Pius XII emphasizes vigor and fertility of works as characteristic of genuine nobility and encourages
the nobles to contribute such qualities to the common good.
“Vigor and fruitful works! Behold two characteristics of true nobility, to which heraldic symbols,
stamped in bronze or carved in marble, are a perennial testimony, for they represent as it were the
visible thread of the political and cultural history of more than a few glorious cities of Europe. It is
true that modern society is not accustomed by preference to wait for your class to “set the tone” before
starting works and confronting events; nevertheless, it does not refuse the cooperation of the brilliant
minds among you, since a wise portion thereof retains an appropriate respect for tradition and prizes
high decorum, whatever its origins. And the other part of society, which displays indifference and
perhaps disdain for ancient ways of life, is not entirely immune to the seduction of glory; so much so,
that it tries very hard to create new forms of aristocracy, some worthy of respect, others based on
vanity and frivolity, satisfied with merely appropriating the inferior elements of the ancient
institutions.” (1958 allocution to the Roman Patriciate and Nobility.)
In this paragraph, Pius XII seems to be refuting an objection possibly raised by discouraged
aristocrats appalled by the egalitarian wave already spread throughout the modern world. According
to these aristocrats, the world scorns the nobility and refuses to collaborate with it.
Regarding this objection, the Pontiff reasons that one can distinguish two tendencies in modern
society in face of the nobility. One “retains an appropriate respect for tradition and prizes high
decorum, whatever its origins,” by which “it does not refuse the cooperation of the brilliant minds
among you.” The other tendency, which consists in exhibiting “indifference and perhaps disdain for
ancient ways of life, is not entirely immune to the seduction of glory.” Pius XII notes expressive
evidence of this disposition of spirit.
In accordance with these observations, an adaptation to the modern world—so much more egalitarian
than pre-World War II Europe—does not mean that the nobility should renounce its traditions and
disappear in the general leveling. Rather, it means that it should courageously continue a past
inspired by perennial principles. The Pontiff emphasizes the highest among these, namely, fidelity to
the Christian ideal.
“Also do not forget Our appeals to banish from your hearts all despondency and cowardice in face of
the evolution of the times, and Our exhortations to adapt yourselves courageously to the new
circumstances by keeping your gaze fixed on the Christian ideal, the true and indelible entitlement to
genuine nobility.” (1958 allocution to the Roman Patriciate and Nobility.)
In consequence, the nobles should not renounce their ancestral glory. Instead, they ought to preserve
it for their respective lineages and, even more; for the benefit of the common good as the worthwhile
contribution they are still capable of making. The Pontiff does not desire, then, the disappearance of
the nobility from the profoundly transformed social context of our day. On the contrary, he invites its
members to exert the necessary effort to maintain their position as the leading class among the groups
that direct the present world. In expressing this wish, the Pontiff includes a singular nuance: The
persistence of the nobility among these groups should have a traditional meaning, that is, a sense of
continuity, of permanence.
Pius XII insists on the nobility’s permanence in the post-war world, so long as it truly distinguishes
itself in the moral qualities it should manifest.