Maximum illud

The Apostolic Letter Maximum illud from November 30, 1919 contained a new -looking to the future program of the Catholic mission. Pope Benedict XV. called for better preparation of the missionaries, a responsiveness to cultural and national characteristics of the people and the formation of a native clergy.

Call for proselytizing

These claims, he wrote, would mean abandoning the self-righteous European omnipotence and the opening for the eigenvalue foreign mentalities. "Remember ," he sharpened the missionaries in, " you have not spread a human kingdom, but the kingdom of Christ ". If the church wants to be truly Catholic, she could be " any nation and any nation a stranger ."

About the understanding of mission

The following is a discussion of the change in the understanding of mission, he propagates these changes and clearly wrote that he wanted to enforce this consistently. He urged the Mission bishops to respect and promote the autonomy of the local clergy, because after all he was doing with the preservation and modernization of the Church as an institution and to the propagation of the faith.

Duties of the missionaries

With his Apostolic Letter he sent the missionaries and puts them on obligations:

" Now we turn us to all of you, beloved sons, who appointed her to the Lord's vineyard. Notably, in your hands is at the same time with the spread of Christian wisdom the salvation of so many souls ... The you -borne transmission is almost divine, and far above the poverty of human considerations: those who languish in the shadow of death, to bring light, and where the rush to destruction, to open the way to salvation. Understand therefore, that you do not have to advertise for their country on earth citizens but for their country, which is above. It would be really unfortunate if there were missionaries who would forget so seemingly on their dignity, that they thought more than the earthly to the heavenly fatherland. "

Colonization and missionary work in conflict

In this letter, he clearly distinguishes from the state's colonization of the Christian missionary. Easily could be the locals then the wrong opinion seduce, so they could take the following: The Christian faith is the state religion of any foreign nation, and Christianity mean suppose to submit the auspices of a foreign state and to renounce one's own nationality.

Swell

Benedictus XV, Maximum illud, 30 nov.1919; AAS [= Acta Apostolicae Sedis ] 11 (1919), pp.440 - 455th