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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ACTIVE VIRTUES
Term used by Pope Leo XIII in his in his condemnation of Americanism in 1899. It refers to such practices as humanitarianism, eugenic reform, and democracy, which proponents of Americanism said were to be fostered in preference to such virtues as humility and subjection to authority. In general, active virtues correspond to what is commonly associated with American activism.
