These encyclicals, while condemning the ideas of ecumenism or the primacy of civil and secular society, do not always mention Freemasonry by name. .

Papal pronouncements The Roman Catholic Church has always jealously guarded her prerogatives as a spiritual and temporal authority; never accepting that freedom of conscience might be considered a natural right. The following constitute the majority of her condemnations of liberalism and toleration. Clement XII’s In Eminenti, Pius IX’s Quanti Cura and Leo XIII’s Humanum Genus are of particular interest to Freemasons. . Clement XII Apr 28 1738 In Eminenti c. Benedict XIV May 18 1751 Providas Pius VII Sep 13 1821 Ecclesiam Leo XII Mar 13 1826 Quo Graviora Pius VIII May 21 1829 Traditi Humilitati e. Pius VIII Mar 25 1830 † Litteris altero Gregory XVI Aug 15 1832 Mirari Vos e. Pius IX Nov 9 1846 ‡ Qui Pluribus e. Pius IX Apr 20 1849 ? Quibus Quantisque Malis a. Pius IX Dec 8 1864 ‡ Quanta Cura e. Syllabus of Errors Pius IX Sep 25 1865 Inter Multiplices a. Pius IX Oct 12 1869 ‡ Apostolicae Sedis c. Pius IX Nov 21 1873 ? Etsi Multa e. Leo XIII Jun 29 1881 †‡ Diuturnum Leo XIII Feb 15 1882 ‡ Etsi Nos e. Leo XIII Mar 20 1884 Humanum Genus e. Leo XIII Dec 22 1887 † Officio sanctissimo Leo XIII Oct 15 1890 Dall'alto Dell'apostolico Seggio e. Leo XIII Dec 8 1892 † Custodi di quella fede Leo XIII Dec 8 1892 † Inimica vis Leo XIII Jun 20 1894 Praeclara Leo XIII Mar 18 1902 Annum Ingressi Paul VI Nov 21 1964 ‡ Unitatis redintegratio Paul VI Oct 28 1965 ‡ Nostra Aetate VIEW THE VATICAN WEBSITE ‡ Documents only indirectly related to Freemasonry. † Not included in Coil’s Masonic Dictionary ? Not listed in Papal Encyclicals or Papal Pronouncements a. Allocution c. Constitution e. Encyclical This is an incomplete list and should not be considered authoritative. * Papal Pronouncements Although the name "bull" is a popular term used for all kinds of instruments which issue from the papal chancery, few of the condemnations of Freemasonry are strictly speaking bulls. The pronouncements regarding Freemasonry fall into three catagories: encyclicals, constitutions and allocutions. The name is derived from the bulla, a double sided lead seal appended to a document by two strings with the heads of the Apostles Peter and Paul on one side and the Pope’s name on the other. It first appeared under Paschal II (1099-1118). Documents containing legal decrees of permanent legal force, originally termed privileges, had by the early 13th century evolved into two distinct groups: solemn privileges and letters. Solemn privileges can be distinguished by the enlarged letters of the first line, the phrase in perpetuum at the end of the address and the threefold Amen. Letters fell into two catagories, one in which the bull was fastened with silken cords (litterae cum serico) brought benefit to the recipient, and the other, fastened with a hempen cord, (litterae cum filo canapis) contained either orders or papal delegation in a dispute. The use of solemn privileges was discontinued by the end of the 13th century, their function partially replaced by increasingly elaborate litterae cum serico and the development of the papal bull, distinguished primarily by the superscription ad perpetuam rei memoriam ("that the matter may be perpetually known"). In official language papal documents have at all times been called by various names: there are "constitutions," decisions addressed to all the faithful and determining some matter of faith or discipline; "encyclicals," which are letters sent to all the bishops of Christendom, or at least to all those in one particular country, and intended to guide them in their relations with their flocks; "decrees," pronouncements on points affecting the general welfare of the Church; "decretals" (epistolae decretales), which are papal replies to some particular difficulty submitted to the Holy See, but having the force of precedents to rule on all analogous cases. "Rescript," again, is a form applicable to almost any form of Apostolic letter which has been elicited by some previous appeal, while the nature of a "privilege" speaks for itself. But all these, down to the fifteenth century, seem to have been expedited by the papal chancery in the shape of bulls authenticated with leaden seals, and it is common enough to apply the term bull even to those very early papal letters of which we know little more than the substance, independently of the forms under which they were issued. A Papal Allocution is a solemn form of address or speech from the throne delivered by the pope only in a secret consistory at which the cardinals alone are present. Such allocations, though delivered in secret, are usually published for the purpose of making clear the attitude of the Holy See on a given question. An Encyclical ( Litterae Encyclicae) is a circular letter. In modern times, usage has confined the term almost exclusively to certain papal documents which differ in their technical form from the ordinary style of either Bulls or Briefs, and which in their superscription are explicitly addressed to the patriarchs, primates, archbishops, and bishops of the Universal Church in communion with the Apostolic See. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, "it is generally admitted that the mere fact that the pope should have given to any of his utterances the form of an encyclical does not necessarily constitute it an ex-cathedra pronouncement and invest it with infallible authority." Ecclesiastical Letters (Litterae Ecclestiasticae) are publications or announcements of the organs of ecclesiastical authority, e. g. the synods, more particularly, however, of popes and bishops, addressed to the faithful in the form of letters. Papal Constitutions (Constituere) are ordinations issued by the Roman pontiffs and binding those for whom they are issued, whether they be for all the faithful or for special classes or individuals. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia,"the binding force of pontifical constitutions, even without the acceptance of the Church, is beyond question." Letters emanating from the pope, though all designated constitutions, receive more specific names according to their form and their subject matter. As to their form, pontifical constitutions may be either Bulls or Briefs. The former are used for the more important and permanent decrees and begin: Pius (or name of pope) Episcopus, Servus servorum Dei; the latter are headed by the name of the ruling pontiff: Pius PP. X. The term constitution, if used in a restricted sense, denotes some statute which the pope issues in solemn form either to the whole Christian world or to part of it, with the intention of permanently binding those to whom it is addressed. When the papal letters are addressed to the bishops of the entire Church, they are denominated Encyclicals. This is the most usual form employed by the popes for treating questions of doctrine and discipline. When pontifical enactments take the form of responses they are called decretal epistles. If they be issued motu proprio (without a request having been made to the Holy See), they are called decreta, though this name has also a more general significance. Ordinances issued to individuals concerning matters of minor or transient importance are called Rescripts. Papal Bull of Leo X: Robert Wylie, History of the Mother Lodge, Kilwinning, from the earliest period till the present time, with notes on the abbey. Glasgow : John Tweed , 1882. p. 10. Portrait of Pius IX: Evert A. Duyckinick, Portrait Gallery of Eminent Men and Women in Europe and America. New York: Johnson, Wilson Company, 1873. * Also see Papal Bulls against Masonry web.mit.edu/dryfoo/Masonry/Misc/papal_bulls.html

ANTI-MASONRY | FAMOUS FREEMASONS | HOME | ESSAYS & PAPERS | SITEMAP

© 1871-2024 Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon A.F. & A. M. Updated: March 15, 2001 freemasonry.bcy.ca/anti-masonry/papal_encyclicals.html