In praeclara summorum

In praeclara summorum
Encyclical letter of Pope Benedict XV
Sacra propediem ◄► Fausto appetente die
Date 30 April 1921
Argument Dante is one of the greatest literary treasures produced by the Catholic faith
Encyclical number 11 of 12 of the pontificate
Text in Latin
in English

In praeclara summorum (Among the many celebrated geniuses) is the eleventh encyclical of Pope Benedict XV, published on 30 April 1921, for the occasion of the sixth centenary of the death of Dante. It is dedicated to the memory of the poet.

Description

Teodolinda Barolini claims that the encyclical is part of a continuing attempt by Catholic orthodoxy to appropriate Dante and ignore Dante's heterodox opinions.[1]

Natalia Z. Zazulina argues that "Benedict XV knew classical literature very well", and views this encycliclal as an expression of his love for it. She states that "experts on Dante’s works compared the encyclical In praeclara with a full doctorate, where in addition to in-depth analysis of Dante’s religious poetry the author showed himself as a serious connoisseur of his work, history and Italian language".[2]

It is one of a series of five encyclicals of Benedict XV, each constituting a kind of monograph on important characters in the history of the Church; along with this encyclical, the others are: Spiritus paraclitus, 1920, on St. Jerome; Principi Apostolorum Petro, 1920, on St. Ephrem the Syrian; Sacra propediem, 1921, on St. Francis of Assisi, and Fausto appetente die, 1921, on St. Dominic.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Teodolinda Barolini (25 August 2009). Dante and the Origins of Italian Literary Culture. Fordham Univ Press. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-8232-2705-1. Generations of Italians do not know that Dante is profoundly heterodox in his religious opinions! In his papal encyclical In praeclara summorum of 30 April 1921, published for the sixth centenary of Dante's death, Pope Benedict XV praises Dante for accepting "Sacred Scripture with perfect docility" and urges that he "may be for the pupils the teacher of Christian doctrine". It can hardly be surprising that under these circumstances Italy's youth do not love their greatest poet. They revere him, but they do not love him.
  2. ↑ Zazulina, Natalia (2014). "Through the Time Lens: Pontifex, the Apostle of Peace" (PDF). Texts. 2014.4: 6–37. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
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