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Title: |
Ineffabilis Deus
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Descr.: |
On The Immaculate Conception
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Pope: |
Pope Pius IX
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Date: |
December 8, 1854
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God
Ineffable - whose ways are mercy and truth, whose will is
omnipotence itself, and whose wisdom "reaches from end to end
mightily, and orders all things sweetly" - having foreseen
from all eternity the lamentable wretchedness of the entire human
race which would result from the sin of Adam, decreed, by a plan
hidden from the centuries, to complete the first work of his
goodness by a mystery yet more wondrously sublime through the
Incarnation of the Word. This he decreed in order that man who,
contrary to the plan of Divine Mercy had been led into sin by the
cunning malice of Satan, should not perish; and in order that what
had been lost in the first Adam would be gloriously restored in
the Second Adam. From the very beginning, and before time began,
the eternal Father chose and prepared for his only-begotten Son a
Mother in whom the Son of God would become incarnate and from
whom, in the blessed fullness of time, he would be born into this
world. Above all creatures did God so love her that truly in her
was the Father well pleased with singular delight. Therefore, far
above all the angels and all the saints so wondrously did God
endow her with the abundance of all heavenly gifts poured from the
treasury of his divinity that this mother, ever absolutely free of
all stain of sin, all fair and perfect, would possess that
fullness of holy innocence and sanctity than which, under God, one
cannot even imagine anything greater, and which, outside of God,
no mind can succeed in comprehending fully.
Supreme
Reason for the Privilege: The Divine Maternity
And
indeed it was wholly fitting that so wonderful a mother should be
ever resplendent with the glory of most sublime holiness and so
completely free from all taint of original sin that she would
triumph utterly over the ancient serpent. To her did the Father
will to give his only-begotten Son - the Son whom, equal to the
Father and begotten by him, the Father loves from his heart - and
to give this Son in such a way that he would be the one and the
same common Son of God the Father and of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
It was she whom the Son himself chose to make his Mother and it
was from her that the Holy Spirit willed and brought it about that
he should be conceived and born from whom he himself proceeds.(1)
Liturgical
Argument
The
Catholic Church, directed by the Holy Spirit of God, is the pillar
and base of truth and has ever held as divinely revealed and as
contained in the deposit of heavenly revelation this doctrine
concerning the original innocence of the august Virgin - a
doctrine which is so perfectly in harmony with her wonderful
sanctity and preeminent dignity as Mother of God - and thus has
never ceased to explain, to teach and to foster this doctrine age
after age in many ways and by solemn acts. From this very
doctrine, flourishing and wondrously propagated in the Catholic
world through the efforts and zeal of the bishops, was made very
clear by the Church when she did not hesitate to present for the
public devotion and veneration of the faithful the Feast of the
Conception of the Blessed Virgin.(2) By this most significant
fact, the Church made it clear indeed that the conception of Mary
is to be venerated as something extraordinary, wonderful,
eminently holy, and different from the conception of all other
human beings - for the Church celebrates only the feast days of
the saints.
And
hence the very words with which the Sacred Scriptures speak of
Uncreated Wisdom and set forth his eternal origin, the Church,
both in its ecclesiastical offices and in its liturgy, has been
wont to apply likewise to the origin of the Blessed Virgin,
inasmuch as God, by one and the same decree, had established the
origin of Mary and the Incarnation of Divine Wisdom.
Ordinary
Teaching of the Roman Church
These
truths, so generally accepted and put into practice by the
faithful, indicate how zealously the Roman Church, mother and
teacher of all Churches, has continued to teach this doctrine of
the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin. Yet the more important
actions of the Church deserve to be mentioned in detail. For such
dignity and authority belong to the Church that she alone is the
center of truth and of Catholic unity. It is the Church in which
alone religion has been inviolably preserved and from which all
other Churches must receive the tradition of the Faith.(3)
The
same Roman Church, therefore, desired nothing more than by the
most persuasive means to state, to protect, to promote and to
defend the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. This fact is
most clearly shown to the whole world by numerous and significant
acts of the Roman Pontiffs, our predecessors. To them, in the
person of the Prince of the Apostles, were divinely entrusted by
Christ our Lord, the charge and supreme care and the power of
feeding the lambs and sheep; in particular, of confirming their
brethren, and of ruling and governing the universal Church.
Veneration
of the Immaculate
Our
predecessors, indeed, by virtue of their apostolic authority,
gloried in instituting the Feast of the Conception in the Roman
Church. They did so to enhance its importance and dignity by a
suitable Office and Mass, whereby the prerogative of the Virgin,
her exception from the hereditary taint, was most distinctly
affirmed. As to the homage already instituted, they spared no
effort to promote and to extend it either by the granting of
indulgences, or by allowing cities, provinces and kingdoms to
choose as their patroness God's own Mother, under the title of
"The Immaculate Conception." Again, our predecessors
approved confraternities, congregations and religious communities
founded in honor of the Immaculate Conception, monasteries,
hospitals, altars, or churches; they praised persons who vowed to
uphold with all their ability the doctrine of the Immaculate
Conception of the Mother of God. Besides, it afforded the greatest
joy to our predecessors to ordain that the Feast of the Conception
should be celebrated in every church with the very same honor as
the Feast of the Nativity; that it should be celebrated with an
octave by the whole Church; that it should be reverently and
generally observed as a holy day of obligation; and that a
pontifical Capella should be held in our Liberian pontifical
basilica on the day dedicated to the conception of the Virgin.
Finally, in their desire to impress this doctrine of the
Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God upon the hearts of the
faithful, and to intensify the people's piety and enthusiasm for
the homage and the veneration of the Virgin conceived without the
stain of original sin, they delighted to grant, with the greatest
pleasure, permission to proclaim the Immaculate Conception of the
Virgin in the Litany of Loreto, and in the Preface of the Mass, so
that the rule of prayer might thus serve to illustrate the rule of
belief. Therefore, we ourselves, following the procedure of our
predecessors, have not only approved and accepted what had already
been established, but bearing in mind, moreover, the decree of
Sixtus IV, (4) have confirmed by our authority a proper Office in
honor of the Immaculate Conception, and have with exceeding joy
extended its use to the universal Church.(5)
The
Roman Doctrine
Now
inasmuch as whatever pertains to sacred worship is intimately
connected with its object and cannot have either consistency or
durability if this object is vague or uncertain, our predecessors,
the Roman Pontiffs, therefore, while directing all their efforts
toward an increase of the devotion to the conception, made it
their aim not only to emphasize the object with the utmost zeal,
but also to enunciate the exact doctrine.(6) Definitely and
clearly they taught that the feast was held in honor of the
conception of the Virgin. They denounced as false and absolutely
foreign to the mind of the Church the opinion of those who held
and affirmed that it was not the conception of the Virgin but her
sanctification that was honored by the Church. They never thought
that greater leniency should be extended toward those who,
attempting to disprove the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception
of the Virgin, devised a distinction between the first and second
instance of conception and inferred that the conception which the
Church celebrates was not that of the first instance of conception
but the second. In fact, they held it was their duty not only to
uphold and defend with all their power the Feast of the Conception
of the Blessed Virgin but also to assert that the true object of
this veneration was her conception considered in its first
instant. Hence the words of one of our predecessors, Alexander
VII, who authoritatively and decisively declared the mind of the
Church: "Concerning the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of
God, ancient indeed is that devotion of the faithful based on the
belief that her soul, in the first instant of its creation and in
the first instant of the soul's infusion into the body, was, by a
special grace and privilege of God, in view of the merits of Jesus
Christ, her Son and the Redeemer of the human race, preserved free
from all stain of original sin. And in this sense have the
faithful ever solemnized and celebrated the Feast of the
Conception."(7)
Moreover,
our predecessors considered it their special solemn duty with all
diligence, zeal, and effort to preserve intact the doctrine of the
Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God. For, not only have
they in no way ever allowed this doctrine to be censured or
changed, but they have gone much further and by clear statements
repeatedly asserted that the doctrine by which we profess the
Immaculate Conception of the Virgin is on its own merits entirely
in harmony with the ecclesiastical veneration; that it is ancient
and widespread, and of the same nature as that which the Roman
Church has undertaken to promote and to protect, and that it is
entirely worthy to be used in the Sacred Liturgy and solemn
prayers. Not content with this they most strictly prohibited any
opinion contrary to this doctrine to be defended in public or
private in order that the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of
the Virgin might remain inviolate. By repeated blows they wished
to put an end to such an opinion. And lest these oft-repeated and
clearest statements seem useless, they added a sanction to them.
Papal
Sanctions
All
these things our illustrious predecessor, Alexander VII, summed up
in these words: "We have in mind the fact that the Holy Roman
Church solemnly celebrated the Feast of the Conception of the
undefiled and ever-Virgin Mary, and has long ago appointed for
this a special and proper Office according to the pious, devout,
and laudable instruction which was given by our predecessor,
Sixtus IV. Likewise, we were desirous, after the example of our
predecessors, to favor this praiseworthy piety, devotion, feast
and veneration - a veneration which is in keeping with the piety
unchanged in the Roman Church from the day it was instituted. We
also desired to protect this piety and devotion of venerating and
extolling the most Blessed Virgin preserved from original sin by
the grace of the Holy Spirit. Moreover, we were anxious to
preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace in the flock
of Christ by putting down arguments and controversies and by
removing scandals. So at the instance and request of the bishops
mentioned above, with the chapters of the churches, and of King
Philip and his kingdoms, we renew the Constitutions and Decrees
issued by the Roman Pontiffs, our predecessors, especially Sixtus
IV,(8) Paul V,(9) and Gregory XV,(10) in favor of the doctrine
asserting that the soul of the Blessed Virgin, in its creation and
infusion into the body, was endowed with the grace of the Holy
Spirit and preserved from original sin; and also in favor of the
feast and veneration of the conception of the Virgin Mother of
God, which, as is manifest, was instituted in keeping with that
pious belief. So we command this feast to be observed under the
censures and penalties contained in the same Constitutions.
And
therefore, against all and everyone of those who shall continue to
construe the said Constitutions and Decrees in a manner apt to
frustrate the favor which is thereby given to the said doctrine,
and to the feast and relative veneration, or who shall dare to
call into question the said sentence, feast and worship, or in any
way whatever, directly or indirectly, shall declare themselves
opposed to it under any pretext whatsoever, were it but only to
the extent of examining the possibilities of effecting the
definition, or who shall comment upon and interpret the Sacred
Scripture, or the Fathers or Doctors in connection therewith, or
finally, for any reason, or on any occasion, shall dare, either in
writing or verbally, to speak, preach, treat, dispute or determine
upon, or assert whatsoever against the foregoing matters, or who
shall adduce any arguments against them, while leaving them
unresolved, or who shall disagree therewith in any other
conceivable manner, we hereby declare that in addition to the
penalties and censures contained in the Constitutions issued by
Sixtus IV to which we want them to be subjected and to which we
subject them by the present Constitution, we hereby decree that
they be deprived of the authority of preaching, reading in public,
that is to say teaching and interpreting; and that they be also
deprived ipso facto of the power of voting, either actively or
passively, in all elections, without the need for any further
declaration; and that also, ipso facto, without any further
declaration, they shall incur the penalty of perpetual disability
from preaching, reading in public, teaching and interpreting, and
that it shall not be possible to absolve them from such penalty,
or remove it, save through ourselves, or the Roman Pontiffs who
shall succeed us.
We
also require that the same shall remain subject to any other
penalties which by us, of our own free will - or by the Roman
Pontiffs, our successors (according as they may decree) - shall be
deemed advisable to establish, and by the present Constitution we
declare them subject thereto, and hereby renew the above Decrees
and Constitutions of Paul V and Gregory XV.
Moreover,
as regards those books in which the said sentence, feast and
relative veneration are called into question or are contradicted
in any way whatsoever, according to what has already been stated,
either in writing or verbally, in discourses, sermons, lectures,
treatises and debates - that may have been printed after the
above-praised Decree of Paul V, or may be printed hereafter we
hereby prohibit them, subject to the penalties and censures
established by the Index of prohibited books, and ipso facto,
without any further declaration, we desire and command that they
be held as expressly prohibited.(11)
Testimonies
of the Catholic World
All
are aware with how much diligence this doctrine of the Immaculate
Conception of the Mother of God has been handed down, proposed and
defended by the most outstanding religious orders, by the more
celebrated theological academies, and by very eminent doctors in
the sciences of theology. All know, likewise, how eager the
bishops have been to profess openly and publicly, even in
ecclesiastical assemblies, that Mary, the most holy Mother of God,
by virtue of the foreseen merits of Christ, our Lord and Redeemer,
was never subject to original sin, but was completely preserved
from the original taint, and hence she was redeemed in a manner
more sublime.
The
Council of Trent
Besides,
we must note a fact of the greatest importance indeed. Even the
Council of Trent itself, when it promulgated the dogmatic decree
concerning original sin, following the testimonies of the Sacred
Scriptures, of the Holy Fathers and of the renowned Council,
decreed and defined that all men are born infected by original
sin; nevertheless, it solemnly declared that it had no intention
of including the blessed and immaculate Virgin Mary, the Mother of
God, in this decree and in the general extension of its
definition. Indeed, considering the times and circumstances, the
Fathers of Trent sufficiently intimated by this declaration that
the Blessed Virgin Mary was free from the original stain; and thus
they clearly signified that nothing could be reasonably cited from
the Sacred Scriptures, from Tradition, or from the authority of
the Fathers, which would in any way be opposed to so great a
prerogative of the Blessed Virgin.(12)
Testimonies
of Tradition
And
indeed, illustrious documents of venerable antiquity, of both the
Eastern and the Western Church, very forcibly testify that this
doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the most Blessed Virgin,
which was daily more and more splendidly explained, stated and
confirmed by the highest authority, teaching, zeal, knowledge, and
wisdom of the Church, and which was disseminated among all peoples
and nations of the Catholic world in a marvelous manner - this
doctrine always existed in the Church as a doctrine that has been
received from our ancestors, and that has been stamped with the
character of revealed doctrine. For the Church of Christ, watchful
guardian that she is, and defender of the dogmas deposited with
her, never changes anything, never diminishes anything, never adds
anything to them; but with all diligence she treats the ancient
documents faithfully and wisely; if they really are of ancient
origin and if the faith of the Fathers has transmitted them, she
strives to investigate and explain them in such a way that the
ancient dogmas of heavenly doctrine will be made evident and
clear, but will retain their full, integral, and proper nature,
and will grow only within their own genus - that is, within the
same dogma, in the same sense and the same meaning.
Interpreters
of the Sacred Scripture
The
Fathers and writers of the Church, well versed in the heavenly
Scriptures, had nothing more at heart than to vie with one another
in preaching and teaching in many wonderful ways the Virgin's
supreme sanctity, dignity, and immunity from all stain of sin, and
her renowned victory over the most foul enemy of the human race.
This they did in the books they wrote to explain the Scriptures,
to vindicate the dogmas, and to instruct the faithful. These
ecclesiastical writers in quoting the words by which at the
beginning of the world God announced his merciful remedies
prepared for the regeneration of mankind - words by which he
crushed the audacity of the deceitful serpent and wondrously
raised up the hope of our race, saying, "I will put enmities
between you and the woman, between your seed and her
seed"(13) - taught that by this divine prophecy the merciful
Redeemer of mankind, Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God,
was clearly foretold: That his most Blessed Mother, the Virgin
Mary, was prophetically indicated; and, at the same time, the very
enmity of both against the evil one was significantly expressed.
Hence, just as Christ, the Mediator between God and man, assumed
human nature, blotted the handwriting of the decree that stood
against us, and fastened it triumphantly to the cross, so the most
holy Virgin, united with him by a most intimate and indissoluble
bond, was, with him and through him, eternally at enmity with the
evil serpent [that is, Satan], and most completely triumphed over him, and thus
crushed his head with her immaculate foot.(14)
This
sublime and singular privilege of the Blessed Virgin, together
with her most excellent innocence, purity, holiness and freedom
from every stain of sin, as well as the unspeakable abundance and
greatness of all heavenly graces, virtues and privileges - these
the Fathers beheld in that ark of Noah, which was built by divine
command and escaped entirely safe and sound from the common
shipwreck of the whole world;(15) in the ladder which Jacob saw
reaching from the earth to heaven, by whose rungs the angels of
God ascended and descended, and on whose top the Lord himself
leaned;(16) in that bush which Moses saw in the holy place burning
on all sides, which was not consumed or injured in any way but
grew green and blossomed beautifully;(17) in that impregnable
tower before the enemy, from which hung a thousand bucklers and
all the armor of the strong;(18) in that garden enclosed on all
sides, which cannot be violated or corrupted by any deceitful
plots;(19) as in that resplendent city of God, which has its
foundations on the holy mountains;(20) in that most august temple
of God, which, radiant with divine splendors, is full of the glory
of God;(21) and in very many other biblical types of this kind. In
such allusions the Fathers taught that the exalted dignity of the
Mother of God, her spotless innocence and her sanctity unstained
by any fault, had been prophesied in a wonderful manner.
In
like manner did they use the words of the prophets to describe
this wondrous abundance of divine gifts and the original innocence
of the Virgin of whom Jesus was born. They celebrated the august
Virgin as the spotless dove, as the holy Jerusalem, as the exalted
throne of God, as the ark and house of holiness which Eternal
Wisdom built, and as that Queen who, abounding in delights and
leaning on her Beloved, came forth from the mouth of the Most
High, entirely perfect, beautiful, most dear to God and never
stained with the least blemish.
The
Annunciation
When
the Fathers and writers of the Church meditated on the fact that
the most Blessed Virgin was, in the name and by order of God
himself, proclaimed full of grace(22) by the Angel Gabriel when he
announced her most sublime dignity of Mother of God, they thought
that this singular and solemn salutation, never heard before,
showed that the Mother of God is the seat of all divine graces and
is adorned with all gifts of the Holy Spirit. To them Mary is an
almost infinite treasury, an inexhaustible abyss of these gifts,
to such an extent that she was never subject to the curse and was,
together with her Son, the only partaker of perpetual benediction.
Hence she was worthy to hear Elizabeth, inspired by the Holy
Spirit, exclaim: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is
the fruit of your womb."(23)
Mary
Compared with Eve
Hence,
it is the clear and unanimous opinion of the Fathers that the most
glorious Virgin, for whom "he who is mighty has done great
things," was resplendent with such an abundance of heavenly
gifts, with such a fullness of grace and with such innocence, that
she is an unspeakable miracle of God - indeed, the crown of all
miracles and truly the Mother of God; that she approaches as near
to God himself as is possible for a created being; and that she is
above all men and angels in glory. Hence, to demonstrate the
original innocence and sanctity of the Mother of God, not only did
they frequently compare her to Eve while yet a virgin, while yet
innocence, while yet incorrupt, while not yet deceived by the
deadly snares of the most treacherous serpent; but they have also
exalted her above Eve with a wonderful variety of expressions.
Eve listened to the serpent with lamentable consequences; she fell
from original innocence and became his slave. The most Blessed
Virgin, on the contrary, ever increased her original gift, and not
only never lent an ear to the serpent, but by divinely given power
she utterly destroyed the force and dominion of the evil one.
Biblical
Figures
Accordingly,
the Fathers have never ceased to call the Mother of God the lily
among thorns, the land entirely intact, the Virgin undefiled,
immaculate, ever blessed, and free from all contagion of sin, she
from whom was formed the new Adam, the flawless, brightest, and
most beautiful paradise of innocence, immortality and delights
planted by God himself and protected against all the snares of the
poisonous serpent, the incorruptible wood that the worm of sin had
never corrupted, the fountain ever clear and sealed with the power
of the Holy Spirit, the most holy temple, the treasure of
immortality, the one and only daughter of life - not of death -
the plant not of anger but of grace, through the singular
providence of God growing ever green contrary to the common law,
coming as it does from a corrupted and tainted root.
Explicit
Affirmation...
As
if these splendid eulogies and tributes were not sufficient, the
Fathers proclaimed with particular and definite statements that
when one treats of sin, the holy Virgin Mary is not even to be
mentioned; for to her more grace was given than was necessary to
conquer sin completely.(24) They also declared that the most
glorious Virgin was Reparatrix of the first parents, the giver of
life to posterity; that she was chosen before the ages, prepared
for himself by the Most High, foretold by God when he said to the
serpent, "I will put enmities between you and the
woman."(25) - unmistakable evidence that she has crushed the
poisonous head of the serpent [that is, the devil]. And hence they affirmed that the
Blessed Virgin was, through grace, entirely free from every stain
of sin, and from all corruption of body, soul and mind; that she
was always united with God and joined to him by an eternal
covenant; that she was never in darkness but always in light; and
that, therefore, she was entirely a fit habitation for Christ, not
because of the state of her body, but because of her original
grace.
...Of
a Supereminent Sanctity
To
these praises they have added very noble words. Speaking of the
conception of the Virgin, they testified that nature yielded to
grace and, unable to go on, stood trembling. The Virgin Mother of
God would not be conceived by Anna before grace would bear its
fruits; it was proper that she be conceived as the first-born, by
whom "the first-born of every creature" would be
conceived. They testified, too, that the flesh of the Virgin,
although derived from Adam, did not contract the stains of Adam,
and that on this account the most Blessed Virgin was the
tabernacle created by God himself and formed by the Holy Spirit,
truly a work in royal purple, adorned and woven with gold, which
that new Beseleel(26) made. They affirmed that the same Virgin is,
and is deservedly, the first and especial work of God, escaping
the fiery arrows of the evil one; that she is beautiful by nature
and entirely free from all stain; that at her Immaculate
Conception she came into the world all radiant like the dawn. For
it was certainly not fitting that this vessel of election should
be wounded by the common injuries, since she, differing so much
from the others, had only nature in common with them, not sin. In
fact, it was quite fitting that, as the Only-Begotten has a Father
in heaven, whom the Seraphim extol as thrice holy, so he should
have a Mother on earth who would never be without the splendor of
holiness.
This
doctrine so filled the minds and souls of our ancestors in the
faith that a singular and truly marvelous style of speech came
into vogue among them. They have frequently addressed the Mother
of God as immaculate, as immaculate in every respect; innocent,
and verily most innocent; spotless, and entirely spotless; holy
and removed from every stain of sin; all pure, all stainless, the
very model of purity and innocence; more beautiful than beauty,
more lovely than loveliness; more holy than holiness, singularly
holy and most pure in soul and body; the one who surpassed all
integrity and virginity; the only one who has become the dwelling
place of all the graces of the most Holy Spirit. God alone
excepted, Mary is more excellent than all, and by nature fair and
beautiful, and more holy than the Cherubim and Seraphim. To praise
her all the tongues of heaven and earth do not suffice.
Everyone
is cognizant that this style of speech has passed almost
spontaneously into the books of the most holy liturgy and the
Offices of the Church, in which they occur so often and
abundantly. In them, the Mother of God is invoked and praised as
the one spotless and most beautiful dove, as a rose ever blooming,
as perfectly pure, ever immaculate, and ever blessed. She is
celebrated as innocence never sullied and as the second Eve who
brought forth the Emmanuel.
Preparation
for the Definition
No
wonder, then, that the Pastors of the Church and the faithful
gloried daily more and more in professing with so much piety,
religion, and love this doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of
the Virgin Mother of God, which, as the Fathers discerned, was
recorded in the Divine Scriptures; which was handed down in so
many of their most important writings; which was expressed and
celebrated in so many illustrious monuments of venerable
antiquity; which was proposed and confirmed by the official and
authoritative teaching of the Church. Hence, nothing was dearer,
nothing more pleasing to these pastors than to venerate, invoke,
and proclaim with most ardent affection the Virgin Mother of God
conceived without original stain. Accordingly, from ancient times
the bishops of the Church, ecclesiastics, religious orders, and
even emperors and kings, have earnestly petitioned this Apostolic
See to define a dogma of the Catholic Faith the Immaculate
Conception of the most holy Mother of God. These petitions were
renewed in these our own times; they were especially brought to
the attention of Gregory XVI, our predecessor of happy memory, and
to ourselves, not only by bishops, but by the secular clergy and
religious orders, by sovereign rulers and by the faithful.
Mindful,
indeed, of all these things and considering them most attentively
with particular joy in our heart, as soon as we, by the
inscrutable design of Providence, had been raised to the sublime
Chair of St. Peter - in spite of our unworthiness - and had begun
to govern the universal Church, nothing have we had more at heart
- a heart which from our tenderest years has overflowed with
devoted veneration and love for the most Blessed Virgin - than to
show forth her prerogatives in resplendent light.
That
we might proceed with great prudence, we established a special
congregation of our venerable brethren, the cardinals of the holy
Roman Church, illustrious for their piety, wisdom, and knowledge
of the sacred scriptures. We also selected priests, both secular
and regular, well trained in the theological sciences, that they
should most carefully consider all matters pertaining to the
Immaculate Conception of the Virgin and make known to us their
opinion.
The
Mind of the Bishops
Although
we knew the mind of the bishops from the petitions which we had
received from them, namely, that the Immaculate Conception of the
Blessed Virgin be finally defined, nevertheless, on February 2,
1849,(27) we sent an Encyclical Letter from Gaeta to all our
venerable brethren, the bishops of the Catholic world, that they
should offer prayers to God and then tell us in writing what the
piety and devotion of their faithful was in regard to the
Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God. We likewise inquired
what the bishops themselves thought about defining this doctrine
and what their wishes were in regard to making known with all
possible solemnity our supreme judgment.
We
were certainly filled with the greatest consolation when the
replies of our venerable brethren came to us. For, replying to us
with a most enthusiastic joy, exultation and zeal, they not only
again confirmed their own singular piety toward the Immaculate
Conception of the most Blessed Virgin, and that of the secular and
religious clergy and of the faithful, but with one voice they even
entreated us to define our supreme judgment and authority the
Immaculate Conception of the Virgin. In the meantime we were
indeed filled with no less joy when, after a diligent examination,
our venerable brethren, the cardinals of the special congregation
and the theologians chosen by us as counselors (whom we mentioned
above), asked with the same enthusiasm and fervor for the
definition of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God.
Consequently,
following the examples of our predecessors, and desiring to
proceed in the traditional manner, we announced and held a
consistory, in which we addressed our brethren, the cardinals of
the Holy Roman Church. It was the greatest spiritual joy for us
when we heard them ask us to promulgate the dogmatic definition of
the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mother of God.(28)
Therefore,
having full trust in the Lord that the opportune time had come for
defining the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of God, which Holy Scripture, venerable Tradition, the
constant mind of the Church, the desire of Catholic bishops and
the faithful, and the memorable Acts and Constitutions of our
predecessors, wonderfully illustrate and proclaim, and having most
diligently considered all things, as we poured forth to God
ceaseless and fervent prayers, we concluded that we should no
longer delay in decreeing and defining by our supreme authority
the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin. And thus, we can
satisfy the most holy desire of the Catholic world as well as our
own devotion toward the most holy Virgin, and at the same time
honor more and more the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord
through his holy Mother - since whatever honor and praise are
bestowed on the Mother redound to the Son.
The
Definition
Wherefore,
in humility and fasting, we unceasingly offered our private
prayers as well as the public prayers of the Church to God the
Father through his Son, that he would deign to direct and
strengthen our mind by the power of the Holy Spirit. In like
manner did we implore the help of the entire heavenly host as we
ardently invoked the Paraclete. Accordingly, by the inspiration of
the Holy Spirit, for the honor of the Holy and undivided Trinity,
for the glory and adornment of the Virgin Mother of God, for the
exaltation of the Catholic Faith, and for the furtherance of the
Catholic religion, by the authority of Jesus Christ our Lord, of
the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own: "We
declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that
the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her
conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty
God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the
human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is
a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and
constantly by all the faithful."(29)
Hence,
if anyone shall dare - which God forbid! - to think otherwise than
as has been defined by us, let him know and understand that he is
condemned by his own judgment; that he has suffered shipwreck in
the faith; that he has separated from the unity of the Church; and
that, furthermore, by his own action he incurs the penalties
established by law if he should dare to express in words or
writing or by any other outward means the errors he thinks in his
heart.
Hoped-For
Results
Our
soul overflows with joy and our tongue with exultation. We give,
and we shall continue to give, the humblest and deepest thanks to
Jesus Christ, our Lord, because through his singular grace he has
granted to us, unworthy though we be, to decree and offer this
honor and glory and praise to his most holy Mother. All our hope
do we repose in the most Blessed Virgin - in the all fair and
immaculate one who has crushed the poisonous head of the most
cruel serpent [that is, Satan] and brought salvation to the world: in her who is
the glory of the prophets and apostles, the honor of the martyrs,
the crown and joy of all the saints; in her who is the safest
refuge and the most trustworthy helper of all who are in danger;
in her who, with her only-begotten Son, is the most powerful
Mediatrix and Conciliatrix in the whole world; in her who is the
most excellent glory, ornament, and impregnable stronghold of the
holy Church; in her who has destroyed all heresies and snatched
the faithful people and nations from all kinds of direst
calamities; in her do we hope who has delivered us from so many
threatening dangers. We have, therefore, a very certain hope and
complete confidence that the most Blessed Virgin will ensure by
her most powerful patronage that all difficulties be removed and
all errors dissipated, so that our Holy Mother the Catholic Church
may flourish daily more and more throughout all the nations and
countries, and may reign "from sea to sea and from the river
to the ends of the earth," and may enjoy genuine peace,
tranquility and liberty. We are firm in our confidence that she
will obtain pardon for the sinner, health for the sick, strength
of heart for the weak, consolation for the afflicted, help for
those in danger; that she will remove spiritual blindness from all
who are in error, so that they may return to the path of truth and
justice, and that there may be one flock and one shepherd.
Let
all the children of the Catholic Church, who are so very dear to
us, hear these words of ours. With a still more ardent zeal for
piety, religion and love, let them continue to venerate, invoke
and pray to the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, conceived
without original sin. Let them fly with utter confidence to this
most sweet Mother of mercy and grace in all dangers, difficulties,
needs, doubts and fears. Under her guidance, under her patronage,
under her kindness and protection, nothing is to be feared;
nothing is hopeless. Because, while bearing toward us a truly
motherly affection and having in her care the work of our
salvation, she is solicitous about the whole human race. And since
she has been appointed by God to be the Queen of heaven and earth,
and is exalted above all the choirs of angels and saints, and even
stands at the right hand of her only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ
our Lord, she presents our petitions in a most efficacious manner.
What she asks, she obtains. Her pleas can never be unheard.
Given
at St. Peter's in Rome, the eighth day of December, 1854, in the
eighth year of our pontificate.
Endnotes:
1.
Et quidem... | 2. Cf. Ibid., n. 16. | 3. Cf. St. Irenaeus, Adv. Haereses,
book III, c. III, n. 2. | 4. C.A. Cum Praeexcelsa, February 28,
1476; Denz., n. 734. | 5. Decree of the Sared Cong. of Rites;
September 30, 1847. | 6. This has been the constant care of the
Popes, as is shown by the condemnation of one of the propositions
of Anthony de Rosmini-Serbati (cf. Denzinger, nn. 1891-1930)... |
7. Apost. Const. Sollicitudo Omnium Ecclesiarum, December 8, 1661.
| 8. Apost. Const. Cum Praeexcelsa, February 28, 1476; Grave Nemis,
September 4, 1483; Denz., nn. 734, 735. | 9. Apost. Const.
Sanctissimus, September 12, 1617. | 10. Apost. Const. Sanctissimus,
June 4, 1622. | 11. Alexander VIII, Apost. Const. Sollicitudo
Omnium Ecclesiarum, December 8, 1661. | 12. Sess. V, Can. 6; Denz.
n. 792... | 13. Gen. 3:15. | 14. Quo circa... | 15. Cf. Gen. 6:9. | 16.
Cf. Gen 28:12. | 17. Cf. Ex. 3:2. | 18. Cf. Sg. 4:4. | 19. Cf. Sg.
4:12. | 20. Cf. Ps. 87:1. | 21. Cf. Is. 6:1-4. | 22. Cf. Lk. 1:28.
| 23. Ibid., 42. | 24. Cf. St. Augustine: De Natura et Gratia, c.
36. | 25. Gen 3:15. | 26. Cf. Ex. 31:2. | 27. Cf. Ibid., n. 19ff.
| 28. Cf. Ibid., n. 27ff. | 29. Declaramus, pronuntiamus... Cf. Denz., n. 1641
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