THE POPE’S ENCYCLICAL LETTER., the 5th day of February, of the year 1875, and the twenty-ninth year of our pontificate

THE POPE’S ENCYCLICAL LETTER.

Encyclical letter of our Most Holy Father Pius IX, by divine Providence Pope, to the archbishops and bishops of the Kingdom of Prussia.

Pope Pius IX to his venerable brethern the archbishops and bishops of the Kingdom of Prussia, greeting and apostolic benediction!

What we never thought would happen, when we recollected the stipulations which had been made in the year 1821 between this Apostolic See and the government of Prussia for the safety and welfare of the Catholic cause, has now unhappily come to pass, venerable brethren, in your country, where the tranquillity that was enjoyed by the church of God has been succeeded by a sudden and raging tempest. To the recently enacted laws, which bore so heavily upon many of the clergy and of the faithful who had steadfastly adhered to duty, others have now been added, which entirely subvert the divine constitution of the church, and render the sacred rights of her bishops completely nugatory, inasmuch as thay give lay judges the power to deprive bishops and other ecclesiastical officers of their episcopal dignity and jurisdiction.

These same laws have laid many and great obstacles in the way of those who are called to exercise lawful jurisdiction during the absence of the shepherds. These laws permit the chapters of the metropolitan churches to elect, in violation of the canons, capitulary vicars while the episcopal see is not yet vacant. Without touching upon points, do not these laws authorize the prefects themselves to appoint in the place of bishops men who are not Catholics, and to give them the charge of ecclesiastical property intended for the support of the clergy and the churches? You are but too well aware, venerable brethren, of the injuries, the vexations, and the hardships which have been occasioned by the enforcement of these laws. We keep silent on this subject, in order not to increase the general grief by recalling these sad events.

We cannot, however, pass over in silence the calamities which afflict the dioceses of Posen-Gnesen and Paderborn. After having been thrown into prison and arraigned for trial, our venerable brethren Micislas, archbishop of Posen and Gnesen, and Conrad, bishop of Paderborn, have, with the greatest injustice, been declared to be removed from their episcopal sees and deprived of their jurisdiction; their dioceses, moreover, have been deprived of the blessed care of their excellent guardians, and have been plunged into an abyss of miseries and calamities. It is true that, calling to mind the words of our Lord, we should congratulate rather than pity the venerable brethren whom we have just named: “Blessed are ye when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake.” (St. Luke, vi, 22.)

These venerable brethren have not feared the imminent danger nor the penalties with which these laws threatened them; not only have they defended the rights of the church and caused its commands to be respected, but they have deemed it an honor, like the other pastors of your country, to accept an iniquitous judgment, and to suffer penalties reserved only for transgressors. They have thereby furnished a most brilliant example of virtue, which may well serve for the edification of the whole church.

Although they merit our highest praises rather than our tears of compassion, yet the abasement of the episcopal dignity, the blow struck at the liberty and the rights of the church, the persecutions to which the deposed bishops and all their brethren are subjected in Prussia, demand that we, in virtue of our apostolic power, given by God, should raise an accusing voice against these laws, and against the wicked deeds which they already have caused, and which they will in future cause to be committed, and that we should defend the now downtrodden liberty of the church against impious force with all the divine energy and authority.

In order to fulfill the duties of this Apostolic See, we publicly declare, by the present encyclical, to all whom it may concern, as well as to the entire Catholic world, that these laws are null and void, because they are entirely contrary to the divine constitution of the church. For our Lord did not render the bishops of His church subject to the potentates of this earth as regards His sacred service, but to Peter, to whom He intrusted His lambs and His sheep. (St. John, xxi, 16, 17.) No temporal power, therefore, however high it may be, has the right to deprive of their episcopal dignity those who have been appointed by the Holy Spirit to feed the church of God. (Acts, xx, 28.)

To this sad situation must be added the following fact, unworthy of a noble nation, and which, we may believe, will be severely judged by men who are not Catholics, but simply impartial.

These laws are excessively severe, and provide the most rigorous penalties for those who do not obey them. They are supported by armed force, and place peaceable and inoffensive citizens in the pitiable situation of men oppressed by a power to which they can offer no resistance, merely because their consciences require them to oppose these laws. One would suppose them to have been made, not for free citizens, from whom a reasonable obedience may rightfully be required, but for slaves, who must be terrified into obedience.

From what we have just, said, do not suppose that those who, through fear, obey men rather than God, are excusable; but those sacrilegious men will be especially guilty who dare to take possession of churches and to act as ministers thereof, relying only upon the secular arm for protection; they will not escape the justice of God.” On the contrary, we declare that all these sacrilegious men, and all those who, in future, shall commit a similar crime by usurping ecclesiastical functions, shall, both de facto and de jure, be fully excommunicated. We exhort the faithful not to be present at the holy sacrifice celebrated by these men, and not to receive the sacraments from them; we exhort them, further, to avoid air association and conversation with them, so that the bad leaven may not spoil the good lump.

In the midst of these tribulations, your intrepidity and your perseverance have consoled us greatly in our grief. The rest of the clergy and the faithful have followed your example, venerable brethren, in the painful struggle which has arisen. Their firmness in maintaining Catholic rights and duties is so great, the conduct of each one of them is so praiseworthy, that they have attracted the notice of all men, even the most distant, and have excited their admiration. Nor could it be otherwise; for, “as the fall of a general is a fearful thing for his soldiers, and often leads to their defeat, so is it a most beneficial and salutary thing when a bishop, by standing fast in the faith, sets a worthy example to his brethren.” (St. Cyprian, epist. 4.)

Would that we could afford you some relief in your troubles. But once more renewing and affirming our protest against whatever is contrary to the constitution of the divine church and its rights, and against the force which has been so unjustly used against you, we assure you that our counsels and teachings, adapted to the circumstances, shall not be wanting unto you.

Let your enemies know that, by refusing to render unto Cæsar the things which are God’s, you commit no offense against the royal authority; for it is written: “We ought to obey God rather than men.” (Acts, v, 29.)

Let them know at the same time that each one of you is prepared to pay his tribute to Cæsar, and to obey him in all matters coming within the scope of the civil authority, not because forced to do so, but as a matter of conscience. Be of good cheer, therefore, and continue, in the future as in the past, to fulfill both duties, and to obey the divine laws, for your merit will be great, since you will have patience, and will not be weary of suffering for the name of Jesus Christ.

Look unto Him who has walked before you in much greater tribulations, and who submitted to outrages in order that those who believe in Him might learn to shun the favors of this world, not to quail before terrors, to love tribulation for the sake of truth, and to fear and flee from the delights of earth.

He who has placed you in the line of battle will give the necessary strength for the combat. In Him is our hope. Let us submit to His will and implore His mercy. You see that what He has foretold has already come to pass. Trust in him. He will fulfill all that he has promised. “In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (St. John, xvi, 33)

Having faith in this victory, we humbly implore the Holy Spirit to grant you peace and grace. As an evidence of our special love, we heartily give unto all of you, and likewise to all the clergy and all the faithful under your charge, our apostolic benediction.