Sertum laetitiae

Laetitiae With the encyclical Sertum (container of joy ) commemorates Pope Pius XII. on 1 November 1939, the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the first bishop of the Catholic Church in the United States of America. For this reason, he also writes to the Archbishop of Boston, Cardinal William Henry O'Connell, Archbishop of Philadelphia Cardinal Denis Joseph Dougherty and all archbishops, bishops and religious leaders of the United States of America.

150th anniversary

The Pope reminds us of Pope Pius VI. , Which John Carroll had used as the first American bishop in Baltimore. This enthronement was at a very uncertain economic times, and the state of the United States was impacted by a long war. It finally succeeded George Washington, who was a friend of the Bishop of Baltimore, together with John Carroll, to lay the foundation of the Church. For the 100th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII had. In his encyclical Longinqua oceanic praised the progress which had been made by the Church in America, Leo XIII. but also taught exhortations to the people responsible.

Catholic Church in the United States

The current state of Roman Catholic Church in the United States by Pope Pius XII. estimated as follows: 19 ecclesiastical provinces; 115 dioceses; nearly 200 seminars and countless churches, schools, and high schools, colleges and hospitals, homes for the poor and asylum seekers. Furthermore, we have in the United States founded missionary organizations and many companies which serve to spread the Gospel. Here recalls Pius XII. his visit to the U.S. in October 1936 and boasts the activities that have promoted the spread of the faith since the foundation. Great hope he puts on the Catholic University of America. Pius XII. support the desire of the American Episcopate in Rome to build a papal colleague for American seminarians.

Warnings and admonitions

Pius XII. warns in this encyclical from the negative developments in American society, to which he and the spread of selfishness, the love of pleasure, the vice of drunkenness, the costly fashion, the prevalence of crimes and murders, the lust for power, the neglect of the poor sick, the disruption of the family, divorces, birth control, the loss of authority and breach of duty to the country and people counts. Once again he mentions Pope Leo XIII. , Who wrote in his encyclical Arcanum divinae sapientia on Christian marriage. Pius XII. admonished in his Exhortation priests to prepare in the study of theology with the knowledge of humanity well. They would trust in the years of preparation with the history of the Church and dogma, church laws, sacraments, scriptures and liturgy are to set an example in wisdom.

Earthly goods and goods distribution

Pius XII. explains that the root of this doctrine lie in the incontrovertible requirement

" ... Namely that the goods which God created for people in general, in the amount of equity in accordance with the principles of justice and love flow towards all. "

The Pope goes further to the encyclical of Pius XI Quadragesimo anno. and repeatedly:

" ... Every effort must be made that the families receive sufficient wages to meet their normal domestic needs. If this social demand for the distribution of goods can not be realized, so reforms must be introduced to guarantee the equitable wages. It is an object of the unions themselves to this law and rules to provide for righteousness. The rules should consist of fairness, honesty and adaptation of standards. "

Especially did this Leo XIII. Rerum Novarum called for in his, and he wanted wants to be understood, the question of the social reforms in accordance with the Gospel.

Freedom of assembly

As people are community based from nature, arises therefrom the right of assembly and freedom of association, urged Pius XII. of. People could give the community foundations in the form that they considered the appropriate order to achieve the goal they have set for yourself. They could act out of these communities on their own initiative and on their own responsibility and directing these to the desired destination.