''In multiplicibus curis'' was an

encyclical An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Roman Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop. The word comes from the Late Latin (originally fr ...

given by

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...

on 24 October 1948 at Castel Gandolfo, near Rome, in the tenth year of his pontificate. The encyclical repeated the Vatican's prior attitude to its concerns in the

Holy Land The term "Holy Land" is used to collectively denote areas of the Southern Levant that hold great significance in the Abrahamic religions, primarily because of their association with people and events featured in the Bible. It is traditionall ...

and came at a time when the

1948 Arab–Israeli War The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, also known as the First Arab–Israeli War, followed the 1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine, civil war in Mandatory Palestine as the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. The civil war becam ...

was still raging, but after Israel went on the offensive in

Operation Yoav Operation Yoav (also called Operation Ten Plagues or Operation Yo'av) was an Israeli military operation carried out from 15–22 October 1948 in the Negev Desert, during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Its goal was to drive a wedge between the Eg ...

. In the encyclical, Pope Pius expressed concern at what he called "the destruction and damage of sacred buildings and charitable places built around the Holy Places" scattered throughout Palestine especially in Jerusalem. While "condemning any recourse to violence", the Pope stated that "peace could only be realized in truth and justice; that is to say by respecting the rights of acquired traditions." The Pope sought to maintain the Holy See's official attitude of impartiality in the

Israeli–Palestinian conflict The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is an ongoing military and political conflict about Territory, land and self-determination within the territory of the former Mandatory Palestine. Key aspects of the conflict include the Israeli occupation ...

but also looked for possibilities for justice and peace in Palestine and for the respect and protection of the Holy Places. The Pope also expressed concern for the plight of "the unhappy victims of the war" (which was understood to refer especially to

Palestinian refugees Palestinian refugees are citizens of Mandatory Palestine, and their descendants, who fled or were expelled from their country, village or house over the course of the 1948 Palestine war and during the 1967 Six-Day War. Most Palestinian refug ...

). The Pope repeated his call for Jerusalem and its outskirts be given an international character, which would "offer a better guarantee for the protection of the sanctuaries". He also called for international guarantees of "free access to Holy Places scattered throughout Palestine, and the freedom of worship and the respect of customs and religious traditions".''In multiplicibus'', para. 8

References

External links

The encyclical ''In multiplicibus curis'' on the Vatican website
{{Authority control Encyclicals of Pope Pius XII Catholic theology and doctrine Holy See–Israel relations October 1948 in Europe 1948 in Christianity 1948 documents