In necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas (original) (raw)

The Latin phrase in necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas means "in certain things unity; in doubtful things liberty; in all things charity". It is often misattributed to St. Augustine of Hippo, but seems to have been first used in the seventeenth century by a German Lutheran theologian called Rupertus Meldenius in the form "in necesariis unita_[s_], in non-necessariis liberta_[s_], in utrisque charita_[s_]", meaning "in certain things, unity; in uncertain things, liberty; and in both, charity". It is widely quoted in defence of theological and religious freedom. This phrase is the motto of the �CV, the association of Catholic student fraternities of Austria.