The John-Henry Westen Show - June 19, 2026


The Buried Last Encyclical of Pius XII That Could Have STOPPED the Errors of Vatican II

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Pius XII John XXIII Cardinal Ottaviani Paul Philippe Jesus Christ Paul VI Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Blessed Fulton Sheen Cultum Regi Regum Amoris Laetitia Humanae Generis Charles Murray Terry Barber Peter Howard Rite Missal Mio XIV Pachamama Pashendi Francis

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What if I told you that every one of those errors were identified and condemned in a papal encyclical written just one year before the Second Vatican Council was called? And what if this epistle was suppressed and buried in the Vatican archives until now? In this show, we will share the fascinating true story of Pope Pius X s last great epistle, the one that never saw the light of day.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
00:00:00.000 These words should not be considered offensive.
00:00:03.680 They show us just how seriously the church takes the salvation of our souls.
00:00:10.100 Which modern errors do you think are most dangerous to souls?
00:00:15.380 Would it be moral relativism?
00:00:18.560 Ecumenism?
00:00:19.960 Calling the mass a meal and not a sacrifice?
00:00:23.600 Denying procreation is the primary end of marriage?
00:00:28.060 rejecting that Christ is king over states and nations.
00:00:31.540 Every one of these errors has led many souls away from God in recent decades.
00:00:37.780 But what if I told you that every one of those errors was identified and condemned
00:00:44.620 in a papal encyclical written just one year before the Second Vatican Council was called?
00:00:52.560 And what if this encyclical was suppressed and buried in the Vatican archives?
00:00:58.920 Until now.
00:00:59.900 In this show, I will share the fascinating true story of Pope Pius XII's last great encyclical.
00:01:07.280 The one that never saw the light of day.
00:01:10.180 You don't want to miss this one.
00:01:11.500 But before we get into it, let's begin, as we always do, with the sign of the cross.
00:01:15.780 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
00:01:20.320 Amen.
00:01:20.620 My dear friends, researchers working in the Vatican archives recently made an astounding discovery.
00:01:27.840 Working through newly opened files, they found the text of an unpublished encyclical which had been prepared on the instructions of Pope Pius XII.
00:01:39.840 As you know, papal encyclicals take their name from their opening words, and this one was to be called cultum regi regum.
00:01:50.620 worship of the king of kings. These words beautifully captured the content and spirit
00:01:56.940 of the document, which was all about putting God back at the center of our lives. The encyclical
00:02:05.600 was intended to be a decisive rejection of the errors of modernity and a call for man to return
00:02:14.080 to the worship of god one cardinal urged pious the 12th to make the text the pashendi of modern
00:02:22.000 times a reference to saint pious the tenth's great anti-modernist encyclical of 1907 to help
00:02:30.260 us understand cultum regi regum it will be useful to take a few steps back in time in pashendi
00:02:37.780 St. Pius X warned that the church was being attacked from within by men who, and he says, feigning a love for the church, were actually, he says, forming more boldly into line of attack to assail all that is most sacred in the work of Christ.
00:02:57.720 These men were the modernists, and Pius X called them, and I quote,
00:03:02.480 the most pernicious of all the adversaries of the church.
00:03:06.920 Modernists, as St. Pius X explained, don't believe that man can truly know God,
00:03:13.600 or that God can reveal truths to us.
00:03:16.960 They think that religion emerges from man's own internal feelings and experiences,
00:03:22.620 which are then clothed in words and called doctrine.
00:03:25.720 Over time, these doctrines evolve along with mankind.
00:03:30.460 You can continue using the same words, but what you mean changes.
00:03:34.960 This means that modernists can repeat formulas that sound Catholic without believing in the Catholic faith.
00:03:41.700 That made them dangerous in 1907, and it makes them dangerous today.
00:03:46.620 St. Pius X drove modernist doctrine out of Catholic institutions.
00:03:52.000 But unlike other heretics, the modernists didn't leave the church and start their own.
00:03:58.580 Instead, they went underground, hiding what they really believed while working for the 0.76
00:04:05.100 destruction of the church from the inside.
00:04:07.920 St. Pius X had warned about this as well.
00:04:11.740 In Pashendi, he said, and I quote,
00:04:13.460 They put their designs for her ruin into operation, not from without, but from within.
00:04:19.460 hence the danger is present almost in the very veins and heart of the church and having struck
00:04:26.240 at this root of immortality they proceed to disseminate poison through the whole tree so
00:04:33.260 that there is no part of catholic truth from which they hold their hand none that they do not strive
00:04:41.080 to corrupt end quote those are powerful words and as we will see they proved to be prophetic
00:04:48.420 By the 1940s, the effects of the poison were apparent in the life of the Church.
00:04:55.160 Under the name of Nouvelle Theologie, New Theology, modernist ideas were spreading again.
00:05:02.060 In 1950, Pope Pius XII responded with his encyclical letter, Humani Generis,
00:05:08.220 in which he reminded theologians of their obligation to submit to the sacred magisterium of the Catholic Church.
00:05:16.040 But his warnings went unheeded and the errors continued to spread.
00:05:20.940 And that's where our unpublished encyclical comes in.
00:05:24.940 In 1956, a report was submitted to the Holy Office by a Dominican priest called Paul Philippe.
00:05:33.060 He had carried out an in-depth study of the Nouvelle Théologie in France and come to conclusions that were shocking at the time.
00:05:41.860 but will sadly be all too familiar to those of us who have tried to live the faith since Vatican II.
00:05:49.200 Philippe warned that this theology was headed towards changing the Catholic doctrine
00:05:55.360 to make it more pleasing to modern man.
00:05:58.220 He noted four key areas of doctrinal deviation.
00:06:02.160 Human nature, morality, the Church, and Our Lady.
00:06:06.340 The situation was even worse, he said, than at the time of the modernists because these
00:06:12.640 new enemies of faith hid their errors behind an apparently supernatural approach.
00:06:18.840 But he warned, and I quote,
00:06:20.700 One must not be deceived.
00:06:22.760 The nouvelle theologie poses a danger to the faith and to the Christian life all the greater
00:06:28.840 because it is more subtle, end quote.
00:06:31.180 His report was soon read by Cardinal Ottiavani, the prefect of the Holy Office in Rome, who lost no time in sharing its conclusions with the Holy Father.
00:06:41.480 And so on Christmas Day, 1956, Pope Pius XII reached a decision.
00:06:46.760 He would write a new encyclical.
00:06:48.580 Just four days later, a drafting commission was established, and on the 17th of January
00:06:56.040 in 1957, they met for the first time to begin the arduous task of preparing an encyclical
00:07:02.620 worthy to be promulgated by Pius XII to the Universal Church.
00:07:07.380 Drafting the encyclical took some time, but on September 27th, 1958, a complete draft
00:07:14.820 was submitted to a commission of cardinals for review.
00:07:18.580 And this text was never promulgated. Just 12 days later, on the 9th of October, 1958, Pope Pius XII died, aged 82.
00:07:31.920 The Holy Father's death means, of course, that this document is not an official teaching act of the Church.
00:07:38.420 And we don't know how much it might have been changed before he gave it his final seal of approval.
00:07:44.600 But the text we have does show very clearly that the Pope and his cardinals were aware of the errors threatening the church and that these were the very same errors that generations of bishops and cardinals have taught since the 60s to the ruin of souls.
00:08:06.620 These researchers who discovered the encyclical have not yet published it in full, but they
00:08:12.240 have shared their commentary and some important extracts in an article recently published
00:08:19.220 in Italian.
00:08:20.820 I will put a link under this video to that article for those who want to read their work
00:08:26.540 in full.
00:08:27.120 But now let's dig deeper into some of the most important parts of this text.
00:08:31.500 What doctrines did this text teach, and what errors did it condemn?
00:08:37.780 Worship of the King of Kings, the official title of cultum regi regum, was to be, quote,
00:08:45.280 on sacred religion through worship, observance of the law, and faith to be believed and professed
00:08:52.580 in due obedience in this age, end quote.
00:08:55.480 This title, translated directly from the Latin, is a bit of a mouthful, but each word
00:09:01.100 is important, so let's have a closer look. The title indicates that the purpose of the document
00:09:05.680 is to bring man back to the Catholic religion, which has three aspects. The worship of God by
00:09:12.720 means of the sacred rites of the Catholic Church, obedience to the moral law and to the laws of the
00:09:18.640 Church, and belief and public profession of the Catholic faith in obedience to the magisterium
00:09:25.460 of the church. The reference to in this age seems to indicate that this document wishes to emphasize
00:09:32.300 that the modern man needs the Catholic religion just as much as his ancestors did. The researchers
00:09:39.280 note in their Italian article that underlying the whole text is the conviction that, quote,
00:09:46.880 the fundamental error of modern society is the loss of the relationship with God, end quote.
00:09:53.020 So let's bear in mind, as we look at some of the particular errors the document condemns.
00:09:58.800 Okay, so first of all, the sacrifice of the Mass, looking first at liturgy, an issue which
00:10:04.180 is close to many of our hearts, many of us has heard priests say that the Mass is a gathering
00:10:10.900 of the faithful or a shared meal in commemoration of the Last Supper.
00:10:16.620 And this is simply false.
00:10:19.060 The Catholic Church teaches that first and foremost, the Holy Mass is the making present on the altar of the one eternal sacrifice of our Lord on the cross.
00:10:30.720 This holy sacrifice is offered by Christ himself through his ordained priest, as noted by Cardinals Ottaviani and Bacci in the famous Ottaviani Intervention.
00:10:44.000 The new Rite Missal, published by Paul VI in 1970, contained a false definition of the Mass.
00:10:52.780 The Lord's Supper, or Mass, is a sacred meeting or assembly of the people of God, met together under the presidency of the priest to celebrate the memorial of the Lord.
00:11:05.520 And the Ottaviani intervention also drew attention to the fact that the drafters of the Reformed liturgy removed many references to the sacrificial nature of the Mass from the new rites.
00:11:18.660 That's why it's so remarkable to see that the draft encyclical of Pius XII condemns this very error, censuring those who, and I quote, so exaggerate the convivial character of the sacrifice of the mass that they refuse to offer sacrifice, placing its sacrificial character, and I quote again, as if in the shadows, end quote.
00:11:44.660 So let that sink in for a moment.
00:11:46.920 Twelve years before Paul VI published a new Missal containing a false definition of the Mass,
00:11:54.560 the Holy See had prepared a text condemning that very error.
00:11:59.760 Many Catholics today are confused, discouraged, and heartbroken over what they see happening to the Church.
00:12:07.900 Some lose hope. Some lose their faith entirely.
00:12:10.960 But this is not the time to abandon the truth.
00:12:13.080 I'm Fr. Charles Murr. When I researched Mio XIV's involvement with the Pachamama ritual,
00:12:19.760 I knew the truth would be difficult for many to hear, but the truth must be told.
00:12:24.280 That is why LifeSite News matters. LifeSite News rewards faithfully, courageously,
00:12:30.060 and always with hope rooted in Jesus Christ. As our Lord said, the truth shall set you free.
00:12:36.340 If you value Catholic journalism in these difficult times, please support LifeSite News' summer campaign today. Thank you.
00:12:47.180 Cultum Regi Regum also condemned another idea which became widespread after the Second Vatican Council.
00:12:55.720 Before the council, most priests wanted to say their own Mass every day, because each Mass is of infinite merit.
00:13:03.260 But after Vatican II, many denied this, which led to the practice of priests often concelebrating together or simply attending Mass, rather than saying their own individual Masses.
00:13:17.440 Well, Pius XII's draft encyclical dealt with this too.
00:13:21.240 It condemns those who, and I quote, erroneously teach that the celebration of one mass at which a hundred priests devoutly assist is the same as a hundred masses celebrated separately by a hundred priests, end quote.
00:13:36.780 Yet again, the Rome of Pius XII was getting ready to condemn an idea that became widespread
00:13:44.780 under Paul VI and which changed the way many thousands of Catholics experienced the liturgy.
00:13:51.520 Let's go on to the next section of the document, which deals with human rights.
00:13:55.920 For those of us used to reporting on the Vatican under Francis and Leo, the difference in tone
00:14:02.040 is very striking.
00:14:04.000 Materialism, whether communist or capitalist, is condemned, and all compromise with it is forbidden.
00:14:11.160 In place of secular humanist approaches to human rights, the Catholic Church is proposed as the ultimate defender of human rights because it is, and I quote,
00:14:22.980 the authority constituted by God himself for this purpose, end quote.
00:14:28.240 Marriage and virginity is also covered. Having put modern ideologies in their place, the encyclical moves on to affirm two truths widely rejected today. The first, which is of such great importance for our pro-life and pro-family fight, is that the primary end of marriage is not the further perfection of husband and wife, but the procreation of offspring.
00:14:54.400 The denial of this doctrine destroys the family at its very foundations.
00:15:00.100 The harm caused by it has been incalculable.
00:15:04.100 And yet, both Vatican II and Paul VI in Humanae Vitae failed to clearly affirm this doctrine. 0.51
00:15:11.320 The second doctrine upheld is that virginity is a higher state than marriage, a truth which
00:15:20.160 has been rejected, even ridiculed for decades now.
00:15:24.020 The unpublished text notes, and I quote,
00:15:26.380 The highest development of personality is found where man is most closely united with God, end quote.
00:15:34.320 And this is not, it continues, quote,
00:15:37.300 To be sought where two humans become one flesh, but where the one who clings to God,
00:15:43.820 which, as the apostle testifies, is more easily obtained by those who make the sacrifice of marriage to God,
00:15:50.520 becomes one spirit with God, end quote. Moral theology is addressed as well. This section on
00:15:59.320 moral theology condemns situation ethics and fundamental option, two approaches to moral
00:16:07.860 theology which deny the existence of intrinsically evil acts. This means the text condemns principles
00:16:16.120 underlying amoris laetitia and fiducius supplicans.
00:16:20.300 The document warns that moral relativism of this kind,
00:16:24.460 and I quote, must gradually grow into suffocating thorns, end quote.
00:16:29.580 This is an attempt forewarning of amoris laetitia,
00:16:33.580 which by denying that adultery is always wrong,
00:16:37.680 catches souls in its thorns and prevents them from moving toward God.
00:16:42.840 while suffocating the life of sanctifying grace with mortal sin.
00:16:48.400 It also deals with ecumenism.
00:16:50.260 The contemporary relevance of cultum regni regnum doesn't stop there.
00:16:55.140 The fourth chapter issues warnings against the kind of ecumenism adopted
00:17:00.420 almost everywhere after the Second Vatican Council.
00:17:04.260 This is the kind of ecumenism which abandons the attempt to bring our separated brethren
00:17:09.700 into the church and even stops talking about Catholic truths which displeased them.
00:17:16.540 The drafters of Kultum Regni Regnum knew that in the modern world, Catholics and Protestants
00:17:24.200 wanted to work together to fight mutual enemies like communism, but they warned Catholics to be
00:17:31.420 on their guard against setting aside Catholic truths in order to get closer to non-Catholics.
00:17:37.160 But this is exactly what has happened time and time again since the Second Vatican Council. 0.56
00:17:43.460 Some of those involved in drawing up the new mass even admitted openly that they removed Catholic elements in order to make it more acceptable to Protestants.
00:17:53.420 The draft encyclical rejects all compromises of this kind and uses a striking comparison that actually may be difficult for some modern audiences to hear today. 0.71
00:18:05.520 It compares a Catholic cooperating with a non-Catholic Christian for the common good with a healthy doctor working with a leprous doctor to help other lepers.
00:18:17.080 It may be permissible, but the Catholic must watch, and I quote, watch that he himself is not infected by the morbid poison, end quote. 0.91
00:18:26.980 I know, that's strong language, but the Church always uses strong language when the truths entrusted to her by God are at stake.
00:18:35.520 These words should not be considered offensive.
00:18:39.180 They show us just how seriously the church takes the salvation of our souls.
00:18:43.660 The church is our loving mother.
00:18:44.880 Let's look at one last important issue, which is found in the last chapter of the text,
00:18:50.240 which deals with the relationship between the church and the state.
00:18:55.480 Since the 1960s, the church's teaching on the rights of Christ as ruler over the state
00:19:01.460 has been generally denied.
00:19:04.800 Vatican II's Declaration on Religious Liberty is one of the Council's most controversial texts.
00:19:11.900 Pius XII's unpublished encyclical, on the other hand, was resoundingly traditional and followed
00:19:18.600 the same doctrine as his predecessors. The document upholds the traditional teaching
00:19:23.920 of the Church, that the Church and the State are distinct societies with their own distinct ends,
00:19:30.860 but that when those spheres overlap, as they often do, the exercise of the state's authority
00:19:37.660 must be subordinated to that of the church. Let's conclude. Cultum Regni Regnum is a fascinating
00:19:47.580 document. Hopefully, the research team will soon publish the whole text and we will be able to see
00:19:54.520 what other treasures it contains. But I think you'll agree that there is already enough for us
00:20:00.640 to be able to speculate what might have been if Pope Pius XII had lived just a few months longer
00:20:08.620 and published the document. The recent history of the church might have been very different.
00:20:14.280 It's very clear that the cardinals and theologians responsible for drafting this would-be encyclical
00:20:21.760 understood the challenges the church was facing and that they had the courage to deal with them
00:20:29.180 head-on. Whether on liturgy, moral theology, ecumenism, or much else, their finger was on
00:20:36.040 the pulse of the church and they were ready to fight against the errors for the good of souls.
00:20:42.180 That approach changed overnight with the death of Pius XII and the election of John XXIII.
00:20:48.560 John XXIII's radically different perspective was made clear in his opening speech at Vatican II.
00:20:55.400 He said, and I quote,
00:20:57.240 In the daily exercise of our pastoral office, it sometimes happens that we hear certain opinions which disturb us, opinions expressed by people who, though fired with a commendable zeal for religion, are lacking in sufficient prudence and judgment in their evaluation of events.
00:21:16.540 Pope John XXIII continues,
00:21:18.780 They can see nothing but calamity and disaster in the present state of the world.
00:21:23.860 They say over and over that this modern age of ours is in comparison with past ages is definitely deteriorating.
00:21:33.260 You know, it's difficult not to see this as a rebuke to the men who had drawn up cultum regni regnum.
00:21:39.120 John XXIII rejected their warning and the encyclical they had drafted for Pius XII never saw the light of day.
00:21:46.440 But as Pope John XXIII said in his speech, we feel that we must disagree with these prophets of doom who are always forecasting worse disasters as though the end of the world were at hand, end quote. 0.51
00:22:00.720 However, when we look out into the world today with its abortions, suicides, sexual perversions
00:22:08.360 of every type, child mutilations, and broken families, when we see those who should be
00:22:14.760 priests of God kneeling before pagan idols, distorting his gospel, desecrating the sacraments
00:22:21.220 left to us by Jesus Christ, how can we not conclude that the prophets of doom were right
00:22:29.360 and that John XXIII's optimism was misplaced.
00:22:33.520 But if they were right about their warnings,
00:22:36.680 they were also right about the solution.
00:22:40.000 They knew it was time for mankind to return to God
00:22:43.060 and that this, as the document's title proclaimed,
00:22:46.660 was to be achieved through worship,
00:22:50.100 observance of the law,
00:22:51.700 and faith to be believed and professed
00:22:54.420 in due obedience in this age.
00:22:57.000 So let us never stop proclaiming the truth of the Catholic faith.
00:23:01.520 For LifeSite News and Sign of the Cross Media, I'm John Henry Weston, and may God bless you.
00:23:09.640 Hey my friends, it's going to be an historic night.
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