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Pius IX-Apostolic Constitution |
apostolic constitution
ineffabilis deus
Pius IX
December 8, 1854
The
Immaculate Conception
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
loved 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 grown 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, 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 was crushed the
poisonous head of the serpent. 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 Super Eminent 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 the 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 an 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 are to
express in words or writing or by any other outward means the
errors he think 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 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 here 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.
Pius IX
FOOTNOTES
1. Et quidem decebat omnino, ut perfectissimae sanctitatis
splendoribus semper ornata fulgeret, ac vel ab ipsa originalis
culpae labe plane immunis amplissimum de antiquo sepente
triumphum referret tam venerabilis mater, cui Deus Pater unicum
Filius suum, quem de corde suo aequalem sibi genitum tamquam
seipsum diligit, ita dare disposuit, ut naturaliter esset unus
idemque communis Dei Patris et Virginis Filius, et quam ipse
Filius, Filius substantialiter facere sibi matrem elegit, et de
qua Siritus Sanctus voluit et operatus est, ut conciperetur et
nasceretur ille, de quo ipse procedit.
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). This is how the
34th proposition runs (Denzinger, n. 1924): "Ad praeservandam B.
V. Mariam a labe originis, satis erat, ut incorruptum maneret
minimum sesmen in homine, neglectum forte ab ipso demone, e quo
incorrupto semine de generatione in generationem transfuso, suo
tempore oriretur Virgo Maria." Decree of the Holy Office,
December 14, 1887 (AAS 20, 393). Denz. n. 1924.
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. Declarat tamen haec ipsa
sancta Synodus, non esse suae intentionis, comprehendere in hoc
decreto, ubi de peccato originali agitur, beatam et immaculatam
Virginem Mariam Dei genitricem, sed observandas esse
constitutiones felicis recordationis Sixti Papae IV, sub poenis
in eis constitutionibus contentis, quas innovat.
13. Gn 3:15.
14. Quo circa sicut Christus Dei hominumque mediator, humana
assumpta natura, delens quod adversus nos erat chirographum
decretia, illud cruci triumphator affixit; sic Sanctissima
Virgo, Arctissimo et indissolubili vinculo cum eo conjuncta, una
cum illo et per illum, sempiternas contra venenosum serpentem
inimicitias exercens, ac de ipso plenissime triumphans, illus
caput immaculato pede contrivit.
15. Cf. Gn. 6:9.
16. Cf. Gn 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. Gn 3:15.
26. Cf. Ex 31:2.
27. Cf. Ibid., n. 19ff.
28. Cf. Ibid., n. 27ff.
29. Declaramus, pronuntiamus et definimus doctrinam quae tenet
beatissimam Virginem Mariam in primo instanti suae conceptionis
fuisse singulari Omnipotentis Dei gratia et privilegio, intuitu
meritorum Christi Jesu Salvatoris humani generis, ab omni
originalis culpae labe praeservatam immunem, esse a Deo
revelatam, atque idcirco ab omnibus fidelibus firmiter
constanterque credendam. Cf. Denz., n. 1641.
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