UNIT XIII – THE CHURCH COMING INTO
THE MODERN WORLD:
Responding to a World in Revolt
TERMS TO KNOW
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SYLLABUS OF ERRORS – document by which Pius IX sought to correct the heretical and erroneous
teachings of his day
1ST VATICAN COUNCIL – 20th ecumenical council known for its teaching on papal infallibility
KULTURKAMPF – movement by which the Chancellor of Germany Otto von Bismarck sought to
eradicate Catholicism from the emerging German empire
MAY LAWS: legislation enacted during the Kulturkampf to control the religious freedom of Catholics
in the new German empire
RERUM NOVARUM – first major papal document dealing with Catholic social teachings
COMMUNISM – a system of social organization in which all economic and social activity is controlled
by a totalitarian state dominated by a single and self-perpetuating political party
ENCYCLICAL – a papal document on some specific topic of Catholic doctrine addressed to the whole
Church
IMPORTANT PERSONS
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CHARLES DARWIN – biologist who proposed the theory of evolution
KARL MARX – philosopher who promoted the political system known as communism
LEO XIII – last Pope of the 19th century who began the work of formulating Catholic teaching for the
modern world
IMPORTANT DATES
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1854 – Pope Pius IX defines the dogma of the Immaculate Conception
1869-1870 – 1ST VATICAN COUNCIL
I. RECOVERING FROM REVOLUTIONS
Napoleon had _______________ much of Europe and reorganized political ___________________
With the help of _________________ (who stood up to Napoleon), legitimate authorities restored to
power as much as possible
Evil effects of revolution
Spirit of revolt against the “__________________” / the way things used to be
Religion and faith is no longer central to _____________________
3 False solutions
1. Liberalism – ___________________________________________________________________
2. Return to “Catholic Orthodoxy” – __________________________________________________
3. Look for a “pure Christianity” – ___________________________________________________
II. PIUS IX (1846- 1878)
A liberalist concerned with missionary activity & _____________ (hospitals, soup kitchens, etc.)
Also wants to engage _____________ which seems to have turned its back on ______________
Following Italian revolution (late 1840’s), Pius IX sees that ___________ in Europe is a disaster
Somewhat a reactionary: makes some less than excellent decisions
Ineffabilis Deus (1854) – Papal document defining the dogma of _______________________________
Syllabus of Errors (1864)
A ______________ reflection based on the world & current thought
Almost entirely ______________ from other papal documents
Correcting the ___________________________ teachings of his day
What is the goal of this good shepherd? _______________________
Taken entirely _________________, and Pius IX becomes a very unpopular person
III. VATICAN I (1869-1870)
All bishops invited to attend ________________________ Council
Catholic, Orthodox, and schismatic
Who presided over the Council? ____________________________
Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic Faith
Proof for ___________________________________________, revelation, and Faith
The role of ____________________
Condemned ____________________________________ on those topic
Condemning atheism, pantheism, __________________
Document on infallibility of the Pope: Pastor Aeternus
Debated not because the fact is _______________, but because it may not be the right time;
some abstain _______________ for this reason
In the end, vote is taken and bishops nearly unanimously __________: Pope is infallible in
matters of ___________________________
Why didn’t the Council complete its work? _____________________________________________
After the declaration of the Immaculate Conception, some thought that every papal pronouncement
stood as ______________________________________
The definition set specific parameters for ____________________ papal teachings
When the pope speaks _______________ on matters of faith and morals, these teachings are
infallible
Without the ________________________ for infallibility, encyclicals, letters and homilies are
______________ teachings of the Pope, and are not considered ____________________
Therefore, faithfully adhering to the tradition received from the beginning of the Christian faith, to the glory
of God our savior, for the exaltation of the Catholic religion and for the salvation of the Christian people, with
the approval of the Sacred Council, we teach and define as a divinely revealed dogma that when the Roman
Pontiff speaks EX CATHEDRA, that is, when, in the exercise of his office as shepherd and teacher of all
Christians, in virtue of his supreme apostolic authority, he defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be
held by the whole Church, he possesses, by the divine assistance promised to him in blessed Peter, that
infallibility which the divine Redeemer willed his Church to enjoy in defining doctrine concerning faith or
morals. Therefore, such definitions of the Roman Pontiff are of themselves, and not by the consent of the
Church, irreformable.
IV. THE WORLD AROUND THE CHURCH
The Kulturkampf (1871-1877)
After unifying Germany, Chancellor Otto von Bismarck saw the ____________________ as an obstacle to
the advancement of the New German Empire
What recent document was misunderstood by Chancellor Bismarck? _________________________
What did he think it allowed Catholics to do? ____________________________________________
He passed the May Laws (May, 1873) to dismantle Catholic _________________ within Germany
The May Laws included:
 State-supervised education of the clergy
 Marriages were to be celebrated in civil ceremonies
 Religious orders were prohibited from teaching,
 Jesuits were expelled
With the rise of _______________, Bismarck needed Catholic support
He abandoned the Kulturkampf and a resolution was reached with _________________________
Note: this was going on elsewhere in Europe
Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
Developed his “___________________________” and the idea of “survival of the fittest”
He noted in nature that only the strongest individuals survived and this __________________________
This idea was applied to many other areas such as anthropology, ______________ and _________________
Social Darwinism was a philosophy used by wealthy industrialists to ________________________
Why would they hold such a position about human beings? ____________________________________
Seen to be used by Hitler, et. al., because it was “____________________________”
Charles Darwin
Karl Marx
Karl Marx (1818-1883)
Grows up in the mess of 19th Century _________________ Europe
Saw the destruction caused by industrialization and the widening gap between _______ and _______
Solution: COMMUNISM – “the culmination of _________________”
The poor who are exploited (proletariat) would overthrow social classes by means of ____________
All wealth and property would be held ____________, and there would be absolute _____________
while the government provides for all needs of the people
Sounds great, right?
ONE PROBLEM: Religion is “the opiate of the masses”
In practice, it totally disrespects the dignity of the _________________
V. POPE LEO XIII (1878-1903)
Need someone to address revolutions, Karl Marx, Darwin, etc.
Leo XIII is a diplomat – focuses on ______________________
Also a great _________________; did much to ______________ the world to Catholicism once again
Philosophy, Theology, and Sacred Scripture
Why would this be valuable? ______________________________________________________
Willing to listen to _____________ and _____________ contributions
Going back to the master: St. ________________________
Encyclicals: Leo XIII’s teaching the world…
Inscrutabili Dei (1878) stated briefly all the accumulated problems affecting contemporary __________
Aeterni Patris (1879) reiterated the importance of ____________________ and highlighted St. Thomas
Aquinas as the master to be studied
Immortale Dei (1885) shows the Pope’s efforts to understand ____________ political movements while
clearly transmitting the Church’s doctrine on the dynamics and role of __________________
Rerum Novarum (1891) outlines the principles of Catholic Social Teaching (social justice)
First major _________________ on social doctrine
Concerned with preserving the rights of ______________:
Right to work; unions; just wages; private property; defense of the family
Responds to some effects of _____________________
Concerned with the same things as ________________________, but doesn’t agree with him on
________________________________________________
The FIRST time the Church outlined its principles on __________________________________
Refuted Communism (aka Socialism) as an attack on _________________ and __________
Interestingly doesn’t offer _______________ as a solution
Just society is only possible if founded on ___________, rooted in __________