Acerbo nimis : encyclical letter of Pope Pius X on the teaching of Christian doctrine, April 15, 190


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III

Encyclical of Pope Pius X
ON THE Teaching of

Christian Doctrine

April 15, 1903



ST. ANTHONY GUILD PRESS
PATERSON, N. A.FRANCISCAN MONASTERY



"Acerbo nimis”

ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS X ON THE
TEACHING OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE

April 13, 1903

inscrutable designs of Divine Provi-

dence have raised us, despite our low-

liness, to the office of Supreme Pastor of the

entire flock of Christ at a time when serious

troubles and difficulties confront us. Long

has the enemy been prowling round the fold,

attacking it with such subtle cunning that

now more than ever seems to be verified the
prediction of the Apostle to the elders of the

Church of Ephesus: '*! know that . . . fierce
wolves will get in among you, and will not

spare the flock’* (Acts 20: 29). Those who
still cherish zeal for the glory of God are at
pains to find the causes of the religious de-

cadence. While at variance in their conclu-

sions, they point out, each according to his

own views, different ways for protecting and
restoring the Kingdom of God on earth.
But to us, venerable brothers, it seems that

while other reasons may play their part, we
must agree with those who hold that the
main cause of the present indifference and

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torpor, as well as of the very serious evils

that flow from it, is to be found in the pre-

vailing ignorance about divine things. This

fully bears out what God Himself affirmed
through the Prophet Osee: ”And there is no

knowledge of God in the land. Cursing and
lying and killing, and theft and adultery

have overflowed, and blood hath touched

blood. Therefore shall the land mourn, and

everyone that dwelleth in it shall languish’’

(Osee 4:1-3).

It is a common complaint, only too well

founded, that among Christians there are

large numbers who live in utter ignorance
of the truths necessary for salvation. And
when we say among Christians, we mean

not only the masses and those in the lower

walks of life, who are sometimes not to
blame, because of the inhumanity of hard

taskmasters whose demands leave them little

time to think of themselves and their own

interests; but we include, and indeed more

especially, all those who, while endowed

with a certain amount of talent and culture

and possessing abundant knowledge of pro-

fane matters, have no care nor thought for

religion. It is hard to find words to describe

the dense darkness that environs these per-

sons; the indifference with which they re-

main in this darkness is the saddest sight of

2



all. Rarely do they give a thought to the

Supreme Author and Ruler of all things or

to the teachings of the faith of Christ. Con-

sequently they are absolutely without knowl-

edge of the Incarnation of the Word of
God, of the redemption of mankind wrought

by Him, of grace, which is the chief means

for the attainment of eternal welfare, and of

the Holy Sacrifice and the Sacraments by

which this grace is acquired and preserved.

They fail to appreciate the malice and foul-

ness of sin. They have, therefore, no care

to avoid it and free themselves from it.

Hence they reach their last day in such a

state that the minister of God, anxious to

take advantage of the slightest hope of their

salvation, is obliged to employ those final

moments which should be consecrated en-

tirely to stimulating the love of God, in im-

parting brief instruction on the things in-

dispensable for salvation
;
— even then it

often happens that the invalid has become

so far the slave of culpable ignorance that

he considers superfluous- the intervention of

the priest, and calmly faces the terrible pas-

sage to eternity without reconciling himself

with God. Our predecessor, Benedict XIV,

therefore, had good reason to write as he

did: ’This we affirm: that the majority of

those who are condemned to eternal pun-

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ishment fall into this everlasting misfortune

through ignorance of those mysteries of the

faith which must be known and believed by

all who belong to the elect” (Inst. 26: 18).

Under these circumstances, venerable

brothers, what wonder is it if today we see

in the world, not merely among barbarous

peoples but in the very midst of Christian

nations, a constantly increasing corruption

and depravity.^ The Apostle writing to the

Ephesians admonished them: "But immor-

ality and every uncleanness or covetousness,

let it not even be named among you, as be-

comes saints; or obscenity or foolish talk”

(Eph. 5 : 3, 4) . St. Paul bases this holiness

and the modesty that curbs the passions on

supernatural wisdom: "See to it therefore,

brethren, that you walk with care: not as un-

wise, but as wise, making the most of your

time, because the days are evil. Therefore

do not become foolish, but understand what

the will of the Lord is” (ibid. 15, 16). The

Apostle had good reason for speaking in this

way; for the human will has retained but

little of that love of what is honest and just

which God the Creator infused into it and
which drew it, so to speak, toward the real

and not merely apparent good. Depraved as

it has become by the corruption of the first

sin, and almost forgetful of God its Author,

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its affections are almost entirely turned to

vanity and deceit.

Revelation Answering the Need of

A Divine Guide

This erring will, blinded by perverse pas-

sions, has need therefore of a guide to point

out the way and lead it back to the paths of

justice so unhappily abandoned. This guide;

not selected at random but designated espe-

cially by nature, is no other than the intel-

lect. But if the intellect be itself lacking in

true light, that is, in the knowledge of

divine things, it will be the blind leading

the blind, and both will fall into the ditch.

Holy David praising God for the light of
truth which is flashed from Him upon our
minds, said: ’’The light of Thy countenance,

O Lord, is signed upon us” (Ps. 4: 7). And
he described the effect of this light when he

added: 'Thou hast given gladness in my
heart” — the gladness that fills the heart to
make it run in the way of the divine com-

mandments.

All this becomes evident on a little reflec-

tion. The doctrine of Jesus Christ reveals

God and His infinite perfection to us with
far greater clearness than does the natural

light of the human intellect. What follows ?

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That same doctrine commands us to honor

God by faith, which is the homage of our
mind; by hope, which is the homage of our

will
;
by charity, which is the homage of our

heart; and thus it binds and subjects the

whole of man to his Supreme Maker and
Ruler. So, too, the doctrine of Christ alone

makes known to us the true and lofty dignity

of man, by showing him to be the son of

the Father Who is in heaven, made to His
image and likeness and destined to live with

Him in eternal bliss. From this very dignity,
and from the knowledge that man has of it,
Christ showed the obligation of all men to
love one another like brothers, as they are,

commands them to live here below as chil-

dren of light, "not in revelry,*’ to quote the

words of the Apostle, "and drunkenness, not

in debauchery and wantonness, not in strife

and jealousy" (Rom. 13: 13). Christ like-

wise commands men to place all their solici-

tude in God, since He has care of us, orders

us to stretch forth a helping hand to the

poor, to do good to those who do evil to us,

to prefer the eternal good of the soul to the

fleeting things of time. Not to go too much

into detail, is it not the doctrine of Jesus

Christ that inspires proud man with the love

of humility which is the source of true

glory "Whoever, therefore, humbles him-

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self ... he is the greatest in the kingdom of

heaven” (Matt. 18: 4). From the same doc-

trine we learn Prudence of the spirit, by

means of which we are enabled to shun the

prudence of the flesh; Justice, which teaches

us to give everyone his due
;
Fortitude, which

makes us ready to suffer all things, and by

means of which we do in fact heroically suf-

fer all things, for the sake of God and eter-
nal happiness

;
and, finally, Temperance,

through which we find it possible to love

even poverty for the sake of the Kingdom of

God and actually to glory in the Cross, pay-
ing no heed to contempt. In fine, the sci-

ence of Christianity is a fount not only of

light for the intellect, enabling it to attain

truth, but of warmth to the will, whereby

we raise ourselves up to God and unite our-
selves with Him for the practice of virtue.

We indeed do not mean to say that a
knowledge of religion may not be joined

with a perverse will and unbridled conduct.

Would to God that facts did not too abun-
dantly prove the contrary. What we do main-
tain is that the will cannot be upright npr

the conduct good so long as the intellect is

the slave of crass ignorance. A man using
his eyes may certainly turn aside from the

right path, but the one who has become
blind is certain to walk into the mouth of

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danger. Besides, there is always some hope

for the reform of perverted morality so long

as the light of faith is not wholly extin-

guished; whereas, if want of faith is added

to corruption as a result of ignorance, the

evil hardly admits of remedy, and the road

lies open to eternal ruin.

Such, then, are the unhappy consequences

of ignorance in matters of religion; such,

too, are the necessity and utility of religious

instruction. Vain, indeed, would it be to ex-

pect one to perform the duties of a Christian

who does not know them.

The Duty of Pastors to Act as Guides

It remains, then, to inquire whose duty it

is to eliminate this ignorance from the minds

of the people, and to impart to them a

knowledge that is so necessary. And here,
venerable brothers, there is no room for

doubt, for this most important duty is in-

cumbent upon all who are pastors of souls.

On them, by command of Christ, rests the
obligation of knowing and feeding the

flocks intrusted to them. To feed implies

first of all to teach. "I will give you,” God
promised through Jeremias, ’'pastors accord-

ing to My own heart, and they shall feed you
with knowledge and doctrine” (Jer. 3:15).

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Hence the Apostle Paul said:
'

'Christ did

not send me to baptize, but to preach the

Gospel” (1 Cor. 1: 17), thus indicating

that the first office of all those who are in-

trusted to some extent with the government

of the Church, is to instruct the faithful.

We do not think it necessary to speak here
^ of the noble nature of this instruction or to

show how meritorious it is in the sight of

God. Assuredly the alms with which we al-

leviate the trials of the poor are highly

praised by the Lord. But who will deny

that a far greater measure of praise is due to

the zeal and the labor expended, not on the

fleeting welfare of the body, but on the eter-

nal welfare of souls, by teaching and ad-

monition.^ In truth, than this nothing is

« nearer or dearer to the heart of Jesus Christ

the Saviour of souls, Who through the lips
of Isaias, affirmed of Himself: "To bring

good news to the poor He has sent Me”
(Luke 4:18).

Personal Obligation of Priests

For our present purpose it will be better

to dwell on a single point and to insist on it,

viz., that for a priest there is no duty more

grave or obligation more binding than this

one. Who will deny that knowledge should

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be joined with holiness of life in every

priest? "For the lips of the priest shall keep

knowledge" (Mai. 2:7). The Church does,

in fact, require it most rigorously in those

who are to be raised to the sacerdotal minis-

try. Why? The answer is, because from
them the Christian people expect to learn,

and it is for that end that they are sent by

God, "and they shall seek the law at his

mouth, for he is the angel of the Lord of

Hosts" (ibid.). Thus the bishop, in ordain-

ing, addressing the candidates for Orders,

says to them: "Let your spiritual doctrine

be as medicine for the people of God; let

them be prudent cooperators of our order,

in order that, meditating day and night on

His law, they may believe what they shall

read, and teach what they shall believe"

(Pont. Rom.). If what we have just said

is applicable to all priests, with how much

greater force does it apply to those who pos-

sess the title and the authority of parish

priests, and who, by virtue of their rank,

and in a sense by virtue of a contract, hold

the office of ruling souls? These, to a cer-

tain extent, are to be numbered among the

pastors and doctors designated by Christ in

order that thq faithful may no longer be as

"children, tossed to and fro, and carried

about by every wind of doctrine devised in

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the wickedness of men,’* but that, "practis-

ing the truth in love,” they may "grow up in

all things in Him Who is the head, Christ”
(Eph. 4: 14, 15)

‘

Preaching

Hence the Council of Trent, treating of

the pastors of souls, lays down as their first

and chief duty the instruction of the faithful.

It prescribes that they must speak to the

people on the truths of religion on Sundays

and the more solemn feasts, and do so either

daily or at least three times a week during

the holy seasons of Advent and Lent. Nor

is it content with this, for it adds that parish

priests are bound, either by themselves or

through others, to instruct the young, at least

on Sundays and feast days, in the principles

of faith and in obedience to God and their
parents (Sess. 5, ch. 2 de ref. ; Sess. 22, ch.

8; Sess. 24, ch. 4 and 7 de ref.). And when

the Sacraments are to be administered, it en-

joins upon them the duty of explaining

their efficacy in the vernacular to those who
are about to receive them.

These prescriptions of the sacred Council

of Trent have been epitomized and still more

clearly defined by our predecessor, Benedict

XIV, in his Constitution, Etsi minime, in

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the following words: 'Two chief obligations
have been imposed by the Council of Trent

on those who have the care of souls: the
first that they speak to the people on divine

things on feast days; and secondly, that they

instruct the young and the ignorant in the

rudiments of the law of God and of faith."

The Office of Catechizing

Rightly does that most wise Pontiff make

a distinction between the two duties of the

sermon, commonly known as the explana-

tion of the Gospel, and of the Catechism.

Perhaps there are some who, desirous of sav-

ing themselves trouble, are willing to believe

that the explanation of the Gospel may

serve also for catechetical instruction. The

error of this must be apparent to all who stop
to think for a moment. The sermon on the

Gospel is addressed to those who may be
supposed to be already instructed in the rudi-

ments of the faith. It is, so to say, the bread

that is broken for those who are grown up.

Catechetical instruction, on the other hand,

is that milk which the Apostle St. Peter

wished the faithful to yearn after in all sim-

plicity like newborn babes. The task of the

catechist is to take up one or other of the

truths of faith or Christian precept and ex-

12



plain it in all its parts; and as the scope of

his instruction is always directed to amend-

ment of life, he should institute a compari-

son between what is required of us by our

Lord and our actual conduct. He should,
therefore, make use of examples skilfully

selected from the Holy Scriptures, Church

history and the lives of the saints, using per-

suasion with his hearers, and pointing out to

them how they are to shape their conduct.

He should conclude with an efficacious ex-
hortation, in order that they may be moved

to shun and detest vice and to practise virtue.

We are aware that the office of the cate-
chist is not much sought after because, as a

rule, it is deemed of little account, since it

does not lend itself easily to the winning of

applause. But this, in our opinion, is an

estimate born of vanity and not of truth. We
are quite willing to admit the merits of

those pulpit orators who, out of genuine 2eal

for the glory of God, devote themselves

either to the defense and maintenance of the

faith or to eulogizing the heroes of Chris-

tianity. But their labor presupposes labor of

another kind, that of the catechist. Where

the latter is wanting, the foundations are

wanting, and they labor in vain who build
the house. Too often it happens that ornate

sermons which win the applause of crowded

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congregations serve only to tickle the ears,

and fail utterly to touch the heart. Cate-

chetical instruction, on the other hand, plain

and simple though it be, is that word of

which God Himself speaks in Isaias: *'And

as the rain and the snow come down from

heaven and return no more thither, but soak

the earth, and water it, and make it to spring

and give seed to the sower and bread to the

eater
;
so shall My word be which shall go

forth from My mouth
;

it shall not return to

Me void, but it shall do whatsoever I please,
and shall prosper in the things for which I

sent if (Is. 55:11). We believe the same
may be said of those priests who devote much

time and labor to the writing of books to

illustrate the truths of religion. They are

worthy of great commendation for their ac-

tivity. But how many read these volumes and

derive from them fruit that corresponds in

any way to the toil and the wishes of those

who wrote them.^ Whereas the teaching of
the Catechism, when performed as it should

be, never fails to be of profit to those who
listen to it.

Salutary Effects of Christian

Instruction upon Social Life

In order to stimulate the zeal of the min-

isters of the sanctuary, we must repeat that

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there are today vast numbers, continually

recruited by fresh accessions, who either are

utterly ignorant of the truths of religion, or

at most possess only such knowledge of God

and of the Christian faith as to lead the life

of idolaters. How many are there, not only
among the young, but among adults and

those tottering with age, who know nothing

of the principal mysteries of faith; who on

hearing the name of Christ can only ask:

''Who is He . . . that I may believe in Him?’'
(John 9:36). In consequence of this igno-

rance, they regard it as no crime to excite

and to cherish hatred against their neighbor,

to enter into most unjust contracts, to give

themselves up to dishonest speculations, to

possess themselves of the property of others

by enormous usury, and to commit other

iniquities not less reprehensible. Further-

more, they are unaware that the law of

Christ not only forbids immoral actions, but

condemns deliberate immoral thoughts and

immoral desires; even when they are re-

strained by some motive from abandoning

themselves to sensual pleasures, they without

any kind of scruple feed on evil thoughts,

multiplying sins beyond the hairs of the

head. Again we deem it necessary to repeat
that such persons are to be found not only

among the poorer classes of the people or in

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country districts, but among those in the

highest walks of life, and even among those

puffed up with knowledge, who, relying

upon a vain erudition, think they are at lib-

erty to turn religion into ridicule and to "de-

ride whatever they do not know" (Jude 10).

Now, if it is vain to expect a harvest

where no seed has been sown, how can we
hope to have better-living generations if

they be not instructed in time in the doctrine

of Jesus Christ? It follows, too, that if faith

languishes in our days, if among large num-

bers it has almost vanished, the reason is that

the duty of catechetical teaching is either ful-

filled very superficially or altogether ne-

glected. Nor will it do to say, in excuse,

that faith is a free gift bestowed upon each

one at Baptism. Yes, all baptized in Christ

have infused into them the habit of faith;

but this most divine germ, left to itself un-

aided, so to speak, from outside sources,

does not develop or "put out great branches"

(Mark 4: 32). Man at his birth has within
him the faculty of understanding, but he

has need also of the mother’s word to

awaken it, as it were, and to put it into act.

So, too, the Christian, born again of water

and the Holy Ghost, has faith within him,

but he requires the word of the Church to

fecundate it and develop it, and make it

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fruitful. Hence the Apostle wrote: "Faith

. . . depends on hearing, and hearing on the

word of Christ” (Rom. 10: 17) ; and to

show the necessity of teaching, he adds:

"How are they to hear, if no one preaches.^”

(ibid. 14).

Now, if what we have said so far demon-

strates the supreme importance of religious

instruction, it follows that we ought to do

all that lies in our power to maintain the

teaching of the Catechism, and where the

practice of so doing has fallen into disuse

there should be a revival of the teaching of

the Catechism, which Benedict XIV has de-
scribed as "the most effective means for

spreading the glory of God and securing the

salvation of souls” (Const. Ets/ mmime,

13).

Uniformity of Practice in Teaching

We therefore, venerable brothers, desir-
ous of fulfilling this most important duty

which is imposed upon us by the Supreme

Apostolate, and wishing to introduce uni-

formity everywhere in this most weighty

matter, do by our supreme authority enact

and strictly ordain that in all dioceses the

following precepts be observed

:

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I. On every Sunday and feast day, none
excepted, all parish priests and, generally

speaking, all those who have the care of
souls shall throughout the year, with the text

of the Catechism, instruct for the space of

an hour the young of both sexes in what

they must believe and do to be saved.

II. They shall, at stated times during the

year, prepare boys and girls by continued in-

struction lasting several days, to receive the

Sacraments of Penance and Confirmation.

III. Every day in Lent and, if necessary,

on other days after the feast of E?ster, they

shall likewise by suitable instructions and re-

flections most carefully prepare boys and

girls to receive their First Communion in a

holy manner.

IV. In each parish the Confraternity of the

Christian Doctrine is to be canonically insti-

tuted. Through this Confraternity the par-

ish priests, especially in places where there

is a scarcity of priests, will find valuable

helpers for catechetical instruction in pious

lay persons, who will lend their aid to this

holy and salutary work both from a zeal for

the glory of God and as a means of gaining
the numerous indulgences granted by the

Sovereign Pontiffs.

V. In large towns, and especially in those

which contain universities, colleges and

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grammar schools, let religious classes be

founded to instruct in the truths of faith and

in the practice of Christian life the young

people who frequent the public schools from

which all religious teaching is banned.

VI. In consideration of the fact that in

these days adults not less than the young

stand in need of religious instruction, all

parish priests and others having the care of

souls shall, in addition to the usual homily

on the Gospel to be delivered at the paro-

chial Mass on all days of obligation, explain

the Catechism to the faithful in an easy

style suited to the intelligence of their hear-

ers, at such time of the day as they may deem

most convenient for the people, but not dur-

ing the hour in which the children are

taught. In this instruction they are to make

use of the Catechism of the Council of

Trent; and they are to divide the matter in

such a way as within the space of four or five

years to treat of the Apostles’ Creed, the

Sacraments, the Decalogue, the Lord’s Prayer

and the Precepts of the Church.

These Laws Binding by Virtue of
Apostolic Authority

This, venerable brothers, we do prescribe
and command by virtue of the Apostolic

19



authority. It now rests with you to put it

into prompt and complete execution in your

dioceses, and by all the force of your power

to see to it that these prescriptions of ours be

not neglected, or, what comes to the same

thing, that they be not carried out super-

ficially. That this may be avoided, you must

not cease to recommend and to require that

your parish priests do not impart this in-

struction carelessly, but that they diligently

prepare themselves for it
;
let them not speak

words of human wisdom, but ”in simplicity

and godly sincerity’’ (2 Cor. 1: 12), imitat-

ing the example of Jesus Christ, Who
though He revealed "things hidden since
the foundation of the world’’ (Matt.

13:35), yet spoke "All ... things to the

crowds in parables, and without parables

did not speak to them’’ (ibid. 34). The

same thing was done also by the Apos-

tles taught by our Lord, of whom the Pon-
tiff Gregory the Great said: "They took su-

preme care to preach to the ignorant things

easy and intelligible, not sublime and ardu-

ous’’ (Moral. 2, xvii, ch. 25). In matters of

religion the majority of men in our times

must be considered as ignorant.

We would not, however, have it sup-
posed that this studied simplicity of preach-

ing does not require labor and meditation —
20



on the contrary, it requires both more than

does any other kind of preaching. It is much

easier to find a preacher capable of deliver-

ing an eloquent and elaborate discourse than

a catechist who is able to impart instruction

entirely worthy of praise. It must, therefore,

be carefully borne in mind that a person,

whatever facility of ideas and language he

may have inherited from nature, will never

be able to teach the Catechism to the young

and adult without preparing himself thought-

fully for it. They are mistaken who suppose
that in consequence of the intellectual in-

feriority of the common people they can per-

form this office in a careless manner. On the
contrary, the more uncultured the hearers,

the greater is the necessity for study and dili-

gence, in order to bring home to their minds

those most sublime truths which are so far

beyond the natural understanding of the mul-

titude, and which must yet be known by all,

the learned as well as the unlettered, in order

that they may attain eternal salvation.

A Blessing upon the Workers
AND THE Work

And now, venerable brothers, permit us to

close this letter by addressing to you these

words of Moses: 'If any man be on the

21



Lord's side, let him join with me” (Ex.

32: 26). We pray and conjure you to re-
flect on the ruin of souls which is wrought

solely by ignorance of divine things. Doubt-

less you have done many useful and cer-
tainly praiseworthy things in your respective

dioceses for the benefit of the flock en-

trusted to you, but before all else, and with

all the diligence, all the zeal, all the assi-

duity that it is possible for you to employ,

see to it that the knowledge of Christian doc-

trine penetrates and pervades through and

through the minds of all: ”According to the

gift that each has received” (these are the

words of the Apostle St. Peter), ''administer

it to one another, as good stewards of the

manifold grace of God” (1 Pet. 4: 10).
Through the intercession of the Most

Blessed Immaculate Virgin, may your dili-

gence and your energy be fructified by the

Apostolic Blessing, which, in token of our

affection and as an earnest of divine favors,

we impart to you and to the clergy and the

people intrusted to each one of you.

Given at Rome, at St. Peter’s, on the 15th

day of April, 1905, in the second year of

our Pontificate.

PIUS X, POPE.

Imprimatur, June 12, 1941,

t Thomas H. McLaughlin, S. T. D., Bishop of Paterson,

%

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