Christianity and colonization were closely connected during this era. Many missionaries, like many colonial political rulers, believed that part of their role was to bring modern civilization to Africa. European Protestants considered literacy, hard work, time consciousness, democracy, and self-discipline—all hallmarks of modern, Western culture—to be necessary components of Christian living. Catholics held similar views. Pope Pius XI explained in his encyclical Rerum ecclesiae (1926) that the Catholic
Page 49