Religion Wiki
Register
Advertisement

Invicti Athletae (May 16, 1957) is an encyclical of Pope Pius XII to the Polish bishops and faithful on the 300th anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Andrew Bobola.

Background[]

Part of a series of articles on
20th Century
Persecutions of the
Catholic Church


Mexico

Cristero War  · Iniquis Afflictisque
Saints  · José Sánchez del Río
Persecution in Mexico  · Miguel Pro

Spain
498 Spanish Martyrs
Red Terror (Spain) · Dilectissima Nobis
Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War
Martyrs of Daimiel
Bartolome Blanco Marquez
Innocencio of Mary Immaculate

Germany

Mit brennender Sorge  · Alfred Delp
Alois Grimm · Rupert Mayer
Bernhard Lichtenberg · Max Josef Metzger
Karl Leisner  · Maximilian Kolbe

China
Persecution in China · Ad Sinarum Gentem ·
Cupimus Imprimis  · Ad Apostolorum Principis
Ignatius Kung Pin-Mei · Beda Chang
Dominic Tang
Poland
Stefan Wyszyński
108 Martyrs of World War Two · Policies
Poloniae Annalibus  · Gloriosam Reginam
Invicti Athletae · Jerzy Popiełuszko

Eastern Europe
Jozsef Mindszenty  · Eugene Bossilkov
Josef Beran  · Aloysius Stepinac
Meminisse Juvat  · Anni Sacri

El Salvador

Maura Clarke  · Ignacio Ellacuría
Ita Ford  · Rutilio Grande
Dorothy Kazel  · Ignacio Martín-Baró
Segundo Montes  · Óscar Romero

General

Persecution of Christians
Church persecutions 1939-1958
Vatican and Eastern Europe
Vatican USSR policies

Eastern Catholic persecutions
Terrible Triangle
Conspiracy of Silence (Church persecutions)

Andrzej or Andrew Bobola was a Polish national hero. In 1657, he was brutally slain by Russian occupiers, who even kept his deceased body. In 1923, Vladimir Lenin permitted the transfer of the relicts of Andrzej Bobola to the Vatican with the stipulation that they never be forwarded to Poland, since Bobola continued to stimulate anti-Russian sentiments in Poland. April 1938 Pope Pius XI canonized Bobola and sent his relics to Poland where, in June 17, 1938, he received a tumultuous and emotional welcome in Warsaw. Polish President Moscicki led the ceremonies with a flaming nationalist speech. In a grandiose gesture, he solemnly took off his own Cross of Merit Polonia Restituta, and placed it on the remains of Bobola.[1] The Polish Communist Party was forced to disband on Bobola day June 17, 1938. Catholic theologians like J. Pastuszek openly blamed the Jews for the existence and spread of Communism [2] In the following weeks, anti-Russian and anti-Orthodox emotions climaxed in Poland. Some 138 Orthodox Churches were burned or destroyed. Oriental Catholic Orthodox Churches, who, because of previous persecution under the Tsars, were equally opposed to the Russian Orthodox Church, found their churches and institutions vandalized by Polish authorities as well.[1] A few years later, the Polish Church, now under Stalinist persecution, celebrates the anniversary of the martyrdom of Bobola, which is the reason for the encyclical of Pope Pius XII.

The encyclical[]

Pope Pius describes the suffering of this Polish hero saints in concrete words. But, he continues, in our days, the Catholic religion has been exposed to grave danger. The haters of God and enemies of Christian teaching attack Jesus Christ and his Church The Pope asks for endurance and bravery. The people and clergy must overcome many obstacles, and even sacrifices in time and money, but they must never give in.[3]

Pius comforts his Polish brothers saying that everywhere, there is always a bit of martyrdom in Christian day-to-day life, if one strives for perfection. Bobola is a model saint because he kept his faith intact and defended it with all means. Polish people should “ look to the reward God promises to all who with perfect fidelity, unflagging readiness, and burning love live, labor, and strive to defend and spread throughout the world His Kingdom of peace”.[4]

    • Act boldly, but with that Christian promptness of soul which goes hand in hand with prudence, knowledge, and wisdom. Keep Catholic faith and unity.[5]


References[]

  • Acta Apostolicae Sedis, Roma, Vaticano, 1939,1951
  • Invicti Athletae, in Acta Apostolicae Sedis, (AAS) Roma, Vaticano, 1957, 321
  • Hansjakob Stehle, Die Ostpolitik des Vatikans, Piper, 1975

Sources[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Stehle, 211
  2. J. Pastuszek, Z filozofii I psychologii komunizmu, Lublin 1938
  3. Invicti Athletae 29
  4. Invicti Athletae 33
  5. Invicti Athletae 34

la:Invicti athletae Christi

Advertisement