Wise Words on Wednesday: Spiritual Semites
“Spiritually, we are Semites”
Pope Pius XI to a group of Belgian pilgrims in 1938
"We are travellers…not yet in our native land" – St. Augustine
“Spiritually, we are Semites”
Pope Pius XI to a group of Belgian pilgrims in 1938
Actually, that quote is from Pope Pius XI, Pius XII’s immediate predecessor. Cardinal Pacelli was elected Pope Pius XII the following year.
Ah, good catch. The date in the description should have tipped me off that I missed an “I”!
The mistaken attribution of this quote to Pius XII is quite common. Pius XII’s heroic actions during the Second World War is proof that he certainly shared his predecessor’s sentiment.