EXTRAORDINARY DOCUMENTS,
EMANATING FROM
HIS HOLINESS THE POPE


AND


EX-GOVERNOR SEWARD.

Circular Letter from His Holiness the Pope


ITO all Pstrlarchs, Primates, Archbish-
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nation they may appear, are daily making IN ou
age, to seduce the truly faithful, and deprive then
of the holy instructions OF the iailh (es saints
seignemens de la Joi), the efforts OF those Bible
societies are conspicuous, which, originally estab
llshed IN England, and propagated throughout iht
universe, labor everywhere TO disseminate The
books OF the Holy Scriptures, translated into the
vulgar tongue; consIgn them to the private inter
pre- etation OF each, alike amongst Christians aDC
amongst infdels continue what st. Jerome for
merly complained Of pretending 10 popularse the
holy pages, and render Them Ineligible, withou


the aid of any Interpreter, TO persons OF every con-
light-headed old man (uienard dilerant), TO the
worldly caviller (verbevr sopiste), to all. in short
and even by absurdity great as unheard OF, to
the most hardened lnfidels.


You are but TOO well aware, my reverend breth-
ren, to what the efforts OF these societies tend
You know what is revealed IN the Holy Scriptures,
and what is the advice Of st. Peter, the Prince oi
the Apostles


After having quoted the Epistles of st. Paul
they contain, says he, many things hard to be un-
derstood, which they that are unlearned and un.
stable wres, they do also the Other Scriptures,
unto their own destruction. Then you know what
these things, beware lest ye also. being led away
with the error OF the wicked, fall from your own
steadfastness. 2i Peter, C. iii. v. l6, II.


You see what was even in the earliest times Of
the Church the appropriate arices OF hertlcs; and
how, discarding divine tradition and Catholic en-.
llghtenment they already strove to either material
w lnterpolate the sacred text to corrupt its true
Interpretation. You are also aware with what eau
ton and wisdom the words OF the Lord ought to
be translated into another tongue, and yet nothing
is more common than to see these versions multi.
piled, to admit, either through imprudence or
malice, the grave errors OF so many interpreters
errors which dssemble too frequently, by their null
tipliclty and variety, to the misery OF souls. So tar
as In. Sc societies are concerned it matters little
whether those who read the holy books, translated
into vulgar language, fall irto this or that error
They only care auddclousy to stimulate all to a
private Interpretation OF the divine oracles TO in
spire contempt for divine traditions, which the
Catholic Church preserves upon the authority OF
the holy fathers-in word to cause them to reject
even the authority of the Church herself. This is
the reason why the Bible societies care not to Ca
lumniate her (the Church) and the august throne
Of ST. Peter, as if she had wished for ages to de-
prive the faithful of the knowledge OF the holy
books, when the most forcbe evidence will prove
the imme memorlal and particular care which the Sow.
ereign Pontifis even down 10 the most modern
times, and in conjunction with their Catholic pas
tors, have taken 10 ground the people IN the Word
Of Cod whether written or delivered by tradition.


In the first place, il is known that, by the DEGREES
of the Holy Council of Trent. bishops are enjoin.
to see that the Holy Scriptures and Divine Laws be
more frequently taught in thelrdloceses tits known
that exceeding the prescriptions 1t the Council
Of Latern (l2l5), the Council OF Trent recommends
that there should be in the several cathedral
churches and colleglates of the towns and cantons


stipend provided for Doctor OF Divinity, and that
none should be appointed 10 that office, but man
fully competent TO teach and expound the Holy
Scripture II is known how frequently, in The pro-
vincial councils which followed this prebendary,
founded upon the decree Of the Council of Trent,
was mentioned, and how often the Instructions
which the canon entrusted with this Office should
deliver to the clergy and people, were taken into
consideration.


The same disposition Ito instruct the people in
the Word Of Cody was especially observable in the
Council OF Rome IN the year l725, to which our
-. Iavn A.nf xi hot,
summoned not only all the Prelates OF the omish
Church, but even great number Of Archbishops,
Bishops, and other ordnaries Immediately subject
to the Holy See. The same desire animated the
Roman PontiH of whom we have been speaking,


n the various edicts which he issued and address
ed to all the Bishops of Italy and the neighboring
stands. In short, you yourselves, my venerable
orethern, who are IN the habit Of forwarding to the
Holy See at stated Intervals everything calculated
70 interest region-you know, by the repeated an
,wers which our Congregational Council has
returned either to yourselves or your predecessors,
how much the Holy Romish Church rejoces, in
concert with the Bishops, when they have in their
doceses theologians who acquit themselves with
honor their duty in expoundlng the Holy Books,
and that she negects opportunity OF encouraging
and supporting them


tongue; it is long since pastors found themselves
necesstated 10 turn their attention particularly to
the versions current at secret conventcles, ard
which heretics labored, at great expense, to dis
scmnate.


Hence the warning and DEGREES Of our predeces.
sor Innocent III, OF happy memory, on the subject
Of lay societies and meetings Of women, who had
assembled themselves in the diocese of Metz loi
objects oi pety and the study of the Holy Scrip
lures. Hence the prohibitions which subsequent.
iy appeared in France and Spain, during the slx-
teeEth century, with respect to the vulgar Bible (re
iativement aur Bibles vutgdues) II became ne.
cessary subsequently to take even greater rrecau,
tions, when the pretended Reformers, Luther and
Calvin, daring, by multiplicity and incredible va
riety of errors, 10 attack the immuable doctrine
Of the Faith, omitted nothing in order to seduce
the faithful by their false interpretations and trans
ations into the vernacular tongue, which the then
novel invention OF printing contributed more rapid
y to propagate and multiply. Whence il was &C.
nerally laid down in the regulations dictated by
the Fathers, adopted by the Council Of Trent, and
approved by our predecessor Plus VII, of happy
memory and which (regulations) are prefxed e
the list Of prohibited books. that the reading OF the
Holy Bible translated into the vulgar tongue, should
not be permitted except to these to whom It might
be deemed necessary 10 confirm in the faith and
piety Subsequently, when heretics still persisted
in their frauds, It became necessary Tor Benedict
XIV. 10 superadd the injunction that no versions
whatever should be 81 fiered to be read but those
which should be approved of by the Holy See, ac-
companied by notes derived from the writings oi
the Holy Fathers, or other learned and Catholic
authors. Notwithstanding this, some new sectari
ans Of the school of Jansenius, after the example
of the Lutherans and Calvlnlsts, feared not tc
DdHlc tHcSt JustilldUc pcCautlOus vi Tie hpoStUH
cal See, as il the reading Of the Holy books hac
been at all times and for all the faithful, useful
| and SO Indispensable that authority could as
sail it.


But we find this audacious assertion Of the sec
OF Jansenius withered by the most rigorous cen
sures in the solemn sentence which was pro
nounced against their doctrine, with the assent o
the whole Catholic universe, by two sovereign
ponffs of modern times, Clement XI.. in his pn
in genitus constitution OF the year l7l3 and Plu
W., in his constitution amct0rem fdei, OF the yea
1874.


Consequently, before the establishment Of Bibl
societies thought Of the DEGREES OF the Church, whic
we have quoted, were intended to guard the faithful
against the frauds Of herecs who cloak themselves unde


the specious pretex that is necessary to propagate
render the study OF the holy books. Since the
predecessor Plus VII Of glorious memory, observin
the Vaccinations Of these societies increase under hi
pontfcate did not 10 oppose their efforts, at on
time through the medium of the apostocal nuncios,
another by letters and decree emanatng from the
raj congregations Of cardinals OF the Holy Church, and
another by the two pontca letters addressed to the Bsf
op Of Gnessn and the Archbishop of Mohilf After hin
another of holy predecessors Leo XII reproved tn