In 1939, not long after Pope Pius XII was elected pope, he wrote his first encyclical titled Summi Pontificatus, which translates to “Supreme Pontificate.” This document was meant to set a tone for his pontificate and so he used those words in the title. The subtitle, however, tells us what this particular document is about: On the Unity of Human Society.
Like most encyclicals, this one begins with a rather lengthy introduction summarizing recent events and documents and praising God for the good they’ve done. As always, this includes a reminder of the Church’s duty to proclaim the Gospel and that the Gospel is good for the world and society as a whole. It also acknowledges that there are enemies to the Gospel and that many movements and ideas in the world are dangerous and harmful to humanity and to the Church. Since this is his first encyclical, Pope Pius XII also includes some reminiscence of how he had consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart 40 years earlier and then consecrates the encyclical to Christ the King. He then offers gratitude to the various people who have honored him since he was named pope and to all who have prayed and are praying for him. This part winds down with a declaration and resolve to repay the kindness of others by doing his duty as pope in proclaiming the truth.
Pius XII then writes “as We write these lines the terrible news comes to Us that the dread tempest of war is already raging despite all Our efforts to avert it.” Despite being tempted to discouragement, he offers this document as a way of pushing back on the errors and harms brought on by current events (World War II). So, he gives some “fundamental observations.” The first one he lists is the denial of a universal norm of morality. By denying God as the source of morality (the “Natural Law”), the world has slipped into various forms of relativism where right and wrong can change across time and place. This began in Europe with the decline of Christianity and the rise of ideologies that promised “freedom” through setting aside moral norms.
The next major point is that this moral decline has caused society to forget a basic human solidarity, which means that human beings are all one race and should work towards the unity and good of all human beings. He points to Genesis where God creates mankind and then to Acts of the Apostles where Paul says “ He made from one the whole human race to dwell on the entire surface of the earth” (17:26). This basic call to unity should protect individuals from isolation, but also does not preclude a diversity within itself. Different cultures and conditions do “not… break the unity of the human race, but rather… enrich and embellish it by the sharing of their own peculiar gifts.” Without obliterating these differences, the Church and the Gospel aim at a supernatural unity that is much greater than a superficial and external unity of sameness. To emphasize this point, Pius XII notes that the Church has always sought to evangelize the whole world, but has tried to do so while appreciating cultural differences and incorporating those differences – when compatible with the Gospel – into expressions of the faith. Indeed, part of the Church’s aim is to raise up local priests and bishops who can embody the highest expression of the Catholic faith enriching and purifying the culture. Loss of this greater sense of unity and charity has led great conflict.
Pius XII then recalls Pope Leo XIII’s teachings on social order, reminding all that civil government does have real power and influence, but that it is not free from or above the moral law. Nor can it be forgotten that the family and the individual are prior to and more fundamental than civil government. In great crises there are things only the state (the pope’s term for government) is equipped to respond to, but this power never negates responsibility or accountability to the truth. He explains that international law can be a tool for this and an expression of the natural law, but again, that it cannot be absolute or unlimited in its power. The pope then turns to education and points out that parents have a solemn responsibility to educate their children in the faith. The state must not hinder this and, indeed, should see it as beneficial to all to have a population well educated in truth, morality, and in what it is to be authentically human. This makes it all the more serious, then, when the state utilizes education as a tool to lead people away from faith and morals and into an ideological commitment to some error. Along these lines, without explicitly naming Germany, Pope Pius XII continues to condemn racism, excessive patriotism, a totalitarian style of government, and violence.
The pope does, however name Poland (recently invaded by Germany) as a victim, calling for prayers and praising them for their “defense of Christian civilization.” While there are always critics who say it wasn’t worded strong enough, the Germans themselves got the message and knew they were being targeted for their Nazism and so tried to stop it from being published in their country. The British and French even printed copies of the document and air dropped them over Germany. The New York Times considered it a “powerful attack on totalitarianism” and that “it is Germany that stands condemned… in this encyclical.”