Catholic Dictionary

Find accurate definitions of over 5,000 Catholic terms and phrases (including abbreviations). Based on Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

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DIVIDE ET IMPERA

Divide and rule. Originally a policy of the Roman Empire, to rule its subject people by dividing them into provinces. These provinces were the first dioceses of the Catholic Church. The term is used in ascetical theology to describe an effective method of acquiring self-mastery by concentrating on one virtue or one failing at a time.