What might have been.Philip A. Cunningham ("Uncharted Waters Uncharted Waters (Japanese: 大航海時代, Daikoukai Jidai, literally Great Navigation Era) is a popular Japanese video game series produced by Koei as part of its rekoeition games. ," July 14) is quite correct in pointing out the supersessionist mindset mind·set or mind-set n. 1. A fixed mental attitude or disposition that predetermines a person's responses to and interpretations of situations. 2. An inclination or a habit. of the draft of the "lost" encyclical encyclical, originally, a pastoral letter sent out by a bishop, now a solemn papal letter, meant to inform the whole church on some particular matter of importance. Benedict XIV circulated the first known encyclical in 1740. Humani generis unitas Humani Generis Unitas (Latin for On the Unity of the Human Race) was a planned encyclical of Pope Pius XI before his death on February 10, 1939, which condemned antisemitism, racism and the persecution of Jews. . Yet he misunderstands its historical importance as an emphatic rejection of Nazi racism. In the document, Pius XI argued that the "struggle for racial purity ends by being uniquely the struggle against the Jews. Save for its systematic cruelty, this struggle is no different in true motives and methods from persecutions everywhere carried out against the Jews since antiquity. These persecutions have been censured by the Holy See on more than one occasion, but especially when they have worn the mantle of Christianity." Had Pius XI lived to promulgate To officially announce, to publish, to make known to the public; to formally announce a statute or a decision by a court. this encyclical it would, arguably, have reduced the number of Auschwitz victims. MICHAEL PHAYER Columbia, Md. THE AUTOR REPLIES: Michael Phayer is, of course, correct that the 1938 draft of Humani generis unitas did condemn Nazi racism. It also noted that, over the centuries, several popes had repudiated violent persecutions of Jews. As a theologian, I am more interested in observing that such condemnations had to be repeated over and over again precisely because of the uncritiqued and endemic anti-Jewish teachings that instilled animosity in Christian hearts. Since the 1938 draft reasserted the hoary hoar·y adj. hoar·i·er, hoar·i·est 1. Gray or white with or as if with age. 2. Covered with grayish hair or pubescence: hoary leaves. 3. deicide De´i`cide n. 1. The act of killing a being of a divine nature; particularly, the putting to death of Jesus Christ. Earth profaned, yet blessed, with deicide. - Prior. 2. charge as grounds for "the social separation of the Jews from the rest of humanity," one can reasonably conclude that the sentences Phayer cites would have been as ineffective as the earlier papal attempts to deter anti-Jewish violence. If in an alternate timeline Pius XI had lived and promulgated prom·ul·gate tr.v. prom·ul·gat·ed, prom·ul·gat·ing, prom·ul·gates 1. To make known (a decree, for example) by public declaration; announce officially. See Synonyms at announce. 2. the draft without revision, I think it is more likely--since the Nazis used Christian anti-Jewish rhetoric in their propaganda--that Hitler would have claimed he was merely implementing the church's desire for "the social separation of Jews." Perhaps that would have increased the number of Auschwitz deaths. Who can say? More certain is the likelihood that in this alternate timeline Nostra aetate would never have been written. A solemn papal declaration that Jews were cursed by God for killing Jesus, something that had never been formally defined in Catholic doctrine, would have established a contemporary authoritative precedent that would have made it virtually impossible for the drafters of Nostra aetate to state "the Jews should not be spoken of as rejected or accursed as if this followed from holy Scripture." PHILIP A. CUNNINGHAM |
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