, 1879-01-31
Letter Of Pope Leo XIII. to the
Roman Catholic
Church.
Futt Text of n Document that All
Europe Is Discus
sing.
Anathema.ization Of Socialists, Com
munists, Nihi1tsts, and
Rationaltsts.

AnlR NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. AND APOSTOLIC
DkrEplcrlox: Promptly alter our elevation. III
an et,cycItcsl letter addressed 10 you, venerable
brethren, Is demanded nf us BECAUSE uf our
apostolic oiI1ce, We did not fail 10 point out the
dcath.dea.ipg plsgue that Is creeping Into all
the tbrcs Of human society and Is leading IL /
into tic greatest danger.
At the sat1,c time, we showed Tue remedies,
most etIlcadous, by which Wholesome state of
society could be recovered, md the anngcra.
most Erievtous, TINT threaten might be ayofled. !
Hut those evils We then dep!ored even In ~
short tina hare Increased, 70 ilIai nEain VIC /
are compelled 10 use to you The words Of the |
prophet That ttnglc in our ears "Elatnai ne
cessest Exalta quasi taba voccm t,tau'. tcry |
out. Cca1c not. isaisc thy yoice like truul. |
pet-1satas, WILL, ~
YOU readily understand, venerable brethren,
TINT wa spcuk Of tl'at srct Of men, called by
suudry attd almost barbarotts tatnes, soelallstf,
Communists, or Nihtlists. They are spread all
over tho world; bound together, most closely,
by a wicked pact between them all, t.it no
longer do they seek co1er In thctr hidden
haunts. Openly, boldly, they saunt In public
what they had hatcfcd In secret, AMI aim TO de-
stroy tie very foundations Ut ctvii soecty, Of
Whatever kind. These ara they furctoid In the
H0EG6 u A1fH8 %otu4hAt1Hs tItS 00NNt ~ oy
"Detlo the flesh, and despisc government, nr,.l
blaspheme majesty" Carmen. gunlesn, macu-
laut, domino ationctn sperlunt, tun1cstaten autetn
b,aspl,emaut. They leave nothing unhutt, or
nnsmrched, TINT has been wisely ordered by
Divine and human laws, for the welfare anl
i,ouor Of men in this life. Those "htgher
powers ~ to whom, as the Apostle admonlshcf.
every souf ought to be subject, ard powers Of
right government derived from 0ou are refused
obedence, aul there Is proclaimed q perfect
equality of alt men ia rights A'ii positions.
even among barbarans Is l'c!outcd; and tfle
marriage bon ttat is the Keystone of society, is
relaxed, OF even broken loose. Dreoyea ~ lust
for The good things OF this world, which "ts the
ruot uf all evils, md which. AccktnE, some hava
lost t,lr faith "-{radtr at osnninn. naoran,, #
man q,t;ttdn, apt<ttr.t<s erru'vra"f fde}. Il.
flmotiy. w., l0) They attack sl'c right Of
property, sanctioned bY tile ,atural law. And,
fretendiuG to care for the wants of tueu, aud to
satisfy tlcir wishes by . huge crime, they aIt.,
| al rubbing aud making conu,un spoil Of what
| ever has been lawfully Inherited ur gaiaed by
| skill Alld labor, or acquired by snvlngs.
Aud these outsagcs they proclaim 10 their
| meetings, put forth in circulars, and spreal
atnong The Ignorant In swarm OF newspapers.
Tie result IL that, within short tttue past,
the majesty and rule ol kings TINT should be
ut seditlous multitude, that crlminal trattors,
| rulng loose from, all restraint. have sought BY
| fnp,ous attacks 10 assasztnate the fu!cra OF
many States. -....
| by uuy, Threatens more awful ruin to civil lie
| itl common, at shocks all who think With a
eo]1yitpus 1orcboI!ng, has liz cauac mud origln
from former tlsnrs in The poisoned Doctrines
rnpt fruits, to bc scattered among many people.
For YOU well have known, Venerable brethren,
| the upbrillcsl war agalust the Catholic faith,
frun. thu sixteenth CENTURY, excited ny the IN
| lie aHn rntr "
inr, u.at tho way slall be left opcn to the II,
yct'tiuns {say rats,cr te rarings) OF reason lett
10 Itself, stripped ri nil revelation, nnd OF the
supernatural order. -,u-
falsely, the i.aG,c Of Rational, while coaxtny and
suurring tic tlcsirc belonging 10 tnau. and Civ
tlE loosa rein to all sorts of lusts that has moi
oniy caught many men, but tas Injected VerJ
Hence, by new gudlessncss, unknown e7cr
among uaguns, Republics IOzm themselves, tak
| ug no account Of tl0d or Of tho order. He hh'
Selthsr public aathor''y nes 'na: ma:tsry, ng
to be maintained. hut rather catned from w
iree irou, ali diylue sanction, accept onlr sucl
laws as, ad lIbttutn, arc voted Tor t1leln: solum
Ipot1o tegi1us Bubeasa passa cst. quas 'psa II
I'te suprruatural truths Of faith treated =
bostilo to rc4aou! But the Crcator Of the rae
Of mar, urd it, retlcemcr, Is quietly aud suttl
Nbrro studies arc pursued, from lyccunis as,.
Rymnastums, nnd tzom tho whole routine o
hutnnu lie.
Ihc rewards and the punlshncnts OF futurt
and eternal life nro forgotten tn the heat OF
| lust for present pleasure. Tlcsa docttibsa, Ia
| ntd widespread, this freedom cycrywhcFe CT
tended, Of thinking ainl act,nE with !H'aenes
reaching tar and Wide, 10 marvel that ;a. ineh .
thu sllop, aru cagsr to get Into the houses AM
wealth III the rfcfi; no wonder that there r.