I think these paragraphs ought to be well-understood by every Catholic, and the Holy Father deserves our gratitude in directing them to us:
...16. Christ as our Redeemer purchased the Church at the price
of his own blood; as priest he offered himself, and continues to offer himself
as a victim for our sins. Is it not evident, then, that his kingly dignity
partakes in a manner of both these offices?
17. It would be a grave error, on the other hand, to say
that Christ has no authority whatever in civil affairs, since, by virtue of the
absolute empire over all creatures committed to him by the Father, all things
are in his power. Nevertheless, during his life on earth he refrained from the
exercise of such authority, and although he himself disdained to possess or to
care for earthly goods, he did not, nor does he today, interfere with those who
possess them. Non eripit mortalia qui regna dat caelestia.
18. Thus the empire of our Redeemer embraces all men. To use
the words of Our immortal predecessor, Pope Leo XIII: "His empire includes
not only Catholic nations, not only baptized persons who, though of right
belonging to the Church, have been led astray by error, or have been cut off
from her by schism, but also all those who are outside the Christian faith; so
that truly the whole of mankind is subject to the power of Jesus
Christ." Nor is there any difference in this matter between the individual
and the family or the State; for all men, whether collectively or individually,
are under the dominion of Christ. In him is the salvation of the individual, in
him is the salvation of society. "Neither is there salvation in any other,
for there is no other name under heaven given to men whereby we must be
saved." He is the author of happiness and true prosperity for every
man and for every nation. "For a nation is happy when its citizens are
happy. What else is a nation but a number of men living in concord?"
If, therefore, the rulers of nations wish to preserve their authority, to
promote and increase the prosperity of their countries, they will not neglect
the public duty of reverence and obedience to the rule of Christ. What We said at
the beginning of Our Pontificate concerning the decline of public authority,
and the lack of respect for the same, is equally true at the present day.
"With God and Jesus Christ," we said, "excluded from political
life, with authority derived not from God but from man, the very basis of that
authority has been taken away, because the chief reason of the distinction
between ruler and subject has been eliminated. The result is that human society
is tottering to its fall, because it has no longer a secure and solid
foundation."
19. When once men recognize, both in private and in public
life, that Christ is King, society will at last receive the great blessings of
real liberty, well-ordered discipline, peace and harmony. Our Lord's regal
office invests the human authority of princes and rulers with a religious
significance; it ennobles the citizen's duty of obedience. It is for this
reason that St. Paul, while bidding wives revere Christ in their husbands, and
slaves respect Christ in their masters, warns them to give obedience to them
not as men, but as the vicegerents of Christ; for it is not meet that men
redeemed by Christ should serve their fellow-men. "You are bought with a
price; be not made the bond-slaves of men." If princes and magistrates
duly elected are filled with the persuasion that they rule, not by their own
right, but by the mandate and in the place of the Divine King, they will
exercise their authority piously and wisely, and they will make laws and
administer them, having in view the common good and also the human dignity of
their subjects. The result will be a stable peace and tranquility, for there
will be no longer any cause of discontent. Men will see in their king or in
their rulers men like themselves, perhaps unworthy or open to criticism, but
they will not on that account refuse obedience if they see reflected in them
the authority of Christ God and Man. Peace and harmony, too, will result; for
with the spread and the universal extent of the kingdom of Christ men will
become more and more conscious of the link that binds them together, and thus
many conflicts will be either prevented entirely or at least their bitterness
will be diminished.
20. If the kingdom of Christ, then, receives, as it should,
all nations under its way, there seems no reason why we should despair of
seeing that peace which the King of Peace came to bring on earth -- he who came
to reconcile all things, who came not to be ministered unto but to minister,
who, though Lord of all, gave himself to us as a model of humility, and with
his principal law united the precept of charity; who said also: "My yoke
is sweet and my burden light." Oh, what happiness would be Ours if all
men, individuals, families, and nations, would but let themselves be governed
by Christ! "Then at length," to use the words addressed by our
predecessor, Pope Leo XIII ...to the bishops of the
Universal Church, "then at length will many evils be cured; then will the
law regain its former authority; peace with all its blessings be restored. Men
will sheathe their swords and lay down their arms when all freely acknowledge
and obey the authority of Christ, and every tongue confesses that the Lord
Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father."
-- from the Encyclical of Pius XI, Quas Primas
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