Papal Letter From Pope Pius XI To Cardinal Maurin, Archbishop Of Lyon – Vatican, 1928

Pontifical Letter from Pope Pius XI to Cardinal Maurin, Archbishop of Lyon – Vatican, 1928

Exceptional pontifical letter from Pope Pius XI (Achille Ratti, 1857–1939), addressed to Cardinal Louis-Joseph Maurin (1859–1936), Archbishop of Lyon, dated 6 January 1928, the Feast of the Epiphany, from the Vatican, during the sixth year of the pontificate of Pius XI.

This important letter, written in Latin on a very large pontifical paper (26 × 38 cm), presents a remarkable particularity: its edges are entirely gilded with fine gold, a process reserved for prestigious official documents intended for the highest dignitaries of the Church.

The document is preserved with its original envelope addressed to Cardinal Maurin. Having survived more than nine decades, the envelope bears the marks of time but still retains, on the reverse, a remarkable fragment of the Vatican pontifical seal in red wax, an exceptional testimony to its authenticity and historical journey.

This letter constitutes a precious testimony to the relations between the Holy See and the French episcopate during the interwar period. It is a response to the Christmas wishes addressed to the Pope by Cardinal Maurin on behalf of the clergy and faithful of his diocese.

Pius XI thanks the Cardinal for this expression of fidelity towards the Holy See and emphasizes the devotion shown towards the “Vicar of Christ”. In return, he bestows his Apostolic Blessing upon the Cardinal, his auxiliary bishops, and the entire Diocese of Lyon.

Transcription:

"Dilecto filio nostro Aloysio Josepho tit. SS. Trinitatis in monte Pincio
S. R. E. Presbytero Cardinali Maurin
Archiepiscopo Lugdunensi
Pius PP. XI

Dilecte Fili Noster,
Salutem et Apostolicam Benedictionem.

Plena quidem amoris et officii erat epistula quam nomine quoque universi tui cleri populique, per natalitia Redemptoris solemnia, ad Nos dedisti : ex ea enim tam perspicue pietas elucebat erga Christi Vicarium, ut nihil aliud sentire et in votis habere videreris quam quae Nos, in hac condicione rerum, sentimus ac volumus.

Quapropter tuae etiam curae et diligentiae tribuendos esse arbitramur sensus illos quibus fideles tuos Apostolicam hanc Sedem venerari significas ; siquidem naturae congruit ut quibus quisque praeest, eos perinde velit esse animo comparatos ac se ipse affectum esse persentit.

Itaque libenter equidem fausta omina et vota excepimus, vobisque omnibus vicissim amplam a Deo precamur eorum caelestium munerum copiam quae animis rebusque vestris opportuna magis sunt et optabilia.

Ac testem paternae benevolentiae Nostrae esse volumus Apostolicam Benedictionem, quam tibi, dilecte Fili Noster, Auxiliaribus Episcopis cunctoque gregi, vigilantiae tuae credito, amantissime in Domino impertimus.

Datum Romae apud Sanctum Petrum, in festo Epiphaniae Domini, anno MCMXXVIII, Pontificatus Nostri sexto.

Pius PP. XI"

Translation:

"To Our beloved son, Louis Joseph, of the title of the Most Holy Trinity on the Pincian Hill, Priest Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, Maurin, Archbishop of Lyon.

Pius XI, Pope.

Beloved Son, greetings and Apostolic Blessing.

The letter full of love and filial devotion which you addressed to Us, also in the name of all your clergy and your people, on the occasion of the solemn celebrations of the birth of the Redeemer, was truly filled with great affection. Indeed, your devotion towards the Vicar of Christ shone forth from it so clearly that you seemed to feel and desire nothing other than what We ourselves, in the present circumstances, feel and desire.

Therefore, We consider that the sentiments by which you show that your faithful venerate this Apostolic See must also be attributed to your care and zeal; for it is in accordance with the nature of things that one who presides over those entrusted to him should wish them to possess the same dispositions of mind as those with which he himself feels inspired.

Thus, We have gladly received your favourable wishes and prayers, and in return We beseech God to grant abundantly to all of you those heavenly gifts which are most useful and most desirable for your souls and your affairs.

We also wish the Apostolic Blessing to be a testimony of Our paternal benevolence, which We most lovingly bestow in the Lord upon you, Our beloved Son, upon your auxiliary bishops, and upon the whole flock entrusted to your care.

Given at Rome, at Saint Peter’s, on the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, in the year 1928, the sixth year of Our Pontificate.

Pius XI, Pope."

A pontifical letter of exceptional rarity, preserved in its historical condition with its original envelope and the remains of its Vatican seal. By its remarkable size, its fine gold-gilded edges, and its illustrious recipient, this document represents a valuable testimony to French religious history and to the relations between the Vatican and the Archdiocese of Lyon at the beginning of the 20th century.

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