Spiritual Quote of the Day (St. Pope John XXIII, on ‘Contempt for Truth’)

“All the evils which poison men and nations and trouble so many hearts have a single cause and a single source: ignorance of the truth — and at times even more than ignorance, a contempt for truth and a reckless rejection of it. Thus arise all manner of errors, which enter the recesses of men’s hearts and the bloodstream of human society as would a plague. These errors turn everything upside down: they menace individuals and society itself.”—St. Pope John XXIII (1881-1963), Ad Petri Cathedram (“To the Chair of Peter”), “On Faith, Unity and Peace in a Spirit of Charity,” released June 29, 1959

Ad Petri Cathedram, released 65 years ago yesterday, was the first encyclical issued by John XXIII after he was elected pope. Though it didn’t set out any doctrines, it did sound what would become the pontiff’s characteristic note of pastoral concern.

I could not help but read the sentences I’ve quoted with a shock of recognition. Pope John called on members of the media to “to disseminate, not lies, error, and obscenity, but only the truth; they are particularly bound to publicize what is conducive to good and virtuous conduct, not to vice.”

Moreover, this gentle pontiff sounds downright prophetic in warning what can happen when rulers wantonly disregard truth and liberty:

“The harmonious unity which must be sought among peoples and nations also needs ever greater improvement among the various classes of individuals. Otherwise mutual antagonism and conflict can result, as we have already seen. And the next step brings rioting mobs, wanton destruction of property, and sometimes even bloodshed.