From the desk of Dr. Geraldine M. Rohling, DSG, Archivist-Curator Emerita
On August 6, we observe the 60th anniversary (1964-2024) of the first encyclical of Pope (Saint) Paul VI, Ecclesiam suam (His Church). 14 years later, on this very same date, the pontificate of Paul VI came to a close with the death of the Holy Father.
Reflecting on the First Encyclical of Pope Paul VI
Like the inaugural address of a new president, the first encyclical of a pope articulates the program or focus of the new pontificate. Unlike inaugural addresses, the text of the first encyclical of Pope Paul VI was written entirely by the Holy Father, in his own hand, and in Italian.
Pope Paul VI began this encyclical by concisely stating its purpose: “to demonstrate with increasing clarity how vital it is for the world, and how greatly desired by the Catholic Church, that the two should meet together, and get to know and love one another” (§3). The encyclical addresses three main points or “Three Principle Policies of the Pontificate”:
1. Self-Awareness and The Act of Faith (deepening self-knowledge of the Church)2. The Renewal (and reform within the Church)3. The Dialogue (between the Church and the world)
As a Marian church, the National Shrine takes delight in the paragraph, “Mary, a Most Loving Teacher,” at the end of section two. In this segment, the Holy Father expresses his own devotion to Mary, “the Mother of God and men, the model of Christian perfection, the mirror of true virtue, the pride of our humanity.” It also serves as a preface to “The Dialogue,” in which the Holy Father opens the discussion on the spiritual and moral renewal of the life of the Church. For this, he turns to Mary, “for she is a most loving teacher of the way in which we must live” (§57).
Three months later, on November 21, 1964, Pope Paul VI proclaimed Mary “Mother of the Church” (left figure in photo). On that day, he celebrated Mass with Patrick Cardinal O’Boyle of Washington, D.C. (right figure in photo). This event is memorialized in the west transept tympanum in the Great Upper Church.
Pursuing Peace Around the World
One of the greatest concerns of Paul VI, which became a hallmark of his pontificate, is also underscored in this encyclical: world peace. To this end, Pope Paul VI promised “personal involvement and practical concern, exercised of course within the limits of our own ministry,” a promise he continued to fulfill on October 4, 1965, when he became the first pope to address the assembly of nations at the U.N. in New York City concerning world peace, justice, and the poor. In honor of this historic visit, a commemorative medallion was designed by Lello Scorzelli. It is displayed at the National Shrine along with the coronation tiara of Paul and is a constant reminder of his efforts for world peace.
The obverse side of the medallion carries the papal coat of arms and the date. The reverse side (shown below but not in the display case) carries the image of the burning bush. It is inscribed Amoris Alumna Pax, “Peace, the Disciple of Love.”
