Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1905-05-25
Encyclical Letter Of h Pope.

Veaerabte BrefhreH,
Heaith and Apostolis H&F6iefion.
A time Of great troub1e and din
eultv ;s this In which Our li1fleness
has bean ra;sed hv tse in~<srotable
designs of Divine Proyfdenoe 70 the
office NJ Snnrame pastorof TIA whole
flock OF Christ. Long has 1he ene-
my been urowlinc round the fold.
attacking il with such subtle cum
ming, that now more than ever seems
to be verified the prediction made
by the Apostle to the elders OF the
Church Of Ephesus II knosp that
ravening wolves win enssr among
you. NOT sparing the flock" (Acts
Xxx. 2O).
The reasons and causes of this re-
ligious decadence are being studied
by those who still cherish zeal for the
glory OF God and differing as they
do in their conclusions, they point
out, each according TO his own views
various ways for protecting and res
toring the kingdom of God on earth.
But to Us, Venerable Brethren, it
seems that while other reasons may
play their part, We must agree with
those who hold that the main cause
Of the present lassitude and torpor,
and of the most serious evils that
flow from il, is TO be found in the
prevailing ignorance about Divine
things. And this fully bears out
what God himself affirmed through
the Prophet Osee. And there
is no knowledge of God in the land.
Cursipp and living and killing. and
theft and adultery have overfiowed
and blood hath touched blood. Tbere-
fore shall the earth mourn and every
one that dwelleth in IL shall Ian
guish''-(Osee iy. In.
That there are amonp Christians
in our time large numbers who live
in utter ignorance OF the truths me-
cessarv for salvation Is a common
lament now-a-days. and one that is
unhappily too well founded. And
when We saw among Christians We
mean not only the masses and those
in the lower walks of life, who are
sometimes not TO blame owing to the
inhumanitv of masters whose de-
mands leave them little time 10 think
~ .bemselvas ard tha;r own ;r.ar
- M
es'S ou' "o 'eioi o'so auo eson
more especially TO all those who,
while endowed with a certain amount
of talent and cpltura and rosssss-
.,.s.. ,-..-,.s. :,
'"s sounu"n' A""'euse VI pro'ane
matters nave no care or thought Tor
religion. 1t is hard to find words
10 describe the dense darkness that
,;ros .ha.a "a .;.,.,l
-, - ~
ssiii' sne lhuinerence "itn "nlcn
they regard 1t. Rarely do they give
thought to the Supreme Author
and Rnler of all things or In tho
,a.oh;naof ,ba fa;.h - CO... r..
'o"" - VIC A y 0''
sequentiy tney are aosoiuteiy with
out knowledge OF the Incarnation OF
the Word of God and of the Redemp-
,;o, of mankind wro,oh. hv u;n
~ Go ~
anu vi orace "nlcn IL the cniei
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 foulness of sin, and they have
therefore no care to avoid itand free
themselves from it. Thus 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 entirely to stimulat-
ing in them the love OF God, in i'm
partiug a summary instruction on
the things Indispensable for saliva
tion-and even then il often happens
that the invalid has become so far
the slave OF culpable ignorance as
TO consider superfuous the inter
yention of the priest. and 70 face
calmly the terrible passage TO eter.
uitv without reconciling himself
with God. Our predecessor Bene-
dict XIV. therefore. had good rea-
SON to write as be did: This we
asseverate; that the majority ol