Confession, at least in
as much as they concern the tomb of
the Apostle (explorations which have
been the object of Our thoughtful at-
tention from the first months of Our
Pontificate)

,
and their scientific exami-

nation have been brought to a happy
conclusion in the course of this Jubilee
Year. In a very short time, a docu-
mented work will be published which
will bring to the knowledge of the
public the results of these explorations,

which have been carried out with the
greatest care.

This work has had most fruitful and
important results. But the essential
question is this: has the tomb of St.
Peter really been found? To that
uestion the answer is beyond all
oubt: Yes. The tomb of the Prince

of the Apostles has been found. Such
is the final conclusion after all the

labor and study of these years.

A second question, subordinate to
the first, refers to the relics of St. Peter.

Have they been found? At the side of
the tomb, the remains of human bones
have been found. However, it is im-

possible to prove with certainty that

they belong to the body of the Apostle.
This still leaves intact the historical

reality of the tomb itself. The im-
mense dome rises directly over the
tomb of the first Bishop of Rome, the
first Pope. The tomb was originally
very modest, but the veneration of

centuries has erected over it, in a re-

markable sequence of architectural and
artistic achievements, the greatest

church in Christendom.

II

Fruitful Results of the
Holy Year

But the millions of people, gathered

here at the center of Catholicity from
the four points of the compass, to take

part in this world event of the Holy
Year, to gain the Jubilee indulgence,

to strengthen themselves in the cleans-

ing of purification and sanctification,

to draw with joy, from_ as close to the
source as possible, graces from the
Saviour’s fountains (Is. 12, 3)—shall
they perhaps be satisfied merely to

return to their native lands as privi-

leged ones among the hundreds of
millions who have not been able to
enjoy such a favor? Shall they merely

relate to their neighbors the wonderful
things they have seen ?

Shall they merely seek refuge in

these happy memories from the grim
realities of life, that were forgotten
for a moment? No ! Now they must
be convinced of the mission which is
theirs, an honor and at the same time
a responsibility, to become among their

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fellow Christians, heralds and propa-

gators of the spirit with which their

hearts overflow.

As a tree in the garden of the
Father of the Family, the Holy Year

has flowered magnificently. And if
its flowers, at the year’s close, drop

their petals to the ground, it is only

that the fruit may grow and mature.
For it is necessary that this fruit should

grow and mature! The world hun-
gers and thirsts for it, while its living

conditions, with all the material and

spiritual misery involved, are far in-

deed from giving men the legitimate
satisfactions they seek. The needs and
anxieties of each day completely ab-

sorb the energies of so many hearts,
which no longer find time, leisure, or
inclination to devote to the things of

the spirit even that minimum which is
the essential duty of every Christian.

Even in those places where the
secular and regular clergy, aided by
the whole-hearted collaboration of the

laity, have quickened Christian life,

even there the number of Christians
who are spiritually undernourished,
enervated and vacillating in their faith,

is such that the Church in her ma-
ternal solicitude can not but be con-

cerned.

To arouse these sons of the Church
from their easy-going but dangerous
lethargy is the urgent task which now
confronts the Catholic Apostolate.

Obstacles to the Apostolate
OF THE Church

Every attentive observer who knows
how to consider and evaluate the
present situation in its concrete reality

must be struck by the serious obstacles

which oppose the Apostolate of the
Church. Like a mass of molten lava,
which gradually flows down the side
of a volcano, the destructive tide of

the spirit of this world advances
threateningly and spreads into every
sphere of life and into every class of
society.

Its progress and its intensity, as
well as its effects, vary from coimtry
to country, ranging from a more or
less conscious disregard of the social

influence of the Church, to a systematic

distrust, which imder some types of
government takes the form of open
hostility and downright persecution.

We have full confidence that Our
beloved sons and daughters will have

the clarity of vision and the courage to

face and to fulfill with resolution the

responsibilities arising from such a

situation. Without harshness, but also

without weakness, they will endeavor

to dissipate the prejudices and sus-

picions of not a few who have been
deceived, but who are still open to a
peaceful argument based on facts, they
will convince them that, far from there
being any conflict between loyalty to

the Church and devotion to the inter-

ests and well-being of the people and

the state, between these two lands of
duties, which a true Christian must

ever keep in mind, there exists an

intimate union and perfect harmony.

Here We deliberately pass over in
silence some recent discord that has
arisen between Catholics and those

belonging to other religious groups

and which has regrettably found an

echo in political discussions. We
should like to believe that beyond

these no less unpleasant than harmful

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controversies there are to be found in

all non-Catholic groups men and wom-
en of good will who, fully realizing

the dangers threatening the sacred heri-

tage of the Christian Faith, cherish

in their hearts thoughts of other than

those of fraternal dissension and dis-

cord.

A Notable Absence
If any one should be tempted to

lose sight of this need and duty, let

him turn his gaze—as far as this is
possible—towards what is happening
in some countries that are encircled

about, as it were, with a wall of iron,

and see to what state they are reduced

as regards their spiritual and religious

life.

He would there see millions of
his Catholic brethren, men and women,
linked together by ancient and sacred

traditions of fidelity to Christ and of

filial union with this Apostolic See; he

would see nations whose heroic actions

in preserving and defending the Faith

are written indelibly in the annals of

the Church’s history. He would see
them, We say, frequently deprived of
civil rights and of their personal liberty

and security, cut off from every vital,

safe and sure means of communicating

with the center of Christianity, even

in the most intimate matters of con-

science
;
and all the while there weighs

on them the anxiety of feeling almost

alone and at times of believing that

they are abandoned!

Underneath Michaelangelo’s dome,

where the voice of pilgrims from every

free country resounded as they sang in

most varied tongues the same expres-

sions of faith and the same hymns of

joy, their place was empty. What a

void it was and what a sorrow for

the heart of the Common Father and
for the hearts of all the faithful united

together in the very same belief and
in one and the same love. But they,
though absent, were, in fact, all the

more present when in those countless
throngs, conscious of their Catholic

faith, there seemed to be but one heart
and one soul thus forming a mysterious
but very real unity.

To all these confessors of Christ,
who are unjustly bound either by
visible or invisible fetters, who are
suffering contumely for the name of
Jesus (Acts 5, 41) at the end of this
Holy Year, We gratefully send from
Our heart Our paternal greeting. May
it reach them notwithstanding the
walls of their prisons, and the barbed
wire of their concentration and forced
labor camps, out there in those far off

regions which are shut off from the
gaze of free men and over which a
veil of silence is drawn, but which will
not, however, escape the final judg-

ment of God nor the impartial verdict
of history.

In the most sweet Name of Jesus,
We exhort them to support generous-
ly their sufferings and humiliations
with which they make a contribution
of inestimable value to the great cru-

sade of prayer and penance which will
begin with the extension of the Holy
Year to the whole world.

With a magnanimous outpouring of
charity in keeping with the example of

Christ, the Apostles and the true

followers of the Redeemer, may their
prayers and Ours include even those

who are today amid the ranks of the
persecutors.

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Ill

Peace Within Nations

Now, if we look towards the future,
the first urgent problem that presents
itself is peace within every country.

Unfortunately the struggle for life, the

concern to earn a living, divides into

opposing groups even those who in-
habit the same country and are sons
of the same fatherland. Those on
either side want, and rightly so, to be
considered and treated in social life not
as mere chattels but as persons with
human dignity, especially in matters
regarding the state and the national
economy.

For this reason We have repeatedly
and with ever greater insistence pro-

claimed the fight against unemploy-

ment and the striving after a sound

social security as an indispensable con-

dition if all members of a nation, both
high and low, are to be united in a

single corporate body.

But he who selfishly sees today in
the groups that oppose his own per-
sonal interests, the source of every

difficulty and an obstacle to recovery

and progress—how could he dare to
flatter himself that he is serving the

cause of peace in his country?

Certain organi2ations, in order to

protect the interests of their own mem-
bers, no longer appeal to the laws of

justice and the common good but de-
pend on the organized members of

their followers and the weakness of

their opponents, who do not happen to
be so well organized, or who always
strive to subordinate the use of force

to the laws of justice and the common
good. How can such organizations

dare to flatter themselves that they are

promoting the cause of civil peace?

A nation cannot expect to enjoy
peace within its own boundaries except
on certain conditions. Governors and

governed, leaders and followers, must

not defend their own social interests
and their particular opinions with ob-

stinacy and short-sightedness, but

should learn to take a more compre-
hensive view of things and make their
aim the good of all. If it is regretted
in some countries that there is a de-
plorable lack of participation in public

life on the part of the younger genera-
tion, perhaps the reason is that the

younger generation sees too little or

too seldom the shining and attractive
example of men such as we have de-
scribed here.

Beneath the surface, then, of un-

questionable difficulties in the political

and economic sphere, there is hidden
a more serious evil of a spiritual and
moral character. It is evidenced by

the number of men with narrow minds
and mean spirits, of egoists and "go-
getters,” of those who follow fortune’s
favorites, who let themselves be
swayed, whether from illusion or
cowardice, by the spectacle of huge
mobs, the shouting of opinions, and the
intoxication of excitement. Left to

themselves, these would not take one
step forward, would not, as is the duty
of true Christians, advance unwaver-

ingly towards the light of the eternal

principles, under the guidance of the
Spirit of God and with unshakable
faith in His Divine Providence. Here-

in is to be found the true and deepest
source of human misery.

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Like a termite in the woodwork of a
house, this evil gnaws away at the
heart of nations and before it makes

its presence known exteriorly, it ren-
ders them unfit for their mission in life.
Thus the foundations of the industrial
and capitalistic system have undergone

essential changes, that after a long

period of preparation, have been accel-

erated by the war. Peoples that have

known subjection for centuries are win-
ning their way to independence, others
who till now have been in a privileged
position strive by new means and old
to maintain it. The thirst for social
security, that is ever growing in inten-

sity and extent, is but a symptom of the
present state of society in the various

countries, where many things that once
seemed traditionally solid have become
unreliable and uncertain.

Why, then, does not this common
uncertainty and doubt, arising from

present circumstances, create a certain

solidarity among the peoples in differ-
ent countries? Is not the interest of

employer and employed in this respect

identical? Is it not true in every

country that industrial and agricultural

production are now more than ever
linked together on account of the re-

ciprocal influence they exert one upon
the other? And you, you who remain
insensible to the hardships suffered by

the wandering and homeless refugees,

should you not have a fellow-feeling

for him whose unhappy lot today may
well be yours tomorrow?

Why should not this solidarity
among all those peoples who are rest-
less and in danger become for all the
secure way leading to safety? Why
should not this spirit of solidarity be

the basis of the natural social order in

its three essentials—the family, proper-
ty and the state—and make these ele-
ments collaborate in one organic whole

that is adapted to present conditions?

These present conditions are, after all,

despite all their inherent difficulties, a

gift of God. Why should they not
conduce to the strengthening of the

Christian spirit?

IV

International Peace

The real danger to international, as
well as national, peace is the presence

of men who are bereft of this Christian
sense. Some have been deceived by
the past, others are fanatically bent

on attaining some Utopia of the fu-
ture. In every case, they are dissatis-

fied with the present.

We do not wish to speak here of a
foreign aggressor who is proud of his
power and scorns every duty of justice
and charity. He finds, however, in
national crises and the lack of unity
within nations as regards spiritual and
moral matters, a powerful weapon and,
as it were, an auxiliary force inside the
country itself.

It is necessary, then, that nations

should not be led by motives of prestige

or antiquated ideas, and so create po-
litical and economic difficulties against
the strengthening of the national forces

of other countries, while they ignore

or take no thought for the common
peril.

It is necessary that they should un-

derstand that their natural and most

faithful allies are to be found among
those countries where Christian

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thought, or at least faith in God, have
an influence even in public life. They
should not make their only considera-
tion some supposed national or politi-
cal interest that neglects or overlooks

profound differences in fundamental
concepts of the world and of life.

The reason why We utter these
warnings is the ambiguous and irreso-
lute attitude which We see adopted by
some true lovers of peace in face of
such a grave peril. And because We
have at heart the good of all nations.
We believe that the close union of all
peoples who are masters of their own
destiny and who are united by senti-
ments of reciprocal trust and mutual
assistance is the sole means for the de-
fense of peace and the best guarantee
of its re-establishment.

Unfortunately, in these past weeks
the cleavage which in the external
world divides the entire international
community into opposite camps grows
constantly deeper, placing in jeopardy

the peace of the world. Never has
the history of mankind known a dis-
sension of greater magnitude. It reaches

to the very ends of the earth. If a

regrettable conflict should occur today,

weapons would prove so destructive as
to make the earth “void and empty’’
(Gen. 1, 2), a desolate chaos, like to

a desert over which the sun is not ris-
ing, but setting. All nations would
be convulsed, and among the citizens
of the same country, the conflict would
have manifold repercussions. It would
place in extreme peril all its civil insti-

tutions and spiritual values, seeing that
the conflict now embraces all the most
difficult problems which normally
would be discussed separately.

The grim and threatening danger
imperiously demands, by reason of its

gravity, that we make the most of every
opportune circumstance to bring about

the triumph of wisdom and justice
under the standard of concord and

peace. Let it be used to revive senti-

ments of goodness and compassion

towards all peoples whose one sincere
aspiration is to live in peace and tran-

quility. Let mutual trust, which pre-

supposes sincere intentions and honest

discussions, return to rule over inter-

national organizations. Away with the
barriers! Break down the barbed wire
fences! Let each people be free to

know the life of other peoples, let
that segregation of some countries from
the rest of the civilized world, so

dangerous to the cause of peace, be

abolished.

Solicitude of the Church for the
Peace of the World

How earnestly the Church desires to
smooth the way for these friendly rela-
tions among peoples! For her East
and West do not represent opposite
ideals, but share a common heritage, to
which both have generously contrib-

uted, and to which both are called to

contribute in the future also. By virtue
of her Divine Mission she is Mother to
all peoples, and a faithful ally and

wise guide to all who seek peace.

An Utter Injustice
Nevertheless there are some, and

they are well known, who accuse Us
quite unjustly of wanting war, and of

collaborating to this end with “im-

perialistic” powers, who, they say, place

their hopes rather in the power of
destructive weapons of war than in

10



the practice of justice.

What else can We answer to this
bitter calumny except: Sift the troubled

12 years of Our Pontificate; weigh
every word that Our lips have utter^,
every sentence Our pen has written;
you will find in them only appeals
for peace.

Recall especially the historic month
of August, 1939. At a time when the
prospect of a disastrous world war
was growing ever more terrible, from
the banks of Lake Albano We raised
Our voice, entreating, in the Name of
God, governments and peoples to
settle their disputes by mutual and
sincere agreements. Nothing is lost
by peace. We exclaimed, everything
can be lost by war.

Try to consider this with a calm
and honest mind, and you must rec-
ognixe that if in this world, tom by
conflicting interests, there is still left

any secure haven where the dove of
peace can tranquilly come to rest, it is
here in this place hallowed by the
blood of the Apostles and of the
Martyrs; here where the Vicar of
Christ knows no duty more sacred, nor
mission more gratifying than that of
being the unwearied advocate of peace.

Thus We have acted in the past;
thus We shall act in the future, for
as long as it shall please the Divine
Founder of the Church to leave on
Our frail shoulders the dignity and

the burden of Supreme Pastor.

Invitation to Pray

The way leading to true peace is
long and hard, and impeded by briers
and thorns. However, the great ma-

jority of men are ready to make the
sacrifice in order to be preserved from
the catastrophe of new war. Still, the
undertaking is so great and merely
human means so ineffective, that We
turn Our gaze to Heaven and raise Our
hands in supplication to Him Who
from the Glory of the Divinity came
down to our level and became "one
of us."

The power of the Saviour, Who
moves the hearts of rulers wherever
He wills, like the streams of water
whose course He regulates (Cf, Prov.
21, 1), can still the tempest that tosses

the bark, when not only the companions
of Peter are alarmed, but the whole
human race. However, it is the sacred
duty of the Church’s children to im-
plore with their prayers and sacrifices
the Lord of the World, Jesus Christ,
God blessed forever (Rom. 9, 5), to
command the winds and the sea, and
grant to harassed humanity the great
calm (Matt. 8, 26) of true peace.

With these sentiments We impart
from Our heart to you, beloved sons
and daughters, and to all who listen to
Our voice throughout the world, the
Apostolic Benediction.

I"]