Religion

VI. THE POPE’S APPEAL TO TERMINATE THE CIVIL WAR

Letter of Pope Pius IX to John Archbishop of New York

"To our Venerable Brother, John, Archbishop of New York:

POPE PIUS IX

Venerable Brother: Health and Apostolic benediction. Among the various and most oppressive cares which weigh on us in these turbulent and perilous times, we are greatly affected by the truly lamentable state in which the Christian people of the United States of America are placed by the destructive Civil War broken out among them.

For, Venerable Brother, we cannot but be overwhelmed with the deepest sorrow while we recapitulate, with paternal feelings, the slaughter, ruin, destruction, devastation, and other innumerable and ever-to-be-deplored calamities by which the people themselves are most miserably harassed and dilacerated. Hence, we have not ceased to offer up, in the humility of our hearts, our most fervent prayers to God, that He would deliver them from so many and so great evils. And we are fully assured that you also, Venerable Brother, pray and implore, without ceasing, the Lord of Mercies to grant solid peace and prosperity to that Country. But since we, by virtue of the office of our Apostolic ministry, embrace, with the deepest sentiments of charity, all the nations of the Christian world, and though unworthy, administer here on earth the vicegerent work of Him who is the Author of Peace and the Lover of Charity, we cannot refrain from inculcating, again and again, on the minds of the people themselves, and their chief rulers, mutual charity and peace.

Wherefore we write you this letter, in which we urge you, Venerable Brother, with all the force and earnestness of our mind, to exhort, with your eminent piety and episcopal zeal, your clergy and faithful to offer up their prayers, and also apply all your study and exertion, with the people and their chief rulers, to restore forthwith the desired tranquillity and peace by which the happiness of both the Christian and the civil republic is principally maintained. Wherefore, omit nothing you can undertake and accomplish, by your wisdom, authority and exertions, as far as compatible with the nature of the holy ministry, to conciliate the minds of the combatants, pacify, reconcile and bring back the desired tranquillity and peace, by all the means that are most conducive to the best interests of the people.

Take every pains, besides, to cause the people and their chief rulers seriously to reflect on the grievous evils with which they are afflicted, and which are the result of civil war, the direst, most destructive and dismal of all the evils that could befall a people or nation. Neither omit to admonish and exhort the people and their supreme rulers, even in our name, that with conciliated minds they would embrace peace, and love each other with uninterrupted charity. For we are confident that they would comply with our paternal admonitions and hearken to our words the more willingly as of themselves they plainly and clearly understand that we are influenced by no political reasons, no earthly considerations, but impelled solely by paternal charity and peace, to exhort them to charity and peace. And study, with your surpassing wisdom, to persuade all that true prosperity, even in this life, is sought for in vain out of the true religion of Christ and its salutary doctrines. We have no hesitation, Venerable Brother, but that calling to your aid the services and assistance even of your associate bishops you would abundantly satisfy our wishes, and by your wise and prudent efforts bring a matter of such moment to a happy termination.

We wish you, moreover, to be informed that we write, in a similar manner, this very day to our Venerable Brother, John Mary [Odin], Archbishop of New Orleans, that, counseling and conferring with you, he would direct all his thought and care most earnestly to accomplish the same object.

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Dated Rome, at St. Peter’s, October 18, 1862, in the seventeenth year of our Pontificate.

PIUS IX. POPE."