Oitenta anos de Divinis redemptoris: a consolidação do anticomunismo católico

Abstract

The following work serves as a critical reading of Pope Pius XI’s 1937 Encyclical Letter Divini Redemptoris in light of its 80th anniversary, consolidating as it did the reasons behind Catholic anti-communism. In methodological terms, the letter is located in the sphere of study concerned with the history of political ideas. We analyze the items in the circular’s thematic division: I. The Church’s attitude to communism; II. Doctrine and fruits of communism; III. The Church’s luminous doctrine, opposed to communism; IV. Remedies and means; V. The Church’s ministers and assistants employed in this social initiative. Rooted in Bolshevik communism of a Stalinist slant with prominent influences – by means of the letter itself – in Russia, Mexico, and Spain, it remains as a contemporary representative of Catholic anti-communism, implying effects beyond the limits of the Holy See.