Pope Pius XI

Pope Pius XI, born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, led the Catholic Church from 1922 to 1939. His papacy confronted fascism, communism, and the changing political status of the Holy See.

Lateran Treaty: The 1929 agreement between the Holy See and Italy that recognized Vatican City and resolved the Roman Question. It ended the dispute with Italy and established Vatican City during Pius XI’s papacy.
Holy See: The ecclesiastical jurisdiction and central governing authority of the Catholic Church, headed by the pope. Pius XI governed the Church through this institution, distinct from Vatican City as a state.
Benito Mussolini: Italian fascist leader who ruled Italy as prime minister and dictator from 1922 to 1943. Mussolini negotiated the Lateran Treaty with Pius XI while consolidating fascist rule.
Milan: A major city in northern Italy and the capital of the Lombardy region. Ratti was born near Milan and later served as archbishop of the city.
Mit brennender Sorge: The 1937 papal encyclical criticizing Nazi violations of the Reichskonkordat and the regime’s racial ideology. Pius XI issued this German-language condemnation of Nazi policy.
Concordat: A formal agreement governing relations between the Holy See and a state. Concordats were a principal instrument of Pius XI’s state diplomacy.
Adolf Hitler: German Nazi leader who ruled Germany as dictator from 1933 to 1945. Pius XI’s government negotiated a concordat with Hitler’s government before condemning Nazi policies.
Ambrosian Library: A historic library in Milan founded by Cardinal Federico Borromeo in 1609. Ratti worked there as a scholar and librarian before his diplomatic and ecclesiastical career.
Divini Redemptoris: The 1937 encyclical in which Pius XI condemned atheistic communism. It set out his papacy’s explicit opposition to communist ideology.
Catholic Action: A movement of lay Catholics undertaking apostolic work under the direction of the Church hierarchy. Pius XI promoted organized lay participation as a response to secular political movements.

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