Pius Bishop, servant of the servants of God, in lasting memory of the
matter.
He that reigneth on high, to whom is given all
power in heaven and earth, has committed one holy Catholic and apostolic
Church, outside of which there is no salvation, to one alone upon earth, namely
to Peter, the first of the apostles, and to Peter’s successor, the pope of
Rome, to be by him governed in fullness of power. Him alone He has made ruler
over all peoples and kingdoms, to pull up, destroy, scatter, disperse, plant
and build, so that he may preserve His faithful people (knit together with the
girdle of charity) in the unity of the Spirit and present them safe and
spotless to their Saviour.
1. In obedience
to which duty, we (who by God’s goodness are called to the aforesaid government
of the Church) spare no pains and labour with all our might that unity and the
Catholic religion (which their Author, for the trial of His children’s faith
and our correction, has suffered to be afflicted with such great troubles) may
be preserved entire. But the number of the ungodly has so much grown in power
that there is no place left in the world which they have not tried to corrupt
with their most wicked doctrines; and among others, Elizabeth, the pretended
queen of England and the servant of crime, has assisted in this, with whom as
in a sanctuary the most pernicious of all have found refuge. This very woman,
having seized the crown and monstrously usurped the place of supreme head of
the Church in all England to gather with the chief authority and jurisdiction
belonging to it, has once again reduced this same kingdom- which had already
been restored to the Catholic faith and to good fruits- to a miserable ruin.
2. Prohibiting
with a strong hand the use of the true religion, which after its earlier
overthrow by Henry VIII (a deserter therefrom) Mary, the lawful queen of famous
memory, had with the help of this See restored, she has followed and embraced
the errors of the heretics. She has removed the royal Council, composed of the
nobility of England, and has filled it with obscure men, being heretics;
oppressed the followers of the Catholic faith; instituted false preachers and
ministers of impiety; abolished the sacrifice of the mass, prayers, fasts,
choice of meats, celibacy, and Catholic ceremonies; and has ordered that books
of manifestly heretical content be propounded to the whole realm and that
impious rites and institutions after the rule of Calvin, entertained and
observed by herself, be also observed by her subjects. She has dared to eject
bishops, rectors of churches and other Catholic priests from their churches and
benefices, to bestow these and other things ecclesiastical upon heretics, and
to determine spiritual causes; has forbidden the prelates, clergy and people to
acknowledge the Church of Rome or obey its precepts and canonical sanctions;
has forced most of them to come to terms with her wicked laws, to abjure the
authority and obedience of the pope of Rome, and to accept her, on oath, as
their only lady in matters temporal and spiritual; has imposed penalties and
punishments on those who would not agree to this and has exacted then of those
who persevered in the unity of the faith and the aforesaid obedience; has
thrown the Catholic prelates and parsons into prison where many, worn out by
long languishing and sorrow, have miserably ended their lives. All these matter
and manifest and notorious among all the nations; they are so well proven by
the weighty witness of many men that there remains no place for excuse, defense
or evasion.
3. We, seeing
impieties and crimes multiplied one upon another the persecution of the
faithful and afflictions of religion daily growing more severe under the
guidance and by the activity of the said Elizabeth -and recognizing that her
mind is so fixed and set that she has not only despised the pious prayers and
admonitions with which Catholic princes have tried to cure and convert her but
has not even permitted the nuncios sent to her in this matter by this See to
cross into England, are compelled by necessity to take up against her the
weapons of justice, though we cannot forbear to regret that we should be forced
to turn, upon one whose ancestors have so well deserved of the Christian
community. Therefore, resting upon the authority of Him whose pleasure it was
to place us (though unequal to such a burden) upon this supreme justice-seat,
we do out of the fullness of our apostolic power declare the foresaid Elizabeth
to be a heretic and favourer of heretics, and her adherents in the matters
aforesaid to have incurred the sentence of excommunication and to be cut off
from the unity of the body of Christ.
4. And moreover
(we declare) her to be deprived of her pretended title to the aforesaid crown
and of all lordship, dignity and privilege whatsoever.
5. And also
(declare) the nobles, subjects and people of the said realm and all others who
have in any way sworn oaths to her, to be forever absolved from such an oath
and from any duty arising from lordship. fealty and obedience; and we do, by
authority of these presents , so absolve them and so deprive the same Elizabeth
of her pretended title to the crown and all other the above said matters. We
charge and command all and singular the nobles, subjects, peoples and others
afore said that they do not dare obey her orders, mandates and laws. Those who
shall act to the contrary we include in the like sentence of excommunication.
6. Because in
truth it may prove too difficult to take these presents wheresoever it shall be
necessary, we will that copies made under the hand of a notary public and
sealed with the seal of a prelate of the Church or of his court shall have such
force and trust in and out of judicial proceedings, in all places among the
nations, as these presents would themselves have if they were exhibited or
shown.
Given at St. Peter’s at
Rome, on 25 February1570 of the Incarnation; in the fifth year of our
pontificate.
Pius PP.
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