The destruction of World War II was immense on a number of different scales. One such scale was the destruction of various churches and monasteries in the course of the war, which could contribute to a greater sense of despair. In particular, Pope Pius XII was moved to write a letter in response to the destruction of the famous Monte Cassino Monastery, which was the monastery established by St. Benedict of Nursia in 529 A.D. As the father of western monasticism and author of the famous Rule of St. Benedict, which influenced so many other monastic orders, St. Benedict remains a major figure in the history of Europe, especially as monasteries were the major force in preserving the past and laying seeds for future renewal. In light of the damage to this monastery and the need for hope of renewal, the pope used this occasion to remind the world of what St. Benedict did and use his example as encouragement for the future of Christianity and society.
Beginning with a summary of St. Benedict’s life, Pius XII reminds us that Benedict began life as a student in Rome where he was aggrieved by the corruption he saw there. He went into the wilderness to seek God in prayer and penitence, settling in a cave in Subiaco. As his reputation for holiness grew, other monks sought to draw near and learn from him. After establishing a few monasteries and fighting against the inevitable corruption and strife that affects every human undertaking, he moved on to Cassino where he tore down old pagan shrines and established a chapel. As this new community grew, he developed a rule of life to guide it, now called the Rule of St. Benedict which is still in use around the world to this day (the Pope’s time in 1947 and our own day). This rule is famous for it’s integration of humility with bold virtue, it’s balance of harshness and mildness, and it’s combining of freedom with obedience.
As the monastery of Monte Cassino flourished, other Benedictine monasteries we established throughout Europe. These monasteries became bastions of civilization in the collapse of the ancient world, preserving and improving agriculture and learning even as much was lost in barbarism around the continent. The combination of a life given wholly to God with a great emphasis on love of neighbor through hospitality and care for the poor was a powerful force for the foundation of a new society. Eventually, Benedict grew elderly and ill, dying in 548 A.D., but the influence of his rule and his monasteries continued to spread. Pope Pius XII writes that “Wherever these unarmed bands composed of heralds of the Christian religion, of workmen, of farmers and teachers of sciences human and divine passed by, there forests and untilled lands yielded to the plough; centers of craftsmen and fine arts sprung up; from an uncouth and wild life men conformed to civil society and culture. For them the teaching and the power of the Gospel was the light that ever led them on. Numerous Apostles, burning with divine charity, traversed unknown and restless regions of Europe which they generously watered with sweat and blood; appeasing the populations they lighted for them the torch of Catholic truth and holiness.”
The pope then addresses his audience directly with exhortations to let this example inspire our own renewal, reminding us “that the sacred principles of religion and its norms of conduct are the safest and soundest foundations of human society; if they are disregarded and compromised, everything that promotes order, peace and prosperity among men and nations, as an almost necessary consequence, gradually collapses.” This points us to the twin command of love of God and love of neighbor, not just in private but in a public way, influencing the very design of our society. Pius XII adds to this that there is no conflict between a life of labor and a life of prayer, as shown by the Benedictine way of life. So he ends by saying that, even as the ruins of the historic monastery of Monte Cassino are rebuilt (the new one stands to this day), so should we set about rebuilding society with faith, hope, love inspired by St. Benedict and aide by his spiritual sons and his prayers.