FARMING AS VOCATION ard MISSION

ADDRESSES

by His Holiness

Pope John XXIIl

T^ational Catholic Welfare Conference



Addresses to delegates attending the 13th, 14th, 15th

and 16th Congresses of the Italian National Con-

federation of Independent Farmers and to delegates

at the 1959 biennial Food and Agricultural Organi-

zation conference.

Translations provided by NCWC News Service

1962

NATIONAL CATHOLIC WELFARE CONFERENCE
1312 Massachusetts Avenue, N. W.,

Washington 5, D. C.



Following is a translation of on address de-

livered on April 11, 1962 by His Holiness, Pope

John XXIH to metnbers of the Sixteenth Congress

of the Italian Xational Confederation of Farmers.

The beginning of spring gives us the joy of this meeting

with yon, belowcl sons and daughters of the Confederation of

Italian Fanners. Your presence liere near the tomb of the

Prince of the Ai>ostles constitutes a spectacle of faith and of

Christian generosih', a reflowering of hope and of holy inten-

tions, a token of abundant fruits for your families and for

societ)’.

W'e welc-orne )'ou paternally and warmly with an open

heart.

The peculiarit)’ of the liturgical year causes your 16th

national c'ongress to be held at Easter time in the atmosphere

of anxious expectation and of participation in the loftiest and

most mo\ing mysteries of our holy religion. The dignified

simplicitx’ and the suggestive beauty of the rites, held during

these weeks speak to the hearts of all, to children and to adults,

reaching to the depths of ever)’ heartstring, reproposing for

meditation the immeasurable greatness of the love of Jesus

C^hrist for men. through the painful yet shining stages of His

blessed Passion, of His painful Death unto the brilliance of

His Resurrection.

Now, Easter and the holy rites that accompany it is cele-

brated particularly by country people as a manifestation of

C.’hristian life that renews itself. Behold the Easter retreats

to prepare the soul for the purifying cleansing of penance. Be-

1



hold the quiet gatherings of men and youths, without men-

tioning those of the mothers of families and of daughters, at

the Eucharistic feast in fervent meeting with the Divine

Saviour.

The rites, celebrated decorously with the people partici-

pating in the chorus, the repetition of ancient and grave tra-

ditions which are celebrated in the different localities With

significant variations, have a lofty educational goal; in the

Good Friday processions when Blessed Jesus is carried in tri-

umph, there is the glorification of sorrow, the great lesson

from which man learns how to sublimate himself and to give

himself with his eyes fixed on the Cross.

Then, in the pause of Holy Saturday, there is the sad-

ness mingled with joy on the eve of Easter when mystical

lights shine on souls, fiooding them with the light of the

Resurrection.

The expectation of the young people, who are preparing

themselves for first Communion, also is very eloquent and

spreads serenity among families.

These points serve to emphasize your gathering today,

beloved sons, workers of the land, and the goals of your con-

gress derive from them admirable teaching and uplift.

It is true that your concerns—according to the most re-
cent themes submitted for your attention and for that of those

people who must be concerned with your organization—are
centered on the formulation of special requests for the legisla-

tors of your country for the development of the agricultural

economy, for improving your living and working conditions in

consonance with human dignity, and for obtaining other time-

ly assistance such as is enjoyed by other workers.

The two congresses of the groups of rural women and of

the young farmers stressed again respectively the new respon-

sibilities of women in the changing agricultural world and the

position of country youth within the framework of family en-

terprise. The contents of these questions are of a practical

nature and the vastness of the points contained in them should

be examined thoroughly.

2



In this program of positive assistance to the agricultural

world, the C'luirch, mother of all her sons, is close to you and

shares your c-oncern. You will remember certainly that last

year, when \\’e recei\ed you on April 19th, We announced to
you the encyclical letter Mater ct Ma^istra, which We had at
heart "like a flame of doctrine and an aim of charit>" and broth-

erh(K)d . . . for the spiritual and material welfare of all God’s

children, called to know Him and to belong to Him.” ^

W’ith new fervor, the encyclical broached, among other

things, the problems inherent in the life of the land and called

for greater justice in relations between the different sectors of

prcKluction. To these pages are entrusted in fact the thoughts

of the Church c'oncerning the adequacy of essential public

servit't's in the rural world, the gradual and harmonious de-

velopment of the economic system, the recpicst for an appro-

priate iK)litical policy regarding taxation, loans and social se-

curity, for the c'ontrol of prices and the adaptation of rev-

enues, and finally for complete tKjualization in the structure of

agricultural enterprise.

W’e have noted with satisfaction that your present con-

gress has echoed these (|uestions again and promotes their ap-

plic'ation. But allow Us to tell you that these questions can-

not lx‘ completely settled through a program of statistical and

t'conomic details nor through simple technical and organiza-

tional solutions. The subject of agriculture, as the whole of

s(X?ial life in its various forms, is the human being, redeemed

by Christ and enroute to eternal life.

This is particularly true regarding your work, beloved sons

and daughters: “either because,” as We said in Mater et Mag-
istra, “the>* (the farmers) live their lives in the majestic temple

of creation or because their work often concerns the life of plants

ajid animals, a life that is inexhaustable in its expression, inflex-

ible in its laws, rich in allusions to God, the Creator and Pro-

vider. ... In the work of the farm the human personality finds a
thousand incentives for self-expression, self-development, for

enrichment, for growth even in regard to spiritual values. There-

• Discourses, ^^essages amt Talks, III, 218.

3



fore, it is a work which is conceived and lived both as vocation

and as mission.”^

There rises, therefore, before God and men, your activity
which may have seemed less understood in the past than it is
today.

Nothing is easy in the world, beloved sons and daughters.

What is worth-while must be won with sweat and toil. Who-

ever believes differently should be pitied, because he shows

that he wants to be outside the limits of providential order.

But with Jesus at one’s side, with His grace in one’s soul,

daily duty becomes light, sorrow is transformed into an instru-

ment of expiation and of redemption and man learns how to

give himself for his own good, for that of the family and of

his brethren. By accepting the difficulties of life, there grows

internal peace which produces strength and serenity of char-

acter.

It is true that every effort must be made to adapt one’s

own position to the increased needs of a more profound jus-

tice and equity. This is a very clear teaching of Christian

doctrine. But at the same time one must bear in mind that

only faith and the love of God can temper recurring anxieties,

economic ones too, and give energy to continue the patient

toil of every day.

Beloved sons and daughters! Allow Us to repeat it to you.

We are at your side in your expectations and hopes, in your
joys and in your most shining achievements, with paternal

good wishes and with Our daily prayers, with which We ask

for you from the Lord all that your heart wishes and expects

with honesty and simplicity.

May Our abundant and propitious apostolic benediction
be a token of the blessings of Providence. This benediction

We impart to you and to those dear to you who are far away,
particularly to your children, to the sick, the aged, invoking

for all a superabundance of the graces of the Lord.

“ Mater et Magistra p. 43, May 15, 1961, NCWC edition.

4



Following is a translation of the address given

on April 20, 1961 by His Holiness, Pope John

XXIII to participants in the Fifteenth National

Congress of the Italian Confederation of Inde-

petulent Farmers.

We are here among you once more, beloved sons and
daughters of the Italian Confederation of Independent Farmers.

It is as though your 15th national congress received its com-

pletion close to the memor\’ of the Prince of the Apostles. We
\er\' gladh' greet with a paternal word and a ^^dde blessing

this joyful meeting of generous souls.

Our word above all is an imitation to hope.

The Confederation of Independent Farmers points out this

year the not-always-favorable circumstances under which your

work pnK'ceds; furthermore, pondering with a sense of con-

scious responsibility on the hardship that ensues, it plans to

call the attention of the authorities and of public opinion to

the problems of your life that cannot be put off. “To restore

faith to the farming world, by means of an organic and cour-

ageous agricultural policy”: this is the subject proposed for

general consideration.

Gaining in importance under such aspect is the work al-

ready ac'complished not only by rural women’s groups that

ha\e illustrated the value of woman’s activity and the impor-

tance of her c'ontribution to the agricultural enterprise, but

also b\' groups of Young farmers, to present and guide the

needs of young men in the face of present-day social progress,

in its references to work and to conditions of farming life.

These topics interpret in sensitive and precise manner the

legitimate expectations of the good people of the farms, whose

work, which is accomplished with silent toil and a spirit of

sacrifice, surely represents one of the most important factors of

world ec'onomy, and deserves meanwhile every attention and

foresight by those in authority.

The preoccupations mentioned above find in Our heart a

ready and affectionate echo. They are related to a basic need

5



of moral and social life: dignus est operarius mercede sua

( “for the laborer deserves his wages’"
) ;

^ “The laborer is worthy

of his wages:” ^ this is the word of Our Lord Jesus Christ, re-

peated with another nuance: dignus est operarius cibo suo

(“for the laborer deserves his living”) ^ Man’s work is sac-

red, because it is the endeavor of a rational creature, raised

to the dignity of son of God. Christian social doctrine is very

clear on this point, and solemn pontifical documents exist to

give testimony of the maternal attention of the Church for the

guardianship of work.

Beloved sons and daughters!

Your anxieties find complete understanding. And it is

precisely in the midst of present-day anxieties, as well as among

the impassioned interest in remedies and in requested provis-

ions, that Our word desires to sound as a call to hope and trust.

I

—

Faith in God, above all, without whose help nothing

prosperous and lasting can be achieved even in material life.

“Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who

build it. Unless the Lord guard the city, the guard watches in

vain. It is vain for you to rise before the light, to sit up late

into the night, you who eat the bread of hard toil: for He is

bountiful to His loved ones in sleep.” ^

Oh, how sweet are these words of the Psalm, inviting to

look beyond one’s own burden of daily anguish, to see over

us the serene face of the heavenly Father!

A lofty title of honor to farmers is the integrity of relig-

ious life, constantly preserved and honestly lived. It instills

this faith in the Lord, in his loving Providence, in his contin-

uous aid to homes and families. We know with what fervor
you celebrate each year, at the end of the long agricultural toil,

the feast of thanksgiving, to raise to God the canticle of grati-

tude for the benefits received.

1
St. Luke, 10

,
7 .

2 1 . Tim. 5
,
18 .

^Matt. 10
,
10 .

4 Psalms 126
,

1 -2 .

6



W’e know that your sections put in first place a careful

work of religious and moral training, so well carried out by

your ecclesiastic counsellors who are nearly always your pas-

tors. Dear pastors! \\c greet them with great lo\c because

they are the precious and most valuable collaborators of the

Pope and of the Bishops.

II—Thus, faith in God: but also faith in yourselves, in the
admirable energies that God has given to eveiy man for the

development of his personalih', in the form of life chosen by

him.

In the first pages of the Bible there is written that God

created man in his own image and likeness, . . . and put him

into the terrestrial paradise, to dress it and keep it. ^ What

dignit)' and what strength comes to man from this divine trans-

parence, by reason of which it bears the imprint of the splen-

dor of the heavenly Father
—

“Baise the light of thy countenance

above us, () Lord!”

Here is an inexhaustible source of humble, conscious faith

in yourselves, in your own invcmti\e and productive capabili-

ties and in yonr own strength, created by God for the purpose

of sulxluing the earth.
’

W’hen a nation, or part of it, becomes used to expecting

every thing from abroad and is more inclined to accuse others

than to stimulate itself, there is reason to fear for its freedom

and for its own life. Indeed, the help and the work of society

are necessary and sometimes irreplaceable, as We again wish
to say: but they cannot replace personal initiative, the keen

indirstry of each person who thinks always of bettering himself

by drawirrg on his resources of talent, capability and thrift.

It is therefore necessary' that you have faith in yourselves:

avoiding the subtle dangers of egotistical individualism that

isolate and paralyze every effort; the obstacles of faint-hearted-

ness, the habits of conformity.

It is necessary' to cultivate a deep sense of solidarity and of

rnutiral assistance, passing on to each other both efforts and

-cf. Ccn. 1, 27; 2, 7, 15; \Vi^. 2, 23; Eccl 17, 1.
e

cf. Ps. 4. 7.

• cf. Ccn. 1, 28.

7



successes becoming organized into cooperatives and societies,

placing yourselves at the level of the basic demands of today’s

social and economic life, which is at once union and collabora-

tion for greater assured values of the fruits of one’s own labor.

Here again the teachings of the Church are clear and en-

couraging, particularly in the Encyclical Rerum Novarum of

Our Predecessor Leo XIII, the seventieth anniversary of which

will occur next month. In it are encouraged all associative

forms that permit those who work to join their labor to that

of others, to guard it and increase it.

Ill—In the third place. We exhort you to have faith in
society, whose most outstanding part is made up of your peace-

ful and orderly ranks. From it you must expect those laws and

measures that you cannot make available to yourselves by

means of your efforts alone; the same may be said of proper

subsidies, of the different types of insurance and pensions, the

granting of family allowances that your confederation, backed

by your support, has tried up to now to obtain, or intends to

achieve in the future.

Such measures, already granted to other social groups,

are owed to you as a duty of justice: again, it is the Rerum

Novarum that proposes wise norms: ‘‘Being absurd to provide

for one part of the citizens and neglect the other part, it is the

strict duty of the State to look after the well-being of workers:

in not doing so, justice is offended as it wants eveiyone to have

what rightly belongs to him . . . Thus, first among the many and

serious duties of those in power, solicitous of the good of the

people, is the one to provide distributive justice for each class

of citizens with inviolable impartiality.” ^

The validity of such justice, inspired and based on the in-

fallible one of God, is what animates your faith, and lends to

your claims their highest value. And basing Ourselves on it.

We also lend paternal encouragement to those who can and
must provide for your needs and exigencies, in order that they

be taken care of as soon as possible.

^ Leo XIII, Pont. Max. Acta. XI, 1892, pp, 121-122.

8



Have c'onficlence, beloved sons and daughters!

The Church is with you, understands and encourages you.

Ma\’ the word of liope whicli today We have echoed forth,

go with you on the way back to the homes that await you;

may it sing in your heart during your working hours, in the

satisfaction that work gi\es you, as well as in the unavoidable

trials, whose merit adorns our terrestrial path; may it call you

always to a filial and tender trust iii God, that ne\er abandons

those tliat entmst themselves to Him.

Our prayer assiduously goes with you, so that you may

remain faithful to your ideals and at the same time bring

abundant fruits in e\eiy prosperity of the gifts of Heaven and

of the earth.

Again W’e thank you for this evening meeting that brings

such c'omfort to Our heart and gives li\eliness to the prayer of

these weeks after Kaster which resound in hope, courage, and

apostolic fer\or.

The recurrences of St. Joseph the W^orker on May 1st, and

the 70th anniversar>- of the Rcnim Novarum on the 15th of

May, will give Us occasion to speak again to workers to renew

to them and to the separate categories of workingmen the anx-

ious, but at the same time courageous and generous, attention

of the Church for the working world.

Afterwards will come the solemn Pontifical document, in the

form of an Encyclical Letter, which We announced on Decem-
ber 29th of the past year. It is now being prepared and stays

in the heart of the Pope as a flame of doctrine and aim of

charit>’ and of brotherhood humbly and firmly lived and af-

firmed, for the spiritual and material good of all God’s chil-

dren, called to know Him and to belong to Him.

W’hile W’e again confirm to vou all Our paternal affection,

W’e are happy to leave with you as an encouraging and well-

auguring pledge. Our particular comforting Apostolic Blessing,

that in a special manner W^e reserve to your children, to suf-

ferers, to the aged, so that in eveiyone and always there be

the peace of God. Pax Domini sit semper vohisciim. (May

God’s pc*ac*e be with you always.) Amen, Amen.

9



Following is a translation of an address given

by His Holiness, Pope John XXHl on April 27,

1960 to the Fourteenth National Congress of the

Italian National Confederation of Independent

Farmers.

Beloved Sons and Daughters,

The moving and festive spectacle of your presence is a

cause for joy and consolation.

Having come to Rome for the work of the 14th national

congress of the Confederation of Independent Farmers, you

bring Us the greetings and affection of your families, friends

and acquaintances, who have followed you here with thoughts

and entrusted to you a wish and a prayer.

Today you are representatives, in the house of your Father,

of all the farmers of the earth: men and women marked with

hard work, yet serene in their simplicity, patient in labor, spar-

ing of ease, but rich in so many human and Chidstian virtues,

lovers of family and of the nation, faithful to the Chmch.

Your presence is eloquent proof of the intensity and ser-

iousness of your spiritual life. In fact, you have wished to

listen to Our words and to receive Our encouragement.

For such an open profession of your Christianity We ex-
press to you Our paternal pleasure and We exhort you to per-
severance. You have a precious heritage of principles and tra-

ditions. This alone can give meaning and purpose to your

activities.

Your confederation is not the kind which has an exclusively

economic and professional character, with the purpose of pro-

tecting the interests of your professional category.

On the contrary, it has been intended from the beginning

to inspire your particular activities with the principles of Chris-

tian social doctrine that have been proclaimed before the en-

tire world by the solemn papal documents, and that remain as

milestones on the road of Clmistian edification in the world of

10



labor. This professed fidelit)’ to the teachings of the Church

is the distinctive characteristic of your association and its most

noble and beautiful ornament. May We tell you that it is in
this—o\er and above technical organization—that is found the
secret of its expansion and youthful vitality. It is never bent

upon results already obtained, but anxious for continuous search

for ne\N' forms and new undertakings by means of an ever

more efficacious tutelage of the great family of private farmers.

But in the midst of the many \ exations of the different prob-

lems that are entailed by your present-day position and require

an urgent solution, the primacy of the spiritual part, the search

for supernatural and eternal values, is what you should have

more at heart.

By this. We do not mean—as certain anti-Cluistian doc-
trines would have unskilled people believe—we do not mean
that, keeping one’s eyes on heavenly things, one should forget

or neglect earthly things. On the contraiy, one must have

one’s feet soundly planted on the earth to cooperate toward the

lK*tterment of one’s own c'onditions.

This is always re^x'ated by the Church in defense even of

the material interests of its sons. Last year We mentioned to
you in fact “the forthc'oming and active entrance into the Com-

mon European Market, along with the complex questions that

it entails, which require ordered adjustment to the new require-

ments so that one will be prepared for the evolution which is

already under way.” ^ .\nd W^e formulated the wish that the

need of a greater balance between your revenues and those

of other professions and the burdens imposed by the demands

of national economy be solved “according to the provident in-

dications of the Christian social doctrine and in respect to the

real situation of the farmer.”
-

Today W’e \Wsh to confirm this statement again, because

the just protection of your aspirations is a sacrosanct matter.

And We trust that these wishes will have the support of those

Ix*ople who feel it their dut>^ to exercise them with full respect

* iJOsscrvatore Romano, April 24, 1959, p. 3.

2 Ibid

11



to the rights of all citizens. The provisions of a technical, eco-

nomic nature which are under study, according to information

given to Us, and which constitute the object of examination

and discussion of your Congress, are a comforting consolation

of this more diffused interest in your positive problems and of

the concern of your confederation, which aims at a complete

evaluation of rural life.

All this proves how the support of Christian principles

does not mean the quiet adaptation to already existing condi-

tions or the giving up of attempts to change them for the bet-

ter in a healthy manner, but to work and strive to better one’s

own conditions of life, making one advance on the road to

achieving a happy temporal prosperity.

A clear vision, therefore, of present reality, and at the
same time one’s eyes turned toward Heaven, (this is what is

required). The Christian has this exalting prospect. The

Christian worker who wishes to remain faithful to Jesus Christ

and to the Church knows well that there can be no peace in

hearts and families if the search for earthly prosperity is

not accompanied by the holy fear of God, by respect for His

eternal law, by esteem for heavenly grace. The Christian is

aware of all this. And from this knowledge he derives thaf

serene and thoughtful behavior that is the sign of real wisdom,

that honesty and moral health that are reffected in the ordered

harmony of the family in which the new sons of God, 'while

growing pure and strong, prepare themselves for the trials of

life.

This is the special characteristic of the dear people of the

land. May you know how to keep the rich treasure of t)he-

ological virtues—faith, hope and charity, pmdence, justice, for-
titude and temperance—^which make your family one of the
soundest sectors of national life and a consolation for the Holy

Church.

May you also keep—in the midst of the anxieties of these
modern times and in the deep technical and economic changes

now in progress, which will be placed in a still greater measure

at your service—^your eyes turned to Heaven, and your heart

12



full of holy intentions of loyalt>’ and love of God. Only in this

way \sill the application of technique be the somce of iteal

and lasting spiritual progress, without which there is only

disorder and confusion.

In your capacit)' as workers of the land and, therefore, of

being closer to the great mystery' of nature—which is an open
book that sjx'aks of the power of the Creator—you can under-
stand these words, dictated by the concern We feel for your
spiritual and material welfare.

Oh, the land, the land, what great lessons of life it can

give! How edifying it is to think that God wished the fust

man to be suiTounded by the peace of a garden, “to dress it and

to keep it.”^ How Ix'autiful it is to know that the holiest rites

of the Church—W’e mean the sacraments—instituted by Jesus
Christ, derive from the earth the noble matter that becomes

the efficacious sign of grace—and behold in fact—the water of
the holy baptismal font, the fragrance of bread, the pei*fume

of wine, which the Lord used to make Himself more present

on the altars and to winmimicate to men His own life. Behold

the precious juice of the olive, also the humble instmment of

grace! Behold also all the blessings with which the Church

accompanies with maternal concern the growth of the fmits of

the earth and the acts that prepare this growth.

These great realities that are so close to your life can be

underst(X)d by you in a special way and make your love and

esteem of heavenly things easier and more spontaneous. And

this is the meaning of the joyful Easter announcement, repeated

ceaselessly during these days:

“If you have risen with Christ, seek the things that are

above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Mind

the things that are above, not the things that are on earth. For

you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”^

Beloved sons and daughters! What could you expect of

more joyful and encouraging nature from Our words?

3Gc«. 2,1.5.

*CoL .3,1-3.

13



Continue on the line of faithfulness to Christ and to the

Church that has been transmitted to you hke a shining heredity

of those people who preceded you and on which your organi-

zation is based.

May this faithfulness inspire your certain advance along

the road toward a progress always more in line with your dig-

nity as men and as workers. May you preserve it from the

dangers of theoretical and practical materialism. May it sus-

tain you in toils and in trials while you patiently await better

times.

These are the instructions We give to you, private farmers,
in whose hands rests the promise of a serene future for the

Church and for the fatherland. This is the invitation We make
to you, mothers of families, rural women who, with the sweet-

ness of persuasion, with grace and with patience, can do so

much to inspire spiritually the technical and economic progress

of rural areas. This is the password that We entrust to you,
young men, so that the search for fairer conditions of living

may be ennobled always by sound and strong religious and

moral convictions.

We raise to the Lord a prayer for all of you, for your fam-
ilies, for the work you do, so that the joy of the Lord may al-

ways sing in your heart. And in pledge of heavenly and earthly

gifts, which We invoke abundantly on you. We are happy to
accompanying you with Our comforting apostolic blessing,

which We also wish to extend to those people dear to you.

14



Following is a translation of an address by

11 is Holiness, Pope John XXIII given on Novem-

ber 10, 1959 in the Consistory Hall at Rome to

delegates to tlw biennial Food and Agriculture

Organization conference.

It was N'our desire to stop the work of your tenth General

Conference in order to 0*01110 here to seek tlie encouragement

and the lilessing of the Pope. We are happy to receive you,
for the FAQ, as you know, is not a stranger to the Vatican. The

menibers of your preceding sessions were received more than

once in audience by Our predecessor. Pope Pius XII, of ven-

erable ineinor)-, who always showed them affectionate benevo-

leiic*!'. W'e ha\e often passed near the large building which

shelters the FAO, and while We looked at the innumerable
lighted windows in the night, We transmitted a thought of
gratitude to those who w'ere working here for the welfare of

liunianih-. And now* Wc see the home of your organization
raising its imposing mass upon the horizon before Our apart-

ment. In this manner, as you see, you are quite near to Our

mind and heart.

We want to tell you that the Cluirch is taking a lively in-
terest in the FAO. W’hat a fine and beautiful sight you offer

to Its maternal view, with your technicians working through-

out the entire w'orld to organize the stmggle against hunger,

“to work for the impren ement of land, of plantations, of animal

species, of fishing techni(iues, of dair\' economy, of forest ex-

ploitation and all that in order to aid the most unfortunate of

Our brothers, the most disinherited, those who suffer and those

who are hungiy . . .” in truth a great and marvelous sight which

inspires admiration, edification and confidence in the future.

You know’ that We like to exhort the pilgrims who come
to see Us to accomplish in the material field, as well as in the

spiritual one, actions dictated by the love of God and of one’s

fellow’ man, called after the ecclesiastical tradition ‘‘works of

mere)’.” But w’hat is all the acti\aty of the FAO if it is not an

immense w^ork of mercy? A work of mercy on a world-wide

scale! We hardly need to exhort you, for the lesson you are

15



giving to the world is of itself so eloquent. We wish rather
to rejoice with you, to congratulate you sincerely, to assure you

that We bless your work.

First of all We rejoice sincerely and We thank God that
an enterprise like the “Food and Agriculture Organization” was

able to come to life, to be organized, to be developed follow-

ing the horrible conflict which brought bloodshed upon the

world. Without doubt one of the most remarkable and for-

tunate deeds of the post-war years was that attitude of con-

science on the part of the responsible authorities realizing the

great difference of levels of life among the nations, of the eco-

nomic misery of those less favored—the underdeveloped nations
as they have been called—in relation to those which possess
the principal sources of wealth. That was the source, in noble

souls preoccupied with human welfare, of a burst of devotion,

a desire for effective service and then a great movement to-

wards study, investigation, exchange of information, dispatch

of techniques . . . coming finally to the beneficient work of

the FAO in these last years, illustrated so well in the brochure
v/hich you have given Us: “The FAO at Work.” What beauti-
ful and good energy has been placed intelligently at the serv-

ice of good! Allow Us to congratulate you upon it sincerely.

We like to emphasize one aspect which seems to Us to
accompany these fine activities; that is the wisely realistic and

at the same time serenely optimistic atmosphere which infuses

your organization. The FAO is not afraid of difficulties: it
faces up to them. It has not been discouraged by the number

or extent of the obstacles which arose along its road: the ruins

and devastations caused by war, the widespread suffering in

certain areas, the epidemics favored by undernourishment and

rendering it more serious . . . without speaking of the constant

problems caused by the study growth of world population. It

has wisely given advice on the most effective ways to guar-

antee, perfect and economically distribute foodstuffs, and has

placed its services at the disposition of the interested govern-

ments. The Church thinks highly of this spirit of positive ac-

tion, of disinterested service; It praises this reasonable courage,

this confidence in the possibility of solving the great human

problems. It too is optimistic.

16



A valuable result of your activity—and We know that it
is also one of the objectives of your organization—will be, in
the long run, the raising of the standard of living of the mial

inhabitants. Having come Ourselv^es from a niral home. We
saw with Our own eyes during the years of Our youth, and

W’e shall nev er forget, the toil and fatigue of those who till the

soil. W’hat a beautiful wnrk of mercy it is to aid in lighten-

ing iheir burden and in giving a little more well-being to those

who suppK’ bread to the rest of the world! How worthy it is
of encouragement and praise!

W’e should like to add one more thought which came to

Us while W’e were meditating on the really great and com-

forting perspectives which the results already attained by your

organization open to the mind. In a vv^oiid again shaken by

war and its conseciuences, humanitv’ seeks with anxiety for

that direction from winch true peace will finally come for

those who are most capable of creating it effectively. The lights

t-oming from the direction of the political contest are still so

unc-ertain, so likely to go out after having given rise to great

hoiH‘s! On the other hand, those who promote the exercise of

charitv- from cxmiitiy to coimti-v', assistance of an economic

nature, in a spirit of disinterestedness and of friendly benevol-

ence, are they not also the ones who mark most surely the paths

towards unity and peace among men?

May you too. Gentlemen, in pursuing your fine activities,

also work for the peace of the world! In taking leave of you,

W’e believe that We cannot express better a wish that corre-
sixjiids to your desires, and is surely identical in any case with

the will of God, the Greater and Saviour of men. In order to

Ix'tter insure its fulfillment. We wholeheartedly extend to you
Our paternal Apostolic Benediction.

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Following is a translation of an address deliv-

ered by His Holiness, Pope John XXIII on April

22, 1959, to participants in the Thirteenth Con-

gress of the Italian National Confederation of In-

dependent Farmers.

We experience great joy in addressing to you Our paternal
welcome and blessing, dear sons and daughters of the Italian

National Confederation of Independent Farmers, who in these

days celebrate the 13th national congress, and the sixth con-

gress of the Groups of Rural Women and Young Farmers.

In looking upon your great number, in seeing you as it

were one by one, we contemplate once more the serene face,

though stamped with much weariness, of the good people of

the fields with whom We have been familiar since childhood.

Our thought returns today with particular force to that

rural world, full of memories and sweet impressions—providen-
tially the first that We had. And your presence here bears for Us
the full significance of good things and of dear people. But

Our satisfaction today has still another reason. This is the

first time since the Lord chose to call Us to the responsibili-

ties of the Supreme Pontificate that We Ourselves meet with
you in an audience reserved especially for you.

In this first meeting. Our pleasure goes out through you

to all the thousands of independent farmers, who in more than

13,000 district sections of the confederation give an example

of unity and good will. In you the Pope sees and embraces

all the farmers of the beautiful and fruitful countryside of

Italy, who today are spiritually present here with you.

Next October your well-deserving confederation will count

fifteen years of existence. What a magnificent road it has

traveled in such a short time! How many peaceful and in-
formative declarations has it brought out each year, all di-

rected toward the more complete protection of your work, for

your technical instruction, for your needs, even the domestic

ones, for your future itself, supported in all these activities by

your always warm cooperation.

18



Looking back over your annals, especially in reading the

wise discourses given you by Our Predecessor Pius XII, who

held you all so dear, one has the clear documentation of the

stages coxered with sure steps, and of the hope which the

Holy Church has placed and places in you. In such a manner

even in your field, are proven true the incisix e xxmrds of “Renim

Xovarum” in xvhich Leo XIII encouraged the formation of

Christian associations of xx'orkers.

There is also before x ou the approbation which Pius XI

gaxe to the associations, arising from the inxdtation, for haxdng

formed “xxorkers sincerely Christian, xxdio knexv well how to

combine the diligent practice of their fields of work with the

healthy precx’pts of religion, and hoxv to defend xvith efficacy

and firmness proper interests and temporal rights, but observ-

ing due reverence for justice, and the sincere intention to co-

operate xvith the other classes of societx^ for the Christian re-

nexval of the xvhole of the social life.”^

Therefore, aboxe all there arises (the need for) the devout

thanking of God for the continual help xvith xvhich He has

chosen to bless your confederation, making it today one of the

useful and beneficial forces at the service of individuals and

of the national life.

Moreoxer, nexv problems alxvays present themselves for

your attention and they require intelligence, perseverance and

precision if they are to be solx^ed. Your congress assumes this

year particular importance because of the magnitude and urg-

ency of the (jnestions under consideration, particularly that con-

nected xvith the forthcoming and active entrance into the Com-

mon European Market, along xvith the complex questions that

it entails, xvhich require ordered adjustment to the new requir-

ments so that one xxill be prepared for the evolution which is

already under xvay.

Also of profound significance for you is the study of a bet-

ter balance betxx^een the income from your property and the

xveight of state taxes; problems which We hope would be re-
solved according to the farsighted counsels of Christian social

teaching and in respect to the existing agricultural situatiojn.

^ Lc*tt. Enc. ^'Quadragesimo Anno’" A.A.S. XXIII (1931) P. 187.

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Also, the major concerns of the two national congresses of the

Groups of Rural Women and of the Young Farmers have great

human and Christian value.

We do not intend to enter into a lively (discussion) of
these problems. Yet yielding to that sentiment which We feel
so deeply in Our heart for you, We wish to offer you several
thoughts, which, with the help of God, may be able to make

clear the pursuit of your mission.

Beloved sons and daughters!

We say to you in the first place: Love the earth. This is
the sweet and strong link, beyond that of the family, which

binds you closely to your places of birth or of work and which

contains so many memories which one hands down like a holy

inheritance from one generation to another. But it is true that

cultivating it (the earth), in consequence of original sin, invol-

ves fatigue and pain, as does every activity depending on hu-

man strength. It is also true that the return she gives is now

and then unequal to the work put in, forcing one often to search

in the city for an existence with more immediate economic

advantages, although they are not always secure.

While, therefore, we trust that by means of continued

study of the rural problems, and with the generous good will

of all whose duty it is to provide immediate solutions, one may

overcome the daily difficulties, we nevertheless say to you:

Love the earth, a generous and severe mother who holds in her

w^omb the treasures of Providence. Love her, particularly to-

day, when a dangerous frame of mind is spreading and envelop-

ing the most sacred values of man, that you may find in it the

serene framework for the development and safeguard of your

complete personality; love it because through your contact with

it, through the nobility of your work, it will be easier for you

to improve your mind and raise it to God.

This love does not, however, mean a placid and impro-

vident preserving of ancient methods, no longer in line with

the new demands. It means a study and application of the

new processes of farming and of work in the constant rhythm

of continued progress. In regard to such an idea. We find the
theme of the meeting of the youth groups very opportune.

20



w'hich seeks to “underscore the power of the young to insure

that the farms ha\e ample energies and that they will prog-

ress.” The words of the motto “Tiy, Produce, Progress,” are

\eiy appropriate. The motto is offered to the goodwill of the

better prepared young men to spur them on to find in tlieir

land the reasons for lo\ing it always more, as the scientist

loves liis precision instruments and continually perfects them

for new and beneficial conquests.

If Our imitation to love the land is addressed to all farm-

ers, in a special way it is addressed to the youth, to whose

strong hands, to whose ready intelligence and to whose enter-

prising spirit are entrusted the continuiU^ and progress of rural

life and therefore also of the whole national life.

Love the family! This is the second thought We offer
you. W’ithout this love there would not be the full significance

of what We ha\e just told you. The love of the earth can
only be understood and appreciated as part of the love for one’s

own family in which lies the secret of the integrity and the

strength of each nation. The exodus from the land wounds the

rural family as a direct consecjuence, sometimes bringing a

mentality and habits which arc harmful to family institutions.

What a fine spectacle is, instead, offered by the contempla-

tion of the mar\elous picture of innumerable families, the jeal-

ous custcxlians of the most genuine and strictly Christian vir-

tues, where the father is the firm and sure guide, the example

of honesty, of hard work, of sacrifice; where the mother, like

an industrious bee, in silence accomplishes and is sustained

l)y the trust of God in the hard task of educator and worker;

where the bold young people, more open and frank because

of their contact with nature and (thus) more protected against

dangers, grow pure and strong, the hope and consolation of

their parents; where the little ones “like olive plants around

your table” ” bring joy to the home, bringing with them the

blessings of the l^rd. It is not an imaginaiy picture which

we have drawn, instead it is a reality and, thanks to God, it

still lives. Of many proofs of this We Ourselves are the grate-
ful and emotionally stirred witness.

- Psalm 127 , 3 .

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Therefore, love the family! We address Ourselves par-
ticularly to the rural women, whose congress dealt with so

many delicate problems. The desired improvement of work-

ing conditions and of income, the effort for spiritual and cul-

tural betterment, must be aimed here solely for the perfect

realization of family life. Therefore, may your glory and your

holy ambition be to have a healthy, honest and hardworking

family that may be an example by its spirit of piety and of

kindness (to all) as well as by its happy harmony tempered

by trials, through which practical collaboration in the effort

of attaining a higher standard of life is easier.

For Our last thought We say to you: Love the Church!
Throughout the centuries, she has always found among the

people of the land the sound and capable material with which

she has formed the greater part of her priests and of her

saints. In recent centuries, with the dimming of the splendor

of the Faith and of “feeling with the Church,” esteem for

the high gift of ecclesiastical and religious vocations has been

lost in other social classes while the contribution of the land

to the order of the priesthood has been and is irreplaceable.

In the same way, as an obvious consequence, great has been

the number of saints chosen by the Lord from rural families,

like the most perfumed flowers. We would not have enough
time to number them all. It suiSices Us to recall, due to cir-

cumstances which touch Us closely, the saintly Cure of Ars,

the centenary of whose death is celebrated this year; Don Bos-

co, to whom a church here in Rome is to be dedicated shortly;
and St. Pius X, temporarily transported in the midst of jubila-

tion of praying crowds to his beloved Venice.

Therefore, preserve unchanged this precious heritage of

the spirit of religion which is your greatest treasure! Love

the Church, her bishops and her priests. Be an active mem-

ber of it, participating with profound and joyous awareness in

its life. Be an example in all of the manifestations of parish

life. Nourish always the desire to know better the maternal

teaching of the Church, which can give you a reassuring an-

swer to your questions. Be fervent supporters of her social

doctrine, from which you can derive clear light and norms.

22



Beloved sons and daughters!

If there li\es in you the love of the land, the family, the

Church, the greatest peace will fill your hearts and the bless-

ings of the Lx)rd will descend abundantly on you, in the same

way that the beneficial morning dew^ restores your fields, and

your flowers enhance it. We invoke this outpouring of heaven-
ly gifts on your activities, on your hopes, on the toil of your

daily life. And in pledge of it, W^e impart to you, to your

distant families, and with special tenderness to your children

and your old folks, as well as to the leaders and associates of

your conftxleration and to those people linked with you by

work and by friendship. Our paternal and comforting Apostolic

Blessing.

23