''Redemptoris nostri cruciatus'' (''The passion of our Redeemer'') is an

encyclical An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Roman Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop. The word comes from the Late Latin (originally fr ...

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

dated 15 April 1949 focusing on the situation in Palestine immediately following the cessation of fighting in the

1948 Arab–Israeli War The 1948 (or First) Arab–Israeli War was the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. It formally began following the end of the British Mandate for Palestine at midnight on 14 May 1948; the Israeli Declaration of Independence had ...

. It was published shortly after the signing of armistice agreements between Arabs and Jews that brought the war to an end. The Pope mentioned the numerous refugees who lived in exile and even in concentration camps, and asks for more systematic efforts to allow those people a life in peace. The encyclical, however, makes no mention of Israel. The Pope’s main concern was for the holy places in the region. He claimed that holy places now faced difficulties and uncertainty, and repeated his call for the internationalization of Jerusalem: :We have already insisted in Our Encyclical letter ''In multiplicibus'', that the time has come when Jerusalem and its vicinity, where the previous memorials of the Life and Death of the Divine Redeemer are preserved, should be accorded and legally guaranteed an "international" status, which in the present circumstances seems to offer the best and most satisfactory protection for these sacred monuments. The encyclical argued that internationalization would provide "due immunity and protection be guaranteed to all the Holy Places of Palestine not only in Jerusalem but also in the other cities and villages as well." It also stated that "not a few of these olyplaces have suffered serious loss and damage owing to the upheaval and devastation of the war," nd"these places should also be suitably protected by definite statute guaranteed by an "international" agreement." The Pope instructed the many Catholic institutions in Palestine to help the poor, to educate youth and give hospitality to visitors. They should carry out unimpeded the work they did in the past. The Holy Places, which Catholics during many centuries have acquired and time and again defended, should be preserved inviolate.''Redemptoris nostri cruciatus'', 16

References

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External links

''Redemptoris nostri cruciatus'' on the Vatican website
Encyclicals of Pope Pius XII Catholic theology and doctrine Holy See–Israel relations April 1949 events 1949 in Christianity

See also

References

External links