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Secondary sourceDocument29 June 1923

Studiorum Ducem

Pius XI · 29 June 1923

A 1923 papal encyclical by Pope Pius XI that honours Thomas Aquinas on the sixth centenary of his canonisation and urges that his teaching be studied in Catholic schools.

Shows how a 1923 pope honoured Aquinas and promoted his teaching, which is why the encyclical belongs in his archive.

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First page of the printed Latin encyclical Studiorum Ducem in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis, Annus XV, Vol. XV, 5 Iulii 1923, Num. 7. Headings read Acta Pii PP. XI, Litterae Encyclicae, addressed to venerable brethren, and the text begins with Studiorum Ducem sacrae iuventuti.
Pius XI, Studiorum Ducem, Acta Apostolicae Sedis, 5 July 1923. Wikimedia Commons.

About this source

What it is

This is the first page of the Latin encyclical Studiorum Ducem, issued by Pope Pius XI on 29 June 1923. It was printed in the official Acta Apostolicae Sedis, Annus XV, Vol. XV, 5 July 1923, Num. 7. The letter is addressed to patriarchs, archbishops and bishops of the Church. It marks the six hundredth year since Thomas Aquinas was declared a saint and recalls an earlier apostolic letter that made his teaching required for advanced church studies.

Why it matters

The encyclical shows how the Church of the 1920s used Thomas's name to set the standards for Catholic education. It is a document about his legacy rather than his own writing, and it reveals what the papacy wanted students and teachers to learn from him.

Look closer

  • Who is the letter addressed to, and why would the Pope write to these readers?
  • What reasons does the text give for studying Thomas in schools?
  • What does the letter leave out about Thomas's critics or the debates of his own time?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Saint Thomas Aquinas on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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