Mit brennender Sorge

encyclical by Pius XI

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July 16, 2026

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Mit brennender Sorge, meaning "With Deep Anxiety," is a significant encyclical issued by Pope Pius XI in 1937. This papal letter was a direct condemnation of Nazi Germany's totalitarian ideology and its racist policies, which were in stark opposition to Christian principles.

The encyclical was notably read from Catholic pulpits across Germany on Palm Sunday of that year, making it a public denouncement of the regime's actions. It was one of several encyclicals by Pius XI that challenged totalitarian systems, alongside those addressing fascist Italy and atheistic communism. The Pope's stance against Nazism was a courageous act, especially given the political climate of the time. Unfortunately, Pius XI died before he could issue further pronouncements against racism and antisemitism.12

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Pius XII
Early life and career
…helped draft the anti-Nazi encyclical Mit brennender Sorge (“With Deep Anxiety”), written partly in response to the Nürnberg Laws and addressed to the German church on March 14, 1937. In it the papacy condemns racial theories and the mistreatment of people because of their race or nationality but does not…
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…helped draft the anti-Nazi encyclical Mit brennender Sorge (“With Deep Anxiety”), written partly in response to the Nürnberg Laws and addressed to the German church on March 14, 1937. In it the papacy condemns racial theories and the mistreatment of people because of their race or nationality but does not…
Read More