The following extracts from the letter of the present Pope, dated 8th of
May, 1844, show that the decree of the Council of Trent is still in full
force with reference to the circulation of the Scriptures:—
“To return to Bibles translated into the vulgar tongue. It is long since
pastors found themselves necessitated to turn their attention
particularly to the versions current at secret conventicles, and which
heretics laboured, at great expense, to disseminate.
“Hence the warning and decrees of our predecessor, Innocent III., of
happy memory, on the subject of lay societies and meetings of women, who
had assembled themselves in the diocese of Metz, for objects of piety and
the study of the Holy Scriptures. Hence the prohibition which
subsequently appeared in France and Spain during the sixteenth century,
with respect to the vulgar Bible. It became necessary, subsequently, to
take even greater precautions, when the pretended Reformers, Luther and
Calvin, daring by a multiplicity and incredible variety of errors, to
attack the immutable doctrine of the faith, omitted nothing in order to
seduce the faithful by their false interpretations, and translations into
their vernacular tongues, which the then novel invention of printing
contributed more rapidly to propagate and multiply. Whence it was
generally laid down in the regulations dictated by the Fathers, adopted
by the Council of Trent, and approved of by our predecessor, Pius VII.,
of happy memory, and which regulations are prefixed to the list of
prohibited books, that the reading of the holy Bible translated into the
vulgar tongue, should not be permitted except to those to whom it might
be deemed necessary to confirm in the faith and piety. Subsequently,
when heretics still persisted in their frauds, it became necessary for
Benedict XIV. to superadd {96} the injunction that no versions whatever
should be suffered to be read but those which should be approved of by
the Holy See, accompanied by notes derived from the writings of the holy
Fathers, or other learned and Catholic authors. Notwithstanding this,
some new sectarians of the school of Jansenius, after the example of the
Lutherans and Calvinists, feared not to blame these justifiable
precautions of the Apostolical See, as if the reading of the holy books
had been at all times, and for all the faithful, useful, and so
indispensable that no authority could assail it.
“But we find this audacious assertion of Jansenius, withered by the most
rigorous censures in the solemn sentence, which was pronounced against
their doctrine, with the assent of the whole Catholic universe, by the
sovereign pontiffs of modern times, Clement XI. in his _unigenitus_
constitution of the year 1713, and Pius VI. in his constitution _auctorem
fidei_ of the year 1794.
“Consequently, even before the establishment of Bible Societies was
thought of, the decrees of the Church which we have quoted, were intended
to guard the faithful against the frauds of heretics, who cloak
themselves under the specious pretext that it is necessary to propagate
and render common the study of the holy books. Since then, our
predecessor, Pius VII. of glorious memory, observing the machinations of
these societies to increase under his pontificate, did not cease to
oppose their efforts, at one time through the medium of the apostolical
nuncios, at another by letters and decrees, emanating from the several
congregations of cardinals of the holy Church, and at another by the two
pontifical letters addressed to the Bishops of Gnesen and the Archbishop
of Mohilif. After him, another of our holy predecessors, Leo XII.,
reproved the operations of the Bible Societies, by his circulars
addressed to all the Catholic pastors in the universe, under the date of
May 5th, 1824.
“Shortly afterwards, our immediate predecessor, Pius VIII. of happy
memory, confirmed their condemnation by his circular letter of May 24,
1829. We, in short, who succeeded them, notwithstanding our great
unworthiness, have not ceased to be solicitous on this subject, and have
especially studied to bring to the recollection of the faithful, the
several rules which have been successively laid down with regard to the
vulgar versions of the holy books.”
And again.
“Let all know then the enormity of the sin against God and the church
which they are guilty of, who dare to associate themselves with any of
these (the bible) societies, or abet them in any way. Moreover, we
confirm and renew the decrees recited above, delivered in former times by
apostolic authority against the publication, distribution, reading, and
possession of books of the Holy Scriptures translated into the vulgar
tongue. With reference to the works of whatsoever writer we call to
mind, the observance of the general rules and decrees of our
predecessors, to be found prefixed to the _index_ of prohibited books:
and we invite the faithful to be upon their guard, not only against the
books named in the _index_, but also against those prescribed in the
general prescriptions.”