Testem benevolentiae nostrae

Testem benevolentiae nostrae is an apostolic letter written by Pope Leo XIII to Cardinal James Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore, dated January 22, 1899.

Pope Leo XIII was concerned about the culture of Catholics in the United States in response to the preface of the French translation of the biography of the American priest Isaac Thomas Hecker.

Cloud, with Archbishop John Ireland and his supporters within the American hierarchy are well-documented, played a major role, as an official of the Roman Curia, in Testem Benevolentiae, which was signed by the Pope on 22 January, 1899.

[4] Leo expresses concern that Americans would value their freedom and individualism so much that they would reject the idea of monasteries and the priesthood: "Did not your country, the United States, derive the beginnings both of faith and of culture from the children of these religious families?

"[3] In November 1892, at a meeting of the archbishops held in New York City, Bishop Francesco Satolli, who would soon be the first apostolic delegate to the United States, presented 14 propositions regarding the solution of certain school problems that had been for some time under discussion.