Encyclical letter of Pope Pius XII on St. Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria, on the fifteenth centenary


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ENCYCLICAL LETTER
OF

POPE PIUS XII
ON

St. Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria

On the Fifteenth Centenary
of His Most Holy Death

National Catholic Welfare Conference

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

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To the Venerable Brethren
The Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops,

Bishops and Other Ordinaries

Having Peace and Communion with the Apostolic See

POPE PIUS XII

VENERABLE BRETHREN

HEALTH AND APOSTOLIC BENEDICTION

1. The Church has always exalted with the highest praise
St. Cyril Patriarch of Alexandria, as the glory of the East-

ern Church and the most noble defender of the Virgin
Mother of God. We wish now, in writing of him, briefly
to recall to mind these encomiums, at the close of the fif-
teenth century since he happily exchanged this earthly exile
for his heavenly home. Our Predecessor St. Celestine I
calls him indeed ‘‘good defender of the faith”,^ “most
worthy priest” ^ and “apostolic man”.^ The Oecumenical
Council of Chalcedon not only invokes the aid of his doctrine

to detect and refute new errors, but even does not hesitate
to compare it with the wisdom of St. Leo the Great.^ St.
Leo in his turn praises and recommends the writings of so
great a doctor, precisely because they are in full con-

formity with the faith of the Holy Fathers.® With no less
veneration did the fifth Oecumenical Council, assembled
at Constantinople,® regard the authority of St. Cyril; and
many years later, during the controversy on the two wills
in Christ, his doctrine was once again deservedly and tri-
umphantly vindicated, both in the first Lateran CounciP
and in the sixth Oecumenical Council, after some had
wrongly alleged that it was tainted with the errors of the
Monothelites. Indeed, according to the testimony of Our
holy Predecessor Agatho, he “was the defender of the

1 Ep. 12, 4: Migne, P. L., L, 467.
2 Ep. 13, 2: ib., 471.
3 Ep. 25, 7: ib., 552.
4 Cf. Mansi, VI, 953, 956-7, VII, 9.
5 Cf. Ep. ad Imp. Theodosium: Migne, P. L., LIV, 891.
6 Cf. Mansi, IX, 231 sq.

Cf. Mansi, X, 1076 sq.



— 4 —
truth”® and stood out as “the most constant preacher of
the orthodox faith”.^

2. We deem it therefore very opportune, in this brief letter,
to present his absolute integrity of life, his faith and his
virtue, for the consideration of all, but especially of those

who, being of the Eastern Church, rightly glory in this
luminary of Christian wisdom, this athlete of apostolic for-
titude. Of noble origin and, according to tradition, raised
to the See of Alexandria in the year 412, he first combated
the Novatians and other corrupters and detractors of pure
doctrine, both by word of mouth and by the publication of
his writings and decrees, giving proof of unequalled vigi-
lance and courage. Then, with the dissemination through-
out the East of the impious heresy of Nestorius, he, like
the watchful Pastor that he was, speedily detected the new
errors which were being widely diffused, used every means
to keep them away from the flock entrusted to his care
and was for all that time, and especially during the course
of the Council of Ephesus, the most learned doctor and
indomitable defender of the divine maternity of the Virgin

Mary, the hypostatic union in Christ and the primacy of
the Roman Pontiff. Since, however. Our immediate Prede-
cessor, Pius XI of happy memory, on the occurrence of the
fifteenth centenary of that Council in the year 1931 admir-
ably described and illustrated in His Encyclical Letter Lux
Veritatis^^ the eminent part played by St. Cyril in this
most important controversy. We deem it superfluous to
repeat it in detail.

3. Cyril was not satisfied, however, with strenuously com-
bating the onrush of heresy, with resolutely and diligently
safeguarding the integrity of Catholic doctrine and zeal-
ously bringing it into the full light of day, but he endeav-
oured by all the means in his power to bring back to the
path of truth and rectitude the brethren who had gone
astray. The Bishops of the province of Antioch, for ex-
ample, would not recognize the authority of the sacred
Council of Ephesus and it was due to the zeal of St. Cyril
that, after long hesitation, they returned at last to full

concord and harmony. And when he had succeeded, with
the help of God, in securing this most happy peace and in

8 Cf. Mansi, XI, 270 sq.
9 Cf. ib., 262 sq.
10 A. A. S., XXIII (1931), p. 493 sq.



— 5 —
defending it with diligent care against all who might dis-
turb it, being ripe for his eternal reward and heavenly
glory, amidst the tears of al good men he departed this
life in the year 444.

4. The faithful of the Eastern Rite not only number him
among the ‘‘Oecumenical Fathers’^ but also honour him
in their liturgical prayers with the highest terms of praise.

“Why thy mind illumined by the fire of the Holy Spirit

—

so the Greeks sing of him in the Menei, appointed to be
celebrated on the 9th day of June—like the sun darting
forth its rays thou didst pour forth thy inspired words;
thou, 0 most blessed and divine one, didst launch forth thy
dogmas to all parts of the Christian world, illuminating all
classes of persons, dissipating the darkness of heresy

through the strength and power of Him who, born of a
Virgin, shone with light ineffable’". And certainly it is
with justice that the children of the Eastern Church rejoice
in honouring this most holy Father, as the signal glory of
their Rite. For in him shone forth in a most special way
those three virtues, which the other Eastern Fathers also
possessed to a marked degree: namely, an extraordinary
holiness of life, in which is especially resplendent an ardent
devotion to the great Mother of God; a doctrine truly ad-
mirable, on account of which the Sacred Congregation of
Rites, in a decree promulgated on July 28th, 1882, declared
him Doctor of the Universal Church; and finally an active
and zealous watchfulness, in virtue of which he repulsed
the assaults of the heretics with indomitable courage, as-
serted and defended the Catholic faith and tirelessly propa-
gated it to the limit of his powers.

5. But while We rejoice with all Our heart that all the
Christian peoples of the East honour St. Cyril with special
devotion, nevertheless We are grieved that all have not
come together in that unity so greatly to be desired, which
he so ardently loved and promoted. This especially do We
deplore in these days of ours, when it behooves all Christians
to stand together in the one Church of Jesus Christ, united
in mind and strength so that, forming a single phalanx,
solid, immovable and in complete harmony, they may resist
the assults of impiety, which daily grow more and more
threatening.

6. To bring this about it is absolutely necessary that all,
following in the footsteps of St. Cyril, should secure that



— 6 —
harmony of soul, which must be sustained by that triple
principle with which Christ Jesus, Founder of the Church,
wished it to be indissolubly bound together, as by a divine
and unbreakable bond, established by Himself; that is to
say, union in the One Catholic faith, in a single love for
God and for all men, and finally in a common obedience
and submission to the lawful heirarchy constituted by the
Divine Redeemer Himself. These three bonds of union, as
you well know. Venerable Brethren, are so necessary, that
if one of them is lacking, true unity and concord in the
Church cannot even be conceived.

I

7. Now in the task of earnestly pursuing and energeti-
cally preserving this genuine unity. We desire that the
Patriarch of Alexandria should, at this present time, be
to all a master and most illustrious model, even as he was
during his own stormy epoch. And, to begin by treating
of the unity of the Christian faith. We may say that his
constant readiness and tenacity in defending it are uni-
versally known: “We—he declares—who have truth for
our friend, and the dogmas of truth, will never follow the
heretics, but continuing in the path of faith traced out for
us by the Holy Fathers, we will guard the deposit of divine
revelation against all errors’ And in fighting the good
fight even unto death he was ready to undergo the bitterest
trials. “My dearest wish—he writes—is to labour, live and
die for the faith, which is in Christ”.^^ insult, there-
fore, no contumely, no outrage shall move me .... It matters
only that the faith be preserved intact and secure”.^^ And
desiring with all the strength of his noble soul the palm of
martyrdom, he voiced these most admirable sentiments:
“I am resolved to endure any labour for the faith of Christ,
to bear any torments, even those considered to be the most
excruciating, until at length I suffer death, which I shall
joyfully accept in this cause”.^^ “For if we fear to preach
the truth for the glory of God lest forsooth we experience
some trouble, how can we ever, I pray, have the face to

11 Cf^ in Ioann., 1. X; Migne, P. G., LXXIV, 419.
12 Ep. 10: Migne, P. G., LXXVII, 78.
13 Ep. 9: ib., 62.
14 Ep. 10: ib., 70.



— 7 —
exalt before our people the contests and triumphs of the
holy martyrs?''.^®

8. And since in the monasteries of Egypt there were fre-
quent acrimonious disputes concerning the new Nestorian
heresy, he, like a most vigilant Pastor, advises the monks
of the dangerous fallacies of this doctrine, not for the pur-

pose of heaping fuel on the fire of these wordy conflicts,
'‘but—as he writes to them—so that, if in the future any
of the heretics should assail you, you may not only avoid
falling into these errors yourselves, but, refuting with the
eternal truth their vain trivialities, you may induce others,
with opportune arguments and, like good brethren, to pre-
serve steadfastly in their souls the faith which was handed
down to the Churches by the holy Apostles”.^® As all will
readily admit who have read the letters which he wrote
on the occasion of the controversy in the province of Anti-
och, he shows in the clearest manner that this Christian
faith, which we must preserve and defend by all the means
in our power, has been transmitted to us through the Sacred
Scripture and the teaching of the holy Fathers,^^ and is
at the same time clearly and lawfully proposed for our
belief by the living and infallible authority of the Church.
For when the Bishops of the Province of Antioch, for the
re-establishment and preservation of peace, deemed it
sufficient merely to adhere to the Nicene profession of faith,
St. Cyril, on the contrary, while holding fast to the Nicene
Creed, further required of his brethren in the Episcopate,
for the purpose of strengthening unity, the reprobation and
condemnation of the Nestorian heresy. He knew very well
that it is not enough to accept with docile mind the ancient
documents of ecclesiastical teaching, but it is also necessary
to receive with a loyal and submissive heart all those defi-
nitions which the Church, in virtue of her supreme author-
ity, from time to time proposes for our belief. Indeed,
it is not lawful, even under the pretext of restoring har-
mony, to dissimulate a single dogma of faith, for, to quote
the warning of the Patriarch of Alexandria: “the desire
for peace is the highest and most excellent of all goods . . .
but not for that cause should we disregard the virtue of
filial piety in Christ”.^® Wherefore, the longed-for return

15 Ep. 9: ib., 63.
16 Ep. 1: ib., 14.
17 Cf. Ep. 55: ib., 292-293.
18 Ep. 61: ib., 325.



— 8 —
of erring sons to a sincere and perfect unity in Christ is
not to be brought about by that method which seeks out
those points of doctrine on the acceptance of which all,
or at least the greater number of communities, which glory
in the name of Christian, are agreed; but rather by that
which sets forth all the truths revealed by God, integrally
and without exception, as the basis for harmony and agree-
ment among the faithful.

9. In this tireless energy in preserving and defending the
unity of the faith let St. Cyril of Alexandria be an example
to all. Hardly had he detected the error of Nestorius than
he refuted it by his letters and other writings. He had
recourse to the Roman Pontiff and in the Council of Ephe-
sus, acting as His representative, he repressed and con-
demned the heresy which was even then gathering strength

;

this he did with such a display of admirable doctrine and
dauntless courage that all the Fathers of the Council, after
the public reading of that letter of Cyril which is called
dogmatic, with solemn deliberation pronounced it to be in
absolute conformity with purity of faith. But besides this,
on account of his apostolic activity he was wickedly deprived
of his Episcopal office and endured with unconquerable
serenity the insults of his brethren, condemnation by an
unlawful assembly, and many imprisonments and suffer-
ings. With a like courage he did not hesitate, in the con-
scientious fulfillment of his most holy office, to oppose
openly, not only the Bishops who were wandering from the
right path of truth and unity, but even the august person of
the Emperor himself. Furthermore, as is known to all, for
the purpose of fostering and safeguarding the Christian
faith, he composed an almost countless number of books,
from which shine forth the luminous rays of his extraor-
dinary wisdom, his indomitable firmness and the earnestness
of his pastoral zeal.

II

10. To faith must be closely allied the virtue of charity,
by which we are united one with another and with Christ;
inspired and actuated by the holy Spirit it joins together
the members of the Mystical Body of the Redeemer in an
unbreakable bond. This charity must not, however, refuse
to receive into its embrace the erring ones who have wan-
dered from the right path ; and of this we have an example
in the admirable mode of action followed by St. Cyril. For



— 9 —
although he fought strenuously against the Nestorian

heresy, nevertheless, animated as he was by a burning
charity, he openly asserts that he yields to none in the

profession of his love for Nestorius.^^ And rightly so; for
those who stray from the right path are to be regarded as
ailing brethren and treated with kind and gentle care. In

this regard it will be useful to recall the extremely prudent

advice given by the Patriarch of Alexandria. “In this

matter—he counsels—there is need of great moderation’’.^®
“For it often happens that harsh disputes urge many on
to insolence, and it is better to deal mildly with those who
resist authority than by insisting too much on fine points
of the law to create difficulties for them. If they were ill
in body they would have to be treated by the practised hand
of the doctor; in the same way the sick soul must be cured
with a certain prudence, used as medicine for the body.

As a result they will come little by little to the desired sin-
cerity and stability of mind’’.^^ And elsewhere he adds:
“We have imitated the patient diligence of skilful doctors

:

they do not proceed with fire and steel against diseases and
wounds as soon as they manifest themselves in the human
body, but having first treated the wound with the milder
medicaments, they defer the use of cautery and scalpel until
the opportune moment”. Being thus filled with compas-
sion and mildness for the erring, he openly declares that
he is most desirous of peace and absolutely opposed to
quarrels and disputes: one, in fine, who ardently wishes
to love all and to be -loved in his turn by all’’.^^

11. This marked inclination of the Holy Doctor for con-
cord and harmony was especially noticeable when, miti-
gating his previous attitude of severity, he applied himself
with all earnestness to winning over the Bishops of the
province of Antioch to the cause of peace. Treating of
their delegate, he writes among other things: “Perhaps
he suspected that he would have great difficulty in con-
vincing us of the necessity of uniting the Churches in peace
and concord, and thus putting an end to the mockery of
the heretics and repelling the assaults of diabolical wicked-
ness. But on the contrary he found us so well disposed to

19 Cf. Ep. 9: ib., 62.
20 Ep. 57: ib., 322.
21 Ep. 58: ib., 322.
22 Ep. 18: ib., 123-126.
23 Ep. 9: ib., 62.



— 10 —
this idea that he had hardly any trouble at all. For we
are mindful of the words of Our Saviour: 'peace I leave
with you, my peace I give unto you’ ”.24 ^^d when the 12
Articles composed by St. Cyril at the Synod of Alexandria
proved an obstacle to the dawning of this peace—since these
Articles spoke of the "physical union” in Christ, they were
rejected by the Antiochians as heretical—this most benign
Patriarch, while not condemning or disowning these writ-
ings, since what they set forth is orthodox doctrine, yet
by means of several letters explained his meaning so clearly
as to remove even the least appearance of error and to
render yet more smooth the path of peace. These explana-
tions he gave to the Bishops "not as to opponents but
brethren”.25 For, in his opinion, "for the peace of the

Churches, and to avoid their being separated one from
another through the diversity of opinions, such conde-
scension is by no means useless”.^® And so it happily came
about that the charity of St. Cyril gathered abundantly the
much-desired fruit of peace. And when he could at length
discern the first rays of this glorious dawn, and receive in
fraternal embrace the Bishops of the Province of Antioch,
now resolved to condemn the Nestorian heresy, he exclaimed
in the exuberance of his heavenly joy:

"
'Let the heavens

be glad, and let the earth rejoice’. The inner wall of separa-
tion has been broken down, the storm which caused such
sadness has been stilled, and every occasion of discord has
been removed

;
for Christ, the Saviour of us all, has granted

peace to His Churches”.^^

12. Now, as in those remote times, so also in the present.
Venerable Brethren, there is no doubt that a sincere and
active benevolence will, with the help and inspiration of
God, be a most efficacious aid in promoting that conciliation
of dissident sons with the one Church of Christ which all
good men are striving to attain. This love of benevolence,
in fact, reanimates that mutual familiarity which Our
Predecessors strove so earnestly to bring about and to per-
fect by various means, and particularly by the foundation
in this Venerable City of the Pontifical Institute for the
promotion of higher Oriental Studies. It is likewise impor-

tant to hold in due esteem all that constitutes for the oriental

24 Ep. 39: ib., 175.
25 Ep. 33: ib., 161.
26 Ep. 43: ib., 222-224.
27 Ep. 39: ib., 174.



— 11 —
peoples their own special patrimony, as it were, handed
down to them by their forefathers; and this whether it
regards the Sacred Liturgy and the Hierarchial Orders,
or the other essentials of the Christian life, provided only

that all is in full conformity with genuine religious faith

and with the right rules of moral conduct. For a lawful
freedom must be allowed to each and every people of Ori-
ental Rite in all those things which derive from their history
or depend upon their own peculiar genius and temperament,
so long as they are not in contrast with the true and integral
doctrine of Jesus Christ. And let all know this and reflect
on it, whether they be born in the bosom of the Catholic
Church or are hastening towards it on the wings of desire

:

let them all be persuaded and hold for certain that they will
never be compelled to exchange their own legitimate rites
and ancient institutions for the latin rites and institutions

;

both are to be regarded with equal esteem and veneration,
for they surround our common mother the Church with,
as it were, a regal variety. Nay more, such a diversity
of rites and institutions, while conserving intact and invio-
lable all that is ancient and precious in each confession, does
not put the least obstacle in the way of true and genuine
unity. More than ever in these our times, when the discords
and enmities of war in almost every part of the world have
alienated the hearts of men one from another, it is incum-
bent upon all, moved by Christian charity, to strive ever
more earnestly, using every means in their power, to bring
about union in Christ and for Christ.

Ill

13. Nevertheless the efforts inspired by faith and charity
in the task of strengthening this unity in Christ Jesus
would be altogether lacking in efficacy if they did not have
for their support that immovable rock on which the Church
was founded by God : that is to say, the supreme authority
of Peter and his Successors. This is clearly proved by the
line of conduct adopted by the Patriarch of Alexandria in
this most serious controversy. Both in defeating the Nes-
torian heresy and in reaching agreement with the Bishops
of the Province of Antioch, he acted always in the closest
possible union with this Apostolic See. When, in fact, this
vigilant Prelate perceived that the errors of Nestorius were
insinuating themselves and making progress everywhere,
to the daily increasing danger of the true faith, he wrote



— 12 —
a letter to Our Predecessor St. Celestine I, in which among
other things he says: “Since God requires vigilance of us
in these matters, and a long-established custom of the
Churches directs that questions such as these be communi-
cated to Your Holiness, I write to you, urged thereto by a
clear necessity”.^® To which indeed the Roman Pontiff
replies that he embraced Cyril “as though he were present
in his letter’'; for he seemed to “perceive in him His own
identical sentiments in the Lord”.^^ Wherefore the Su-
preme Pontiff delegated to this most orthodox Doctor the
authority of the Apostolic See, in virtue of which he was to
see to the carrying out of the decrees already pronounced
in the Roman Synod against Nestorius. And it is known
to all. Venerable Brethren, that at the Council of Ephesus
the Patriarch of Alexandria lawfully represented the Roman
Pontiff who, in sending his own Legates to the Council,
specially recommended them to give their support to the
work and authority of St. Cyril. He therefore presided at
this Sacred Council in the name of the Bishop of Rome and
was the first among all those present to sign its Acts. And
so clear and resplendent was the spirit of concord between
the Apostolic See and the See of Alexandria that when, in
the second session of the Council, the letter of St. Celestine
was read publicly, the Fathers exclaimed with one voice:
“This is a just judgment. To Celestine, the new Paul, to
Cyril, the new Paul, to Celestine, guardian of the faith, to
Celestine of one mind with the Council, to Celestine the
whole Council gives thanks. One Celestine, one Cyril, one
the faith of the Council, one the faith of the whole world”.^®
No wonder then if a little later Cyril could write: “Testi-
mony has been borne to the purity of my faith both by the
Roman Church and by the holy Synod assembled, I may
say, from all the earth which lies under heaven”.
14. Furthermore, this most constant union of St. Cyril
with the Apostolic See is clearly evident when we consider
his method of procedure in securing and consolidating peace
with the Bishops of the Province of Antioch. For Our
Predecessor St. Celestine, while approving and ratifying
all that the Alexandrian Prelate had done in the Council of
Ephesus, nevertheless judged it expedient to exclude from
this approval the sentence of excommunication which the

28 Ep. 11: ib., 79.
29 Cf. Ep. ad Cyrillum: ib., 90.
30 Mansi, IV, 1287.
31 Apol. ad Theodos.: MiGNE, P. G., LXXVI, 482.



— 13 —
President of Council, together with the other Fathers, had

pronounced against these Bishops. ‘'With regard to these

—

says the Roman Pontiff—who seem at one with Nestorius in
his impiety . . . while We have read your sentence against
them, nevertheless We in Our turn lay down what seems
opportune. In such questions many circumstances have to
be considered, and the Apostolic See always takes account

of them. ... If such a course gives hope of correction, we
wish your fraternity to come to an agreement by letter
with the Bishop of Antioch. ... We must trust that through
the Divine mercy all will come back to the path of truth”.^^
St. Cyril, in obedience to this injunction of the Roman See,
began to treat with the Bishops of the Province of Antioch

for the re-establishment of peace and concord. Meanwhile
St. Celestine passed piously away from this life. It then
happened that certain persons declared that His Successor,
Sixtus III, was not at all pleased that Nestorius had been
deposed from his Bishopric; the Patriarch of Alexandria,
however, showed the falsity of such reports by the following
words: “He (Sixtus) has written in full harmony with the
holy Synod, He has confirmed all its decisions and is at one
with us”.^^

15. From all this it is obvious that St. Cyril was in com-
plete harmony with this Apostolic See, and it is equally clear
that Our Predecessors considered his acts as their own and
honoured him with well-deserved praise. Thus St. Celes-
tine, not content with having expressed to him on countless
occasions his confidence and gratitude, writes among
other things: “We rejoice in the fact that to the holiness
of your life is joined such a great vigilance that you have
already surpassed your predecessors, who were themselves
always prominent defenders of the dogmas of orthodoxy ....
You have laid bare all the fallacies in (their) most subtle
preaching. . . . Your unflinching assertion of our doctrines
and the defeats you have inflicted on our adversaries with
the aid of the Holy Scriptures have resulted in a great
triumph for our faith’\34 And when St. Sixtus III, the
successor of Celestine in the Supreme Pontificate, received
from the Patriarch of Alexandria the announcement of the
conclusion of peace, he wrote to him in the abundance of
His joy: “Behold, when We were a prey to anxiety, for it

32 Ep. 22 : Migne, P. L., L, 542-543.
33 Ep. 40: Migne, P. G., LXXVII, 202.
34 Ep. 11, 1-2: Migne, P. L., L, 461.



— 14 —
is Our wish that no one should perish, your holiness has
made known to Us by your letter that the body of the Church
has been made whole. With its members forming once
more a single organism, we no longer see anybody wan-
dering abroad in error, for the possession of a common faith
testifies to the fact that all have found their place within
the structure. ... To the feet of the blessed Apostle Peter
has come a universal brotherhood: behold here an audi-
torium which befits both the hearers and the things to be
heard. ... To us our brethren have returned, to us, I say,
who have attended to the healing of their souls, pursuing
with a common zeal the malady from which they lan-
guished. . . '. Rejoice, beloved Brother, rejoice as a victor,
for our brethren are reunited to us. The Church has recov-
ered those whom she sought. And if we desire that none
of the little ones should perish, how much greater should
be our joy at the recovery of their rulers Consoled by
these words of Our Predecessor, the Patriarch of Alexan-
dria, indomitable defender of orthodox faith and most
zealous promoter of Christian concord, reposed in the peace
of Christ.

16. We, Venerable Brethren, in celebrating the fifteenth
centenary of this heavenly birth, desire nothing more ar-
dently than that all who are known by the name of Chris-
tian should, under the patronage and following the example
of St. Cyril, promote with ever-increasing zeal the happy
return of our dissenting brethren in the East to Us and to
the one Church of Jesus Christ. Let there be for all but
the one pure faith

;
one also that charity which binds us all

together in the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ; and, in fine,
a common fidelity, active and persevering, to the See of
Blessed Peter. Let all apply themselves to this most worthy
and deserving work with all their strength, and not only
those who live in the East and can thereby draw more easily
into the unity of the Church their separated brethren and,
more especially, the sacred ministers, through a mutual
esteem, kindly intercourse and the example of a faultlessly
virtuous life ; but likewise all the faithful, begging and im-
ploring God to grant unity to the Kingdom of the Divine
Redeemer in every part of the world, praying Him to gather
all into the one fold. Above all things We recommend to
everyone the powerful help of prayer, which in any enter-

35 Ep. 5, 1. 3. 5: ib., 602-604.



— 15 —
prise undertaken for the salvation of souls is necessarily

the first aid to be invoked and by far the most efficacious

:

fervent prayer, addressed to God with confidence and sub-
mission to His holy will. Let recourse be had, too, to the

most powerful assistance of the Virgin Mother of God,
that through the mediation of this most benign and beloved
Mother of all, the Holy Spirit may illumine the minds of
the Eastern peoples with His divine light, so that we may
all be united in the one Church which was founded by Jesus
Christ, nourished by the Divine Paraclete Himself with an
incessant shower of graces and urged on by Him to sanctity.
To those who live in Seminaries or in other Colleges We
wish to recommend in a special way the “Dies pro Oriente”,
as it is called. On that day let more fervent prayers be
poured forth to the Divine Pastor of the Universal Church,
and let the young be exhorted with greater earnestness to
desire the achievement of this most holy unity. And finally
let all those who devote themselves to the task of assisting
the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, whether they be graced with
the dignity of Holy Orders or enrolled in the ranks of Cath-
olic Action or other like Associations, promote with all zeal,
by prayer, by writing and by word of mouth, the longed-for
union of all the Eastern peoples with the Common Father.

17. May God grant that this paternal and urgent invitation
be received with good dispositions by those dissident Bish-
ops also and their fiocks who, though separated from Us,
yet reverence and honour the Patriarch of Alexandria as
their own special glory. Let this most illustrious Doctor be to
them a preceptor and model in the new restoration of unity
with that triple bond which is so strongly recommended as
being absolutely necessary and with which the Divine
Founder of the Church wished all His children to be bound
together. Let them remember that by the disposition of
Divine Providence We today occupy that Apostolic See to
which the Alexandrian Bishop, urged by the consciousness
of his own responsibility, had recourse, both to defend
orthodox faith against the errors of Nestorius by a sure
means, and so that the peaceful agreement reached with
his dissident brethren might be ratified as by the divine seal.
And let them know that We are moved by the same charity
as Our Predecessors; and that it is the supreme object of
Our prayers and supplications that obstacles of long stand-
ing may be happily removed and that the day may at length
dawn when the whole flock may be gathered into one fold



— 16 —
in harmonious obedience to Jesus Christ and to His Vicar
on earth.

18. We turn in a particular manner to those dissident sons
in the East who, while paying the highest honour to St.
Cyril, yet do not recognize the authority of the Council of
Chalcedon because there the twofold nature in the Person of
Christ was solemnly defined. Let them reflect that the teach-
ing of the Patriarch of Alexandria is not opposed to the de-
crees formulated subsequently in the Council of Chalcedon
to meet the rise of new errors. In fact, he writes openly

:

“not all that the heretics say must be immediately rejected
and repudiated : for they hold things which we also assert.
... So it is with Nestorius

;
though he affirms the two natures,

signifying the difference between the humanity and the
divinity of the Word: for the nature of the Word is one
thing, that of the humanity another

;
yet he does not profess

union with us'\^®

19. It only remains for Us, Venerable Brethren, in cele-
brating this fifteenth centenary of St. Cyril, to implore the
benign patronage of this holy Doctor for the whole church
and especially for those in the East who rejoice in the
Christian name, asking above all that in our dissident
brethren and sons may he happily accomplish that of which
he once wrote in the fullness of his joy: “Behold the lacer-
ated members of the body of the Church have once more
been brought together and there is no longer any cause of
discord which might separate the ministers of the Gospel
of Christ”.37

20. Confidently trusting that this will happily come to
pass, we impart to you. Venerable Brethren, one and all,
and to the flocks entrusted to your individual care, as a
harbinger of celestial gifts and in testimony of Our paternal
good-will. Our Apostolic Benediction, with all affection
in the Lord.

21. Given at Rome, at St. Peteres, on the 9th day of April,
Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the
year 1944, the sixth of Our Pontificate.

PIUS PP. XII

36 Ep. 44: Migne, P. G., LXXVII, 226.
37 Ep. 49: ib., 254.