CASTI CONNUBII
ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS XI
ON CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE
TO THE VENERABLE BRETHREN, PATRIARCHS,
PRIMATES, ARCHBISHOPS, BISHOPS, AND OTHER LOCAL ORDINARIES
ENJOYING PEACE AND COMMUNION WITH THE APOSTOLIC SEE.
Venerable Brethren and Beloved Children,
Health and Apostolic Benediction.
How
great is the dignity of chaste wedlock, Venerable Brethren, may be judged
best from this that Christ Our Lord, Son of the Eternal Father, having assumed
the nature of fallen man, not only, with His loving desire of compassing
the redemption of our race, ordained it in an especial manner as the principle
and foundation of domestic society and therefore of all human intercourse,
but also raised it to the rank of a truly and great sacrament of the New
Law, restored it to the original purity of its divine institution, and accordingly
entrusted all its discipline and care to His spouse the Church.
2.
In order, however, that amongst men of every nation and every age the desired
fruits may be obtained from this renewal of matrimony, it is necessary, first
of all, that men's minds be illuminated with the true doctrine of Christ regarding
it; and secondly, that Christian spouses, the weakness of their wills strengthened
by the internal grace of God, shape all their ways of thinking and of acting
in conformity with that pure law of Christ so as to obtain true peace and
happiness for themselves and for their families.
3.
Yet not only do We, looking with paternal eye on the universal world from
this Apostolic See as from a watch-tower, but you, also, Venerable Brethren,
see, and seeing deeply grieve with Us that a great number of men, forgetful
of that divine work of redemption, either entirely ignore or shamelessly
deny the great sanctity of Christian wedlock, or relying on the false principles
of a new and utterly perverse morality, too often trample it under foot.
And since these most pernicious errors and depraved morals have begun to
spread even amongst the faithful and are gradually gaining ground, in Our
office as Christ's Vicar upon earth and Supreme Shepherd and Teacher We consider
it Our duty to raise Our voice to keep the flock committed to Our care from
poisoned pastures and, as far as in Us lies, to preserve it from harm.
4.
We have decided therefore to speak to you, Venerable Brethren, and through
you to the whole Church of Christ and indeed to the whole human race, on
the nature and dignity of Christian marriage, on the advantages and benefits
which accrue from it to the family and to human society itself, on the errors
contrary to this most important point of the Gospel teaching, on the vices
opposed to conjugal union, and lastly on the principal remedies to be applied.
In so doing We follow the footsteps of Our predecessor, Leo XIII, of happy
memory, whose Encyclical Arcanum,[1] published fifty years ago, We
hereby confirm and make Our own, and while We wish to expound more fully
certain points called for by the circumstances of our times, nevertheless
We declare that, far from being obsolete, it retains its full force at the
present day.
5.
And to begin with that same Encyclical, which is wholly concerned in vindicating
the divine institution of matrimony, its sacramental dignity, and its perpetual
stability, let it be repeated as an immutable and inviolable fundamental
doctrine that matrimony was not instituted or restored by man but by God;
not by man were the laws made to strengthen and confirm and elevate it but
by God, the Author of nature, and by Christ Our Lord by Whom nature was redeemed,
and hence these laws cannot be subject to any human decrees or to any contrary
pact even of the spouses themselves. This is the doctrine of Holy Scripture;[2]
this is the constant tradition of the Universal Church; this the solemn definition
of the sacred Council of Trent, which declares and establishes from the words
of Holy Writ itself that God is the Author of the perpetual stability of
the marriage bond, its unity and its firmness.[3]
6.
Yet although matrimony is of its very nature of divine institution, the human
will, too, enters into it and performs a most noble part. For each individual
marriage, inasmuch as it is a conjugal union of a particular man and woman,
arises only from the free consent of each of the spouses; and this free act
of the will, by which each party hands over and accepts those rights proper
to the state of marriage,[4] is so necessary to constitute true marriage
that it cannot be supplied by any human power.[5] This freedom, however,
regards only the question whether the contracting parties really wish to
enter upon matrimony or to marry this particular person; but the nature of
matrimony is entirely independent of the free will of man, so that if one
has once contracted matrimony he is thereby subject to its divinely made
laws and its essential properties. For the Angelic Doctor, writing on conjugal
honor and on the offspring which is the fruit of marriage, says: "These things
are so contained in matrimony by the marriage pact itself that, if anything
to the contrary were expressed in the consent which makes the marriage, it
would not be a true marriage."[6]
7.
By matrimony, therefore, the souls of the contracting parties are joined and
knit together more directly and more intimately than are their bodies, and
that not by any passing affection of sense of spirit, but by a deliberate
and firm act of the will; and from this union of souls by God's decree, a
sacred and inviolable bond arises. Hence the nature of this contract, which
is proper and peculiar to it alone, makes it entirely different both from
the union of animals entered into by the blind instinct of nature alone in
which neither reason nor free will plays a part, and also from the haphazard
unions of men, which are far removed from all true and honorable unions of
will and enjoy none of the rights of family life.
8.
From this it is clear that legitimately constituted authority has the right
and therefore the duty to restrict, to prevent, and to punish those base unions
which are opposed to reason and to nature; but since it is a matter which
flows from human nature itself, no less certain is the teaching of Our predecessor,
Leo XIII of happy memory:[7] "In choosing a state of life there is no doubt
but that it is in the power and discretion of each one to prefer one or the
other: either to embrace the counsel of virginity given by Jesus Christ,
or to bind himself in the bonds of matrimony. To take away from man the natural
and primeval right of marriage, to circumscribe in any way the principal
ends of marriage laid down in the beginning by God Himself in the words 'Increase
and multiply,'[8] is beyond the power of any human law."
9.
Therefore the sacred partnership of true marriage is constituted both by the
will of God and the will of man. From God comes the very institution of marriage,
the ends for which it was instituted, the laws that govern it, the blessings
that flow from it; while man, through generous surrender of his own person
made to another for the whole span of life, becomes, with the help and cooperation
of God, the author of each particular marriage, with the duties and blessings
annexed thereto from divine institution.
10.
Now when We come to explain, Venerable Brethren, what are the blessings that
God has attached to true matrimony, and how great they are, there occur to
Us the words of that illustrious Doctor of the Church whom We commemorated
recently in Our Encyclical Ad salutem on the occasion of the fifteenth
centenary of his death:[9] "These," says St. Augustine, "are all the blessings
of matrimony on account of which matrimony itself is a blessing; offspring,
conjugal faith and the sacrament."[10] And how under these three heads is
contained a splendid summary of the whole doctrine of Christian marriage,
the holy Doctor himself expressly declares when he said: "By conjugal faith
it is provided that there should be no carnal intercourse outside the marriage
bond with another man or woman; with regard to offspring, that children should
be begotten of love, tenderly cared for and educated in a religious atmosphere;
finally, in its sacramental aspect that the marriage bond should not be broken
and that a husband or wife, if separated, should not be joined to another
even for the sake of offspring. This we regard as the law of marriage by
which the fruitfulness of nature is adorned and the evil of incontinence
is restrained."[11]
11.
Thus amongst the blessings of marriage, the child holds the first place. And
indeed the Creator of the human race Himself, Who in His goodness wishes
to use men as His helpers in the propagation of life, taught this when, instituting
marriage in Paradise, He said to our first parents, and through them to all
future spouses: "Increase and multiply, and fill the earth."[12] As St. Augustine
admirably deduces from the words of the holy Apostle Saint Paul to Timothy[13]
when he says: "The Apostle himself is therefore a witness that marriage is
for the sake of generation: 'I wish,' he says, 'young girls to marry.' And,
as if someone said to him, 'Why?,' he immediately adds: 'To bear children,
to be mothers of families'."[14]
12.
How great a boon of God this is, and how great a blessing of matrimony is
clear from a consideration of man's dignity and of his sublime end. For man
surpasses all other visible creatures by the superiority of his rational
nature alone. Besides, God wishes men to be born not only that they should
live and fill the earth, but much more that they may be worshippers of God,
that they may know Him and love Him and finally enjoy Him for ever in heaven;
and this end, since man is raised by God in a marvelous way to the supernatural
order, surpasses all that eye hath seen, and ear heard, and all that hath
entered into the heart of man.[15] From which it is easily seen how great
a gift of divine goodness and how remarkable a fruit of marriage are children
born by the omnipotent power of God through the cooperation of those bound
in wedlock.
13.
But Christian parents must also understand that they are destined not only
to propagate and preserve the human race on earth, indeed not only to educate
any kind of worshippers of the true God, but children who are to become members
of the Church of Christ, to raise up fellow-citizens of the Saints, and members
of God's household,[16] that the worshippers of God and Our Savior may daily
increase.
14.
For although Christian spouses even if sanctified themselves cannot transmit
sanctification to their progeny, nay, although the very natural process of
generating life has become the way of death by which original sin is passed
on to posterity, nevertheless, they share to some extent in the blessings
of that primeval marriage of Paradise, since it is theirs to offer their
offspring to the Church in order that by this most fruitful Mother of the
children of God they may be regenerated through the laver of Baptism unto
supernatural justice and finally be made living members of Christ, partakers
of immortal life, and heirs of that eternal glory to which we all aspire
from our inmost heart.
15.
If a true Christian mother weigh well these things, she will indeed understand
with a sense of deep consolation that of her the words of Our Savior were
spoken: "A woman . . . when she hath brought forth the child remembereth
no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world";[17] and
proving herself superior to all the pains and cares and solicitudes of her
maternal office with a more just and holy joy than that of the Roman matron,
the mother of the Gracchi, she will rejoice in the Lord crowned as it were
with the glory of her offspring. Both husband and wife, however, receiving
these children with joy and gratitude from the hand of God, will regard them
as a talent committed to their charge by God, not only to be employed for
their own advantage or for that of an earthly commonwealth, but to be restored
to God with interest on the day of reckoning.
16.
The blessing of offspring, however, is not completed by the mere begetting
of them, but something else must be added, namely the proper education of
the offspring. For the most wise God would have failed to make sufficient
provision for children that had been born, and so for the whole human race,
if He had not given to those to whom He had entrusted the power and right
to beget them, the power also and the right to educate them. For no one can
fail to see that children are incapable of providing wholly for themselves,
even in matters pertaining to their natural life, and much less in those
pertaining to the supernatural, but require for many years to be helped,
instructed, and educated by others. Now it is certain that both by the law
of nature and of God this right and duty of educating their offspring belongs
in the first place to those who began the work of nature by giving them birth,
and they are indeed forbidden to leave unfinished this work and so expose
it to certain ruin. But in matrimony provision has been made in the best
possible way for this education of children that is so necessary, for, since
the parents are bound together by an indissoluble bond, the care and mutual
help of each is always at hand.
17.
Since, however, We have spoken fully elsewhere on the Christian education
of youth,[18] let Us sum it all up by quoting once more the words of St. Augustine:
"As regards the offspring it is provided that they should be begotten lovingly
and educated religiously,"[19] - and this is also expressed succinctly in
the Code of Canon Law - "The primary end of marriage is the procreation and
the education of children."[20]
18.
Nor must We omit to remark, in fine, that since the duty entrusted to parents
for the good of their children is of such high dignity and of such great importance,
every use of the faculty given by God for the procreation of new life is
the right and the privilege of the married state alone, by the law of God
and of nature, and must be confined absolutely within the sacred limits of
that state.
19.
The second blessing of matrimony which We said was mentioned by St. Augustine,
is the blessing of conjugal honor which consists in the mutual fidelity of
the spouses in fulfilling the marriage contract, so that what belongs to
one of the parties by reason of this contract sanctioned by divine law, may
not be denied to him or permitted to any third person; nor may there be conceded
to one of the parties anything which, being contrary to the rights and laws
of God and entirely opposed to matrimonial faith, can never be conceded.
20.
Wherefore, conjugal faith, or honor, demands in the first place the complete
unity of matrimony which the Creator Himself laid down in the beginning when
He wished it to be not otherwise than between one man and one woman. And although
afterwards this primeval law was relaxed to some extent by God, the Supreme
Legislator, there is no doubt that the law of the Gospel fully restored that
original and perfect unity, and abrogated all dispensations as the words
of Christ and the constant teaching and action of the Church show plainly.
With reason, therefore, does the Sacred Council of Trent solemnly declare:
"Christ Our Lord very clearly taught that in this bond two persons only are
to be united and joined together when He said: 'Therefore they are no longer
two, but one flesh'."[21]
21.
Nor did Christ Our Lord wish only to condemn any form of polygamy or polyandry,
as they are called, whether successive or simultaneous, and every other external
dishonorable act, but, in order that the sacred bonds of marriage may be
guarded absolutely inviolate, He forbade also even willful thoughts and desires
of such like things: "But I say to you, that whosoever shall look on a woman
to lust after her hath already committed adultery with her in his heart."[22]
Which words of Christ Our Lord cannot be annulled even by the consent of
one of the partners of marriage for they express a law of God and of nature
which no will of man can break or bend.[23]
22.
Nay, that mutual familiar intercourse between the spouses themselves, if the
blessing of conjugal faith is to shine with becoming splendor, must be distinguished
by chastity so that husband and wife bear themselves in all things with the
law of God and of nature, and endeavor always to follow the will of their
most wise and holy Creator with the greatest reverence toward the work of
God.
23.
This conjugal faith, however, which is most aptly called by St. Augustine
the "faith of chastity" blooms more freely, more beautifully and more nobly,
when it is rooted in that more excellent soil, the love of husband and wife
which pervades all the duties of married life and holds pride of place in
Christian marriage. For matrimonial faith demands that husband and wife be
joined in an especially holy and pure love, not as adulterers love each other,
but as Christ loved the Church. This precept the Apostle laid down when he
said: "Husbands, love your wives as Christ also loved the Church,"[24] that
Church which of a truth He embraced with a boundless love not for the sake
of His own advantage, but seeking only the good of His Spouse.[25] The love,
then, of which We are speaking is not that based on the passing lust of the
moment nor does it consist in pleasing words only, but in the deep attachment
of the heart which is expressed in action, since love is proved by deeds.[26]
This outward expression of love in the home demands not only mutual help
but must go further; must have as its primary purpose that man and wife help
each other day by day in forming and perfecting themselves in the interior
life, so that through their partnership in life they may advance ever more
and more in virtue, and above all that they may grow in true love toward
God and their neighbor, on which indeed "dependeth the whole Law and the
Prophets."[27] For all men of every condition, in whatever honorable walk
of life they may be, can and ought to imitate that most perfect example of
holiness placed before man by God, namely Christ Our Lord, and by God's grace
to arrive at the summit of perfection, as is proved by the example set us
of many saints.
24.
This mutual molding of husband and wife, this determined effort to perfect
each other, can in a very real sense, as the Roman Catechism teaches, be said
to be the chief reason and purpose of matrimony, provided matrimony be looked
at not in the restricted sense as instituted for the proper conception and
education of the child, but more widely as the blending of life as a whole
and the mutual interchange and sharing thereof.
25.
By this same love it is necessary that all the other rights and duties of
the marriage state be regulated as the words of the Apostle: "Let the husband
render the debt to the wife, and the wife also in like manner to the husband,"[28]
express not only a law of justice but of charity.
26.
Domestic society being confirmed, therefore, by this bond of love, there should
flourish in it that "order of love," as St. Augustine calls it. This order
includes both the primacy of the husband with regard to the wife and children,
the ready subjection of the wife and her willing obedience, which the Apostle
commends in these words: "Let women be subject to their husbands as to the
Lord, because the husband is the head of the wife, and Christ is the head
of the Church."[29]
27.
This subjection, however, does not deny or take away the liberty which fully
belongs to the woman both in view of her dignity as a human person, and in
view of her most noble office as wife and mother and companion; nor does
it bid her obey her husband's every request if not in harmony with right
reason or with the dignity due to wife; nor, in fine, does it imply that
the wife should be put on a level with those persons who in law are called
minors, to whom it is customary to allow free exercise of their rights on
account of their lack of mature judgment, or of their ignorance of human
affairs. But it forbids that exaggerated liberty which cares not for the
good of the family; it forbids that in this body which is the family, the
heart be separated from the head to the great detriment of the whole body
and the proximate danger of ruin. For if the man is the head, the woman is
the heart, and as he occupies the chief place in ruling, so she may and ought
to claim for herself the chief place in love.
28.
Again, this subjection of wife to husband in its degree and manner may vary
according to the different conditions of persons, place and time. In fact,
if the husband neglect his duty, it falls to the wife to take his place in
directing the family. But the structure of the family and its fundamental
law, established and confirmed by God, must always and everywhere be maintained
intact .
29.
With great wisdom Our predecessor Leo XIII, of happy memory, in the Encyclical
on Christian marriage which We have already mentioned, speaking of this order
to be maintained between man and wife, teaches: "The man is the ruler of
the family, and the head of the woman; but because she is flesh of his flesh
and bone of his bone, let her be subject and obedient to the man, not as
a servant but as a companion, so that nothing be lacking of honor or of dignity
in the obedience which she pays. Let divine charity be the constant guide
of their mutual relations, both in him who rules and in her who obeys, since
each bears the image, the one of Christ, the other of the Church."[30]
30.
These, then, are the elements which compose the blessing of conjugal faith:
unity, chastity, charity, honorable noble obedience, which are at the same
time an enumeration of the benefits which are bestowed on husband and wife
in their married state, benefits by which the peace, the dignity and the happiness
of matrimony are securely preserved and fostered. Wherefore it is not surprising
that this conjugal faith has always been counted amongst the most priceless
and special blessings of matrimony.
31.
But this accumulation of benefits is completed and, as it were, crowned by
that blessing of Christian marriage which in the words of St. Augustine we
have called the sacrament, by which is denoted both the indissolubility of
the bond and the raising and hallowing of the contract by Christ Himself,
whereby He made it an efficacious sign of grace.
32.
In the first place Christ Himself lays stress on the indissolubility and firmness
of the marriage bond when He says: "What God hath joined together let no
man put asunder,"[31] and: "Everyone that putteth away his wife and marrieth
another committeth adultery, and he that marrieth her that is put away from
her husband committeth adultery."[32]
33.
And St. Augustine clearly places what he calls the blessing of matrimony in
this indissolubility when he says: "In the sacrament it is provided that the
marriage bond should not be broken, and that a husband or wife, if separated,
should not be joined to another even for the sake of offspring."[33]
34.
And this inviolable stability, although not in the same perfect measure in
every case, belongs to every true marriage, for the word of the Lord: "What
God hath joined together let no man put asunder," must of necessity include
all true marriages without exception, since it was spoken of the marriage
of our first parents, the prototype of every future marriage. Therefore although
before Christ the sublimeness and the severity of the primeval law was so
tempered that Moses permitted to the chosen people of God on account of the
hardness of their hearts that a bill of divorce might be given in certain
circumstances, nevertheless, Christ, by virtue of His supreme legislative
power, recalled this concession of greater liberty and restored the primeval
law in its integrity by those words which must never be forgotten, "What
God hath joined together let no man put asunder." Wherefore, Our predecessor
Pius VI of happy memory, writing to the Bishop of Agria, most wisely said:
"Hence it is clear that marriage even in the state of nature, and certainly
long before it was raised to the dignity of a sacrament, was divinely instituted
in such a way that it should carry with it a perpetual and indissoluble bond
which cannot therefore be dissolved by any civil law. Therefore although
the sacramental element may be absent from a marriage as is the case among
unbelievers, still in such a marriage, inasmuch as it is a true marriage
there must remain and indeed there does remain that perpetual bond which
by divine right is so bound up with matrimony from its first institution that
it is not subject to any civil power. And so, whatever marriage is said to
be contracted, either it is so contracted that it is really a true marriage,
in which case it carries with it that enduring bond which by divine right
is inherent in every true marriage; or it is thought to be contracted without
that perpetual bond, and in that case there is no marriage, but an illicit
union opposed of its very nature to the divine law, which therefore cannot
be entered into or maintained."[34]
35.
And if this stability seems to be open to exception, however rare the exception
may be, as in the case of certain natural marriages between unbelievers,
or amongst Christians in the case of those marriages which though valid have
not been consummated, that exception does not depend on the will of men nor
on that of any merely human power, but on divine law, of which the only guardian
and interpreter is the Church of Christ. However, not even this power can
ever affect for any cause whatsoever a Christian marriage which is valid
and has been consummated, for as it is plain that here the marriage contract
has its full completion, so, by the will of God, there is also the greatest
firmness and indissolubility which may not be destroyed by any human authority.
36.
If we wish with all reverence to inquire into the intimate reason of this
divine decree, Venerable Brethren, we shall easily see it in the mystical
signification of Christian marriage which is fully and perfectly verified
in consummated marriage between Christians. For, as the Apostle says in his
Epistle to the Ephesians,[35] the marriage of Christians recalls that most
perfect union which exists between Christ and the Church: "Sacramentum hoc
magnum est, ego autem dico, in Christo et in ecclesia;" which union, as long
as Christ shall live and the Church through Him, can never be dissolved by
any separation. And this St. Augustine clearly declares in these words: "This
is safeguarded in Christ and the Church, which, living with Christ who lives
for ever may never be divorced from Him. The observance of this sacrament
is such in the City of God . . . that is, in the Church of Christ, that when
for the sake of begetting children, women marry or are taken to wife, it
is wrong to leave a wife that is sterile in order to take another by whom
children may be hand. Anyone doing this is guilty of adultery, just as if
he married another, guilty not by the law of the day, according to which
when one's partner is put away another may be taken, which the Lord allowed
in the law of Moses because of the hardness of the hearts of the people of
Israel; but by the law of the Gospel."[36]
37.
Indeed, how many and how important are the benefits which flow from the indissolubility
of matrimony cannot escape anyone who gives even a brief consideration either
to the good of the married parties and the offspring or to the welfare of
human society. First of all, both husband and wife possess a positive guarantee
of the endurance of this stability which that generous yielding of their
persons and the intimate fellowship of their hearts by their nature strongly
require, since true love never falls away.[37] Besides, a strong bulwark
is set up in defense of a loyal chastity against incitements to infidelity,
should any be encountered either from within or from without; any anxious
fear lest in adversity or old age the other spouse would prove unfaithful
is precluded and in its place there reigns a calm sense of security. Moreover,
the dignity of both man and wife is maintained and mutual aid is most satisfactorily
assured, while through the indissoluble bond, always enduring, the spouses
are warned continuously that not for the sake of perishable things nor that
they may serve their passions, but that they may procure one for the other
high and lasting good have they entered into the nuptial partnership, to be
dissolved only by death. In the training and education of children, which
must extend over a period of many years, it plays a great part, since the
grave and long enduring burdens of this office are best borne by the united
efforts of the parents. Nor do lesser benefits accrue to human society as
a whole. For experience has taught that unassailable stability in matrimony
is a fruitful source of virtuous life and of habits of integrity. Where this
order of things obtains, the happiness and well being of the nation is safely
guarded; what the families and individuals are, so also is the State, for
a body is determined by its parts. Wherefore, both for the private good of
husband, wife and children, as likewise for the public good of human society,
they indeed deserve well who strenuously defend the inviolable stability
of matrimony.
38.
But considering the benefits of the Sacrament, besides the firmness and indissolubility,
there are also much higher emoluments as the word "sacrament" itself very
aptly indicates; for to Christians this is not a meaningless and empty name.
Christ the Lord, the Institutor and "Perfecter" of the holy sacraments,[38]
by raising the matrimony of His faithful to the dignity of a true sacrament
of the New Law, made it a sign and source of that peculiar internal grace
by which "it perfects natural love, it confirms an indissoluble union, and
sanctifies both man and wife."[39]
39.
And since the valid matrimonial consent among the faithful was constituted
by Christ as a sign of grace, the sacramental nature is so intimately bound
up with Christian wedlock that there can be no true marriage between baptized
persons "without it being by that very fact a sacrament."[40]
40.
By the very fact, therefore, that the faithful with sincere mind give such
consent, they open up for themselves a treasure of sacramental grace from
which they draw supernatural power for the fulfilling of their rights and
duties faithfully, holily, perseveringly even unto death. Hence this sacrament
not only increases sanctifying grace, the permanent principle of the supernatural
life, in those who, as the expression is, place no obstacle (obex)
in its way, but also adds particular gifts, dispositions, seeds of grace,
by elevating and perfecting the natural powers. By these gifts the parties
are assisted not only in understanding, but in knowing intimately, in adhering
to firmly, in willing effectively, and in successfully putting into practice,
those things which pertain to the marriage state, its aims and duties, giving
them in fine right to the actual assistance of grace, whensoever they need
it for fulfilling the duties of their state.
41.
Nevertheless, since it is a law of divine Providence in the supernatural order
that men do not reap the full fruit of the Sacraments which they receive after
acquiring the use of reason unless they cooperate with grace, the grace of
matrimony will remain for the most part an unused talent hidden in the field
unless the parties exercise these supernatural powers and cultivate and develop
the seeds of grace they have received. If, however, doing all that lies with
their power, they cooperate diligently, they will be able with ease to bear
the burdens of their state and to fulfill their duties. By such a sacrament
they will be strengthened, sanctified and in a manner consecrated. For, as
St. Augustine teaches, just as by Baptism and Holy Orders a man is set aside
and assisted either for the duties of Christian life or for the priestly
office and is never deprived of their sacramental aid, almost in the same
way (although not by a sacramental character), the faithful once joined by
marriage ties can never be deprived of the help and the binding force of
the sacrament. Indeed, as the Holy Doctor adds, even those who commit adultery
carry with them that sacred yoke, although in this case not as a title to
the glory of grace but for the ignominy of their guilty action, "as the soul
by apostasy, withdrawing as it were from marriage with Christ, even though
it may have lost its faith, does not lose the sacrament of Faith which it
received at the laver of regeneration."[41]
42.
These parties, let it be noted, not fettered but adorned by the golden bond
of the sacrament, not hampered but assisted, should strive with all their
might to the end that their wedlock, not only through the power and symbolism
of the sacrament, but also through their spirit and manner of life, may be
and remain always the living image of that most fruitful union of Christ
with the Church, which is to venerated as the sacred token of most perfect
love.
43.
All of these things, Venerable Brethren, you must consider carefully and ponder
over with a lively faith if you would see in their true light the extraordinary
benefits on matrimony - offspring, conjugal faith, and the sacrament. No
one can fail to admire the divine Wisdom, Holiness and Goodness which, while
respecting the dignity and happiness of husband and wife, has provided so
bountifully for the conservation and propagation of the human race by a single
chaste and sacred fellowship of nuptial union.
44.
When we consider the great excellence of chaste wedlock, Venerable Brethren,
it appears all the more regrettable that particularly in our day we should
witness this divine institution often scorned and on every side degraded.
45.
For now, alas, not secretly nor under cover, but openly, with all sense of
shame put aside, now by word again by writings, by theatrical productions
of every kind, by romantic fiction, by amorous and frivolous novels, by cinematographs
portraying in vivid scene, in addresses broadcast by radio telephony, in
short by all the inventions of modern science, the sanctity of marriage is
trampled upon and derided; divorce, adultery, all the basest vices either
are extolled or at least are depicted in such colors as to appear to be free
of all reproach and infamy. Books are not lacking which dare to pronounce
themselves as scientific but which in truth are merely coated with a veneer
of science in order that they may the more easily insinuate their ideas.
The doctrines defended in these are offered for sale as the productions of
modern genius, of that genius namely, which, anxious only for truth, is considered
to have emancipated itself from all those old-fashioned and immature
opinions of the ancients; and to the number of these antiquated opinions
they relegate the traditional doctrine of Christian marriage.
46.
These thoughts are instilled into men of every class, rich and poor, masters
and workers, lettered and unlettered, married and single, the godly and godless,
old and young, but for these last, as easiest prey, the worst snares are
laid.
47.
Not all the sponsors of these new doctrines are carried to the extremes of
unbridled lust; there are those who, striving as it were to ride a middle
course, believe nevertheless that something should be conceded in our times
as regards certain precepts of the divine and natural law. But these likewise,
more or less wittingly, are emissaries of the great enemy who is ever seeking
to sow cockle among the wheat.[42] We, therefore, whom the Father has appointed
over His field, We who are bound by Our most holy office to take care lest
the good seed be choked by the weeds, believe it fitting to apply to Ourselves
the most grave words of the Holy Ghost with which the Apostle Paul exhorted
his beloved Timothy: "Be thou vigilant . . . Fulfill thy ministry . . . Preach
the word, be instant in season, out of season, reprove, entreat, rebuke in
all patience and doctrine."[43]
48.
And since, in order that the deceits of the enemy may be avoided, it is necessary
first of all that they be laid bare; since much is to be gained by denouncing
these fallacies for the sake of the unwary, even though We prefer not to
name these iniquities "as becometh saints,"[44] yet for the welfare of souls
We cannot remain altogether silent.
49.
To begin at the very source of these evils, their basic principle lies in
this, that matrimony is repeatedly declared to be not instituted by the Author
of nature nor raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a true sacrament,
but invented by man. Some confidently assert that they have found no evidence
of the existence of matrimony in nature or in her laws, but regard it merely
as the means of producing life and of gratifying in one way or another a
vehement impulse; on the other hand, others recognize that certain beginnings
or, as it were, seeds of true wedlock are found in the nature of man since,
unless men were bound together by some form of permanent tie, the dignity
of husband and wife or the natural end of propagating and rearing the offspring
would not receive satisfactory provision. At the same time they maintain
that in all beyond this germinal idea matrimony, through various concurrent
causes, is invented solely by the mind of man, established solely by his
will.
50.
How grievously all these err and how shamelessly they leave the ways of honesty
is already evident from what we have set forth here regarding the origin and
nature of wedlock, its purposes and the good inherent in it. The evil of this
teaching is plainly seen from the consequences which its advocates deduce
from it, namely, that the laws, institutions and customs by which wedlock
is governed, since they take their origin solely from the will of man, are
subject entirely to him, hence can and must be founded, changed and abrogated
according to human caprice and the shifting circumstances of human affairs;
that the generative power which is grounded in nature itself is more sacred
and has wider range than matrimony - hence it may be exercised both outside
as well as within the confines of wedlock, and though the purpose of matrimony
be set aside, as though to suggest that the license of a base fornicating
woman should enjoy the same rights as the chaste motherhood of a lawfully
wedded wife.
51.
Armed with these principles, some men go so far as to concoct new species
of unions, suited, as they say, to the present temper of men and the times,
which various new forms of matrimony they presume to label "temporary," "experimental,"
and "companionate." These offer all the indulgence of matrimony and its rights
without, however, the indissoluble bond, and without offspring, unless later
the parties alter their cohabitation into a matrimony in the full sense of
the law.
52.
Indeed there are some who desire and insist that these practices be legitimatized
by the law or, at least, excused by their general acceptance among the people.
They do not seem even to suspect that these proposals partake of nothing
of the modern "culture" in which they glory so much, but are simply hateful
abominations which beyond all question reduce our truly cultured nations
to the barbarous standards of savage peoples.
53.
And now, Venerable Brethren, we shall explain in detail the evils opposed
to each of the benefits of matrimony. First consideration is due to the offspring,
which many have the boldness to call the disagreeable burden of matrimony
and which they say is to be carefully avoided by married people not through
virtuous continence (which Christian law permits in matrimony when both parties
consent) but by frustrating the marriage act. Some justify this criminal abuse
on the ground that they are weary of children and wish to gratify their desires
without their consequent burden. Others say that they cannot on the one hand
remain continent nor on the other can they have children because of the difficulties
whether on the part of the mother or on the part of family circumstances.
54.
But no reason, however grave, may be put forward by which anything intrinsically
against nature may become conformable to nature and morally good. Since,
therefore, the conjugal act is destined primarily by nature for the begetting
of children, those who in exercising it deliberately frustrate its natural
power and purpose sin against nature and commit a deed which is shameful and
intrinsically vicious.
55.
Small wonder, therefore, if Holy Writ bears witness that the Divine Majesty
regards with greatest detestation this horrible crime and at times has punished
it with death. As St. Augustine notes, "Intercourse even with one's legitimate
wife is unlawful and wicked where the conception of the offspring is prevented.
Onan, the son of Juda, did this and the Lord killed him for it."[45]
56.
Since, therefore, openly departing from the uninterrupted Christian tradition
some recently have judged it possible solemnly to declare another doctrine
regarding this question, the Catholic Church, to whom God has entrusted the
defense of the integrity and purity of morals, standing erect in the midst
of the moral ruin which surrounds her, in order that she may preserve the
chastity of the nuptial union from being defiled by this foul stain, raises
her voice in token of her divine ambassadorship and through Our mouth proclaims
anew: any use whatsoever of matrimony exercised in such a way that the act
is deliberately frustrated in its natural power to generate life is an offense
against the law of God and of nature, and those who indulge in such are branded
with the guilt of a grave sin.
57.
We admonish, therefore, priests who hear confessions and others who have the
care of souls, in virtue of Our supreme authority and in Our solicitude for
the salvation of souls, not to allow the faithful entrusted to them to err
regarding this most grave law of God; much more, that they keep themselves
immune from such false opinions, in no way conniving in them. If any confessor
or pastor of souls, which may God forbid, lead the faithful entrusted to
him into these errors or should at least confirm them by approval or by guilty
silence, let him be mindful of the fact that he must render a strict account
to God, the Supreme Judge, for the betrayal of his sacred trust, and let
him take to himself the words of Christ: "They are blind and leaders of the
blind: and if the blind lead the blind, both fall into the pit.[46]
58.
As regards the evil use of matrimony, to pass over the arguments which are
shameful, not infrequently others that are false and exaggerated are put forward.
Holy Mother Church very well understands and clearly appreciates all that
is said regarding the health of the mother and the danger to her life. And
who would not grieve to think of these things? Who is not filled with the
greatest admiration when he sees a mother risking her life with heroic fortitude,
that she may preserve the life of the offspring which she has conceived?
God alone, all bountiful and all merciful as He is, can reward her for the
fulfillment of the office allotted to her by nature, and will assuredly repay
her in a measure full to overflowing.[47]
59.
Holy Church knows well that not infrequently one of the parties is sinned
against rather than sinning, when for a grave cause he or she reluctantly
allows the perversion of the right order. In such a case, there is no sin,
provided that, mindful of the law of charity, he or she does not neglect
to seek to dissuade and to deter the partner from sin. Nor are those considered
as acting against nature who in the married state use their right in the
proper manner although on account of natural reasons either of time or of
certain defects, new life cannot be brought forth. For in matrimony as well
as in the use of the matrimonial rights there are also secondary ends, such
as mutual aid, the cultivating of mutual love, and the quieting of concupiscence
which husband and wife are not forbidden to consider so long as they are
subordinated to the primary end and so long as the intrinsic nature of the
act is preserved.
60.
We are deeply touched by the sufferings of those parents who, in extreme want,
experience great difficulty in rearing their children.
61.
However, they should take care lest the calamitous state of their external
affairs should be the occasion for a much more calamitous error. No difficulty
can arise that justifies the putting aside of the law of God which forbids
all acts intrinsically evil. There is no possible circumstance in which husband
and wife cannot, strengthened by the grace of God, fulfill faithfully their
duties and preserve in wedlock their chastity unspotted. This truth of Christian
Faith is expressed by the teaching of the Council of Trent. "Let no one be
so rash as to assert that which the Fathers of the Council have placed under
anathema, namely, that there are precepts of God impossible for the just to
observe. God does not ask the impossible, but by His commands, instructs
you to do what you are able, to pray for what you are not able that He may
help you."[48]
62.
This same doctrine was again solemnly repeated and confirmed by the Church
in the condemnation of the Jansenist heresy which dared to utter this blasphemy
against the goodness of God: "Some precepts of God are, when one considers
the powers which man possesses, impossible of fulfillment even to the just
who wish to keep the law and strive to do so; grace is lacking whereby these
laws could be fulfilled."[49]
63.
But another very grave crime is to be noted, Venerable Brethren, which regards
the taking of the life of the offspring hidden in the mother's womb. Some
wish it to be allowed and left to the will of the father or the mother; others
say it is unlawful unless there are weighty reasons which they call by the
name of medical, social, or eugenic "indication." Because this matter falls
under the penal laws of the state by which the destruction of the offspring
begotten but unborn is forbidden, these people demand that the "indication,"
which in one form or another they defend, be recognized as such by the public
law and in no way penalized. There are those, moreover, who ask that the
public authorities provide aid for these death-dealing operations, a thing,
which, sad to say, everyone knows is of very frequent occurrence in some
places.
64.
As to the "medical and therapeutic indication" to which, using their own
words, we have made reference, Venerable Brethren, however much we may pity
the mother whose health and even life is gravely imperiled in the performance
of the duty allotted to her by nature, nevertheless what could ever be a
sufficient reason for excusing in any way the direct murder of the innocent?
This is precisely what we are dealing with here. Whether inflicted upon the
mother or upon the child, it is against the precept of God and the law of
nature: "Thou shalt not kill:"[50] The life of each is equally sacred, and
no one has the power, not even the public authority, to destroy it. It is
of no use to appeal to the right of taking away life for here it is a question
of the innocent, whereas that right has regard only to the guilty; nor is
there here question of defense by bloodshed against an unjust aggressor (for
who would call an innocent child an unjust aggressor?); again there is not
question here of what is called the "law of extreme necessity" which could
even extend to the direct killing of the innocent. Upright and skillful doctors
strive most praiseworthily to guard and preserve the lives of both mother
and child; on the contrary, those show themselves most unworthy of the noble
medical profession who encompass the death of one or the other, through a
pretense at practicing medicine or through motives of misguided pity.
65.
All of which agrees with the stern words of the Bishop of Hippo in denouncing
those wicked parents who seek to remain childless, and failing in this, are
not ashamed to put their offspring to death: "Sometimes this lustful cruelty
or cruel lust goes so far as to seek to procure a baneful sterility, and
if this fails the fetus conceived in the womb is in one way or another smothered
or evacuated, in the desire to destroy the offspring before it has life,
or if it already lives in the womb, to kill it before it is born. If both
man and woman are party to such practices they are not spouses at all; and
if from the first they have carried on thus they have come together not for
honest wedlock, but for impure gratification; if both are not party to these
deeds, I make bold to say that either the one makes herself a mistress of
the husband, or the other simply the paramour of his wife."[51]
66.
What is asserted in favor of the social and eugenic "indication" may and
must be accepted, provided lawful and upright methods are employed within
the proper limits; but to wish to put forward reasons based upon them for
the killing of the innocent is unthinkable and contrary to the divine precept
promulgated in the words of the Apostle: Evil is not to be done that good
may come of it.[52]
67.
Those who hold the reins of government should not forget that it is the duty
of public authority by appropriate laws and sanctions to defend the lives
of the innocent, and this all the more so since those whose lives are endangered
and assailed cannot defend themselves. Among whom we must mention in the
first place infants hidden in the mother's womb. And if the public magistrates
not only do not defend them, but by their laws and ordinances betray them
to death at the hands of doctors or of others, let them remember that God
is the Judge and Avenger of innocent blood which cried from earth to Heaven.[53]
68.
Finally, that pernicious practice must be condemned which closely touches
upon the natural right of man to enter matrimony but affects also in a real
way the welfare of the offspring. For there are some who over solicitous
for the cause of eugenics, not only give salutary counsel for more certainly
procuring the strength and health of the future child - which, indeed, is
not contrary to right reason - but put eugenics before aims of a higher order,
and by public authority wish to prevent from marrying all those whom, even
though naturally fit for marriage, they consider, according to the norms
and conjectures of their investigations, would, through hereditary transmission,
bring forth defective offspring. And more, they wish to legislate to deprive
these of that natural faculty by medical action despite their unwillingness;
and this they do not propose as an infliction of grave punishment under the
authority of the state for a crime committed, not to prevent future crimes
by guilty persons, but against every right and good they wish the civil authority
to arrogate to itself a power over a faculty which it never had and can never
legitimately possess.
69.
Those who act in this way are at fault in losing sight of the fact that the
family is more sacred than the State and that men are begotten not for the
earth and for time, but for Heaven and eternity. Although often these individuals
are to be dissuaded from entering into matrimony, certainly it is wrong to
brand men with the stigma of crime because they contract marriage, on the
ground that, despite the fact that they are in every respect capable of matrimony,
they will give birth only to defective children, even though they use all
care and diligence.
70.
Public magistrates have no direct power over the bodies of their subjects;
therefore, where no crime has taken place and there is no cause present for
grave punishment, they can never directly harm, or tamper with the integrity
of the body, either for the reasons of eugenics or for any other reason.
St. Thomas teaches this when inquiring whether human judges for the sake of
preventing future evils can inflict punishment, he admits that the power indeed
exists as regards certain other forms of evil, but justly and properly denies
it as regards the maiming of the body. "No one who is guiltless may be punished
by a human tribunal either by flogging to death, or mutilation, or by beating."[54]
71.
Furthermore, Christian doctrine establishes, and the light of human reason
makes it most clear, that private individuals have no other power over the
members of their bodies than that which pertains to their natural ends; and
they are not free to destroy or mutilate their members, or in any other way
render themselves unfit for their natural functions, except when no other
provision can be made for the good of the whole body.
72.
We may now consider another class of errors concerning conjugal faith. Every
sin committed as regards the offspring becomes in some way a sin against conjugal
faith, since both these blessings are essentially connected. However, we
must mention briefly the sources of error and vice corresponding to those
virtues which are demanded by conjugal faith, namely the chaste honor existing
between man and wife, the due subjection of wife to husband, and the true
love which binds both parties together.
73.
It follows therefore that they are destroying mutual fidelity, who think that
the ideas and morality of our present time concerning a certain harmful and
false friendship with a third party can be countenanced, and who teach that
a greater freedom of feeling and action in such external relations should
be allowed to man and wife, particularly as many (so they consider) are possessed
of an inborn sexual tendency which cannot be satisfied within the narrow
limits of monogamous marriage. That rigid attitude which condemns all sensual
affections and actions with a third party they imagine to be a narrowing
of mind and heart, something obsolete, or an abject form of jealousy, and
as a result they look upon whatever penal laws are passed by the State for
the preserving of conjugal faith as void or to be abolished. Such unworthy
and idle opinions are condemned by that noble instinct which is found in
every chaste husband and wife, and even by the light of the testimony of
nature alone, - a testimony that is sanctioned and confirmed by the command
of God:"Thou shalt not commit adultry,"[55] and the words of Christ: "Whosoever
shall look on a woman to lust after her hath already committed adultery with
her in his heart."[56] The force of this divine precept can never be weakened
by any merely human custom, bad example or pretext of human progress, for
just as it is the one and the same "Jesus Christ, yesterday and today and
the same for ever,"[57] so it is the one and the same doctrine of Christ
that abides and of which no one jot or tittle shall pass away till all is
fulfilled.[58]
74.
The same false teachers who try to dim the luster of conjugal faith and purity
do not scruple to do away with the honorable and trusting obedience which
the woman owes to the man. Many of them even go further and assert that such
a subjection of one party to the other is unworthy of human dignity, that
the rights of husband and wife are equal; wherefore, they boldly proclaim
the emancipation of women has been or ought to be effected. This emancipation
in their ideas must be threefold, in the ruling of the domestic society,
in the administration of family affairs and in the rearing of the children.
It must be social, economic, physiological: - physiological, that is to say,
the woman is to be freed at her own good pleasure from the burdensome duties
properly belonging to a wife as companion and mother (We have already said
that this is not an emancipation but a crime); social, inasmuch as the wife
being freed from the cares of children and family, should, to the neglect
of these, be able to follow her own bent and devote herself to business and
even public affairs; finally economic, whereby the woman even without the
knowledge and against the wish of her husband may be at liberty to conduct
and administer her own affairs, giving her attention chiefly to these rather
than to children, husband and family.
75.
This, however, is not the true emancipation of woman, nor that rational and
exalted liberty which belongs to the noble office of a Christian woman and
wife; it is rather the debasing of the womanly character and the dignity
of motherhood, and indeed of the whole family, as a result of which the husband
suffers the loss of his wife, the children of their mother, and the home
and the whole family of an ever watchful guardian. More than this, this false
liberty and unnatural equality with the husband is to the detriment of the
woman herself, for if the woman descends from her truly regal throne to which
she has been raised within the walls of the home by means of the Gospel,
she will soon be reduced to the old state of slavery (if not in appearance,
certainly in reality) and become as amongst the pagans the mere instrument
of man.
76.
This equality of rights which is so much exaggerated and distorted, must indeed
be recognized in those rights which belong to the dignity of the human soul
and which are proper to the marriage contract and inseparably bound up with
wedlock. In such things undoubtedly both parties enjoy the same rights and
are bound by the same obligations; in other things there must be a certain
inequality and due accommodation, which is demanded by the good of the family
and the right ordering and unity and stability of home life.
77.
As, however, the social and economic conditions of the married woman must
in some way be altered on account of the changes in social intercourse, it
is part of the office of the public authority to adapt the civil rights of
the wife to modern needs and requirements, keeping in view what the natural
disposition and temperament of the female sex, good morality, and the welfare
of the family demands, and provided always that the essential order of the
domestic society remain intact, founded as it is on something higher than
human authority and wisdom, namely on the authority and wisdom of God, and
so not changeable by public laws or at the pleasure of private individuals.
78.
These enemies of marriage go further, however, when they substitute for that
true and solid love, which is the basis of conjugal happiness, a certain vague
compatibility of temperament. This they call sympathy and assert that, since
it is the only bond by which husband and wife are linked together, when it
ceases the marriage is completely dissolved. What else is this than to build
a house upon sand? - a house that in the words of Christ would forthwith
be shaken and collapse, as soon as it was exposed to the waves of adversity
"and the winds blew and they beat upon that house. And it fell: and great
was the fall thereof."[59] On the other hand, the house built upon a rock,
that is to say on mutual conjugal chastity and strengthened by a deliberate
and constant union of spirit, will not only never fall away but will never
be shaken by adversity.
79.
We have so far, Venerable Brethren, shown the excellency of the first two
blessings of Christian wedlock which the modern subverters of society are
attacking. And now considering that the third blessing, which is that of
the sacrament, far surpasses the other two, we should not be surprised to
find that this, because of its outstanding excellence, is much more sharply
attacked by the same people. They put forward in the first place that matrimony
belongs entirely to the profane and purely civil sphere, that it is not to
be committed to the religious society, the Church of Christ, but to civil
society alone. They then add that the marriage contract is to be freed from
any indissoluble bond, and that separation and divorce are not only to be
tolerated but sanctioned by the law; from which it follows finally that,
robbed of all its holiness, matrimony should be enumerated amongst the secular
and civil institutions. The first point is contained in their contention
that the civil act itself should stand for the marriage contract (civil matrimony,
as it is called), while the religious act is to be considered a mere addition,
or at most a concession to a too superstitious people. Moreover they want
it to be no cause for reproach that marriages be contracted by Catholics
with non-Catholics without any reference to religion or recourse to the ecclesiastical
authorities. The second point which is but a consequence of the first is
to be found in their excuse for complete divorce and in their praise and
encouragement of those civil laws which favor the loosening of the bond itself.
As the salient features of the religious character of all marriage and particularly
of the sacramental marriage of Christians have been treated at length and
supported by weighty arguments in the encyclical letters of Leo XIII, letters
which We have frequently recalled to mind and expressly made our own, We
refer you to them, repeating here only a few points.
80.
Even by the light of reason alone and particularly if the ancient records
of history are investigated, if the unwavering popular conscience is interrogated
and the manners and institutions of all races examined, it is sufficiently
obvious that there is a certain sacredness and religious character attaching
even to the purely natural union of man and woman, "not something added by
chance but innate, not imposed by men but involved in the nature of things,"
since it has "God for its author and has been even from the beginning a foreshadowing
of the Incarnation of the Word of God."[60] This sacredness of marriage which
is intimately connected with religion and all that is holy, arises from the
divine origin we have just mentioned, from its purpose which is the begetting
and education of children for God, and the binding of man and wife to God
through Christian love and mutual support; and finally it arises from the
very nature of wedlock, whose institution is to be sought for in the farseeing
Providence of God, whereby it is the means of transmitting life, thus making
the parents the ministers, as it were, of the Divine Omnipotence. To this
must be added that new element of dignity which comes from the sacrament,
by which the Christian marriage is so ennobled and raised to such a level,
that it appeared to the Apostle as a great sacrament, honorable in every
way.[61]
81.
This religious character of marriage, its sublime signification of grace and
the union between Christ and the Church, evidently requires that those about
to marry should show a holy reverence towards it, and zealously endeavor
to make their marriage approach as nearly as possible to the archetype of
Christ and the Church.
82.
They, therefore, who rashly and heedlessly contract mixed marriages, from
which the maternal love and providence of the Church dissuades her children
for very sound reasons, fail conspicuously in this respect, sometimes with
danger to their eternal salvation. This attitude of the Church to mixed marriages
appears in many of her documents, all of which are summed up in the Code
of Canon Law: "Everywhere and with the greatest strictness the Church forbids
marriages between baptized persons, one of whom is a Catholic and the other
a member of a schismatical or heretical sect; and if there is, add to this,
the danger of the falling away of the Catholic party and the perversion of
the children, such a marriage is forbidden also by the divine law."[62] If
the Church occasionally on account of circumstances does not refuse to grant
a dispensation from these strict laws (provided that the divine law remains
intact and the dangers above mentioned are provided against by suitable safeguards),
it is unlikely that the Catholic party will not suffer some detriment from
such a marriage.
83.
Whence it comes about not unfrequently, as experience shows, that deplorable
defections from religion occur among the offspring, or at least a headlong
descent into that religious indifference which is closely allied to impiety.
There is this also to be considered that in these mixed marriages it becomes
much more difficult to imitate by a lively conformity of spirit the mystery
of which We have spoken, namely that close union between Christ and His Church.
84.
Assuredly, also, will there be wanting that close union of spirit which as
it is the sign and mark of the Church of Christ, so also should be the sign
of Christian wedlock, its glory and adornment. For, where there exists diversity
of mind, truth and feeling, the bond of union of mind and heart is wont to
be broken, or at least weakened. From this comes the danger lest the love
of man and wife grow cold and the peace and happiness of family life, resting
as it does on the union of hearts, be destroyed. Many centuries ago indeed,
the old Roman law had proclaimed: "Marriages are the union of male and female,
a sharing of life and the communication of divine and human rights."[63]
But especially, as We have pointed out, Venerable Brethren, the daily increasing
facility of divorce is an obstacle to the restoration of marriage to that
state of perfection which the divine Redeemer willed it should possess.
85.
The advocates of the neo-paganism of today have learned nothing from the sad
state of affairs, but instead, day by day, more and more vehemently, they
continue by legislation to attack the indissolubility of the marriage bond,
proclaiming that the lawfulness of divorce must be recognized, and that the
antiquated laws should give place to a new and more humane legislation. Many
and varied are the grounds put forward for divorce, some arising from the
wickedness and the guilt of the persons concerned, others arising from the
circumstances of the case; the former they describe as subjective, the latter
as objective; in a word, whatever might make married life hard or unpleasant.
They strive to prove their contentions regarding these grounds for the divorce
legislation they would bring about, by various arguments. Thus, in the first
place, they maintain that it is for the good of either party that the one
who is innocent should have the right to separate from the guilty, or that
the guilty should be withdrawn from a union which is unpleasing to him and
against his will. In the second place, they argue, the good of the child
demands this, for either it will be deprived of a proper education or the
natural fruits of it, and will too easily be affected by the discords and
shortcomings of the parents, and drawn from the path of virtue. And thirdly
the common good of society requires that these marriages should be completely
dissolved, which are now incapable of producing their natural results, and
that legal reparations should be allowed when crimes are to be feared as
the result of the common habitation and intercourse of the parties. This
last, they say must be admitted to avoid the crimes being committed purposely
with a view to obtaining the desired sentence of divorce for which the judge
can legally loose the marriage bond, as also to prevent people from coming
before the courts when it is obvious from the state of the case that they
are Iying and perjuring themselves, - all of which brings the court and the
lawful authority into contempt. Hence the civil laws, in their opinion, have
to be reformed to meet these new requirements, to suit the changes of the
times and the changes in men's opinions, civil institutions and customs.
Each of these reasons is considered by them as conclusive, so that all taken
together offer a clear proof of the necessity of granting divorce in certain
cases.
86.
Others, taking a step further, simply state that marriage, being a private
contract, is, like other private contracts, to be left to the consent and
good pleasure of both parties, and so can be dissolved for any reason whatsoever.
87.
Opposed to all these reckless opinions, Venerable Brethren, stands the unalterable
law of God, fully confirmed by Christ, a law that can never be deprived of
its force by the decrees of men, the ideas of a people or the will of any
legislator: "What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder."[64]
And if any man, acting contrary to this law, shall have put asunder, his
action is null and void, and the consequence remains, as Christ Himself has
explicitly confirmed: "Everyone that putteth away his wife and marrieth another,
committeth adultery: and he that marrieth her that is put away from her husband
committeth adultery."[65] Moreover, these words refer to every kind of marriage,
even that which is natural and legitimate only; for, as has already been
observed, that indissolubility by which the loosening of the bond is once
and for all removed from the whim of the parties and from every secular power,
is a property of every true marriage.
88.
Let that solemn pronouncement of the Council of Trent be recalled to mind
in which, under the stigma of anathema, it condemned these errors: "If anyone
should say that on account of heresy or the hardships of cohabitation or a
deliberate abuse of one party by the other the marriage tie may be loosened,
let him be anathema;"[66] and again: "If anyone should say that the Church
errs in having taught or in teaching that, according to the teaching of the
Gospel and the Apostles, the bond of marriage cannot be loosed because of
the sin of adultery of either party; or that neither party, even though he
be innocent, having given no cause for the sin of adultery, can contract
another marriage during the lifetime of the other; and that he commits adultery
who marries another after putting away his adulterous wife, and likewise
that she commits adultery who puts away her husband and marries another:
let him be anathemae."[67]
89.
If therefore the Church has not erred and does not err in teaching this, and
consequently it is certain that the bond of marriage cannot be loosed even
on account of the sin of adultery, it is evident that all the other weaker
excuses that can be, and are usually brought forward, are of no value whatsoever.
And the objections brought against the firmness of the marriage bond are
easily answered. For, in certain circumstances, imperfect separation of the
parties is allowed, the bond not being severed. This separation, which the
Church herself permits, and expressly mentions in her Canon Law in those
canons which deal with the separation of the parties as to marital relationship
and co-habitation, removes all the alleged inconveniences and dangers.[68]
It will be for the sacred law and, to some extent, also the civil law, in
so far as civil matters are affected, to lay down the grounds, the conditions,
the method and precautions to be taken in a case of this kind in order to
safeguard the education of the children and the well-being of the family,
and to remove all those evils which threaten the married persons, the children
and the State. Now all those arguments that are brought forward to prove
the indissolubility of the marriage tie, arguments which have already been
touched upon, can equally be applied to excluding not only the necessity
of divorce, but even the power to grant it; while for all the advantages
that can be put forward for the former, there can be adduced as many disadvantages
and evils which are a formidable menace to the whole of human society.
90.
To revert again to the expression of Our predecessor, it is hardly necessary
to point out what an amount of good is involved in the absolute indissolubility
of wedlock and what a train of evils follows upon divorce. Whenever the marriage
bond remains intact, then we find marriages contracted with a sense of safety
and security, while, when separations are considered and the dangers of divorce
are present, the marriage contract itself becomes insecure, or at least gives
ground for anxiety and surprises. On the one hand we see a wonderful strengthening
of goodwill and cooperation in the daily life of husband and wife, while,
on the other, both of these are miserably weakened by the presence of a facility
for divorce. Here we have at a very opportune moment a source of help by
which both parties are enabled to preserve their purity and loyalty; there
we find harmful inducements to unfaithfulness. On this side we find the birth
of children and their tuition and upbringing effectively promoted, many avenues
of discord closed amongst families and relations, and the beginnings of rivalry
and jealousy easily suppressed; on that, very great obstacles to the birth
and rearing of children and their education, and many occasions of quarrels,
and seeds of jealousy sown everywhere. Finally, but especially, the dignity
and position of women in civil and domestic society is reinstated by the
former; while by the latter it is shamefully lowered and the danger is incurred
"of their being considered outcasts, slaves of the lust of men."[69]
91.
To conclude with the important words of Leo XIII, since the destruction of
family life "and the loss of national wealth is brought about more by the
corruption of morals than by anything else, it is easily seen that divorce,
which is born of the perverted morals of a people, and leads, as experiment
shows, to vicious habits in public and private life, is particularly opposed
to the well-being of the family and of the State. The serious nature of these
evils will be the more clearly recognized, when we remember that, once divorce
has been allowed, there will be no sufficient means of keeping it in check
within any definite bounds. Great is the force of example, greater still
that of lust; and with such incitements it cannot but happen that divorce
and its consequent setting loose of the passions should spread daily and
attack the souls of many like a contagious disease or a river bursting its
banks and flooding the land."[70]
92.
Thus, as we read in the same letter, "unless things change, the human family
and State have every reason to fear lest they should suffer absolute ruin."[71]
All this was written fifty years ago, yet it is confirmed by the daily increasing
corruption of morals and the unheard of degradation of the family in those
lands where Communism reigns unchecked.
93.
Thus far, Venerable Brethren, We have admired with due reverence what the
all wise Creator and Redeemer of the human race has ordained with regard
to human marriage; at the same time we have expressed Our grief that such
a pious ordinance of the divine Goodness should today, and on every side,
be frustrated and trampled upon by the passions, errors and vices of men.
94.
It is then fitting that, with all fatherly solicitude, We should turn Our
mind to seek out suitable remedies whereby those most detestable abuses which
We have mentioned, may be removed, and everywhere marriage may again be revealed.
To this end, it behooves Us, above all else, to call to mind that firmly established
principle, esteemed alike in sound philosophy and sacred theology: namely,
that whatever things have deviated from their right order, cannot he brought
back to that original state which is in harmony with their nature except by
a return to the divine plan which, as the Angelic Doctor teaches,[72] is
the exemplar of all right order.
95.
Wherefore, Our predecessor of happy memory, Leo XIII, attacked the doctrine
of the naturalists in these words: "It is a divinely appointed law that whatsoever
things are constituted by God, the Author of nature, these we find the more
useful and salutary, the more they remain in their natural state, unimpaired
and unchanged; inasmuch as God, the Creator of all things, intimately knows
what is suited to the constitution and the preservation of each, and by his
will and mind has so ordained all this that each may duly achieve its purpose.
But if the boldness and wickedness of men change and disturb this order of
things, so providentially disposed, then, indeed, things so wonderfully ordained,
will begin to be injurious, or will cease to be beneficial, either because,
in the change, they have lost their power to benefit, or because God Himself
is thus pleased to draw down chastisement on the pride and presumption of
men."[73]
96.
In order, therefore, to restore due order in this matter of marriage, it is
necessary that all should bear in mind what is the divine plan and strive
to conform to it.
97.
Wherefore, since the chief obstacle to this study is the power of unbridled
lust, which indeed is the most potent cause of sinning against the sacred
laws of matrimony, and since man cannot hold in check his passions, unless
he first subject himself to God, this must be his primary endeavor, in accordance
with the plan divinely ordained. For it is a sacred ordinance that whoever
shall have first subjected himself to God will, by the aid of divine grace,
be glad to subject to himself his own passions and concupiscence; while he
who is a rebel against God will, to his sorrow, experience within himself
the violent rebellion of his worst passions.
98.
And how wisely this has been decreed St. Augustine thus shows: "This indeed
is fitting, that the lower be subject to the higher, so that he who would
have subject to himself whatever is below him, should himself submit to whatever
is above him. Acknowledge order, seek peace. Be thou subject to God, and
thy flesh subject to thee. What more fitting! What more fair! Thou art subject
to the higher and the lower is subject to thee. Do thou serve Him who made
thee, so that that which was made for thee may serve thee. For we do not
commend this order, namely, 'The flesh to thee and thou to God,' but 'Thou
to God, and the flesh to thee.' If, however, thou despisest the subjection
of thyself to God, thou shalt never bring about the subjection of the flesh
to thyself. If thou dost not obey the Lord, thou shalt be tormented by thy
servant."[74] This right ordering on the part of God's wisdom is mentioned
by the holy Doctor of the Gentiles, inspired by the Holy Ghost, for in speaking
of those ancient philosophers who refused to adore and reverence Him whom
they knew to be the Creator of the universe, he says: "Wherefore God gave
them up to the desires of their heart, unto uncleanness, to dishonor their
own bodies among themselves;" and again: "For this same God delivered them
up to shameful affections."[75] And St. James says: "God resisteth the proud
and giveth grace to the humble,"[76] without which grace, as the same Doctor
of the Gentiles reminds us, man cannot subdue the rebellion of his flesh.[77]
99.
Consequently, as the onslaughts of these uncontrolled passions cannot in any
way be lessened, unless the spirit first shows a humble compliance of duty
and reverence towards its Maker, it is above all and before all needful that
those who are joined in the bond of sacred wedlock should be wholly imbued
with a profound and genuine sense of duty towards God, which will shape their
whole lives, and fill their minds and wills with a very deep reverence for
the majesty of God.
100.
Quite fittingly, therefore, and quite in accordance with the defined norm
of Christian sentiment, do those pastors of souls act who, to prevent married
people from failing in the observance of God's law, urge them to perform their
duty and exercise their religion so that they should give themselves to God,
continually ask for His divine assistance, frequent the sacraments, and always
nourish and preserve a loyal and thoroughly sincere devotion to God.
101.
They are greatly deceived who having underestimated or neglected these means
which rise above nature, think that they can induce men by the use and discovery
of the natural sciences, such as those of biology, the science of heredity,
and the like, to curb their carnal desires. We do not say this in order to
belittle those natural means which are not dishonest; for God is the Author
of nature as well as of grace, and He has disposed the good things of both
orders for the beneficial use of men. The faithful, therefore, can and ought
to be assisted also by natural means. But they are mistaken who think that
these means are able to establish chastity in the nuptial union, or that
they are more effective than supernatural grace.
102.
This conformity of wedlock and moral conduct with the divine laws respective
of marriage, without which its effective restoration cannot be brought about,
supposes, however, that all can discern readily, with real certainty, and
without any accompanying error, what those laws are. But everyone can see
to how many fallacies an avenue would be opened up and how many errors would
become mixed with the truth, if it were left solely to the light of reason
of each to find it out, or if it were to be discovered by the private interpretation
of the truth which is revealed. And if this is applicable to many other truths
of the moral order, we must all the more pay attention to those things, which
appertain to marriage where the inordinate desire for pleasure can attack
frail human nature and easily deceive it and lead it astray; this is all the
more true of the observance of the divine law, which demands sometimes hard
and repeated sacrifices, for which, as experience points out, a weak man
can find so many excuses for avoiding the fulfillment of the divine law.
103.
On this account, in order that no falsification or corruption of the divine
law but a true genuine knowledge of it may enlighten the minds of men and
guide their conduct, it is necessary that a filial and humble obedience towards
the Church should be combined with devotedness to God and the desire of submitting
to Him. For Christ Himself made the Church the teacher of truth in those
things also which concern the right regulation of moral conduct, even though
some knowledge of the same is not beyond human reason. For just as God, in
the case of the natural truths of religion and morals, added revelation to
the light of reason so that what is right and true, "in the present state
also of the human race may be known readily with real certainty without any
admixture of error,"[78] so for the same purpose he has constituted the Church
the guardian and the teacher of the whole of the truth concerning religion
and moral conduct; to her therefore should the faithful show obedience and
subject their minds and hearts so as to be kept unharmed and free from error
and moral corruption, and so that they shall not deprive themselves of that
assistance given by God with such liberal bounty, they ought to show this
due obedience not only when the Church defines something with solemn judgment,
but also, in proper proportion, when by the constitutions and decrees of
the Holy See, opinions are prescribed and condemned as dangerous or distorted.[79]
104.
Wherefore, let the faithful also be on their guard against the overrated independence
of private judgment and that false autonomy of human reason. For it is quite
foreign to everyone bearing the name of a Christian to trust his own mental
powers with such pride as to agree only with those things which he can examine
from their inner nature, and to imagine that the Church, sent by God to teach
and guide all nations, is not conversant with present affairs and circumstances;
or even that they must obey only in those matters which she has decreed by
solemn definition as though her other decisions might be presumed to be false
or putting forward insufficient motive for truth and honesty. Quite to the
contrary, a characteristic of all true followers of Christ, lettered or unlettered,
is to suffer themselves to be guided and led in all things that touch upon
faith or morals by the Holy Church of God through its Supreme Pastor the
Roman Pontiff, who is himself guided by Jesus Christ Our Lord.
105.
Consequently, since everything must be referred to the law and mind of God,
in order to bring about the universal and permanent restoration of marriage,
it is indeed of the utmost importance that the faithful should be well instructed
concerning matrimony; both by word of mouth and by the written word, not
cursorily but often and fully, by means of plain and weighty arguments, so
that these truths will strike the intellect and will be deeply engraved on
their hearts. Let them realize and diligently reflect upon the great wisdom,
kindness and bounty God has shown towards the human race, not only by the
institution of marriage, but also, and quite as much, by upholding it with
sacred laws; still more, in wonderfully raising it to the dignity of a Sacrament
by which such an abundant fountain of graces has been opened to those joined
in Christian wedlock, that these may be able to serve the noble purposes
of wedlock for their own welfare and for that of their children, of the community
and also for that of human relationship.
106.
Certainly, if the latter day subverters of marriage are entirely devoted to
misleading the minds of men and corrupting their hearts, to making a mockery
of matrimonial purity and extolling the filthiest of vices by means of books
and pamphlets and other innumerable methods, much more ought you, Venerable
Brethren, whom "the Holy Ghost has placed as bishops, to rule the Church
of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood,"[80] to give yourselves
wholly to this, that through yourselves and through the priests subject to
you, and, moreover, through the laity welded together by Catholic Action,
so much desired and recommended by Us, into a power of hierarchical apostolate,
you may, by every fitting means, oppose error by truth, vice by the excellent
dignity of chastity, the slavery of covetousness by the liberty of the sons
of God,[81] that disastrous ease in obtaining divorce by an enduring love
in the bond of marriage and by the inviolate pledge of fidelity given even
to death.
107.
Thus will it come to pass that the faithful will wholeheartedly thank God
that they are bound together by His command and led by gentle compulsion
to fly as far as possible from every kind of idolatry of the flesh and from
the base slavery of the passions. They will, in a great measure, turn and
be turned away from these abominable opinions which to the dishonor of man's
dignity are now spread about in speech and in writing and collected under
the title of "perfect marriage" and which indeed would make that perfect
marriage nothing better than "depraved marriage," as it has been rightly
and truly called.
108.
Such wholesome instruction and religious training in regard to Christian marriage
will be quite different from that exaggerated physiological education by
means of which, in these times of ours, some reformers of married life make
pretense of helping those joined in wedlock, laying much stress on these physiological
matters, in which is learned rather the art of sinning in a subtle way than
the virtue of living chastely.
109.
So, Venerable Brethren, we make entirely Our own the words which Our predecessor
of happy memory, Leo XIII, in his encyclical letter on Christian marriage
addressed to the bishops of the whole world: "Take care not to spare your
efforts and authority in bringing about that among the people committed to
your guidance that doctrine may be preserved whole and unadulterated which
Christ the Lord and the apostles, the interpreters of the divine will, have
handed down, and which the Catholic Church herself has religiously preserved,
and commanded to be observed by the faithful of every age."[82]
110.
Even the very best instruction given by the Church, however, will not alone
suffice to bring about once more conformity of marriage to the law of God;
something more is needed in addition to the education of the mind, namely
a steadfast determination of the will, on the part of husband and wife, to
observe the sacred laws of God and of nature in regard to marriage. In fine,
in spite of what others may wish to assert and spread abroad by word of mouth
or in writing, let husband and wife resolve: to stand fast to the commandments
of God in all things that matrimony demands; always to render to each other
the assistance of mutual love; to preserve the honor of chastity; not to
lay profane hands on the stable nature of the bond; to use the rights given
them by marriage in a way that will be always Christian and sacred, more
especially in the first years of wedlock, so that should there be need of
continency afterwards, custom will have made it easier for each to preserve
it. In order that they may make this firm resolution, keep it and put it
into practice, an oft-repeated consideration of their state of life, and
a diligent reflection on the sacrament they have received, will be of great
assistance to them. Let them constantly keep in mind, that they have been
sanctified and strengthened for the duties and for the dignity of their state
by a special sacrament, the efficacious power of which, although it does
not impress a character, is undying. To this purpose we may ponder over the
words full of real comfort of holy Cardinal Robert Bellarmine, who with other
well-known theologians with devout conviction thus expresses himself: "The
sacrament of matrimony can be regarded in two ways: first, in the making,
and then in its permanent state. For it is a sacrament like to that of the
Eucharist, which not only when it is being conferred, but also whilst it remains,
is a sacrament; for as long as the married parties are alive, so long is
their union a sacrament of Christ and the Church."[83]
111.
Yet in order that the grace of this sacrament may produce its full fruit,
there is need, as we have already pointed out, of the cooperation of the married
parties; which consists in their striving to fulfill their duties to the best
of their ability and with unwearied effort. For just as in the natural order
men must apply the powers given them by God with their own toil and diligence
that these may exercise their full vigor, failing which, no profit is gained,
so also men must diligently and unceasingly use the powers given them by the
grace which is laid up in the soul by this sacrament. Let not, then, those
who are joined in matrimony neglect the grace of the sacrament which is in
them;[84] for, in applying themselves to the careful observance, however laborious,
of their duties they will find the power of that grace becoming more effectual
as time goes on. And if ever they should feel themselves to be overburdened
by the hardships of their condition of life, let them not lose courage, but
rather let them regard in some measure as addressed to them that which St.
Paul the Apostle wrote to his beloved disciple Timothy regarding the sacrament
of holy Orders when the disciple was dejected through hardship and insults:
"I admonish thee that thou stir up the grace which is in thee by the imposition
of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power,
and of love, and of sobriety."[85]
112.
All these things, however, Venerable Brethren, depend in large measure on
the due preparation remote and proximate, of the parties for marriage. For
it cannot be denied that the basis of a happy wedlock, and the ruin of an
unhappy one, is prepared and set in the souls of boys and girls during the
period of childhood and adolescence. There is danger that those who before
marriage sought in all things what is theirs, who indulged even their impure
desires, will be in the married state what they were before, that they will
reap that which they have sown;[86] indeed, within the home there will be
sadness, lamentation, mutual contempt, strifes, estrangements, weariness
of common life, and, worst of all, such parties will find themselves left
alone with their own unconquered passions.
113.
Let then, those who are about to enter on married life, approach that state
well disposed and well prepared, so that they will be able, as far as they
can, to help each other in sustaining the vicissitudes of life, and yet more
in attending to their eternal salvation and in forming the inner man unto
the fullness of the age of Christ.[87] It will also help them, if they behave
towards their cherished offspring as God wills: that is, that the father
be truly a father, and the mother truly a mother; through their devout love
and unwearying care, the home, though it suffer the want and hardship of
this valley of tears, may become for the children in its own way a foretaste
of that paradise of delight in which the Creator placed the first men of
the human race. Thus will they be able to bring up their children as perfect
men and perfect Christians; they will instill into them a sound understanding
of the Catholic Church, and will give them such a disposition and love for
their fatherland as duty and gratitude demand.
114.
Consequently, both those who are now thinking of entering upon this sacred
married state, as well as those who have the charge of educating Christian
youth, should, with due regard to the future, prepare that which is good,
obviate that which is bad, and recall those points about which We have already
spoken in Our encyclical letter concerning education: "The inclinations of
the will, if they are bad, must be repressed from childhood, but such as
are good must be fostered, and the mind, particularly of children, should
be imbued with doctrines which begin with God, while the heart should be strengthened
with the aids of divine grace, in the absence of which, no one can curb evil
desires, nor can his discipline and formation be brought to complete perfection
by the Church. For Christ has provided her with heavenly doctrines and divine
sacraments, that He might make her an effectual teacher of men."[88]
115.
To the proximate preparation of a good married life belongs very specially
the care in choosing a partner; on that depends a great deal whether the
forthcoming marriage will be happy or not, since one may be to the other either
a great help in leading a Christian life, or, a great danger and hindrance.
And so that they may not deplore for the rest of their lives the sorrows
arising from an indiscreet marriage, those about to enter into wedlock should
carefully deliberate in choosing the person with whom henceforward they must
live continually: they should, in so deliberating, keep before their minds
the thought first of God and of the true religion of Christ, then of themselves,
of their partner, of the children to come, as also of human and civil society,
for which wedlock is a fountain head. Let them diligently pray for divine
help, so that they make their choice in accordance with Christian prudence,
not indeed led by the blind and unrestrained impulse of lust, nor by any
desire of riches or other base influence, but by a true and noble love and
by a sincere affection for the future partner; and then let them strive in
their married life for those ends for which the State was constituted by
God. Lastly, let them not omit to ask the prudent advice of their parents
with regard to the partner, and let them regard this advice in no light manner,
in order that by their mature knowledge and experience of human affairs,
they may guard against a disastrous choice, and, on the threshold of matrimony,
may receive more abundantly the divine blessing of the fourth commandment:
"Honor thy father and thy mother (which is the first commandment with a promise)
that it may be well with thee and thou mayest be long-lived upon the earth."[89]
116.
Now since it is no rare thing to find that the perfect observance of God's
commands and conjugal integrity encounter difficulties by reason of the fact
that the man and wife are in straitened circumstances, their necessities must
be relieved as far as possible.
117.
And so, in the first place, every effort must be made to bring about that
which Our predecessor Leo Xlll, of happy memory, has already insisted upon,[90]
namely, that in the State such economic and social methods should be adopted
as will enable every head of a family to earn as much as, according to his
station in life, is necessary for himself, his wife, and for the rearing
of his children, for "the laborer is worthy of his hire."[91] To deny this,
or to make light of what is equitable, is a grave injustice and is placed
among the greatest sins by Holy Writ;[92] nor is it lawful to fix such a
scanty wage as will be insufficient for the upkeep of the family in the circumstances
in which it is placed.
118.
Care, however, must be taken that the parties themselves, for a considerable
time before entering upon married life, should strive to dispose of, or at
least to diminish, the material obstacles in their way. The manner in which
this may be done effectively and honestly must be pointed out by those who
are experienced. Provision must be made also, in the case of those who are
not self-supporting, for joint aid by private or public guilds.[93]
119.
When these means which We have pointed out do not fulfill the needs, particularly
of a larger or poorer family, Christian charity towards our neighbor absolutely
demands that those things which are lacking to the needy should be provided;
hence it is incumbent on the rich to help the poor, so that, having an abundance
of this world's goods, they may not expend them fruitlessly or completely
squander them, but employ them for the support and well-being of those who
lack the necessities of life. They who give of their substance to Christ
in the person of His poor will receive from the Lord a most bountiful reward
when He shall come to judge the world; they who act to the contrary will pay
the penalty.[94] Not in vain does the Apostle warn us: "He that hath the
substance of this world and shall see his brother in need, and shall shut
up his bowels from him: how doth the charity of God abide in him?"[95]
120.
If, however, for this purpose, private resources do not suffice, it is the
duty of the public authority to supply for the insufficient forces of individual
effort, particularly in a matter which is of such importance to the common
weal, touching as it does the maintenance of the family and married people.
If families, particularly those in which there are many children, have not
suitable dwellings; if the husband cannot find employment and means of livelihood;
if the necessities of life cannot be purchased except at exorbitant prices;
if even the mother of the family to the great harm of the home, is compelled
to go forth and seek a living by her own labor; if she, too, in the ordinary
or even extraordinary labors of childbirth, is deprived of proper food, medicine,
and the assistance of a skilled physician, it is patent to all to what an
extent married people may lose heart, and how home life and the observance
of God's commands are rendered difficult for them; indeed it is obvious how
great a peril can arise to the public security and to the welfare and very
life of civil society itself when such men are reduced to that condition
of desperation that, having nothing which they fear to lose, they are emboldened
to hope for chance advantage from the upheaval of the state and of established
order.
121.
Wherefore, those who have the care of the State and of the public good cannot
neglect the needs of married people and their families, without bringing great
harm upon the State and on the common welfare. Hence, in making the laws and
in disposing of public funds they must do their utmost to relieve the needs
of the poor, considering such a task as one of the most important of their
administrative duties.
122.
We are sorry to note that not infrequently nowadays it happens that through
a certain inversion of the true order of things, ready and bountiful assistance
is provided for the unmarried mother and her illegitimate offspring (who,
of course must be helped in order to avoid a greater evil) which is denied
to legitimate mothers or given sparingly or almost grudgingly.
123.
But not only in regard to temporal goods, Venerable Brethren, is it the concern
of the public authority to make proper provision for matrimony and the family,
but also in other things which concern the good of souls. just laws must be
made for the protection of chastity, for reciprocal conjugal aid, and for
similar purposes, and these must be faithfully enforced, because, as history
testifies, the prosperity of the State and the temporal happiness of its citizens
cannot remain safe and sound where the foundation on which they are established,
which is the moral order, is weakened and where the very fountainhead from
which the State draws its life, namely, wedlock and the family, is obstructed
by the vices of its citizens.
124.
For the preservation of the moral order neither the laws and sanctions of
the temporal power are sufficient, nor is the beauty of virtue and the expounding
of its necessity. Religious authority must enter in to enlighten the mind,
to direct the will, and to strengthen human frailty by the assistance of divine
grace. Such an authority is found nowhere save in the Church instituted by
Christ the Lord. Hence We earnestly exhort in the Lord all those who hold
the reins of power that they establish and maintain firmly harmony and friendship
with this Church of Christ so that through the united activity and energy
of both powers the tremendous evils, fruits of those wanton liberties which
assail both marriage and the family and are a menace to both Church and State,
may be effectively frustrated.
125.
Governments can assist the Church greatly in the execution of its important
office, if, in laying down their ordinances, they take account of what is
prescribed by divine and ecclesiastical law, and if penalties are fixed for
offenders. For as it is, there are those who think that whatever is permitted
by the laws of the State, or at least is not punished by them, is allowed
also in the moral order, and, because they neither fear God nor see any reason
to fear the laws of man, they act even against their conscience, thus often
bringing ruin upon themselves and upon many others. There will be no peril
to or lessening of the rights and integrity of the State from its association
with the Church. Such suspicion and fear is empty and groundless, as Leo
XIII has already so clearly set forth: "It is generally agreed," he says,
"that the Founder of the Church, Jesus Christ, wished the spiritual power
to be distinct from the civil, and each to be free and unhampered in doing
its own work, not forgetting, however, that it is expedient to both, and
in the interest of everybody, that there be a harmonious relationship. .
. If the civil power combines in a friendly manner with the spiritual power
of the Church, it necessarily follows that both parties will greatly benefit.
The dignity of the State will be enhanced, and with religion as its guide,
there will never be a rule that is not just; while for the Church there will
be at hand a safeguard and defense which will operate to the public good
of the faithful."[96]
126.
To bring forward a recent and clear example of what is meant, it has happened
quite in consonance with right order and entirely according to the law of
Christ, that in the solemn Convention happily entered into between the Holy
See and the Kingdom of Italy, also in matrimonial affairs a peaceful settlement
and friendly cooperation has been obtained, such as befitted the glorious
history of the Italian people and its ancient and sacred traditions. These
decrees, are to be found in the Lateran Pact: "The Italian State, desirous
of restoring to the institution of matrimony, which is the basis of the family,
that dignity conformable to the traditions of its people, assigns as civil
effects of the sacrament of matrimony all that is attributed to it in Canon
Law."[97] To this fundamental norm are added further clauses in the common
pact.
127.
This might well be a striking example to all of how, even in this our own
day (in which, sad to say, the absolute separation of the civil power from
the Church, and indeed from every religion, is so often taught), the one
supreme authority can be united and associated with the other without detriment
to the rights and supreme power of either thus protecting Christian parents
from pernicious evils and menacing ruin.
128.
All these things which, Venerable Brethren, prompted by Our past solicitude
We put before you, We wish according to the norm of Christian prudence to
be promulgated widely among all Our beloved children committed to your care
as members of the great family of Christ, that all may be thoroughly acquainted
with sound teaching concerning marriage, so that they may be ever on their
guard against the dangers advocated by the teachers of error, and most of
all, that "denying ungodliness and worldly desires, they may live soberly
and justly, and godly in this world, looking for the blessed hope and coming
of the glory of the great God and Our Savior Jesus Christ."[98]
129.
May the Father, "of whom all paternity in heaven and earth is named,"[99]
Who strengthens the weak and gives courage to the pusillanimous and fainthearted;
and Christ Our Lord and Redeemer, "the Institutor and Perfecter of the holy
sacraments,"[100] Who desired marriage to be and made it the mystical image
of His own ineffable union with the Church; and the Holy Ghost, Love of God,
the Light of hearts and the Strength of the mind, grant that all will perceive,
will admit with a ready will, and by the grace of God will put into practice,
what We by this letter have expounded concerning the holy Sacrament of Matrimony,
the wonderful law and will of God respecting it, the errors and impending
dangers, and the remedies with which they can be counteracted, so that that
fruitfulness dedicated to God will flourish again vigorously in Christian
wedlock.
130.
We most humbly pour forth Our earnest prayer at the Throne of His Grace, that
God, the Author of all graces, the inspirer of all good desires and deeds,[101]
may bring this about, and deign to give it bountifully according to the greatness
of His liberality and omnipotence, and as a token of the abundant blessing
of the same Omnipotent God, We most lovingly grant to you, Venerable Brethren,
and to the clergy and people committed to your watchful care, the Apostolic
Benediction.
Given at Rome, in Saint Peter's, this
31st day of December, of the year 1930, the ninth of Our Pontificate.
PIUS XI
1.
Encycl. Arcanum divinae sapientiae, 10 Febr. 1880.
2.
Gen., I, 27-28; II, 22-23; Matth., XIX, 3 sqq.; Eph.,
V, 23 sqq .
3.
Conc. Trid., Sess. XXIV.
4.
Cod. iur. can., c. 1081 & 2.
5.
Cod. iur. can., c. 1081 & 1.
6.
S. Thom Aquin., Summa theol., p. III Supplem 9, XLIX, art.3.
7.
Encycl. Rerum novarum, 15 May 1891.
8.
Gen., I, 28.
9.
Encycl. Ad salutem, 20 April 1930
10.
St. August., De bono coniug., cap. 24, n. 32.
11.
St. August., De Gen. ad litt., lib. IX, cap. 7, n. 12.
12.
Gen., I, 28.
13.
I Tim., V, 14.
14.
St. August., De bono coniug., cap. 24 n. 32.
15.
I Cor., II, 9
16.
Eph., II, 19.
17.
John, XVI, 21.
18.
Encycl. Divini illius Magistri, 31 Dec. 1929.
19.
St. August., De Gen. ad litt., lib. IX, cap. 7, n. 12.
20.
Cod. iur. can., c. 1013 & 7.
21.
Conc. Trid., Sess. XXIV.
22.
Matth., V, 28.
23.
Decr. S. Officii, 2 March 1679, propos. 50.
24.
Eph., V, 25; Col., III, 19.
25.
Catech. Rom., II, cap. VIII q. 24.
26.
St Greg the Great, Homii. XXX in Evang (John XIV,23-31), n.1.
27.
Matth., XXII, 40.
28.
I Cor., VII, 3.
29.
Eph., V, 22-23.
30.
Encycl. Arcanum divinae sapientiae, 10 Febr. 1880.
31.
Matth., XIX, 6.
32.
Luke, XVI, 18.
33.
St. August., De Gen. ad litt. Iib. IX, cap. 7, n. 12.
34.
Pius VI, Rescript. ad Episc. Agriens., 11 July 1789.
35.
Eph., V, 32.
36.
St. August., De nupt. et concup., lib. I, cap. 10.
37.
I Cor., XIII, 8.
38.
Conc. Trid., Sess. XXIV.
39.
Conc. Trid. Sess., XXIV.
40.
Cod. iur. can., c. 1012.
41.
St. August., De nupt. et concup., lib. I, cap. 10.
42.
Matth., XIII, 25.
43.
II Tim., IV, 2-5.
44.
Eph., V, 3.
45.
St. August., De coniug. adult., lib. II, n. 12, Gen, XXXVIII,
8-10.
46.
Matth., XV, 14.
47.
Luke, VI, 38.
48.
Conc. Trid., Sess. VI, cap. 11.
49.
Const. Apost. Cum occasione, 31 May 1653, prop. 1.
50.
Exod., XX, 13; cfr. Decr. S. Offic. 4 May 1897, 24 July 1895;
31 May 1884.
51.
St. August., De nupt. et concupisc., cap. XV.
52.
Rom., III, 8.
53.
Gen., IV, 10.
54.
Summ. theol., 2a 2ae, q. 108 a 4 ad 2um.
55.
Exod., XX, 14.
56.
Matth., V, 28.
57.
Hebr., XIII, 8.
58.
Matth., V, 18.
59.
Matth., VII. 27.
60.
Leo XIII, Encycl. Arcanum, 10 Febr. 1880.
61.
Eph., V, 32: Hebr. XIII, 4.
62.
Cod. iur. can., c. 1060.
63.
Modestinus, in Dig. (Lib. XXIII, II: De ritu nuptiarum), lib. I, Regularum.
64.
Matth., XIX, 6.
65.
Luke, XVI, 18.
66.
Conc. Trid., Sess. XXIV, cap. 5
67.
Conc. Trid., Sess. XXIV, cap. 7
68.
Cod. iur. can., c. 1128 sqq.
69.
Leo XIII, Encycl. Arcanum divinae sapientiae 10 Febr. 1880.
70.
Encycl. Arcanum, 10 Febr. 1880.
71.
Encycl. Arcanum, 10 Febr. 1880.
72.
St. Thom. of Aquin, Summ theolog., la 2ae, q. 91, a. I-2 .
73.
Encycl. Arcanum divinae sapientiae, 10 Febr. 1880.
74.
St. August., Enarrat. in Ps. 143.
75.
Rom. I, 24, 26.
76.
James IV, 6.
77.
Rom., VII, VIII.
78.
Conc. Vat., Sess. III, cap. 2.
79.
Conc. Vat., Sess. III, cap. 4; Cod. iur. can., c. 1324.
80.
Acta, XX, 28.
81.
John, VIII, 32 sqq.; Gal., V, 13.
82.
Encycl. Arcanum. 10 Febr. 1880.
83.
St. Rob. Bellarmin., De controversiis, tom. III, De Matr., controvers.
II, cap. 6.
84.
I Tim., IV,14.
85.
II Tim., 1, 6-7.
86.
Gal., Vl. 9.
87.
Eph., IV, 13.
88.
Encycl. Divini illius Magistri, 31 Dec. 1929.
89.
Eph., VI, 2-3; Exod., XX, 12.
90.
Encycl. Rerum novarum, 15 May 1891.
91.
Luke, X, 7.
92.
Deut. XXIV, 14, 15.
93.
Leo XIII, Encycl. Rerum novarum, 15 May 1891.
94.
Matth., XXV, 34 sqq.
95.
I John, III, 17.
96.
Encycl. Arcanum divinae sapientiae, 10 Febr. 1880.
97.
Concord., art. 34; Act. Apost. Sed., XXI (1929), pag. 290.
98.
Tit., II, 12-13.
99.
Eph., I III, 15.
100.
Conc. Trid., Sess. XXIV.
101.
Phil., II, 13.
|