Work · German Idealism & Its Heirs
Of the Five Wounds of the Holy Church
Written in 1832–33: names five ills of the church, among them the separation of clergy and people in worship and the dependence of bishops on secular power.
Introduction
Rosmini wrote “Of the Five Wounds of the Holy Church” in 1832–33 but kept it unpublished for fifteen years; it appeared in 1848, the year of revolutions, when reform seemed possible under Pius IX. Taking the image of Christ’s five wounds, he named five ills: the separation of people and clergy in public worship, the poor education of the clergy, the disunity of the bishops, the appointment of bishops by secular rulers, and the bondage of church property. His remedies included a liturgy the people could understand and share in, a better education of priests, and the election of bishops by clergy and people. In 1849 the book was placed on the Index together with his draft constitution. Later readers saw in it an anticipation of reforms of the Second Vatican Council.
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