Category: FAQ

DECENCY
and MODESTY
A PASTORAL LETTER OF
HIS EXCELLENCY THE MOST REVEREND
ALBERT G. MEYER, S.T.D., S.S.L.
ARCHBISHOP OF MILWAUKEE

May 1, 1956

To THE CLERGY, RELIGIOUS, AND FAITHFUL LAITY OF THE
ARCHDIOCESE OF MILWAUKEE: GREETINGS AND BLESSING!
Dearly Beloved in Christ:
I. INTRODUCTION – SUBJECT MATTER OF Tars PASTORAL

1. In the discharge of his pastoral office, a Bishop frequently
   remembers the solemn words which he heard chanted in the rite
   of his consecration as a Bishop: “Let him not put light for darkness,
   nor darkness for light; let him not call evil good, nor good evil.”
   In the desire to fulfill the charge given to us as your pastor, whose
   duty it is to protect his flock against the enemy (cf. Jn. 10:11-13),
   and as an appointed watchman of God, who must speak out m
   clear and explicit warnings, lest the sins of those who err be charged
   to his account (cf. Ezech. 33:8-9), we have decided to address
   this letter to you, on the occasion of the annual convention of our
   Chnstian Mothers’ Confratermty. In this letter, it is our thought
   to consider the general subject of Decency which has been a part
   of the special apostolate of this Confraternity. We wish to treat
   this subject only in several of the more obvious areas of everyday
   life, leavmg to future pastoral letters the further development of other
   topics which come under the general subject matter.
   a) Statements of Our Holy Father
2. We are impelled to do this as we recall some of the recent
   forceful statements of our Holy Father, the Chief Shepherd and
   Teacher of the Church, particularly a special letter which he com-
   manded to be wnttcn 011 th1~ subject through the Sacred Congregation of the C ouncrl, under date of August 15, 1954 In this letter,
   the Cardmal Prefect of the Congregation, wntmg m the name of the
   Sovereign Pontiff, solemnly charged the Bishops of the world “by all
   means to consider the matter carefully, and to take under your care
   and promote with all your power everythmg which has to do wit~
   the protection of modesty and the furtherance of Chnstian morals.
   This solemn charge was in keeping with the whole purpose of
   the Marian Year of 1954, which was intended “not only to serve
   to revive Catholic Faith and earnest devotion to the Mother of
   God in the souls of all, but also . . . that each one of us ~hould
   according to his condition in life, avail of it for the acquisition of
   virtue. (For), the commemoration of the mystery of the Most Holy
   Virgin conceived immaculate and immune from all stam of ongmal
   sin, should, in the first place, urge us to that inn?cence and mte~tr,
   of life which flees from and abhors even the slightest stam of sm
   (Fulgens Corona, September 8, 1953).
   In the course of that Manan Year of 1954, our Holy Father referred
   many times to this important crusade for the revival and flowermg
   of Christian morals. Moreover, he did not confine l11S statements to
   general exhortations, but specifically pointed to practical areas of
   everyday life, where the application of Christian principles especially
   needs to be made.
   Thus, for example, wnting on January l, 1954, in a letter to the
   Bishops of Italy, on the general subject of television, h<;, called
   attention to the fact that this marvel of our modern day is very
   intimately bound up with the education of ~o~t~ and even the
   sanctity of the home.” Without in any way rnmmuzmg the actual,
   or, even more so, the potential good of television, th~ Holy Father
   warns nevertheless that there is much that it is failing to do. He
   savs therefore that “We cannot fail to proclaim to all who have
   a;y’ position ~f responsibility in television that _the1~ duties and
   responsibilities are most grave before God and s_oc1ety … There rests
   upon public authorities, the Holy Father continues, the duty. of
   taking every precaution that the air of punty and reserve which
   should pervade the home be m no way offended or disturbed.”
   In connection with television, he mentions that he has constantly
   in mmd “the painful spectacle of the power for evil and moral ruin
   of cinema films.” He is “horrified at the thought that the poisoned
   atmosphere of materialism, of frivolity, of hedonism, can by means
   of television be brought into the very sanctuary of the home.”
   Television, he says, requires a greater vigilance for secunng telecasts
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   unobjectionable from the moral point of view than is required for
   pubhc entertamment, precisely because this modern invention “penetrates the sanctuary of the family.” Here, in the bosom of the family,
   higher values are at stake “than the pretended nghts of absolute
   freedom of art, or of havmg recourse to the pretext of freedom of
   information and of thought.”
   Agam, m a notable address to the Swiss National Catholic Convention (May 16, 1954), our Holy Father spoke of the great dangers
   of matenalism. Among other thmgs he said: “Material progress
   through research and the exploitation of natural forces contmues
   its unceasing advance. The Church approves of this advance, even
   in regard to its principles. But, she adds an urgent warning concernmg it: When matenal progress is not counterbalanced by powerful
   religious and moral forces, rt nsks becommg the cancer of human
   society.”
   The Marian Year, our Holy Father further stated in the same
   address, was mtended to help strengthen our faith “as a dam against
   the rismg tide of materialism.” This materialism he defined as “the
   process of the secularization of all life.” He stated that “it is
   spreading in the spiritual and religious domain. The idea of God,
   respect for and fear of God are more and more being banished from
   public life, from the family, and, almost mevitably, therefore, from
   the hfe of the individual as well. THE PROCESS IS ALREADY
   FAR ADVANCED.”
   Hence, there falls upon us the duty of confronting this evil “by
   our prayers, our love for Chnst, our struggle against sin, and for
   purity of soul in every sense, by all those supreme values of the
   religious life and the things which are its fruit, and by our public
   enlistment in the cause of God, of Christ, and of His Church …
   In the fight against materialism the watchword must be, ‘Let us
   return to the Christianity of early days.’ This is especially applicable
   now. The Chnstians of those early times were confronted by a
   pagan and materialist culture, which reigned as mistress. They dared
   to attack it and, finally, to overcome it, thanks to their stubborn
   tenacity and by means of heavy sacrifices. IMITATE THEM!”
3. Most pertinent to our present letter is the point frequently
   made by our Holy Father that the spread of so much immorality
   is due not to the lack of regulations, but “to the lack of reaction or
   the weakness of reaction of good people, who have not known how
   to make timely denunciations of violations against the public laws
   of morality.”
   This lack of the proper kind of public reaction is referred to agam
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   m the letter of August 15, 1954, and applied specifically to the matter
   of dress: “A” all can easily see, the current mode of dress among
   women and especially among girls ( during the summer months
   particularly) constitutes a senous offense against decency.” Because
   he is convinced of the intimate relationship between the decent
   and the modest, and between the modest and the chaste, the Holy
   Father exhorts: “Therefore, it is altogether imperative to admonish
   and exhort, m whatever way seems most apt, people of all stations,
   but particularly youth, to avoid the dangers of this kind of vice,
   which is so directly opposed and potentially so hazardous to Christian and civic virtue.”
   Hence, the Jetter continues: “It is the earnest desire of the
   August Pontiff that this cause be taken up enthusiastically. He desires
   that bishops m particular leave no stone unturned which can help
   remedy the situation; and that with their counsel and leadership the
   rest of the clergy work prudently, assiduously, and earnestly within
   their own jurisdiction, toward the happy attainment of this goal.”
   Further, “he wishes fathers and mothers of families to remove
   their children from these dangers, first by their own example, and
   then also by timely admonitions which come from a stern firmness of
   spirit as befits Christians; and that they never be satisfied until they
   see the faces of their children shine with the splendor of modesty.”
   As may be seen, the language of this letter constitutes a real
   challenge. It is directed to us in the form of an “imperative,” to
   “people of all stations,” to the Bishops and Clergy, to fathers and
   mothers of families. It is a cause to be taken up “enthusiastically,”
   in which “we leave no stone unturned which can help to remedy
   the situation.”
   b) Our Own Former Statements
4. In keeping, therefore, with this and other repeated exhortations
   of our Holy Father, we have wished in vanous ways to fulfill our
   duty, and to bring this subject to your attention, either directly
   or indirectly.
   Thus, for example, toward the beginning of the Mauan Year, we
   addressed a pastoral letter under date of February 5, 1954, on the
   g~neral subject of modesty. At that time we wished particularly to
   give encouragement to the program of the Legion of Decency, and
   to the work which the vanous organizations of our Archdiocese were
   doing to promote the ideals of Chnstian modesty in the movies, in
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   literature, and in dress. Also, we called especially upon our fathers
   and mothers to defend the castles of their homes against the inroads
   of pagan standards of morality.
   Annually, we have exhorted you to take the pledge of the Legion
   of Decency, . in the full r~lization of the meaning of this pledge.
   We have tried to make it clear that decency involves more than
   motion pictures; that it extends to the whole realm of living. We
   have stressed the truth that decency in a special way is involved
   ~th public morality, and with the creation of strong public opinion
   m favor of. the moral orde~. Hence, we have insisted that the Pledge
   of the Legion of Decency is a call to crusade for decency in all walks
   of life, not merely in the field of motior pictures, but also in all
   related fields of public communications and public living. There is
   need today, we stressed, to apply the spirit of the Pledge to the
   matter of dress, of reading material, of radio and television and of
   company-keeping. ‘
   To. further implement these exhortations concerning the true
   me~ung of the Pledge, we have organized a special Archdiocesan
   Legion of Decency, which is intended to exert its influence and
   extend its help through other existing organizations of our men
   and women. Thus we have endeavored to give more practical direction and efficacy to the general crusade for decency.
   Again, ~ few months ago, we addressed a pastoral letter to you
   on the subject of the Catholic Family, in which we appealed, through
   the Holy Name Society, and especially to fathers of families to lead
   the way within the bosom of their own families for this much
   needed crusade on behalf of decency. We begged you to make the
   home a tr~~ sanctuary, so t~at those who live in it “will be guided
   by th~ spmt of reverence, m the decorations which hang on the
   walls, m the dress which is worn, in the magazines and papers which
   are read, in the words which are spoken, in the company which is
   kept, and in the manner itself of company-keeping.”
   . In_ our ~ent~n Pastoral of this year, we spoke at length upon the
   dignity which 1s conferred upon us by our Baptism, and we appealed
   to you to remember this dignity as Baptized Children of God:
   “P aren t s an d e d ucators, ” we state d , ” are urged to develop in children a profound sense of their dignity as children of God, and to
   teach them to recognize this dignity in others. Thus our children
   ~il! _develo~ tha~ sense of personal conscience and individual responsibility which is the fundamental solution to the problem of
   juvenile delinquency.”
5. Because this subject is from many different viewpoints so con5
   tmuously urgent, we have wished to seize the occasion of this annual
   meeting of the Archdiocesan Confraternity of Chnstian Mothers to
   speak to you, and especially to the mothers of our families, about it.
   This meeting is being held close to the Sunday which our nation
   has set aside to honor our human mothers. In the words of a former
   president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, “the mother is
   the one supreme asset of national life, she is more important by far
   than the successful statesman or businessman or artist or scientist.
   In other words, we cannot as a nation get along at all 1£ we haven’t
   the right kind of home life. Such a hfe rs not only the supreme
   duty; but also the supreme reward of duty.”
   More sigmficant even than these considerations for us is the fact
   that this meeting is held in the month of May dedicated to our
   Blessed Mother. As Catholics we believe that Jesus is the Son of
   God, Who willed to receive His own true membership in the human
   family through Mary, and Who also willed to confide to her
   maternal protection the whole human race in the person of John,
   when He said: “Behold thy mother.” We tum, therefore, to Mary
   in our modem days of crisis and penl, and call upon her to save us
   from ourselves. We ask her to bless us in our efforts to contribute
   toward the solution of the moral crisis as it affects our own mdividual lrves, and those of our family and our community.
   II. THE PROBLEM
6. One phase of this problem in the moral cnsis was described
   in the letter of the Sacred Congregation of the Council of August
   15, 1954, and referred to above 111 our letter. “Everyone knows,”
   this letter states, “that durmg the summer months particularly, thmgs
   are seen here and there which are certain to prove offensive to
   anyone who has retained some respect and regard for Chnstian
   virtue and human modesty. On the beaches, in summer resorts,
   almost everywhere, on the streets of cities and towns, in private and
   public places, and, indeed, often even 111 buildings dedicated to
   God, an unworthy and indecent mode of dress has prevailed …. Add
   to this fact that newspapers, magazmes and every kmd of pubhcation
   bla~ntly p_ublicize all the evil happenings m public and pnvate life.
   Motion pictures, also well attended as they are, present their
   attractions in such glowing light that not only weak and unwary
   youth but even the adult is swayed by their evil allurements.”
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7. This problem is referred to from another viewpoint in the
   annual statement of the American Bishops of 1953, on the general
   subject of the Dignity of Man, in the following words: “Heedless
   that his nature has God for its origin and destiny, and reason and
   revelation for its divinely commissioned guide, man will do what
   no other creature can – he will deny his true nature and will destroy
   all that is good within himself. Such a process of degradation is
   viciously at work in our own country, where the deification of the
   flesh continues to enlist new devotees. Through its liturgy of advertisement, entertainment and literature, this cult bids fair to corrode
   our national sense of decency. . .. The Catholic Church has never
   failed to accord the human body an immense measure of honor.
   She affirms that it was originally created by God; in one instance
   actually assumed by Him; in every instance meant to be on earth
   His special temple, and destined eventually to rejoin the soul in
   His Beatific Presence. Whatever is uncompromising in her teaching
   about the body stems from her realism on two points: The body,
   though good, is not the highest good; and the undisciplined body
   is notoriously bad.”
   a) Concern for the Problem
8. This is a problem, then, which concerns the individual, the
   family, and society at large. Chastity, and the means of preserving
   it, have a tremendously important bearing on the family, on the
   eternal and temporal happiness of every individual, and indeed on
   the welfare of society at large.
   History is replete with the story of nations that once were great
   and that collapsed because the morals of the race ceased to control
   the lives of the people. The poet of ancient pagan Rome wrote:
   “Vice necessarily follows upon public nudity,” while its great
   orator, Cicero, lamented the decadence of civic virtue precisely
   because “we see too often those who are stripped of shame and
   who are past all hope of reformation.”
9. We do not mean to imply that others, outside the Church,
   are not also concerned about chastity, as well as the defensive virtues
   of decency and modesty. They are, even though their concern may
   not stem from the same motivation which impels us. A government
   report has this to state: “Pornography is big business. The extent to
   which the profit motive has brushed aside all generally accepted
   standards of decency and good taste and substituted inferior moral
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   standards, has become not only a national disgrace but a menace
   to our civic – elfare as well.”
   This report stems from the criterion of decency and good taste,
   and is based on sound mterest and responsibility for the good name
   cf our nation and the civic welfare of our people. As Christians
   and Catholics, however, we must proceed from a higher standard,
   and a more powerful motive. We proceed from the recognition of
   sin as a violation of the law of God, and we are motivated by the
   eternal salvation of souls; it is the welfare of souls, whom we wish
   to save from hell, that is at stake.
   There rs indeed much discussion of the topic of chastity in our
   secular magazines, but generally only to the extent that the spectacularly tragic forms of unchastity are highlighted, while little or no
   interest is shown in the virtue itself. The attitude of the world
   seems to be that if only we could do away with such things as
   juvenile delinquency in its external forms, unmarried motherhood,
   venereal disease, ugly degeneracy and rape, there would be no problem of unchastity left at all. As a matter of fact, many in the world
   have adopted and promote certain forms of unchastity, such as
   contraception and multiple successive marriages, not to mention the
   crime of abortion, without recognizing the inevitable connection
   between these things and the breakdown of chastity all along the
   line. In some of the very magazines and newspapers that carry
   articles deploring sex delinquency, there will often be found inflammatory incentives to lust in the form of seminude and suggestive
   pictures, or advertisements for the movies, or cartoons with suggestive dialogues, or even news stories with suggestive overtones.
   Even, at times, feature stories, highlighted by perfectly proper
   pictures, will suggest, with amusing ( to them) toleration or approval
   for public consumption, the bawdy attitude of the peek show or the
   burlesque performance – something which no self-respecting newspaper or magazine would have dared to do in former years when
   a less secularistie way of life prevailed. Such papers lead their readers
   to the doorstep of impurity and unchastity through these stones,
   pictures, cartoons, and advertisements, and then bewail the fact
   that so many of them step across the threshold.
10. Others show their concern for and recognition of the problem
    by advoca!ing an indiscriminate dissemination of knowledge, in the
    thought that knowledge alone will solve the problem. Surely, it is
    most important that our growing youth be properly instructed. All
    solid moral guidance is based upon adequate instruction. This is
    basic for the practice of the faith in general, and specifically for
    8
    the practice of the virtues under consideration in this letter.
    Nevertheless, we wish to seize this opportunity of calling attention
    to a fatal trend of our times which takes prerogatives that belong
    essentially to the family out of the home, and invests them in the
    State or an agency of the State. Here we would like to remind our
    people of the statement of the American Bishops in their pastoral
    letter of 1950: “We protest in strongest possible terms against the
    introduction of sex instruction into the schools. To be of benefit
    such instruction must be far broader than the imparting of information, and must be given individually. Sex rs more than a biological
    function. It is bound up with the sacredness and uniqueness of
    human personality. It can be fully and properly appreciated only
    within a religious and moral context. If treated otherwise, the child
    will see it apart from the controlling purpose of his life, which is
    the service to God.”
    This statement is not to be construed to mean that educators have
    no function whatsoever along these lines. Carrying through with the
    basic concept of the school as an extension of the home, we do
    recognize also in this field a place for the educator to assist the
    parent. But the obligation rests primarily with the parent; and
    education in these matters must always be within the religious and
    moral context which the home should give to it. That the Church
    is not opposed to the proper kind of instruction in these matters
    should be clear from this one quotation from our Holy Father:
    “Modesty will suggest and provide suitable words for parents and
    educators by which the youthful conscience will be formed in matters
    of chastity. ‘Wherefore,’ we said in a recent address, ‘this modesty
    is not to be so understood as to be equivalent to a perpetual silence
    on this subject, nor as allowing no place for sober and cautious
    discussion about these matters in imparting moral instruction.’ In
    modern times, however, there are some teachers and educators who
    too frequently think it their duty to initiate innocent boys and girls
    into the secrets of human generation in such a way as to offend their
    sense of shame. But in this matter a just temperance and moderation
    must be used, as Christian modesty demands” (Encyclical on Holy
    Virginity, March 25, 1954).
    b) Challenge and Opportunity for Our People
11. In confronting the problem, in the dimensions outlined in
    our present letter, we do so primarily for the guidance of our own
    9
    people, through an appeal particularly to our Christian Mothers.
    We are realistic enough to recognize that the simple writmg of a
    letter of this kmd is not gomg to change over those whose view of
    hfe sharply disagrees with our own. We think, however, that it is
    important to point out the truth that our society has become secularistic and materialistic to a degree that many of us have failed
    to recogmze. In the words of Pope Pius XII, quoted above, “the
    process is already far advanced.”
    Therefore, we address this letter primarily to om own people.
    We Catholics constitute a minority group m the general society m
    which we live and move This fact places before us both a challenge
    and an opportumty. In many ways, it is not unlike the situation
    which faced the early Christians.
    The challenge may be expressed in these words of our Holy
    Father: “The civilization of the Western people cannot sink into
    a materialism which, at least implicitly, finds its ideal in the enjoyment of the comforts of life. On the contrary, it must dedicate
    itself to liberatmg those spiritual values which are so bitterly opposed
    in many modem institutions” (September 18, 1955).
    This challenge must be met by a willmgness on our part to be
    different. We cannot compromise our traditional Catholic moral
    and cultural values, but rather we must bring these values to bear
    on public and private life, and must defend them as modem witnesses (martyrs) to Christ, Again, to quote our Holy Father: “If
    it is more than evident that evil tendencies and the forces of
    degradation and destruction are unceasingly attacking the hearts of
    individuals and the collective conscience of nations, is it not necessary to work at all levels of the social structure – the family, places
    of employment and amusement, political and cultural organizations

• to eliminate demoralizing factors and all that keeps egoism alive
  and encourages a spmt of pleasure or power? Certainly, men are
  not lacking who are eager to meet the demands of their consciences” (ibid.).
  Hence we are pleased to encourage our Christian Mothers to
  recall here the challenging statement found in the resolutions drawn
  up by the National Council of Catholic Women at the close of
  their 1952 convention:
  “Offenses against decency are not only the cause of personal offense
  to women but give them serious concern for the welfare of their
  loved ones and their fellowmen. Not overlooking the praiseworthy
  exceptions, for which we are profoundly grateful, we are confronted
  on all sides, in newspapers, magazines, in every type of advertising
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  media and displays, in all fields of entertainment, including radio
  and television, in beauty contests, and elsewhere, with constant
  affronts to public decency and good taste.
  “This can only result, and has already resulted, in the lowering of
  ideals of modesty and decorum, assaults on purity and chastity,
  the degradation of womanhood, evil consequences for the sanctity
  of married life, stimulation of unworthy thoughts and desires, morbid
  emphasis on sex, with consequent corrupting influences on youth –
  and especially on the youth in the Armed Forces – an increase of
  sex crimes among adolescents, whose moral stamina has been undermined by constant pictorial assaults, scandal to the people of other
  countries, who obtain an entirely false impression of the American
  way of life, and the exploitation by communists of such pictures in
  their propaganda against the United States.
  “As individuals and organizations of Catholic women, we here
  express our determination to put a stop to the irresponsible or
  deliberately-evil flood that has had these alarming consequences.
  We are happy to acknowledge not only the concern of Catholics,
  but also of other men and women in private and in public life
  who have the discernment to see the extremely serious harm that
  is the result.
  “We pledge full support of corrective action programs that are
  suggested by the National Council, and assume individual responsibility for doing everything possible to restore decent standards
  where they have become debased.
  “Producers, publishers and distributors have a real and definite
  obligation to the nation that has made possible the opportunities
  that are theirs. If they make financial advantage their main end, they
  are unworthy of this great nation. If they cannot see higher considerations in these critical times, then at least they should open
  their eyes to what is at stake: Life in the fulness of moral integrity
  and responsible freedom, or slavery under a despotic state which
  forces all men and all media to serve its ends.”

1. We appeal, then, to our people to be, both through word
   and through example, a leaven in the modem world. It is up to
   us to prove ourselves useful for the spiritual and moral progress
   of the environment in which we live. In the specific matter under
   consideration in this pastoral letter, this challenge and this opportunity will prompt us to proclaim in every possible way the truth
   of the Christian virtue of purity and chastity, and the beauty of
   the Christian virtue of modesty and decency. “Thus may we hope
   to see emerging more clearly the true countenance of man, master
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   not only of things but above all of himself and aware of his transcendent destiny, individual and social, as well as his responsibilities
   as a creature made in God’s image” (Pius XII, September 18, 1955).
   Thus may we show to all the world our complete acceptance of the
   teaching of St. Paul, that “the body is not for immorality, but for
   the Lord, and the Lord for the body” (1 Cor. 6:13).
   m. THE VmTUE oF CHAsTITY
2. We cannot, Dearly Beloved, write intelligently about the
   virtue of modesty, unless we emphasize first of all in strong and
   clear terms the universal importance of chastity. For, modesty, by
   its very definition, is looked upon as the shield and safeguard of
   chastity. The breakdown in modesty is due fundamentally to a disregard of the virtue of chastity as a necessary virtue for all, in all
   the circumstances of life.
   The only right approach, therefore, to modesty is through a
   reaffirmation and a re-emphasizing of the universal importance of
   chastity, not merely for the sake of preventing sex crimes and
   tragedies, but for the eternal and temporal happiness of every
   immortal soul.
   Hence, we would like to explain briefly three incontrovertible
   teachings of our holy Faith, which impose a corresponding threefold
   obligation upon us.
   a) Teaching of Our Faith
3. The first teaching of our Faith is that the law of chastity is
   imposed on every human being. It binds him in public and in
   private, in marriage and outside of marriage, in youth and in old
   age. It is one of the serious laws that God has made, which means
   that it is one on which the salvation of our soul depends.
   It is quite obvious that this law of chastity forbids the evil deed
   and the evil word. St. Paul says: “Do you not know that neither
   fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor the effeminate, nor
   sodomites will possess the kingdom of God?” ( 1 Cor. 6:9-10.)
   And again: “But immorality and every uncleanness, let it not even
   be named among you” (Eph. 5:3).
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   However, it is most important to remember that the same law of
   chastity equally forbids the unchaste thought and the unchaste
   desire. The words of Christ in this regard are crystal clear: “I say
   to you that anyone who even looks with lust at a woman has already
   committed adultery with her in his heart” (Mt. 5 :28).
   Unchastity, therefore, in thought and desire, as well as in word
   and in deed, is a serious violation of God’s law, and a transgression
   of the right order of nature, established by God Himself. Unchastity
   is seriously wrong precisely and primarily because it transgresses the
   law of God. The evil effects of unchastity, remote or proximate,
   private or public, spectacular or ordinary, merely confirm that it is
   a serious violation of God’s law. Whether these evil effects follow
   or not, the important point is that unchastity is a serious violation
   of God’s law.
   Moreover, the external act, which seems to be the sole concern
   of the world, when it is concerned at all, is merely the fruit of the
   internal thought and desire. It is this internal thought and desire
   which is the source of the external act: “Out of the heart come
   evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, immorality, thefts, false witness,
   blasphemies” (Mt. 15: 19).
4. The second teaching of our Faith which we ask you to recall
   here is the doctrine of original sin. Every human being, except the
   Immaculate Mother of God, has through original sin inherited a
   tainted nature, which manifests itself more intensively perhaps in
   inclinations to unchastity than in any other way. The resulting
   battle with concupiscence is not limited to a given age or state of
   life; it must be waged by all and at all times.
   It is fashionable to deny original sin. But to the Catholic, the
   doctrine of original sin is fundamental for the true understanding
   of the whole economy of grace and salvation. The denial of original
   sin ultimately leads to a denial of Christ and the purpose of His
   Incarnation and Redemption. The denial of original sin leads to a
   completely false appraisal of the meaning of life. Such a tragic denial,
   for example, underlies much of the theory of some progressive
   educators. And such a tragic denial is implicit in much of the
   ostrichlike approach to the very real connection between modesty
   and chastity, between unchaste thoughts and unchaste deeds, between
   the unchaste picture or book or dress or film and these unchaste
   thoughts, desires, and deeds.
   It is the teaching of our Faith that through original sin man’s
   nature has been wounded, although not totally corrupted. The wound
   in our nature is universally experienced through the struggle which
   13
   we have to control our imagination and our passions. Imagination
   by itself, we know, is Simply a picture-making power. It certamly
   is of real use to the intellect of man, but because of original sin it
   plays a part in the mind’s affairs totally out of proportion to its
   ments, and has passed far beyond the condition of a useful servant.
   Hence, to feed the imagination with all sorts of pictures which
   serve to excite the passions in man’s bodily nature is obviously
   against God’s plans and God’s will. Such pictures tend to make
   the passions rebel against the control of the intellect and will, and
   to draw the will itself away from conformity to God’s will. That is
   sin. Original sin and its consequences in our fallen nature impose
   upon us the obligation of keeping the imagmation in proper subordination to the intellect and the will.
5. The third teachmg of our holy Faith is that this weakness
   of human nature, which is the result of original sin, can be met only
   by following the natural counsels of prudence and right reason, and
   by using the plentiful means of supernatural graces that have been
   provided for us by our Divine Savior. The world uses neither.
   Prudence tells us that we must reasonably avoid whatever tends
   to make the imaginauon rebellious to the intellect and will, and to
   draw both of these away from God. Prudence is a dictate of the
   natural law. Prudence sees the intimate and necessary connection
   between the thought and the deed, between the sensory impression
   of the imagination and the thought and desire. The prudence,
   therefore, which sees that the virtue of chastity is a desirable and
   necessary good, also sees that certain things must be avoided to
   assist the will in the pursuit of that good. The world does not use
   prudence in the matter of chastity, because, instead of avoiding, it
   provides a constant flow of incentives to lust, completely heedless
   of the intimate and necessary connection between modesty and
   chastity, and indeed often denying the sin of unchastity itself.
   Emphasizing the dictates of prudence, Christ requires that we
   also have recourse to both natural and supernatural means. How
   forceful are those warning words: “If thy hand or thy foot is an occasion of sin to thee, cut it off and cast it from thee! It is better for
   thee to enter life maimed or lame, than, having two hands or two
   feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. And if thy eye is an occasion
   of sin to thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee! It is better to enter
   into life with one eve, than, having two eyes, to be cast into the hell
   of fire” (Mt. 18:8–9).
   The world does not heed this admonition of Christ because it
   denies the reality of the sin of scandal, and because it ignores or
   14
   despises !he supernatural means for preserving chastity, and the
   helps which come through the sacraments and prayer.
   b) Our Obligations
6. These three incontrovertible facts of our holy Faith point to
   a threefold obligation on our part. First, to love chastity for itself
   as bi~ding on all of us in all the public and private relationships of
   our lives, as necessary for the salvation of our immortal souls. Second,
   to use prudence and common sense to protect it. Third, to use the
   sup~rnatural means of prayer and the sacraments to preserve chastity.
   Listen to these words of our Holy Father in this regard: “It is
   abundantly clear that with this warning [quoted above from Mt.
   18:8-9], our Divine Savior demands of us above all that we never
   consent to any sin, even internally, and that we steadfastly remove
   far from us anything that can even slightly tarnish the beautiful
   v~rtue of purity. In this matter no diligence, no severity can be considered exaggerated …. Flight and alert vigilance, by which we
   carefully avoid the occasions of sin, have always been considered
   by holy men and women as the most effective method of combat in
   this matter. ~o.day, however, it does not seem that everybody holds
   the same op1mon. . . . Moreover, to preserve chastity unstained
   neither vigilance nor modesty suffice. Those helps must also be
   used which entirely surpass the powers of nature, namely prayer to
   God, the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Eucharist, a fervent devotion to the most Holy Mother of God” (Encyclical Letter on Sacred
   Virginity, March 25, 1954).
   IV. THE VIRTUE OF MODESTY
7. This brings us to a consideration of the virtue of modesty in
   the general scheme of virtues, and more especially as it relates to
   the virtue of chastity.
   The virtue of modesty, in general, may be described as that virtue
   which prompts us to be decorous, proper, and reserved, in the way
   we ~ress, sta~d, . walk, sit – in general in the way we behave
   exteriorly. This virtue of modesty bears a relation to other virtues
   besi~es that of chastity, especially to the virtue of humility. In a
   special manner, however, the virtue of modesty is particularly
   15
   regarded as tb guardian of chastity in thou~ht, word, and action.
   St. Thomas says that it is the virtue by which we nghtiy regulate
   our conduct in respect to those things that can lead to impure
   thoughts, desires, and actions, in ourselves and in others. He says
   that, while chastity deals with the regulation of difficult thin~s,
   powerful passions and strong desires for pleasure, modesty deals ~1th
   the regulation of easy things, the remote and proximate occasions
   and conditions that lead to unholy desires. Thus we see that modesty
   is a virtue allied to the virtue of temperance, or the general habit
   of self-restraint.
   It is this virtue of modesty, in its relation to chastity, which
   prompted the Holy Father to address himself to the Bishops of
   the world, through the Sacred Congregation of the Council, and to
   remind them that “it is altogether imperative to admonish and
   exhort, in whatever ways seem most apt, people of all stations, but
   particularly youth, to avoid the dangers of this kind of vice which
   is so directly opposed and potentially so hazardous to Christian
   and civic virtue. ‘How beautiful then is modesty and what a gem
   among virtues it is!’ Therefore, let it not be offended or violated
   by the easy allurements and attractions of vices which arise from
   that manner of dressing and from other actions what we have
   mentioned above and which decent people can but lament.” Again,
   in his encyclical letter on Holy Virginity, our Holy Father writes
   about modesty: “Educators of the young would render a more valuable and useful service, if they would inculcate in youthful minds
   the precepts of Christian modesty, which is so important for the
   preservation of perfect chastity, and which is truly called the
   prudence of chastity. For, modesty foresees threatening danger,
   forbids us to expose ourselves to risks, demands the avoidance of
   those occasions which the imprudent do not shun. It does not like
   impure or loose talk, it shrinks from the slightest immodesty, it
   carefully avoids suspect familiarity with persons of the other sex.
   … He who possesses the treasure of Christian modesty abominates
   every sin of impurity and instantly flees whenever he is tempted by
   its seductions.”
   Now, there are three areas of human life in which modesty particularly must exercise its influence on those who would be chaste
   and to help others preserve this virtue: in dress, in deportment, in
   the pnnted and pictured word. We would like to discuss these three
   points with you.
   16
   V. MODESTY AND CLOTHES
8. The first of these areas is in regard to dress and clothing. It is
   this matter which was specifically treated in the letter of our Holy
   Father referred to immediately above. It is not our purpose in this
   letter to give you an essay on clothing. Clothing unquestionably
   serves other purposes besides modesty, especially protection and
   adornment: “Clothing in addition to its obvious utilitarian aspect,
   has a truly esthetic character, visibly and in a permanent way
   expressing the position of a person” (Pius XII, Address to Tailors,
   September 10, 1954).
   Nevertheless, our Holy Father deplores “the materialistic spint
   that inspires so great a part of today’s civilization, which has not
   spared the field of fashion …. Instead of ennobling the human
   person, clothing sometimes tends to degrade and debase it” (ibid.).
   Indeed, the Pope does not hesitate to write through the Prefect
   of the Sacred Congregation of the Council: “Yet as all can easily see,
   the current mode of dress among women and especially among girls
   constitutes a serious offense against decency, and ‘decency is the
   companion of modesty, in whose company chastity herself is safer.’
   Feminine adornment, if it can be called adornment, femmine
   clothing, if that can be called clothing which contains nothing to
   protect either the body or modesty, are at times of such a nature
   that seem to serve lewdness rather than modesty.”
   a) Two Principles
   ~- With regard to clothing, modesty requires especially two
   thmgs: first, care that one does not make chastity difficult for
   oneself, or for others, by one’s own mode of dress; and, second,
   a prudent but firm and courageous resistance to the styles and
   customs, no matter how popular or widespread, or adopted by
   others, which are a danger to chastity.
   In setting down these two general principles, there is no thought
   on our part to attempt to define details. In general, that form of
   dress may be said to be immodest which serves to arouse the lust of
   men, or which serves as a scandal, that is, a stumbling block, to the
   practice of virtue. With an honest respect for the innate sense of
   shame with which every human being is endowed, and with
   17
   ordinary knowledge of human nature tainted. by the 7
   ffects of
   original sin, one can wrth fair accuracy determme what is modest
   and what is nnmodest in given circumstances. Unquestionably,
   custom does help to establish some norms which can be safely
   followed up to a certain point. .
   It is here especially that our young people need to be guided
   by their elders, especially their mothers, and the mothers themselves
   need to remember that custom and style and fashion do not justify
   everything. Listen to these pointed words of the Holy Fath~r:
   “How many young girls there are who do not see any wrongdomg
   in following certain shameless styles like so many sheep. They
   certainly would blush if they could guess the impression they make
   and the feelmgs they evoke in those who see them” (July 17, 1954,
   Discourse to Children of Mary).
   Here, then, is also a call to parents to lead the way m en~ouraging
   their growing children not to make any compromise with immodest
   beach and summer wear, no matter how many thousands make use
   of such; with immodest evening gowns, though such may be seen
   m the most fashionable social gatherings; with immodest styles of
   dress that have been a feature of so much of the television entertainment almost from the beginning; with picture magazines that
   exploit nudity and suggestiveness in every issue; with dangerous
   associations, readings, shows.
   As our Holy Father exclaimed in the same context of the discourse quoted above: “How lax have consciences become, how
   pagan morals!”
9. We wish to repeat again: there is no thought on our part to
   attempt to define details. But we do hold that there are standards
   of modesty which are also objective, simply because of the fact of
   original sin. The very fact of the freer relationships which are
   tolerated in our environments, far from excusing submission to the
   pagan styles of the day, merely emphasizes the greater obligation that
   Christians and Catholics have to resist these pagan and materialistic
   trends. It simply is not true to human nature, tainted by origmal
   sin, to say as some do: “that one can become used to anythmg m
   matters of dress”; or, to say, “to the pure all things are pure.”
   Remember that our Lord condemned not only the act of adultery,
   but everything that leads to it. It is a fact of human nature that
   undue exposure and emphasis act as stimuli to evil thoughts and
   desires. The cult of nudism is promoted today in varying degrees.
   It is to be found not merely in the extreme form of those few who
   defend the belief that both sexes should hve together m the state
   18
   of complete nudity. Such an aberration is indeed an omi~1o~s sign
   of corruption of our public morals and manners. More significant,
   possibly is the constant partial exposure, and emphasis on such
   exposure, promoted and tolerated by dress, by picture, by the
   printed story, and the leering cartoon. Nourished by the sights of
   such exposure, the passions of fallen mar. constantly grow stronger.
   This is the teaching of all experience. ‘1 hough it may be true, in
   some instances, that external sins do not follow as readily as formerly
   because of the familiarity of the sight, still it cannot be denied that
   evil desires are fostered and even solicited by such exposure, or such
   emphasis in picture and print, which evil desires easily lead to
   external deeds of impurity. Again, we must emphasize in the
   strongest possible language that it is Catholic teaching, based on
   the most clear words of Christ Himself, that impure thoughts and
   desires freely indulged are senous sms. To mvite such impure
   thoughts and desires through dress, action, or the printed and pictured story cannot help but participate of the grave sin of scandal
   and co-operation.
   Hence, the grave sinfulness of certain features of beauty contests,
   particularly those which emphasize the undue exposure of the body,
   as the great majority of these contests do. It is encouragmg to note
   that such emphasis is condemned in these words of a prominent
   columnist: “This new and current obsession with a girl’s measurements, put into a news story, seems to me to be vulgar, even
   degenerate and a mark of a decaymg civilization” ( George Sokolsky,
   The Milwaukee Sentinel, April 14, 1956). For the Catholic, we add
   the most important consideration: it is not only vulgar, or degenerate, it is sinful.
   In this connection, it seems possible to apply a principle which
   our Holy Father stated about books: “You should be persuaded that
   there are bad books – books which are bad for everyone, like those
   poisons against which no one can claim immunity.” Thus, also, it
   seems to us we can say: there are certain modes of dress in vogue
   today, notably in summer time, or in beauty contests, or other
   similar exhibitions, which are a source of temptation to every
   normal person, who is a child of Adam, and against which no one
   can claim immunity.
   b) Higher Christian Standards
10. Here, we would like to go a step further, and also assert that
    there are standards of modesty in dress, which are rooted in our
    19
    traditional Christian cultural values, centering in the Blessed Mother
    of God. These are standards which view the whole problem not
    merely from the standpoint of what is actually sinful or leading to
    sin, but from the positive standpoint of what is truly helpful in
    assisting fallen man to observe the difficult virtue.
    Hence, as Catholics, we have a tradition to preserve which looks
    at the whole problem from the higher vantage point of virtue. On
    the basis of this consideration, we appeal to our Catholic people
    to maintain a firm and courageous resistance to pagan standards of
    naturalism in this matter. This does not mean a one-sided or wrong
    emphasis on a problem which admittedly extends to areas of greater
    sigmficance than dress. Neither does it mean that we Catholics
    must retire from the world, or adopt a purely negative attitude
    of condemnation.
    Our Holy Father met the difficulty head-on when he spoke to a
    group of master tailors. He pointed out to them the truth of history
    and of human nature that “it is altogether normal for man to try
    to enrich through the exterior brilliance of his clothes the extraordinary occurrences of life, and through them to show his feelings of
    joy, pride, or even grief.” Nevertheless, he insisted that we must
    “instead of following the materialistic current which is leading so
    many people astray today, deliberately put ourselves at the service of
    spiritual ends.”
    Here, then, we have a program which is positive, and which best
    defines the traditional ideals of the virtue of Christian modesty with
    regard to clothes. Those clothes are truly modest in the Christian
    tradition which serve spiritual ends. Clothing should have the
    purpose and effect of “elevating and ennobling the human person.”
    Speaking again to the tailors and to all those who participate in this
    kind of work, the Pope exhorted them: “As the maternal hands of
    the Blessed Virgin busied themselves to make Christ’s clothes, so
    it is God Whom you continue to clothe in the men of today.”
    c) Organized Efforts
11. It is our wish, therefore, through this letter to give encouragement to the efforts which various organizations, both here and elsewhere, are making to promote these traditional ideals of Christian
    modesty in the matter of dress. We do not believe that these
    organizations are creating oversensitiveness and confused consciences
    with regard to chastity, nor are they overemphasizing one aspect of
    20
    virtue at the expense of others. We recognize that their zeal may at
    times lead them to some undue excess in the promotion of their
    cause, and we caution against such excess, urging them to be guided
    by the norms set forth in statements of the Holy Father and of
    their Bishops.
    We wish, nevertheless, to give every encouragement to such
    organized efforts, because it is only through such united efforts
    that most individuals can achieve the moral courage not to succumb
    to the tyranny of custom. Listen to these clear words of Pope
    Pius XII on this point: “In your association, you will find not only
    light but strength. . . . You must give yourselves wholeheartedly
    and conquer human respect. A group of girls who have reflected
    and prayed together will fearlessly accept a clear-cut attitude which
    one girl by herself would hardly dare to adopt.” Such united effort
    is necessary, the Holy Father further stated, because “you live in a
    world which is constantly forgetful of God and the supernatural,
    where the only interest of the crowd seems to be the satisfaction
    of temporal needs, well-being, pleasure, vanity” (July 17, 1954).
    Therefore, we do not look upon such organizations as pressure
    groups to impose upon others a moral code which these others
    do not wish to accept. We look upon them as associations of our
    own, who are determined through united action to be willing
    courageously to set an example in defense of traditional standards –
    who are willing to be different, as the early Christians were different
    when they challenged the moral standards of the pagan world of
    Greece and Rome; who are unwilling to sit idly by while the evil
    spirit of immodesty goes about brazenly seeking whom he may
    devour. We look upon them as particularly needed forms of
    Catholic Action, to exemplify to the world the teaching of St. Paul:
    “Do you not know that your members are the temple of the Holy
    Spirit, who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are
    not your own? For you have been bought with a great price. Glorify
    God and bear him in your body” (1 Cor. 6:19-20).
12. In this wise, we will carry out the injunction of our Holy
    Father “not to leave a stone unturned which can help remedy the
    situation.” “Let those,” he continues, “who serve in the ranks of
    Catholic Action take up the promotion of this wholesome enterprise
    as a principal duty. First, let them take care that everyone with
    whom they come into contact, whether close associates or not,
    can see in their manner of dress and action the shining beauty of
    Christian morals. Let their innocence of soul shine forth from their
    eyes. Let their words and deeds savor of virtue. For only then can
    21
    they easily move others by their persuasion and counsel to decent
    and proper d-essing and a good life” ( August 15, 1954).
    In seconding these words of the Holy Father, we earnestly remind
    parents of young and growing children that boys and girls must
    be taught as tiny tots to love modesty and must be corrected for
    immodesty. Even though they are too young to sin, they can and
    ought to be impressed with the beauty of modesty. Training in
    modesty is pre-eminently the function of the home, to be begun
    from earliest childhood.
    d) Sacred Places and Functions
13. J n this matter of dress, we would like finally to call your
    attention to the even higher standards of modesty required by the
    added consideration of the respect due to sacred places and sacred
    occasions. Our Holy Father mentions that “indeed, often even in
    buildings dedicated to God, an unworthy and indecent mode of dress
    has prevailed.”
    In this letter, we do not propose to lay down precise regulations,
    which it would be our right to do where matters regulating the
    House of God and Liturgical functions are concerned. In general,
    we are confident that our good people are fully conscious of these
    higher standards befitting the House of God. We appeal to them,
    therefore, to observe carefully that sense of propriety which is in
    keeping with the inspired words: “Holiness befits your house, 0
    Lord, for length of days” ( Ps. 92: 5) .
14. Nevertheless, we feel constrained to call special attention to
    the decorum required in the House of God on the occasion of
    weddings, and we call upon our pastors to be insistent on preserving
    that decorum. Our attention has been called from time to time to
    the fact that some bridal parties come to the Church attired in gowns
    which perhaps do not even satisfy the requirements of modesty,
    much less that decorum which befits a sacred place, and a sacred
    occasion such as the holy Sacrament of Matrimony. We cannot but
    deplore such a lack of the reverence due to the Church of God,
    and we wish to insist in earnest language that the dress of the
    bridal party be in all ways befitting the sacred place and the
    sacred occasion.
    In this connection we may also mention other solemn occasions
    such as First Holy Communion and Confirmation. Generally, there
    is no difficulty on the former occasion, since traditional standards
    22
    of dress are being maintained. Occasionally, however, it is a source
    of great embarrassment to notice how an innocent child has been
    allowed to present herself for confirmation in a style of dress not
    befitting the sacred occasion.
    These same general principles are easily applied to less formal
    occasions, and to the simple attendance at Church services. From
    time to time, we receive letters from people asking us whether we
    cannot do something to impress people with the importance of
    observing a special etiquette in this matter. We can only put it up
    to the people themselves, reminding them that there is a decorum
    befitting the Church of God, which is entirely compatible with
    simple and even poor clothes, and with the ordinary requirements
    of ease and comfort, even though the Church may not be airconditioned.
    VI. MODESTY AND BEHAVIOR
15. The second general area in which modesty particularly must
    exercise its influence on those who would be chaste and help others
    to preserve chastity is in regard to behavior with others.
    a) Good Manners
16. Modesty is something more than good manners, but it is
    important first of all to stress the usefulness and necessity of good
    manners and the rules of politeness. These can and should serve
    as the natural basis for modesty of behavior. Good manners and
    the rules of politeness are fundamentally natural virtues. They are
    a partial recogrntion of our social obligations in our dealings with
    our fellow men, and also an exemplification of the golden rule. To
    tolerate or to neglect the correction of bad manners and impoliteness, particularly among the young, is to invite a disregard also of
    virtuous habits. For, grace builds upon nature, and presupposes
    nature. Good manners, and the rules of politeness, are intimately
    related to the Christian virtues of obedience, modesty, and charity,
    which ennoble and elevate the natural, and, where necessary, also
    correct it. Hence, good manners, important as they are, are in
    themselves not enough. In fact, when not elevated and directed
    by Christian virtue, good manners can merely serve as the cloak
    for hiding evil intentions.
    23
    b) Occasions of Sin
17. It is an old saying that people do not plunge into impu~ty
    without first having cast modesty aside. Now modesty of behavior
    with others is intimately bound up with the question of the
    occasions of sin. Our catechism teaches us that we are seriously
    bound to avoid what is called the near or proximate occasion of
    sin unless there is a proportionately serious reason for exposing ourselves to such an occasion. When such a serious reason does exist,
    we are nevertheless bound to use all the natural and supernatural
    means needed to help us not to fall into sin. The near or
    proximate occasions of sin are, in general, all persons, places, ?r
    things that may easily lead us into sin. Hence, an occas:on of s1′?
    is called near or proximate when the person, place, or thing constitutes either in general a great danger of sin, or is such for some
    particular person because of his individual disposition ‘. Such a near
    or proximate occasion of sin may be a free one, that is, one freely
    chosen by us without there being any neces~ity; or, it ~a~ be a ~ecessary one, because of certain grave reasons, i.e., when 1~ is physically
    or morally impossible to avoid it without danger ~o life, health,. or
    reputation. Experience teaches us that there are various intermediary
    stages between the near and the remote occasions of sin. The greater
    the danger of sinning, the more serious must be the reasons to
    justify one in not avoiding the occasion of sin.
    Whoever does not want to avoid a near or proximate free occasion
    of sin, i.e., an occasion which is not justified by any serious reason,
    is not disposed to receive absolution in the sacrament of Penance.
    Again, one who finds himself in the near occasion of sin because of
    some necessity as mentioned above, but refuses to use the natural
    precautions of prudence and the supernatural means of grace, commits sin by that very fact.
    c) Company-Keeping
18. These principles on the occasion of sin may be briefly considered in their application to the important question of “companykeeping.” We call it an important question, because there are many
    loose and false ideas on this subject, many of them proposed by way
    of advice to the teen-ager, the couple contemplating marriage, or
    24
    the person separated from a lawful spouse. In applying these principles, we do not wish to enter upon details, but merely to set forth
    some well-defined conclusions.
    WHAT IT Is
    First of all, we would hke to make clear what we understand
    here by “company-keeping.” We refer here to the “regular and
    frequent compamonship of man and woman which in the normal
    course of events leads to falling in love and wanting to marry.” In
    this description, the key words are “regular” and “frequent.” By
    the former, we mean to imply the kind of company-keeping which
    is based upon either a mutual understanding or an explicit planning
    to devote the time spent together to each other and morally to
    exclude others; generally, such company-keeping is referred to in
    popular language as “going steady.” The word, “frequent,” may
    vary from almost nightly to weekly, either personally or by letters.
    Now, company-keeping in this sense is looked upon by all moral
    theologians in the Church as a near or proximate occasion of sin.
    It should be noted that we have not said that it is looked upon as
    smful, but only as the occasion of sm. It is so looked upon as an
    occasion of sin simply because of the facts of experience based upon
    human nature in its fallen condition. Because it is a near or proximate
    occasion of sin, this kind of company-keeping can be justified only
    when certain circumstances are present. These circumstances are:
    ( l) if the parties involved are keeping company with a possible view
    to mamage within a reasonable time; ( 2) if they use the means necessary to prevent undue familiarities, namely the natural means of
    prudence, and the supernatural means of prayer and the sacraments.
    The possible view to marriage can be based only on the desire
    to marry and the freedom in the eyes of the Church to marry.
    If either of these conditions is not present, company-keeping as
    descnbed cannot be justified morally.
    1) Company-Keeping and the Teen-Ager
19. These principles need to be carefully weighed, first of all, in
    the guidance given to the teen-ager, and must be conscientiously
    realized by the Catholic teen-agers themselves. It is well known
    that teen-agers often “go steady” simply because it is convenient,
    or because it is a matter of pride, to have a steady partner to the
    exclusion of others. In keeping this kind of “steady company” they
    25
    have no intention or desire of looking toward marriage. Again, even
    though such a desire or intention may be present, teen-agers often
    cannot contemplate marriage within a reasonable time, for a vanety
    of reasons, such as lack of the necessary parental consent, economic
    conditions, and the like.
    Hence, despite the views of so many who look with indulgence
    on this practice, we cannot condone it, and we must raise our voices
    against it, to let both parents and teen-agers know what we think
    about it, and what is the approved teaching of moral theologians of
    the Church. This kind of steady company-keeping on the part of
    teen-agers is the source of neglect of schoolwork, and of the serious
    preparation for life that schoolwork implies. More than this, however, it carries with it the grave dangers of sins against modesty,
    chastity, and purity, and ultimately also of attempted mamages
    contrary to the laws of the Church. As a free near occasion of sin,
    which is not justified by other circumstances, the practice of such
    company-keeping in itself must be classified as sinful.
    We wish, therefore, seriously to exhort parents to instruct their
    children more fully in these matters, to urge them to be interested
    in group activities, and to exercise prudent supervision over the
    conduct of their growmg children. We are not unmindful of the
    grave burdens which the responsibilities of parenthood place upon
    fathers and mothers. Such responsibilities can be met with the help
    of God’s grace, Who will assist parents to be kind and understanding, to be generous and loving, and yet at the same time to be
    prudent and firm in the direction which they give to the lives of their
    growing youngsters. In the words of our Holy Father: Let “fathers
    and mothers of families remove their children from these dangers,
    first by their own example, then also by timely admonitions which
    come from a stem firmness of spiiit as befits Christians” (August
    15, 1954).
20. For the teen-agers themselves, we wish to remind them of the
    obligations placed upon them by the fourth commandment. The
    law of obedience binds children as long as they are minors and
    unmarried. Disobedience is a grievous sin if it concerns an important
    matter and the parents have given a real command. Even adult
    children, as long as they stay at home, must obey in all things
    necessary for domestic order, e.g., to return home at a reasonable
    hour of the night.
    O_bedien~e to t?e law of G?d, of co~rse, ~ust be . the supreme
    motive. It is obedience to God s law which obliges us m conscience
    to avoid the free near occasions of sin, and to take the proper pre26
    cautions in the necessary near occasions of sin. “He who loves danger
    will pens~ in it” is the inspired word of the Wise Man (Ecclus.
    3:27); while the Apostle St. John wntes: “Do not love the world
    or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, th;
    love of the Father is not in him; because all that is m the world is
    the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of hfe:
    which is not from the Father, but from the world” (1 Jn. 2:15-16)’.
    No o~e, surely, wishes to deprive our young people of the legitimate diversion and recreation which come from association with
    other~. Ne~erthel.ess, i_t must be pointed out that there are many
    ways m which this legitimate diversion can be had without recourse
    to company-keeping as described above. It should also be noted that
    aside from the kind of company-keeping described above, there is
    also such a thing as immodesty of place and circumstance. Suffice
    it to mention the out-of-the-way parked car, or the intimacies which
    so many in the world look upon with indulgence and condone in
    the name of experience or of growing up. Modesty of behavior with
    others must govern all so-called expressions of affection. The kissing
    and embracing which so many defend under the name of affection
    or simply because it is the accepted thing, are in reality but a surrender to immodesty that destroys the last defense of chastity in
    the world. Thus also the type of dancing indulged in by some lovers
    is but an invitation to the spint of impurity to take possession
    of their souls.
    In defense, therefore, of Christian virtue, and in the discharge of
    our pastoral duty to our people, both young and old we must
    state in certain and clear terms the teaching of the catechism which
    in~ists: “W_e must avoid as far as possible any person, place, or
    thm? that is hkely to tempt us to immodesty and impurity, and
    special care must be taken to avoid the near occasions of sin.” Let
    us always recall the exhortation of St. Paul: “I exhort you therefore,
    brethren, by the mercy of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice
    living, holy, pleasing to God-your spintual service” (Rom. 12:1)’.
    2) Company-Keeping and Divorced Persons
21. These principles need to be carefully weighed, in the second
    pl~ce, ~n connection with the question of company-keeping by or
    with divorced persons. Smee the prospect of a future valid marriage
    alone makes company-keeping, as described above, licit, it follows
    that such company-keeping is illicit and sinful when marriage is
    not possible either permanently, or for a long time, or probably
    27
    impossible. A penitent who persists in such kind of company-keeping
    is not properly disposed to receive absolution.
    It should be recalled here that all marriages are presumed to be
    valid until proved invalid by due process of Church law. Only
    Catholics and those marrying Catholics are bound to be married
    before a priest. Non-Catholics marrying non-Catholics before a civil
    official or minister contract valid marriages unless there is present
    an invalidating impediment. Divorced persons are still married in
    the eyes of God and must regulate their conduct with others
    accordingly. There are indeed marriages which are invalid from the
    beginning. The clearest of such cases are those which involve Catholics who have attempted marriage before a civil official or a minister.
    Nevertheless, the possibility of eventual freedom of a divorced
    person, based on a founded hope or not, does not change the nature
    of the voluntary proximate occasion of sin. Only the due process
    of Church Law can state definitely whether or not a given marriage
    was invalid from the beginning. No individual may use a private
    opinion, either his own or that of another, in this matter, as the
    basis for excusing company-keeping with such divorced persons.
    Company-keeping with or by divorced persons shows a public
    disregard of God’s law and the sacredness of the marriage vows.
    It is an invitation to others to act in like manner, and an encouragement to those already acting in this manner. Company-keeping with
    or by divorced persons carries with it all the dangers referred to
    above – the danger of committing sins against the sixth and ninth
    commandments, the danger of attempting a merely civil marriage
    with a consequent life of public sin, and of dying in this state. In
    fact, pastoral experience abundantly proves that it is the failure to
    apply these principles on company-keeping which more than anything else leads to so many invalid marriages involving divorced
    persons.
    Again, as we stated above, we would like to repeat here that these
    principles are based upon the law of Cod, and are bound up with
    the commandments of God and the doctrine of original sin. The
    doctrine of the morality involved in an occasion of sin is simply
    the logical conclusion which flows from the application of these
    principles to areas of practical living. It is obedience to God’s law,
    therefore, which obliges us in conscience to avoid the free near
    occasion of sin, and to take the proper precautions in the necessary
    near occasions of sin.
    It may be noted here in passing that it is also wrong to encourage
    or to abet such company-keeping by others. Even more so, it is
    28
    wrong to give encouragement or approval to any marriage attempted
    invalidly by or with a divorced person. Such encouragement and at
    least tacit approval is given by those who attend such weddings, or
    offer gifts on such an occasion, or otherwise through their words
    or actions seemingly approve of the sinful action.
    We fully realize the demands of Christian charity. Charity is
    the supreme law and criterion, but charity begins with the love of
    God. Love of God is expressed above all in the keeping of the commandments: “If you love me, keep my commandments” (Jn. 14:15).
    Again: “He who says that he knows him, and does not keep his
    commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him” ( 1 Jn. 2:4).
    True love of neighbor can never give approval, therefore, of our
    neighbor’s sin, since love of neighbor is based upon love of God.
    Moreover, true love of neighbor considers especially the spiritual
    welfare of our neighbor. It is not true love of neighbor, therefore,
    which either explicitly or implicitly conveys to him the impression
    that we approve of his sinful action. It is also true that we should
    not judge lest we ourselves be judged (cf. Mt. 7: 1). It is not however
    an act of rash or hypocritical judgment of the actions of others to
    recognize the clearly sinful character of such actions. The subjective
    imputability of an action we must always leave to the judgment of
    God, Who alone can read the consciences of men. But over and
    above such subjective imputability, the actions of men have an
    objective morality according as they are, or are not, in conformity
    with the law of God. We not only have a right, but a duty to
    recognize this fact, and to regulate our own conduct accordingly. It
    is necessary that we state these principles in clear and precise terms,
    so that the proper application may be made to individual cases.
    d) The Church and Pleasure
22. Nothing, therefore, of what we have said in the above, should
    be construed to conclude that pleasure in itself is wrong. It is not.
    Neither, therefore, that pleasure which is derived from association
    with others. Quite the contrary, our love of neighbor is an essential
    part of the great commandment (cf. Mt. 22:37-39), and the proof
    of the true follower of Christ (cf. Jn. 13:35). The notion that
    pleasure in itself is wrong is heretical in origin, and most harmful
    to the spiritual life of man. God made pleasure; man made pain.
    All pleasure that is not inordinate, no matter how intense it is, can
    be offered to God. It is only when pleasure becomes inordinate,
    29
    that is, contrary to the will of God, that it is wrong. No one can
    live without some pleasure, just as no one can live without some
    food and some rest.
    Hence, the Church does not make the mistake of condemning
    pleasure as evil. In fact, during the long course of her history the
    Church has been frequently accused of both extremes of laxity and
    of rigorism. The Church teaches that man is not evil or totally corrupted, even though he has within himself the effects of original
    sin. Nevertheless, the Church teaches that the passions of man
    need to be held in check by man’s spiritual nature, that his free
    will be guided by reason, and reason and conscience be guided by
    revelation. Hence, in her teaching about the obligation of avoiding
    the near free occasion of sin, the Church is merely insisting on
    the minimum mortification needed in order to avoid mortal sin.
    We fully realize that the viewpoint of many in the world runs
    counter to what we have been saying. The spirit of secularism, and
    of a militant paganism, resents the law of God for interfering
    with the full expression of human freedom. Even more so the
    spirit of secularism resents and rejects the guiding hand of authority
    which is evident in the obedience to the law of the Church required
    of every Catholic. Nevertheless, we speak out, because the heart of
    a shepherd is deeply moved by the sight of so many who are led
    astray by the viewpoint of secularism in these important matters.
    VII. MonESTY AND THE PRINTED WoRD
23. The third general area in which modesty must particularly
    exercise its influence on those who would be chaste and help others
    to preserve this virtue is that of the printed and pictured word.
    Whether we are conscious of it or not, we are influenced by the
    books, magazines, and papers which we read, and all of these leave
    their imprint on us as individuals. Back in the eighteenth century,
    Samuel Johnson expressed the same idea when he said: “Books have
    alw~ys a se_cret influence on the understanding; we cannot at pleasure
    obhte~ate ideas; ~e that _reads books of science, though without any
    fixed idea or desire of improvement, will grow more knowing; he
    that ent:rtains himself w_ith religious treatises will imperceptibly
    advance m goodness; the ideas which are offered to the mind will
    at last find a lucky moment when it is disposed to receive them.”
    Add to these observations the truth about our imagination already
    30
    referred to earlier in this letter. Our imagination is the power which
    we have of making mental pictures of the material umverse. The
    imagination can reproduce whatever our senses have experienced,
    either as these sense experiences came originally through the senses,
    or in any variety of combmations. The imagination cannot make
    pictures of what the senses cannot experience. Obviously, then,
    the picture-making power of the imagination is in direct proportion
    to the stimulation of the senses. Now, as a result of original sin,
    the imagination of man constantly tends to get out of hand. It is
    a commonplace of experience how the imagination can storm the
    will by conjuring up pictures to solicit and entice; and it is likewise
    commonplace to experience the interference of the imagination in
    the process of thinking by way of distraction, or by censoring or
    substituting for whatever the intellect is to accept.
    All these observations are true of adults, and even more so of
    children and young people, who have, as we say, impressionable
    minds. And these observations need to be kept in mind in applying
    the general principles discussed m this pastoral letter on decency
    applied to the printed and the pictured word.
24. Again, we wish to point out that it is not our purpose to
    attempt to detail every possible application of these principles to
    the printed and pictured word. Thus, for example, there would
    be much that should be said with regard to this problem as it is
    involved in the ethics of advertising. Limiting ourselves to the
    problem of decency and modesty in the printed and pictured word,
    whatever is said about books and magazines in this regard can
    readily be applied to the field of advertising.
    a) The Problem of Indecent Literature
25. “Literature mirrors the times.” No better proof of the urgency
    to return to the living of God’s law is provided than by a visit to
    the local newsstands. We do not expect a sinless literature in a
    sinful world. Evil is not something new in the world. This is a
    smful world, and the readmg habits of people will all too frequently
    reflect this sad condition. But we have a right, and a duty, to call
    sin by its proper name, and to recognize it for what it is. Adultery
    is not romance, business cheatmg is not success. Love is more than
    sex, and religion more than a funny feelmg. Civilization and culture
    are based on the dignity of man and his living, and not on the
    sordid elements of life.
    31
    Now, the moral and mental attack made by much of the current
    literature is well calculated to promote the advance of irreligion
    and atheism, and thus also foster communism. This literature is a
    contributing factor to types of crimes progressively troubling our
    lawmakers and the great body of our people. Under the guise of art,
    or romance, or travel, or science a vast output of books, booklets,
    magazines, and comics continues to stream forth from the printing
    presses of our nation, to become, in the words of an objective
    governmental survey, “the media for dissemination of artful appeals
    to sensuality, immorality, filth, perversion and degeneracy.” In fact,
    according to this same report, “so great is the exaltation of passion
    above principle, and so prevalent is the identification of lust with
    love that the casual reader of such literature might easily conclude
    that all married persons are habitually adulterous and all teenagers completely devoid of any sex inhibitions” (U. S. Cong. Committee, Union Calendar, No. 797, House Report No. 2510, p. 3).
    Thus are our national morals sabotaged and our nation’s moral tone
    brought lower and lower.
    As we have stated above several times, we wish to repeat here
    again. In the Sermon on the Mount, our Divine Savior condenms
    not only adultery, but everything that leads to it – all impure looks,
    desires, thoughts and actions. “Anyone who even looks with lust
    at a woman has already committed adultery with her in his heart”
    (Mt. 5:27-28). In the light of these clear words, there can be no
    misunderstanding about the gravely sinful nature of reading material,
    or movie and television fare, which pander to such lustful thoughts,
    desires, and looks. This means, therefore, that generally speaking
    such material is sinful for all, and not merely for the young. “We
    would warn you that there are books which are bad for everyone”
    (Pius XII).
    b) Scandal and Co-operation
26. On another occasion, when our Lord had dramatically placed
    a small child before the Apostles, He solemnly said: “Whoever
    causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it were
    better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck, and
    to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because
    of scandals! For it must needs be that scandals come, but woe to
    the man through whom scandal does cornet” (Mt. 18:6-7.)
    Scandal is any word, act, or omission that is in itself evil or has
    32
    the appearance of evil and which can be the occasion of another’s
    sin. Closely allied to the sin of scandal is the sin of co-operation,
    by which one concurs in the sinful deed of another. Such co-operation
    can take place either by concurring in the evil intention of the one
    committing sin, and then it is called formal co-operation; or it can
    take place by concurring only in the sinful act, without agreeing
    with the evil intention, and then it is called material co-operation.
    There are many different ways in which one can co-operate with
    the sin of another. Whether or not we are allowed to co-operate in
    the sinful act of another ( material co-operation), without of course
    making his evil intention our own, will depend on different circumstances, and especially on the measure of our co-operation. There
    are some things which from their very nature can have only an
    evil use. When such is the caae, no matter what our intention may
    be, we cannot co-operate with another, even under grave moral
    pressure, precisely because it is impossible to dissociate ourselves
    from the evil nature of the thing or the act.
    Thus, material co-operation in the dissemination of some books
    and magazines is permissible only for a grave reason. But professedly
    immoral literature cannot be disseminated at all without committing grave sin. This is the clear teaching of our Faith, enforced
    by the Canon Law of the Church, which states that “booksellers
    shall not sell, lend, or retain books designedly treating of obscenities”
    ( Canon 1404).
    c) The “Designedly Obscene”
27. That much of the stuff which is being peddled through pocketsize books, the magazines, and comics is “designedly obscene” can
    hardly be denied. This conclusion is true, despite the difficulties
    which the courts may have in arriving at a satisfactory definition
    of the word “obscene.” The teaching of both experience and competent theologians makes it abundantly clear that the “designedly
    obscene” would probably include a great deal more than our legislative statutes and our courts would or could include. Moreover, it
    is also evident from experience and the teaching of moral theology
    that even though much of this material might not qualify as
    “designedly obscene” in the strictly legal or canonical sense, it does
    serve as the proximate occasion of grave sin for the greater majority
    of people, both adults and young. In other words, no Catholic
    publisher, or distributor, or reader could guide himself in this ques33
    tion of scandal, or co-operation, or sin, on the basis of what a legal
    statute or a court decision may state is the meaning of the word
    “obscene.”
    d) The Current Situation
28. There are some hopeful signs that the comic book mdustry
    has initiated a movement to regulate itself. How sincere this effort
    is or how effective it will be can only be judged after it has been
    in operation for several years. While comic books have been and
    continue to be detrimental to the welfare of our children, it does
    not seem to us that they have been the principal source of the harm
    being done, although certain types of publicity ( especially that
    promoted by the publishers of other kinds of literature) have tned
    to make it seem so.
    The magazines, in recent years, it seems to us, have become worse
    rather than better. The reason is to be found in the doleful fact
    that “pornography is big business.” The pressure of other types of
    publications, particularly the pocket-size books, has induced many
    magazines to lower their standards in order to meet “competition.”
    Even the best family magazines run occasional articles along these
    lines. Also, it is to be noted that some court decisions have opened
    the way to the adoption of these lower standards, by granting the
    use of the mails to magazines containing the pictures of untouched
    nudes. Thus the sensational type of picture or photography magazine
    has been economically pressured to become even more sensational
    in their photography and display. Added to these magazines is
    another type which specializes in gossip, slander, and the revelation
    of the secret facts of people’s lives, thus adding calumny and
    slander to the degrading list.
    The worst offenders continue to be the pocket-size books. This
    situation is at once the most difficult and the most pernicious. It is
    the most difficult because of the constant flux and quick turnover
    in the market, and because of the deceptive appearances of the
    covers. Sometimes, some of the finest classics bear very salacious
    frontpieces – a trick of advertising also noticeable in the film industry. It is the most pernicious, because the content of the bad
    pocket-size books continues to be very bad, and their number does
    not seem to diminish. It is the most pernicious, because this type
    of book is being sought out not only by our young people but by
    adults as well.
    34
    e) Our Challenge
29. In striving to do something about this grave menace to the
    morals of our nation, it is important to begin with a recognition of
    the fact that there is a serious problem, and that we cannot remain
    silent or inert in the face of this problem, and thus by our silence
    to condone or to approve the evil.
    For some time now, our Christian Mothers’ Confraternity, together
    with other organizations in the Archdiocese, have engaged themselves
    to cope with this problem m one way or another. We are grateful
    for what has been accomplished in the past, and we wish to
    encourage them in their united efforts for the present and the
    future. From reports which reach us from time to time, we are
    convinced that it is necessary through these organizations to continue to bring this matter again and again to our people as a whole.
    For this reason, we wish to encourage our Christian Mothers in
    their particular apostolate, asking them to continue their co-operation
    with the National Organization for Decent Literature (NODL)
    and to bring the principles, classifications, and applications of the
    NODL work to other organizations in the Archdiocese, to parish
    societies, and to families and individuals as well.
    For this reason, also, we encouraged the establishment of an
    Archdiocesan unit of the Legion of Decency. The principal aim of
    the Legion of Decency, which was set up by the American Bishops
    in 1934, is to discourage the production and patronizing of films
    which are “not worthy of the rational nature of man” and “which
    are not morally healthy.” For this reason the Legion criticizes and
    classifies entertainment solely and exclusively from the viewpoint
    of Christian morality and decency. It is a fact that too many of our
    Catholics are frequenting motion pictures without being sufficiently
    informed as to the religious and moral quality of the film being
    shown. Some even do not seem to have any consciousness of their
    duty in this matter, particularly in protecting the young.
    The classifications of the Legion of Decency, as those also of the
    NODL, represent a practical application of the norms of moral
    theology, especially those dealing with the occasion of sin, the sin
    of co-operation, and the sin of scandal. These classifications enable
    the individual person to determine readily, promptly, and easily
    whether or not a certain film involves an occasion of sin, or the sin
    35
    of scandal or co-operation. In speaking of the right of the Church,
    through the Pope and the Bishops, to guide the faithful, our Holy
    Father, Pope Pius XII, calls that theory “reprehensible” which
    denies the Church the right to make such practical applications in
    the realm of moral conduct (November 2, 1954).
    We take this occasion, therefore, when speaking of the program
    of the Christian Mothers in the field of indecent literature, to
    encourage them and all our people to continue their co-operation
    with the Pledge of the Legion of Decency in the related fields of
    the movies and television entertainment. We remind them that our
    late Holy Father, Pope Pius XI, warmly praised the Pledge, and
    called upon all pastors of souls “to obtain each year from their
    people a pledge similar to this one, in which they promise to stay
    away from motion pictures which are offensive to truth and Christian
    morality” (Vigifanti Cura, June 29, 1936). We also call to the
    attention of our people, and particularly of our various Study and
    Group Discussion Clubs the complete address of Pope Pius XII
    on “The Ideal Film” (June 21, 1955, and October 28, 1955),
    and we ask them to make a study of this significant discourse.
    Hence, in presenting the challenge of Decency to our people,
    we do so in the realization that decency in all walks of life is most
    intimately bound up with the spirit of reverence, which has frequently been called the soul of religion. This reverence is a consciousness of the infinite holiness of God, which serves to make us
    remember our dignity as children of God, and temples of the Holy
    Ghost through divine grace, which is a participation in the holiness
    of God. We do not look upon our efforts, whether individually or
    through organizations, as “pressure movements” or as “censorship
    imposing our way of life on others, who disagree with us.” Rather,
    we look upon our efforts as the articulate voices of our people, of
    all good people, who band together for the strength that comes
    from union, and who stand up in defense of the holiness of God, and
    the standards of Christian morality.
    f) Recommendations
    With regard to the problem of Indecent Literature under discussion in this point of our pastoral letter, we would like to make
    the following recommendations.
30. FIRST, we ought to face the fact that the problem is local
    36
    r
    as well as national. In the words of one of our Representatives: “The
    thing that has appalled me is that this stuff is very big business,
    that it is going out in millions.” Almost any visit to a local store,
    newsstand, or other place of distnbution, will make anyone aware
    of the fact that some of these millions have reached the local scene.
31. SECOND, the important work has to be done on the local
    level as well as on the national level. We readily grant with a
    Congressional Committee Report that “the source of this pornographic stream is the publishing house, and while the distnbutor,
    the wholesaler, and the retailer all participate as purveyors, it is
    the publisher who is primarily responsible, since he is the architect
    and creator without whom the chain of distribution could not
    function.”
    These powerful sources, of course, have also to be reached on the
    national level, through some action resulting from Congressional
    investigations. It is hopeful to note here that the National Orgamzation for Decent Literature, of the National Catholic Welfare Conference, has had its influence felt through certain indications of
    some further attempt at self-regulation within the publishing industry.
    It is most hopeful that the concept of self -regulation has finally been
    mentioned and considered, since legal statutes will never suffice
    in matters of this kmd, The NODL, and all who co-operate with
    it, subscribe wholeheartedly to the principle of self-regulation,
    and sincerely hope that it progresses from the correction of salacious covers to the much more important correction of salacious
    content.
    On the local level, we have both the responsibility and the opportunity of achieving definite results. It is on the local level that the
    nation-wide protest began, which led to certain congressional investigations. Through such local protests, public opinion has been
    aroused, and can continue to be aroused. Through such local activity,
    greater diligence on the part of local prosecuting agencies, in
    enforcing statutes already on the books, is brought about.
    We are happy here to commend the work which has been done
    by our Metropolitan Commission on Crime Prevention, which instructed its secretary to write to more than one hundred organizations
    in the Milwaukee area urging the formation of committees to attack
    the problem. These committees, the commission said, should carry
    out educational programs to arouse parental action to combat this
    ever mcreasing blight on the youth of our community.
    We are also pleased to note the Ordmance No. 662, to create
    Section 106-7.5 of the Milwaukee Code of Ordinances, relating to
    37
    the. sale or distribution of obscene literature in the City of Milwaukee,
    which was passed and approved by the Common Council and the
    Mayor on March 7, 1956, and March 9, 1956.
    A great many communities in Wisconsin have now begun organized action to cleanse the newsstands and other points of distribution
    of this sort of thing. Effective representations have been made by a
    number of our local organizations to our representatives and senators.
    We repeat, the Federal Government can and must continue to
    do its part to help preserve civic virtue. The post office, also, can
    take legal action wherever this is indicated, and law-enforcement
    officers can prosecute according to the tenor of the law. But there
    is no substitute for effective local enforcement and effective action,
    by groups such as our Christian Mothers, and all the other organizations of men and women – parents and citizens who are truly
    interested in the welfare of their children, of themselves, and of the
    community at large.
    Most important on the local level, the small distnbutor of such
    reading material can be reached and influenced. Perhaps with all
    the promises that the publishers give, there is little hope of obtaining
    lasting effective results from that quarter. But at least we can do our
    utmost to try to remove this occasion of sin on the local level.
    Without trying to minimize the evil which is done by the publisher,
    as indicated above in the words of the congressional report, or by
    the printers, the distributors, and wholesalers as well, in the last
    analysis, it is the retailer who actually unleashes the flood of filth
    on the reading public. The retailer has the right to refuse to accept
    them. He can refuse to display them. He can refuse to sell the
    dirty ones.
    That there are many retailers who are co-operating, is evident from
    the fact that the Congressional Report states that the amount of
    unsold salacious material returned by dealers to the distributors
    . ‘
    m some instances, runs as high as 40 per cent. The report further
    states that this action is due, in part at least, to local protests. The
    records also show, in other sources, that such local action has influenced the stores on the local level which are controlled by
    national chains.
    We submit that it is our conviction that the great majority of
    local dealers, the country over, are honest, God-fearing men. Even
    though many of them do not share the same Catholic Faith which
    we cherish, they believe in the natural law and in the ten commandmen~s, and_ are also bound by them. When we protest against this
    salacious literature, we are not trying to impose some specific
    38
    \
    “Catholic teachmg” on them. We are appealmg to their own sense
    of decency and belief m the natural law, and to their concern
    for the morals of their own children.
32. Fmally, when we speak of the local level, we are thmkmg
    first and above all of the homes of our own people. This pastoral
    letter, we have said several times, is primarily directed at our own.
    What we have said about this particular point is therefore also an
    appeal to our own people to safeguard their own homes against this
    type of literature. And here may we mention again that we are
    thmkmg not merely of the evidently or designedly bad or indecent
    literature, but also of that vast output which mingles so much of
    the indecent with what is otherwise proper and decent. Hence, lest
    our recommendations be considered merely negative we exhort our
    people as follows.
    There are two pnncipal ways in which we can safeguard ourselves
    agamst the worldly mfluence of secular readmg. First, we can reduce
    the amount of such secular reading: and, second, we can increase the
    amount of our spmtual readmg. It is almost impossible to lay down
    ~ hard and. fast rule. Certainly, the layman in general must keep
    m touch with the world and modern society in which he lives and
    moves. But he must do so prudently, and in keepmg with his Chns-
    ~an vocation. The amount of secular readmg will surely vary accordmg to the particularized vocation that we have. Professional people,
    such as teachers and lawyers, will surely be required to do a great
    deal more. For all, however, it seems that we can lay down this
    general rule: we must be resolved to avoid that which is indecent
    and salacious, and that which endangers our faith. More positively,
    we must be resolved never to cease from regular reading of the
    right type.
33. THIRD, we should always remember that we are working
    for the cause of Christ. Hence we should not become discouraged.
    We are working for the purity and the integrity of our children, and
    of ourselves. This is the kind of virtuous effort which requires constant renewal of intention, and the manly determination not to be
    ?iscour~ged by the lack of success on a large scale, or the seemingly
    impossible odds. If we succeed in persuadmg even one dealer to
    eliminate the distribution of such literature, we shall have done
    something very worthwhile. Nay much more, if we are God’s instruments in helping to prevent the commission of even one mortal
    sin, we shall be blessed by our Lord. We are also working for
    the welfare of our country, which can become greater and stronger
    only in proportion to the moral health of its citizens. Above all,
    39
    however, we are working for Christ, and therefore we must perform
    our work with great charity.
    In the light of these exhortations, we caution our Christian
    Mothers, and all others who unite with them in this work, not to
    expect too much from legal statutes and court decisions. These never
    will, nor can they take the place of the intensive personal, local
    activity, and the follow-through on such efforts which count. We
    urge them not to lose heart, in the remembrance that spiritual works
    of mercy are of greater value than corporal works of mercy. Hence,
    of spiritual works of mercy the words of our Lord apply with even
    greater force: “As long as you did it for one of these the least my
    brethren, you did it for me.” Most earnestly, do we caution against
    the resort to threats or recriminations. Charity, in the language
    of St. Paul, is tactful, charily is patiently persistent. We must not
    forget that there are many people who honestly disagree with us
    in fundamental issues. The fact that these people are sincere in their
    opinions does not mean that we must concede these opinions themselves, or that we ourselves should be less vigorous in the defense
    of what we hold to be the truth. But it does mean that we must
    treat them with charity and with respect, and that we cannot use
    force successfully in a cause of this kind.
    VIH. CONCLUSION
34. Thus, Dearly Beloved, we have wished to bring these matters
    to your attention in conjunction with the annual convention of our
    Archdiocesan Confraternity of Christian Mothers. We have concluded the writing of these various points at the beginning of this
    month of May, which we dedicate to the Immaculate Mother of
    God. The convention of our Christian Mothers itself is annually
    held during this month, during which also our nation sets aside a
    special Sunday on which to honor mothers. Hence, we have felt
    that it is most fitting to appeal especially lo mothers to give us
    the greatest possible assistance in the important matters discussed
    in this letter.
    We have not indeed touched upon all the subjects which are of
    concern to us in the general matter of decency and modesty. Neither,
    as we have stated several times in this letter, have we attempted to
    spell out the detailed application of principles. Like St. John the
    Baptist, we have wanted, however, to be a voice crying out in defense
    40
    of our cherished Christian standards of modesty and punty. We
    realize fully that the aggressive attitude of modern matenalism and
    exaggerated freedom will dispute, or even scorn what we have said.
    Lest it be thought, however, that silence gives consent to these
    modem trends, as a shepherd of souls, heeding the call of our Chief
    Shepherd, the Vicar of Chnst, we have felt obligated to proclaim
    to our people that we cannot approve these violations of Christian
    modesty and decency: “If thou dost not speak to warn the wicked
    man from hrs way, that wicked man shall die m his irnquity, but
    I will require his blood at thy hand. But if thou tell the wicked
    man, that he may be converted from his ways, and he be not
    converted from his way, he shall die in his iniquity but thou hast
    delivered thy soul” ( Ezech. 3 3: 8-9) .
    Dearly Beloved, the struggle against immodesty is only part of
    everyone’s battle against the world, the devil, and the flesh. We do
    not say that modesty and purity are the chief virtues of the Christian.
    The chief virtue and adornment of the Clmstian soul is charity –
    love of God above all things, and love of neighbor for the love of
    God. Charity is the essence of Christian perfection. But we do
    say that the struggle for purity is a most important element in the
    warfare against the enemies of chanty. Immodesty and indecency
    are the chief means of enslaving men to the vice of unchastity and
    impurity, and this vice is particularly corrosive of true charity. Let
    us heed, therefore, the warnings of our Divine Savior to pluck out
    the eye that causes us scandal (cf. Mt. 18: 7-9). Let us hold high
    the true ideal of the Christian who accepts fully the charter of
    Christian perfection: “Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall
    see God” (Mt. 5:3-12).
    In calling particularly upon our Christian Mothers to assist us in
    this crusade, we ask them m their prayers, in their studies, and in
    their activities to strive to reduce what we have said to the practical
    level of everyday living. To encourage them further not to lose
    heart m the daily battle, I would like to recall these following words
    of Pope Pius XII, addressed several years ago to a gathenng of
    Catholic Mothers:
    “You have to prepare your sons and daughters so that they may
    pass with unfaltermg step, like those who pick their way among
    serpents, through that time of cnsis and physical change; and pass
    through it without losmg any of the joy of mnocence, preservmg
    that natural instinct of modesty, with which Providence has girt
    them as a check to wayward passion. That sense of modesty, which
    in its spontaneous abhorrence from the impure, is akin to the sense
    41
    of religion, is made of little account m these days. BUT YOU
    MOTHER:; WILL TAKE CARE that your children do not lose
    it through anything unbecoming in dress or self-adornment, through
    unbecommg famihanties of immoral spectacles; on the contrary,
    you will seek to make it more delicate, more alert, more upnght,
    more smcere.”
35. Finally, we ask our people to make the following pledge to our
    Blessed Mother, with a prayer for her abidmg maternal assistance:
    a) Pledge of Modesty
    “I believe in the virtue of modesty as the guardian of chashty.
    I pledge myself to hve and fight for the ideals of the virtue of punty
    and the observance of modesty. In particular, I pledge myself to
    live and fight for more decency in the prmted and spoken word, and
    for a Mary-like modesty m dress and action. I promise also to set an
    example for my family and my associates, and to let others know
    where I stand m such matters, in the hope of leading them to greater
    punty of life. I hope to maintain these ideals by cultivating a strong
    personal devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to the Immaculate
    Heart of Mary.”
    b) Prayer
    “O Mary, thou art the most fruitful of mothers, and the most
    chaste of virgins. With the most profound respect, I venerate the
    mysterious union of these prerogatives in thee; and I congratulate
    thee on thy exemption from all these miseries of our condition –
    on thy spotless purity, and on thy divine motherhood for which it
    prepared thee.
    “O Virgin Mother! protect me through thy heavenly purity,
    and defend me against so many enemies who surround me, and seek
    to deprive me of this most precious possession. Obtain for me, most
    pure Virgin, the grace to aim at the perfection of this virtue, by
    cautious vigilance over my unruly passions, and by carefully avoidmg
    whatever might render me unworthy to be called thy child.
    “Help me to assist others, as far as it lies in my power, in the
    practice and observance of modesty and punty. I am resolved never
    to give scandal to others, and to do what I can to remove the occasions of sin. 0 Mary, Mother of pure souls, show thyself a mother
    42
    to me now and at the hour of my death, and bring me to the
    blessed happiness promised to those who are clean of heart – the
    contemplation and enjoyment of God m Heaven. Amen.”
    With blessing upon all, I remain
    Very sincerely yours m the Hearts of Jesus and Mary,

• ALBERT G. MEYER
  Archbishop of Milwaukee
  Given at the Chancery Office
  Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  May 1, 1956