Ad Apostolorum principis

Ad Apostolorum Principis is an encyclical by Pope Pius XII. on June 29, 1958 for the second time turned to the Chinese episcopate and people to write " about Communism and the Church in China." Already in his encyclical Ad sinarum gentem of 7 October 1954, he had taken a position on the situation of the Church in China and explicitly warned against a Chinese state church.

Content

The bishops of China, which had partially involved in the establishment of government-mandated " Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association ," he accused an offense against God and the highest priesthood. His encyclical includes the warning to Catholics not to follow communism because these false feelings pretend to give the impression that this patriotic movement serve the peace and defending the political and religious freedom. But this is a scam, emphasizes the Pope, but one wants to achieve that Catholics accept the teachings of atheistic materialism.

Conclusion

Illustrated summary, writes Pope Pius XII. , That no authority, except it would be the Supreme Shepherd, no person or congregation of priests or laity the right of the Episcopal nomination should presume. No one can lawfully grant the Episcopal consecration, without having the certainty of a papal mandate. Such a consecration to divine and human law is a very serious attack on the unity of the Church itself, and would be punished with excommunication. To the primacy of the Pope, he stated that the "power of jurisdiction " was (ie the Pope ) transmitted directly by divine right to the Supreme Pontiff and with the same right to the bishops. These are bound by obedience to the Successor of Peter and by the bond of unity in this holy order out.

Source

Werner Kaltefleiter, " In the clutches of the Stasi " ( episode 11, there footnote 6)