The Church studies her history to better live the faith today

By Andrea Tornielli

Saint Philip Neri, it is said, used to tell his friend Cesare Baronio, the founder of modern Catholic historiography: "Come at least once a month to teach Church history to our students, because they no longer know it. And if they do not know history, they will eventually no longer know the faith."

This emphasis on studying history is more relevant than ever, as highlighted by Pope Francis in his letter released on Thursday, entitled “Renewal of the Study of Church History.”

As with his letter in August, which focused on the importance of literature, the Successor of Peter speaks primarily to priests regarding their formation, but he also sheds light on a subject that concerns everyone.

Studying Church history is a way to preserve memory and build the future, as well as the best way to interpret the reality that surrounds us.

Educating younger generations to delve into the past, resist oversimplified slogans, and navigate through the maze of millions of "news" items—often false, biased, or incomplete—is a mission that involves us all.

Saint Philip Neri’s words underscore the unique connection between Christian faith and history.

The incarnation, death, and resurrection of the Son of God is an event that split human history into a "before" and "after." Catholic faith is not, above all, an idea, philosophy, or morality; it is a relationship, life, concreteness, and history.

We are Christians because of a testimony handed down from mother to son, father to daughter, from grandparents to grandchildren. Tracing this chain backward leads us to the first witnesses—the apostles—who each day shared the entire public life of Jesus.

This love for history, accompanied by a perspective of faith, also allows us to examine the Church’s less noble and darker pages.

“Study without prejudice, because the Church does not need lies but only the truth,” said Pope Leo XIII when he opened what was then the Vatican Secret Archives in 1889.

Studying history obviously puts us in touch with the "stains" and "wrinkles" of the past.

In his letter, Pope Francis explains that “Church history helps us to see the real Church and to love the Church as she truly exists, and love what she has learnt and continues to learn from her mistakes and failures."

Awareness of even her darkest moments enables the Church to understand "the stains and wounds" of today’s world.

The Pope’s perspective has nothing to do with any form of apologetic concern that seeks to present an idealized reality, just as it distances itself from ideological tendencies that portray the Church as a cesspool of evildoers.

In reality, if the Church can genuinely confront every aspect of her past, she is more likely to remain humble because she recognizes that humanity is saved by the Lord, not by pastoral marketing strategies or the prominence of any trendy individual.