Our holy father Jehoshaphat, Archbishop of Polotsk

POPE PI XI

Ecclesiam Dei

For St. Jehoshaphat

The

Venerable Our Brethren, Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, Bishops and other Ordinaries, in peace and communion with the Apostolic See.

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1. The Church of God has arranged the miraculous act of Divine Providence, so that in the fullness of time She may become a great family, embracing all mankind. As everyone knows, the Church has - and this is one of the visible signs imprinted in her by God - this universal unity. Christ, our Lord, not only entrusted to His apostles — and only to them — the mission he received from the Father, saying, “All authority was given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go and teach all nations. " 1 He also wished the College of the Apostles to have a perfect unity, a unity based on strong double bonds, of which the inner bonds are the bonds of - one faith and love, which" were poured into our hearts by the Holy One. Spirit 2 , the others being external, the connection of the authority of one of the apostles over the others, because He entrusted to Peter the primacy among the apostles, making it an eternal principle and a visible foundation of the unity of the Church. with strong words, convincing them in the final necessity of this unity. 3 in his last poignant prayer He asked the Father for this unity and prayer was heard "and was heard for his reverence." 4

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2. The Church was born in unity and has developed into "one body" living, animated by a soul, the head of which is "Christ, from whom the whole body is composed and combined" 5. The visible head of this body, following the reasoning of St. Paul is the one who replaces Christ here on earth - the Roman Pontiff. In it as heir of St. Peter, Christ's words are fulfilled forever "on this rock I will build My Church" 6. And the pope, who for centuries performed the duties entrusted to Peter, does not cease to affirm, when necessary, his brethren in the faith, and to shepherd the sheep and lambs of the Lord's flock.

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3. None of the prerogatives of the Church has been subjected to such violent attacks by "the enemy" as this unity government by which "the unity of the Spirit" is stored in the "alliance of peace." 7 It is true that the enemy has never prevailed and will never prevail over the Church. However, He managed to tear from her bosom many of Her children, and in other cases - entire nations. Many times these heavy losses were caused by wars that divided nations, the enactment of laws hostile to the interests of religion and virtue, and the unbridled love of the transient riches of this world.

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4. The greatest and most sorrowful apostasy was the separation of the Greeks from the unity of the Ecumenical Church. The Councils of Lyons and Florence gave hope that this apostasy would be cured; but the hope was illusory. The schism was renewed and continues to this day, causing great harm to souls. This great schism rejected the Faith and deceived the Eastern Slavs as well, although it must be admitted that they remained in communion with the Church longer than many of their neighbors. It is well known that they maintained relations of one kind or another with the Apostolic See, even after the schism of Michael Kerularius - relations, subsequently, despite the fact that they were interrupted by the invasions of the Tatar-Mongols, renewed and continued until the rebellious stubbornness of their rulers.

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5. For their part, the Roman pontiffs also resorted to all means at their disposal to bring these peoples back to the unity of the Church. Some popes have even made the salvation of the Eastern Slavs one of the most important goals of their pontificate. For example, Gregory VII, at the request of the prince's son, who happened to be in Rome, sent a letter of mercy 8 , containing heartfelt wishes and every heavenly blessing to his father, to the prince of Kiev - "Dmitry, king of the Russians, and the queen , his wife "- on the occasion of the beginning of their reign. Honorius III sent his legates to the town of Novogrudok, and Gregory IX repeated this merciful deed. Soon Innocent IV sent his legate, a man of noble and strong temperament, Giovanni di Plano-Carpini, a of the most famous Franciscans at that time.The good results of such loving care on the part of Our Ancestors began to manifest themselves in 1250, when harmony and unity were restored between the two countries.In honor of this event, the papal legate, Abbot Opizione, on behalf of and on behalf of the Pope himself, Prince Daniel Romanovich was crowned with all his solemnity, and later, in accordance with the revered traditions and ancient customs of the Eastern Slavs, Isidore, Metropolitan of K Iev and Moscow, Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, promised on behalf of their compatriots and speaking in their language, to preserve the sacred and inviolable Catholic unity in communion with the Holy See.

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6. This alliance with Kiev, thus restored, has been going on for many years. Political turmoil in the early 16th century again led to a breakdown in relations. Fortunately, however, in 1595 their restoration took place, and the following year, through the efforts of the Metropolitan of Kiev and other Ruthenian bishops, the Treaty of Brest solemnly proclaimed unity. Clement VIII received these bishops with deep love, as expressed in the constitution "Magnus Dominus", where he asked all believers to thank God, "who always thinks of the world and wants all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the faith."

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7. In order that this unity and harmony may be preserved forever, God in His unsurpassed providence sanctified them, so to speak, with the seal of holiness and martyrdom. The great honor of being both a saint and a martyr belongs to Jehoshaphat, Archbishop of Polotsk, of the East Slavic rite, who is rightly seen as the glory and strengthening of the Eastern Slavs. No doubt it would be difficult to find another such person who would glorify his people so much or do more for their eternal good than that of his pastor and apostle. This is especially evidenced by the fact that he shed his own blood to preserve the unity of the Holy Church.

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8. On the occasion of the approaching three-century anniversary of his glorious martyrdom, it is a great pleasure for us to call you again in memory of the name of this hero, for whom our Lord answers the prayers of many of his ardent children, “awaken your spirit in the Church. who fulfilled the blessed martyr and Bishop Jehoshaphat, who laid down his life for his sheep ” 9 . As the zeal for the unity of the Church grows among the believers, so does the work to which so great a place belonged in his heart until the time comes when the promise of Christ and the desire of all His saints will be fulfilled, and there will be “one flock and a Shepherd ” 10 .

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9. Our saint was born of schismatic parents, but was properly baptized and given the name John. From an early age he lived in holiness. Although he was very impressed by the magnificence of the Slavic liturgy, he always sought in it above all the truth and glory of God. Therefore, and not because of persuasion with arguments, as a child he turned to communion with the Ecumenical, that is, the Catholic Church. He has always considered himself a member of this church because of the actual baptism he received. He quickly realized that the return to the Catholic Church of those who followed the East Slavic rite and the Basilian monks would contribute much to the cause of unity. For this purpose in 1604 he joined the monks of St. Basil changed his name to Jehoshaphat, not John. In monasticism he devotes himself with body and soul to the exercise of every virtue, especially the virtues of mercy and repentance. At that time, he showed a truly extraordinary love for the Cross, a love he learned as a child, constantly meditating on the crucified Jesus.

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10. The Metropolitan of Kiev, Joseph William Rutsky, who was also the archimandrite of this monastery, said that Jehoshaphat "soon achieved such success in monastic life that he could become a mentor to the other monks." Almost immediately after his ordination, Jehoshaphat was elected archimandrite, head of the monastery. In governing the community, he sought not only to preserve and protect from encroachment the earthly goods belonging to the monastery and the adjoining church, but also by finding that these holy places were almost abandoned by the believers, he did his best so that the Christian people visit them more often. At the same time, caring in his heart for the unification of his countrymen with the Throne of Peter, he sought arguments that would help secure this union. For this reason, he studied mainly liturgical books used in the East, even by schismatics, in accordance with the rules laid down by the Holy Fathers of the Church.

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11. Thus, having prepared himself properly, he begins firmly, but with kindness, to defend the cause of restoring unity. His success was immediate, to such an extent that even his opponents awarded him the title of "conqueror of the soul." Indeed, the number of souls returned to the unity of the Flock of Jesus Christ in all walks of life - among peasants, merchants, nobles, prefects and governors of the provinces - was miraculous - as evidenced by Sokolinski of Polotsk, Tishkevich of Novogrudok and Melechko. from Smolensk. After his appointment as Bishop of Polotsk, he greatly expanded the field of his apostolate - an apostolate that could not fail to achieve exceptional results thanks to the example of living in unlimited chastity, poverty and thrift, combined with such generous generosity to the infirmities of the poor, because of which he even managed to set his own omophorion to help their needs.

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12. However, our saint always adhered strictly to the limits of religious work, never interfering in politics, despite the fact that he was more than once sincerely asked to join one country or another. As a holy bishop, he zealously strives to always reveal the truth to the people, both in his writings and in his sermons. In addition to preaching, he published a number of volumes in plain language on topics such as the primacy of Peter, the baptism of St. Vladimir, an apology for Christian unity; catechism, following the method of St. Peter Canisia; and many other similar works. He also encouraged both white and black clergy to value their priesthood more. Thanks to their zealous and sincere cooperation, which he himself encouraged, he was able to ensure that people, having been instructed in Christian teaching and brought up by preaching the word of God in a way adapted to the personal needs of each of them, often they proceeded to the sacraments and performed their duties in the holy liturgy, and therefore they themselves joined this way of life, which more and more corresponded to their faith. Thus, after succeeding above all in the wide spread of God's spirit, St. Jehoshaphat created favorable working conditions in the name of the Christian unity to which he dedicated his life. He contributes to the cause of unification and even initiation more than anything else with his martyrdom, the end of his life, which he meets with joy and delightful generosity.

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13. He was convinced that martyrdom awaited him, and often spoke of the possibility of such an event. In one of his famous sermons he expressed his desire for martyrdom; he prayed fervently to God for martyrdom, as if it were a specially blessed gift for him. A few days before his death, expecting conspiracies to be planned against him, he said, "Lord, have mercy on me, let me shed my blood for the unity of the Church and in the name of obedience to the Holy See." On Sunday, November 13, 1623, his wish came true. Surrounded by enemies seeking the apostle of unity, he steps forward with a smile and joy and accepts his fate. Following the example of his Lord and Master, he begs them not to harm his household and then surrenders into their hands. He was attacked and killed in the most barbaric way. Despite his wounds, until his last breath, he did not stop praying to God for forgiveness for his killers.

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14. In fact, the fruits of this glorious martyrdom were great, especially among the Ruthenian bishops, who knew how to draw from his death a living example of steadfastness and courage, which they themselves confirmed two months later in a letter to the Holy Congregation for the Dissemination of faith: "Likewise, we are ready, as one of us has already done, to offer our blood for the Catholic religion." As a result of this martyrdom, almost immediately after it, a large number of people, including the murderers of the saint himself, returned to the bosom of unity with the Church of Christ.

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15. The blood of St. Jehoshaphat today, three hundred years later, is a special guarantee of peace, a seal of unity. We call it a special pledge in modern times, because the unfortunate Slavic provinces, torn by all kinds of unrest and riots, are stained with blood shed in the terrible and inhuman wars of our time. Indeed, it seems to us that we hear the voice of this blood, "speaking better than that of Abel," 11 as if we saw our martyr addressing his Slavic brethren and crying out to them in the words of Jesus: "The sheep were left without a shepherd. I feel sorry for the people. "... Truly their condition is mournful, their sufferings are terrible! Alas, how many are expelled from their native land, what a terrible slaughter, what a great loss of souls! Looking now at the disasters that befell the Slavs, undoubtedly exceeding those for which our saint mourned in his time, it is extremely difficult for Us to hold back the tears that flow from Our Father's heart.

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16. In order to do our best to alleviate this burden of grief, We hastened to help them, thinking only of how best to help those in need, inspired by inhuman feelings, and without distinguishing between disadvantaged people. situation, except that in the first place turn to help those who need help more than others. Our task was very difficult due to lack of funds and we could not do everything we wanted. We were powerless in the face of the constant insults inflicted on truth and virtue, in the face of open contempt for every religious feeling and opinion, before the persecution - in other places bloody - of the Christian people and its bishops and priests.

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17. In view of all these evils, the solemn celebration of the jubilee of this glorious shepherd of the Slavs is even more pleasant for us. This gives us a favorable opportunity to show all Eastern Slavs the paternal feelings that inspire us, as well as to show them the return to the universal [ecumenical] unity of the Holy Church as the source of all possible goods.

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18. We sincerely invite the schismatics to join Us in this unity of the Church, and we also wish all believers, following the teachings and ways of St. Jehoshaphat to try, everyone - as much as possible, to cooperate with Us to achieve this goal. Let everyone also realize that discussions or other artificial means are not so much conducive to unity as the example of holy living and good deeds, especially those prescribed by mercy to our Slavic brethren and all other people of the East. This is the thought of St. the apostle Paul, who writes: “Have certain thoughts, have the same love, be unanimous and unanimous; do not do anything out of ambition or vanity, but out of humility, look at each other as superior to yourself. Not only take care of each other, but of everyone else. " 12

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19. In order to achieve this goal, it is necessary, on the one hand, for Eastern schismatics to reject their ancient prejudices and to truly seek knowledge of the true life of the Church, without attributing to the Roman Church the shortcomings of individuals. which condemns and tries to correct; but it is also required that the Latins, for their part, strive for a better and deeper understanding of the history and customs of the East. Thanks to the heartfelt awareness of these circumstances, the apostolate of St. Jehoshaphat was crowned with success.

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20. It is the acquisition of this goal that has prompted us to contribute, as far as we can, to the prosperity of the Pontifical Oriental Institute, founded by our recently deceased predecessor, Benedict XV. We are convinced that the just evaluation of the people and at the same time this righteous spirit of good will, which, united with the love of Christ, cannot but bring great benefit, with God's help to the cause of religious unity.

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21. Filled with mercy, each person will experience in himself what the apostle taught with inspiration: "There is no difference between a Jew and a Greek, for there is one Lord for all, rich for all who call on Him." 13 And, more importantly, if people obey the teachings of the same apostle in good faith, they will not only reject their prejudices, but will overcome their empty suspicions of one another, their cunning and hatred, in short, all hostility. , which is so contrary to the spirit of Christian love that it divides nations. Hear what the Holy Apostle Paul says: “Do not lie to one another after you have stripped the old man of his deeds, you have clothed a new one who is renewed in knowledge in the image of the One who created him, where there is no Greek, no Jew. there is no circumcision or uncircumcision, barbarian, hermit, slave, free, but Christ is all and in all. ” 14

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22. If we begin in this way, reconciling peoples and nations among ourselves, then we will touch the unity of the Church, because all who have separated from Her will return to her bosom, regardless of the reasons that moved them. The true realization of this unity will not be achieved by human effort, but only by the goodness of God, who is "impartial" 15 and "did not distinguish between us and them" 16 . In such a union, all peoples, regardless of race, language or liturgy, will have equal rights, as these liturgies have always been invariably and religiously respected and preserved by the Roman Church. It commanded to use and decorate them like precious pokrovtsi like "Queen ... in gilded clothes, dressed in diversity" 17.

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23. Since the communion of all the people of the earth in universal unity is above all the fruit of the Lord's labors, and can therefore be achieved only with God's help, let us resort with all care to prayer, following both the teaching and the example of St. Jehoshaphat. , who in his apostolate of unity relied above all on the power of prayer.

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24. Under his guidance and patronage let us pay special homage to the sacrament of the Eucharist, the sign and the main reason for unity, the mystery of the faith which, according to their belief, allowed the Eastern Slavs, who zealously kept their faith even when separated. from the Roman Church and the love for it to avoid the snares of the worst heresy. Therefore, we can also hope for the fruits for which the Holy Church prays with full confidence in the celebration of this royal sacrament, that “God will mercifully give us the gifts of unity and peace, presented in a mysterious way in the form of a sacrifice of bread and wine. . " 18 Yes, united, the Latins and the East pray for this mercy in this holy sacrifice of God's liturgy: the East -" praying to our Lord for the unity of all ", the Latins - praying for the same Christ, our Lord, who" looking faith of His Church, He graciously gave her peace and unity in accordance with His Holy Will ”.

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25. Another connection that serves our unity with the Eastern Slavs is their truly extraordinary devotion to the Blessed Virgin. This love for Mary simultaneously cuts them off from the many heretics and brings them closer to us. Our saint also stood out with his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and with childlike confidence relied on Her protection in his works in the name of unity. Accustomed to honor with special love, as is accepted among the East, a small icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary - an image that is also highly revered by Basilian monks and faithful to all rites, here in Rome, in the Church of St. Sergius and Bacchus are revered under the nickname "Queen of the Pastures." Therefore, let us begin to pray to Her, our beloved Mother, so that She may direct the steps of our schismatic brethren to the pastures of salvation, to those pastures where Peter, living forever in his successors, Vicar of the Eternal Shepherd, feeds and guides the lambs. and the sheep of Christ's flock.

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26. In conclusion, let us turn to all the heavenly saints and ask for their intercession in order to be given this great mercy. In particular, let us turn to those of them who were once revered by the Orient for love and holiness and who are revered to this day because of the fact that people treat them with devotion and reverence. Of these, let us first turn to St. Jehoshaphat, because during his life he was the strongest warrior in the name of unity, and therefore now, before God, let him defend and support the same holy goal. In the same way, we pray to him, uttering the humble words of our predecessor, the immortal memory of Pius IX: “May God make your blood, O St. Jehoshaphat, shed for you for the church of Christ, a seal of union. with the Apostolic See, a covenant for which you have always suffered and for which you prayed fervently day and night to God Almighty and Almighty. To make this possible one day, we sincerely wish to have you as a constant intercessor before God and the Heavenly Host. "

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As a pledge of divine mercy and as a testimony of our good will, we with all our love give the apostolic blessing to you, honorable brethren, your clergy and your people.

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Given in Rome, by St. Peter, on November 12, 1923, our second pontificate.

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1. Mt. 28: 18-19.

2. Rome. 5: 5.

3. cf. In. 17:11, 21-22

4. Heb. 5: 7.

5. Eph. 4: 15-16.

6. Mt. 16:18.

7. Eph. 4: 3.

8. Migne, Pat. Lat. col. 425, vol. 148, vol. last 2, letter 74.

9. Service to St. Jehoshaphat.

10. In. 10:16.

11. Heb. 12:24.

12. Флп. 2: 2-4.

13. Rome. 10:12.

14. Qty. 3: 9-11.

15. Deyan. 10:34.

16. Deyan. 15: 9.

17. Ps. 44:10. .

18. The secret prayer during the Mass of the Feast of the Body of Christ.

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