Summi Pontificatus

About “Summi Pontificatus”

Summi Pontificatus is an encyclical issued by Pope Pius XII on 20 October 1939. It is subtitled "on the unity of human society" and marks the first encyclical of Pius XII's papacy. The document addresses what it describes as major errors of the time, including racism, cultural superiority, and totalitarianism. It also provides a theological foundation for later encyclicals, such as Mystici corporis Christi in 1943. The encyclical expresses concern over the occupation of Poland and condemns the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. It calls for the restoration of an independent Poland. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.)