Rome
Metropolis of the Roman world, later capital of the Papal State and, from 3 February 1871, of the Italian State (law no. 33, art. 1), it is the center of Catholicism as the episcopal see of the Roman Pontiff…
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Catholic Encyclopedia — Enciclopedia Cattolica
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Bible
Collection of books held sacred, in a number differing between the Hebrews and the Christians.
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Mary, Most Holy
Mother of Jesus Christ, Son of God made man. M. in Masoretic Hebrew is Mirjām; Aramaic form: Marjām (Syriac and Targumim); Μαξιάν, in the Septuagint and in the Gospels for the Most Holy Virgin; the apocopated form Μαξιάν occurs in the Gospels and in Flavius Josephus (Bell. Iud., VI, 3,4), who however ordinarily uses Μαξιάν, and Μαξιάν. The etymology is uncertain; many explanations have been given. O. Bardenhewer reviewed about 60 of them.
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Crusades
The movement for the expansion of the Faith and of the new Romano-Germanic civilization culminates, while the feudal regime is disintegrating and the communal autonomies are already arising, toward the end of the 11th century, in the great enterprise, variously prolonged until the 14th century, of the C. It was a movement of return to the origins that which channeled the fresh energies of the West toward the places from which the word of the Gospel had spread, ten centuries earlier.
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Vatican
The State of Vatican City (S.C.V.) was created and defined on 11 February 1929 by the Lateran Treaty. Its name sums up its character and location.
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Thomas Aquinas, Saint
He is the greatest representative of Scholasticism and the official doctor of the Catholic Church.
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Paul, Apostle, Saint
Apostle who spread Christianity among the Gentiles, b. at Tarsus in Cilicia in the first decade of the Christian era and martyred at Rome under Nero, in all probability in 67 A.D.
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Ignatius of Loyola, Saint
Last son of Beltrán Yáñez de Oñaz y Loyola and of Marina Sáenz de Licona y Balda, born in 1491 before 23 October in the palace-fortress of Loyola near Azpeitia (Guipúzcoa, Spain), died in Rome on 31 July 1556. He was called Iñigo López de Loyola (not Recalde), although he almost never used the López, and changed the Iñigo to I. between 1537-42.
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Galilei, Galileo
Born on 15 Feb. 1564 in Pisa to Vincenzo, a Florentine, and Giulia degli Ammannati of Pescia; in his boyhood he was with the Vallombrosan monks; he then enrolled at Pisa in the Faculty of Arts, and around the age of twenty he applied himself with particular study to mathematics. The environment at Pisa was peripatetic par excellence, but this did not deter the young scholar from proceeding on his own account, grounded in the study of Archimedes and in experience.
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Constantinople
Ancient Byzantium (Byzantion), built in 658 B.C. by a colony from Megara, whose leader was Byzas; almost entirely destroyed by Septimius Severus in 196 A.D., but soon rebuilt. It took the name of C. toward the end of 324, when Constantine chose it as the capital of the Empire and gave it his name together with the title of "New Rome," adorning it with splendid buildings and rich artistic treasures.
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Michelangelo Buonarroti (in autographs Michelagnolo)
Sculptor, painter, architect and poet, b. at Caprese (today Caprese-Michelangelo) in Tuscany, in the Tiber valley, on 6 March 1475, to Ludovico di Leonardo di Buonarroto Simoni, podestà of that town and of Chiusi, and to Francesca di ser Miniato del Sera and of Bonda Rucellai, both from Florence. The claimed and by him believed descent of the Buonarroti Simoni (an ancient Florentine family) from the counts of Canossa has no foundation.
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Francis Xavier (Don Francisco de Jasu y Xavier), Saint
Jesuit missionary and patron of the missions, b. in the castle of Xavier (Navarre) on 7 April 1506 to don Juan de Jasu, doctor of the University of Bologna, alcalde of the court and president of the royal Council, and to doña Maria de Azpilicueta, of the ancient nobility of the place; d. on the island of Sancian, on the coast of China, on 3 December 1552.
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Carmelites
Religious order that takes its name from Mount Carmel, in Palestine, where in the 12th century the existence of a group of ascetics is historically attested, to whom Albert of Vercelli, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, in 1208-1209 gave the rule that the Order still professes.
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Hell
According to Catholic doctrine, it is the place in which the rebellious angels and men who have died in mortal sin are eternally punished. Etymologically it derives from the Latin infernus "lower, subterranean place" and corresponds to the Greek ἀδός "dark place" (from the privative α and the root a) ["to see"]) and to the Germanic Hole (German Hölle, English hell), which means cavern. The Hebrew ἐδ'ῶ seems to derive from ἐδ'ῶ, fodit, excavit and indicates: pit, dark cavity, void.
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Demon
In ecclesiastical language, it designates an angel who has fallen through rebellion against God and is punished in hell. While the "devil" or "satan" is the head of the invisible powers of evil, the d. (τὸ δαιμόνιον) is one of the evil spirits (οἱ δαίμονες, usually τὰ δαιμόνια in the New Testament) that infest the world, carrying out a harmful function opposed to that of the angels. Thus Jesus said of hell "that it was prepared for the devil and his angels" (Mt. 25:41).
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Eucharist
It is the prolongation of the Incarnation (Leo XIII, encyclical Mirae caritatis, 18 May 1902).
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Mass
It is the sacrifice of the New Law, in which, under the sacramental species, the same victim of Calvary, Jesus Christ, is offered, to acknowledge God's supreme dominion and to apply to the faithful the merits acquired on the Cross. The word missa is equivalent to missio (= "dismissal"); analogous cases occur in offensa-offensio, collecta-collectio, oblata-oblatio (cf. Ch. Du Cange, s. v. in Glossarium, ed. L. Favre, V. Paris 1938, p. 412).
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Baptism
One of the seven Sacraments instituted by Jesus Christ, the first that can be received and that allows one to receive all the others: Sacramentorum ianua et fundamentum (CIC, can. 737).
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Loreto
Diocese in the province of Macerata (Marche). It has an area of 17 sq km with 8,000 inhabitants, all Catholics. It has 4 parishes, with 2 diocesan priests and 56 regulars, a seminary, 6 male religious communities and 14 female (Ann. pont., 1951, pp. 390 and 641).
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Monte Cassino
Abbey in southern Lazio, founded around 529 by St. Benedict of Nursia, on the ancient acropolis that stood on the mountain, of which imposing circuit walls still remain today. After demolishing the buildings of pagan worship, St. Benedict, on the altar of Apollo, erected a chapel in honor of St. John the Baptist and transformed the temple of that same god into an oratory dedicated to St. Martin.
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Cluny
City in the Rhône region, department of Saône-et-Loire, diocese of Mâcon, with the remains of the Benedictine abbey of the same name, called the "second Rome," and the ideal center of the reformist tendencies of the late Middle Ages.
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Constantine (Imperator Caesar Flavius Valerius Constantinus Augustus), Roman Emperor, Known as the Great
SUMMARY. - I. Life. - II. Personality. - III. Ecclesiastical policy. - IV. Personal religiosity. - V. Political motives for the conversion of C. - VI. The caesaropapism of C. - VII. C. in legend and in cult. - VIII. Constantinian buildings in Rome and in Palestine. - IX.
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Islam
Religion founded by Muhammad in Arabia in the 7th century A.D. The name i. means in Arabic "dedication" to God.
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Icons
A Greek word meaning image, which has come into use to indicate portable paintings with sacred images from the early centuries, and generally those of the Eastern type. The iconoclastic fanaticism that between the 8th and 9th centuries persecuted religious painting in Byzantine territory wrought havoc especially upon portable paintings; this explains the extreme rarity of the icons of the early centuries and, consequently, given the scarcity of comparisons, the uncertainty in their dating.
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Apocalypse
A prophetic book that closes the New Testament. The title consists of the first Greek word of the text (Ἀποκάλυψις Ἱησοῦ Χριστοῦ), which does not occur again afterward. The customary form in the codices is Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰωάννου, with various additions in the minuscules and in the versions (Clementine Vulgate: Apocalypsis sancti Ioannis apostoli).
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Genesis
Name of the book with which the series of the Old Testament opens. It is derived from the Greek γένεσις and passed through the Septuagint version into Christian usage. The Hebrews call it by the word with which the book begins in Hebrew: Bērā'ith = ry of the human race from its origins down to Abraham (chaps. 1-12); the history of the origins of the chosen people in the events of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the latter's sons (especially Joseph) down to the descent into Egypt of Jacob and his sons (chaps. 12-50).
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Mary Magdalene, Saint
A woman called thus because... MARY MAGDALENE (Magdalene), saint. - Woman called thus because because, it seems, she was a native of Magdala; she is named explicitly for the first time in the Gospel (by Lk. 8:2) among the pious women who followed Jesus. From her the Savior had cast out seven demons (ibid.; Mk. 16:9).
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Sinai
Mountainous region, also called Horeb, where the Israelites, three months after their departure from Egypt (Ex. 19:1), encamped for about a year (Num. 1:10), receiving there from Moses, their leader, their religious and civil organization.
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Egypt
E. (Misr according to the local Arabic name) comprises the Nile valley north of the second cataract (Wadi Halfa) with the adjacent territories of the Libyan and Arabian deserts.
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Epiphany
The Greeks called "epiphany" the manifestation of a god in person or in a dream or by miracle, or his return after an absence. An epiphany of the divinity in the form of a bird or of a human figure has been supposed for the Minoan religion, on the basis of figurative monuments, but the claim is purely hypothetical.
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- Rome (ROMA)Metropolis of the Roman world, later capital of the Papal State and, from 3 February 1871, of the Italian State (law no. 33, art. 1), it is the center of Catholicism as the…
- Bible (BIBBIA)Collection of books held sacred, in a number differing between the Hebrews and the Christians.
- Jesus Christ (GESÙ CRISTO)The second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, that is, the Son of God made man.
- Mary, Most Holy (MARIA, SANTISSIMA)MARY, most holy - Mother of Jesus Christ, Son of God made man. M. in Masoretic Hebrew is Mirjām; Aramaic form: Marjām (Syriac and Targumim); Μαξιάν, in the Septuagint and in the…
- Crusades (CROCIATE)The movement for the expansion of the Faith and of the new Romano-Germanic civilization culminates, while the feudal regime is disintegrating and the communal autonomies are…
- Vatican (VATICANO)The State of Vatican City (S.C.V.) was created and defined on 11 February 1929 by the Lateran Treaty. Its name sums up its character and location.
- Thomas Aquinas, Saint (TOMMASO D'AQUINO, SANTO)He is the greatest representative of Scholasticism (v.) and the official doctor of the Catholic Church.
- Augustine of Hippo, Saint, Bishop of Hippo (AGOSTINO AURELIO, VESCOVO DI IPPONA, SANTO)One of the four great Doctors of the Western Church.
- Francis of Assisi, Saint (FRANCESCO D'ASSISI, SANTO)Founder of three religious Orders (Friars Minor, Poor Clares, Franciscan Third Order), patron of Catholic Action; together with St. Catherine of Siena, principal patron of Italy,…
- Peter, Apostle, Saint (PIETRO, APOSTOLO, SANTO)First of the Apostles, appointed by Jesus as head of his Church.
- Paul, Apostle, Saint (PAOLO, APOSTOLO, SANTO)Apostle who spread Christianity among the Gentiles, b. at Tarsus (v.) in Cilicia in the first decade of the Christian era and martyred at Rome under Nero, in all probability in 67…
- Ignatius of Loyola, Saint (IGNAZIO DI LOYOLA, SANTO)Last son of Beltrán Yáñez de Oñaz y Loyola and of Marina Sáenz de Licona y Balda, born in 1491 before 23 October in the palace-fortress of Loyola near Azpeitia (Guipúzcoa, Spain),…
- Inquisition (INQUISIZIONE)A special ecclesiastical tribunal for combating and suppressing heresy.
- Galilei, GalileoBorn on 15 Feb. 1564 in Pisa to Vincenzo, a Florentine, and Giulia degli Ammannati of Pescia; in his boyhood he was with the Vallombrosan monks; he then enrolled at Pisa in the…
- Jerusalem (GERUSALEMME)Principal city of Palestine, religious capital and center of biblical history.
- Constantinople (COSTANTINOPOLI)Ancient Byzantium (Byzantion), built in 658 B.C. by a colony from Megara, whose leader was Byzas; almost entirely destroyed by Septimius Severus in 196 A.D., but soon rebuilt. It…
- Dante, AlighieriThe greatest poet of Catholicism.
- Michelangelo Buonarroti (in autographs Michelagnolo) (MICHELANGELO BUONARROTI (NEGLI AUTOGRAFI MICHELAGNIOLO))Sculptor, painter, architect and poet, b. at Caprese (today Caprese-Michelangelo) in Tuscany, in the Tiber valley, on 6 March 1475, to Ludovico di Leonardo di Buonarroto Simoni,…
- Francis Xavier (Don Francisco de Jasu y Xavier), Saint (FRANCESCO SAVERIO (DON FRANCISCO DE JASU Y XAVIER), SANTO)Jesuit missionary and patron of the missions, b. in the castle of Xavier (Navarre) on 7 April 1506 to don Juan de Jasu, doctor of the University of Bologna, alcalde of the court…
- Templars (TEMPLARI)The Order of the Temple owes its origin to Hugh of Payns, who persuaded a group of knights to go to Jerusalem to make safe the passage of pilgrims from Jaffa to the Holy City. The…
- Benedictines (BENEDETTINI)Under the generic name of B. may be included all the numerous religious families that in the course of the centuries have taken as the norm and foundation of their life the Rule…
- Carmelites (CARMELITANI)Religious order that takes its name from Mount Carmel, in Palestine, where in the 12th century the existence of a group of ascetics is historically attested, to whom Albert of…
- Luther, Martin (LUTERO (LUTHER), MARTIN)Initiator of Lutheranism and of Protestantism, b. at Eisleben (Saxony) in Germany on 10 Nov. 1483, to the miner Hans and Margherita Ziegler, and d. there on 18 Feb. 1546.
- Papacy (PAPATO)A term synonymous with the Roman Pontificate, used to indicate the permanent institution willed by Jesus Christ in the person of St. Peter and through him in those of his…
- Purgatory (PURGATORIO)An otherworldly state, lasting until the last judgment, in which the souls of those who have died in Grace, but with imperfections or venial sins or temporal punishments still to…
- Hell (INFERNO)According to Catholic doctrine, it is the place in which the rebellious angels and men who have died in mortal sin are eternally punished. Etymologically it derives from the Latin…
- Paradise (PARADISO)In the New Testament, P. is the place of beatitude in heaven, the glorious and radiant seat of God, where the just will enjoy eternal happiness (Lk. 23:43; II Cor. 12:4; Apoc.…
- Demon (DEMONIO)In ecclesiastical language, it designates an angel who has fallen through rebellion against God and is punished in hell. While the "devil" or "satan" is the head of the invisible…
- Exorcism (ESORCISMO)I. AMONG PRIMITIVE PEOPLES. - A lustratory rite by which, using formulas, gestures and objects, and the invocation of a being endowed with supernatural power, evil spiritual…
- Relics (RELIQUIE)In Greek λαίφανα. Etymologically it is what remains, and it is understood as the human body or a part of it; in a broader sense, objects that were in contact with a person are…
- Indulgences (INDULGENZE)Indulgentia, indulgere, in its proper sense indicates condescension, and to condescend, in the various shades of the idea. The imperial-Roman historiographers use the word in the…
- Eucharist (EUCARISTIA)It is the prolongation of the Incarnation (Leo XIII, encyclical Mirae caritatis, 18 May 1902). Just as the Word of God made himself present under human guise to procure salvation,…
- Mass (MESSA)It is the sacrifice of the New Law, in which, under the sacramental species, the same victim of Calvary, Jesus Christ, is offered, to acknowledge God's supreme dominion and to…
- Baptism (BATTESIMO)One of the seven Sacraments instituted by Jesus Christ, the first that can be received and that allows one to receive all the others: Sacramentorum ianua et fundamentum (CIC, can.…
- Marriage (MATRIMONIO)Considered historically, it may be defined as the union of man and woman for the purpose of the propagation and education of the human race. And since this purpose could not…
- Celibacy (CELIBATO)I. C. ECCLESIASTICO. - The inspiring principle of ecclesiastical celibacy is the idea of purity and continence. Jesus presents it as the exercise of a higher virtue (Mt. 19:12),…
- Miracle (MIRACOLO)I. NOTION AND DIVISION. - From the Latin mirari, it indicates a fact that surprises, that arouses wonder, astonishment. It is usually defined as: «A sensible fact, wrought by God,…
- Pilgrimage (PELLEGRINAGGIO)From the Latin peregrinatio "journey in a foreign land", it is a devotional practice consisting in going collectively or individually to a sanctuary or to a place that is in any…
- LoretoDiocese in the province of Macerata (Marche). It has an area of 17 sq km with 8,000 inhabitants, all Catholics. It has 4 parishes, with 2 diocesan priests and 56 regulars, a…
- Monte Cassino (MONTECASSINO)Abbey in southern Lazio, founded around 529 by St. Benedict of Nursia, on the ancient acropolis that stood on the mountain, of which imposing circuit walls still remain today.…
- ClunyCity in the Rhône region, department of Saône-et-Loire, diocese of Mâcon, with the remains of the Benedictine abbey of the same name, called the "second Rome," and the ideal…
- Holy Roman Empire (SACRO ROMANO IMPERO)I. IMPERO CAROLINGIO. - It was founded by Charlemagne, king of the Franks, of the Lombards and patrician of Rome, when he assumed the imperial crown at the hands of Pope Leo III…
- Constantine, Roman Emperor, Known as the Great (COSTANTINO, IMPERATORE ROMANO, DETTO IL GRANDE)CONSTANTINE (Imp. Caesar Flavius Valerius Constantinus Augustus), ROMAN EMPEROR, called the GREAT. - SUMMARY. - I. Life. - II. Personality. - III. Ecclesiastical policy. - IV.…
- Nero (Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus), Roman Emperor (NERONE, IMPERATORE ROMANO)N. at Anzio on 15 Dec. 37 A.D., son of Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and Agrippina, d. at Rome on 9 June 68. At the age of 11 he was adopted by the emperor Claudius, who entrusted…
- AttilaHe was the leader of the Huns around the middle of the 5th century, at first together with his brother Bleda, then, after the latter was killed, alone. He invaded the Balkan…
- Islam (ISLÂM)Religion founded by Muhammad (v.) in Arabia in the 7th century A.D. The name i. means in Arabic "dedication" to God. From it derives Islamism, while from the participle muslim "he…
- Anglicanism (ANGLICANESIMO)By A. is meant the doctrine and ecclesiastical regime of the Anglican Church (Church of England). 1. A. and the Anglican Communion. - The Church of England comprises only the two…
- Gallicanism (GALLICANESIMO)A body of doctrines on the Church and of political attitudes, prevalent in France under the ancien régime (with remnants in the 19th century), which tended to limit the…
- Modernism (MODERNISMO)It is the heterodox movement that took shape among Catholic scholars at the end of the last century and in the early years of the present one, which set out to renew and interpret…
- Freemasonry (MASSONERIA)A secret society of a cosmopolitan and initiatory character, which arose with the aim of uniting men of all nations in brotherhood and of organizing society on exclusively…
- Communism (COMUNISMO)A name given to several doctrinal currents, not always in agreement with one another, except in their aspiration to make the enjoyment of economic goods universal — that is,…
- Fascism (FASCISMO)Political movement founded by Benito Mussolini (v.). The origins of fascism go back to the period immediately preceding the First World War: to the internal conflicts of Italian…
- Napoleon I, Emperor of the French (NAPOLEONE I, IMPERATORE DEI FRANCESI)Napoleon Buonaparte, b. at Ajaccio on 15 Aug. 1769; his mother was Letizia Ramolino (d. 1836), his father, Carlo (d. 1785), of a family originally from Tuscany, a lawyer by…
- Garibaldi, GiuseppeGeneral, national hero, b. at Nice on 4 July 1807, d. at Caprera on 2 June 1882. Educated as a Catholic by his parents Domenico and Rosa Raimondi, very early, having undertaken…
- Italian Risorgimento (RISORGIMENTO ITALIANO)The very term R. brings us back to the literary and academic aspirations of the late eighteenth century, in which, however, the premises of the national movement are not yet…
- Roman Question (QUESTIONE ROMANA)This is the name that has become established to indicate the intricate and bitter politico-religious dispute that opened, in the national and international sphere, between the…
- Lateran Pacts (PATTI LATERANENSI)These are the agreements stipulated between the Holy See and the Italian State on 11 February 1929, by which the Roman Question (v.) was resolved. The settlement of the dispute,…
- Vatican Council (VATICANO CONCILIO)The twentieth and last ecumenical council, opened by Pius IX on 8 December 1869 in the Vatican Basilica and interrupted by the occupation of Rome (20 September 1870). I.…
- Organ (ORGANO)A wind musical instrument with sounding pipes (from about ten in the primitive ones to several thousand in modern ones) of varying size, shape and material (metal, wood, etc.),…
- Icons (ICONE)A Greek word meaning image, which has come into use to indicate portable paintings with sacred images from the early centuries, and generally those of the Eastern type. The…
- Renaissance (RINASCIMENTO)The concept designated by the word "R." (or rebirth) is commonly applied to the period of Italian history extending roughly from the last decades of the fourteenth century to the…
- Apocalypse (APOCALISSE)A prophetic book that closes the New Testament. The title consists of the first Greek word of the text (Ἀποκάλυψις Ἱησοῦ Χριστοῦ), which does not occur again afterward. The…
- Genesis (GENESI)Name of the book with which the series of the Old Testament opens. It is derived from the Greek γένεσις and passed through the Septuagint version into Christian usage. The Hebrews…
- Psalms (SALMI)Poetic compositions, of prayer or instruction, used in both Israelite and Christian worship, whose collection of 150 forms the book of Psalms or Psalter (v.) in the Bible. The…
- Mary Magdalene, Saint (MARIA MADDALENA (MAGDALENE), SANTA)A woman called thus because... MARY MAGDALENE (Magdalene), saint. - Woman called thus because because, it seems, she was a native of Magdala (v.); she is named explicitly for the…
- Judas Iscariot (GIUDA ISCARIOTA)Apostle, sadly famous for having betrayed Jesus. Son of a certain Simon, from the city of Qerijoth (John 6:72; 13:2-26), perhaps the present-day Hirbet el-Qarjatejn, a small town…
- Pilate, Pontius (PILATO, PONZIO)I. LIFE. - Roman procurator of Judea, at the time of Jesus. A descendant of the family of the Pontii, of Samnite origin, already famous in the earliest times of the Roman…
- SinaiMountainous region, also called Horeb (v.), where the Israelites, three months after their departure from Egypt (Ex. 19:1), encamped for about a year (Num. 1:10), receiving there…
- NiniveCapital city of Assyria. The name of the city is at first Ninuwā, in the middle of the 2nd millennium Ninuwa, but along with this also Ninua and Nina. Only the last two remained…
- Egypt (EGITTO)E. (Misr according to the local Arabic name) comprises the Nile valley north of the second cataract (Wadi Halfa) with the adjacent territories of the Libyan and Arabian deserts.
- Capharnaum (CAFARNAO)A city "of Galilee" (Luke 4:23; Καφαρναούμ, Latin Capharnaum) mentioned sixteen times in the Gospels (4 in Mt., 3 in Mk., 4 in Lk., 5 in Jn.). It is called "maritime"…
- NazarethCity of Galilee, where Jesus led the hidden life with Mary Most Holy and St. Joseph. The name is written and interpreted in various ways. Ναζαρεθ or Ναζαρετ, which corresponds to…
- Christmas (NATALE)Feast of the birth of the Lord, celebrated on December 25. I. THE NAME. - The typically Roman name is Natale or Natalis Domini, from which the names in the Romance languages…
- Easter (PASQUA)The major feast of the Israelites and of Christians. It was instituted by Moses to commemorate the exodus of Israel from Egyptian oppression; among Christians it designated the…
- Pentecost (PENTECOSTE)I. SACRED SCRIPTURE. - A Jewish feast, 7 weeks or 50 days (whence the Greek name "fiftieth" [day]) after Passover, which became a Christian solemnity because on that day the…
- Epiphany (EPIFANIA)The Greeks called "epiphany" the manifestation of a god in person or in a dream or by miracle, or his return after an absence. An epiphany of the divinity in the form of a bird or…
- Advent (AVVENTO)It is the period that begins the liturgical year and prepares for Christmas (v.), as Lent (v.) does for Easter. In the Roman rite it begins with the Sunday nearest the feast of…
- Lent (Quadragesima) (QUARESIMA (QUADRAGESIMA))A sacred period of 40 days in preparation for Easter, to be sanctified by more frequent prayer, by works of charity, penance and mortification, especially by fasting. According to…
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Catholic culture has intensified its progress in recent decades, as can be seen from the manifold activity of institutions and individuals in the most varied disciplines. Such progress is all the more significant in times like ours, in which various and contrasting trends of ideas have produced a widespread skepticism that profoundly affects contemporary life, exposing it, more than ever, to fearful disarray.
The present Catholic Encyclopedia intends to be a conscious and eloquent expression of this apostolate, at the end of a tragic conflict of arms and blood that has so anguished the peoples, and which is none other than the natural and sinisterly demonstrative fruit of a more tremendous conflict, originating from ideologies in contrast with the Christian Idea.
— G. Card. Pizzardo, Vatican City, 2 March 1949