674 



KOMAN CATHOLIC CHUKCH. 



abundance of His divine mercy, He would vouchsafe 

 to be present at this Council, in which we shall be 

 able to establish those things that in any way regard 

 the welfare of His holy Church. 



Therefore, after most fervent prayer offered up day 

 and night in the humility of our heart to God the 

 Father of light, we have judged it to be expedient 

 that this Council should be assembled. For this 

 cause, strong in the authority of God the Father Al- 

 mighty, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and of the 

 holy apostles, Peter and Paul, which authority we 

 represent on earth, we, with the counsel and consent 

 of our venerable brethren the Cardinals of the holy 

 Eoman Church, by these present letters, announce, 

 convoke, and ordain, the sacred (Ecumenical and 

 General Council to be holden in that our city of Borne 

 in the coming year, 1869, in the Vatican Basilica, 

 commencing upon the 8tn day of December, sacred 

 to the immaculate conception of the ^ Virgin _ Mary, 

 and to be prosecuted and conducted to its termination 

 by the help of God, to His glory and to the salvation 

 of all Christian peoples. 



We therefore desire and command that our vener- 

 able brethren, the patriarchs, archbishops, bishops, 

 as also our beloved sons, the abbots, and all others 

 who, by right or privilege, are entitled to sit in gen- 

 eral councils, and to manifest their opinions to the 

 same, should, from all parts, repair to this (Ecumeni- 

 cal Council, convoked by; us, and to this effect we in- 

 vite, exhort, and admonish them, both in virtue of 

 the oath they have taken to us and this holy See, 

 and of holy obedience, and under the penalties by 

 law or custom, decreed against those who fail to ap- 

 pear at the councils. "We rigorously ordain and pre- 

 scribe that they shall be bound to attend this sacred 

 Council, unless withheld by some just impediment, 

 which, however, must in all cases _ be proved, to the 

 Synod by the intermediary of legitimate proxies. 



We cherish the hope that God, in whose hands are 

 the hearts of men, showing himself favorable to our 

 desire, may grant that, by His ineffable mercy and 

 grace, all the supreme princes and governors, more 

 especially Catholic, of all nations, growing daily more 

 conscious of the immense benefits which human so- 

 ciety derives from the Catholic Church, and knowing 

 that the Church is the most stable foundation of em- 

 pires and kingdoms, not only will not impede our 

 venerable brethren, the bishops, and others from at- 

 tending this Council, but will rather aid and favor 

 this object, and cooperate zealously, as becomes Cath- 

 olic princes, in all tnatmay result to the greater glory 

 of God, and the benefit of this Council. 



To the end that these, our letters and the things 

 therein contained, may come to the knowledge of all 

 whom it may concern, and that no person may be 

 able to plead ignorance of the same ; and as, possibly, 

 they might not securely reach all those to whom they 

 may -be personally addressed, we desire and com- 

 mand that the present letters be read publicly and 

 audibly by the messengers of our Curia, or some pub- 

 lic notary, in the Lateran, Vatican, and Liberian Ba- 

 silicas. After having been read, they shall be affixed 

 to the doors of the said Churches, the gates of the 

 Apostolic Chancery, in the usual place in the Campo 

 di Fiori, and in other public places, where they will 

 remain for some time, for the information of all. 

 When the originals shall be removed, they will be re- 

 placed by copies in the same places. In view of such 

 lectures, publication, and exhibition, we ordain that, 

 two months from the date of publication and posting 

 of our letters, all and each of those whom they may 

 concern will be bound thereby, equally as if they had 

 been read and communicated to them personally. 

 We further order and decree that copies of these 

 letters, written or signed by a p_ublic notary, and 

 bearing the seal of some ecclesiastical dignitary, may 

 be accepted as perfectly authentic. 



No man will be at liberty to oppose or rashly con- 

 travene this our in diction, announcement, convoca- 

 tion, statute, decree, command, precept, and invita- 



tion. And if any shall presume to attempt this, let 

 him know that he will incur the wrath of Almighty 

 God, and of His blessed apostles, Peter and Paul. 



Given at Eome, at St. Peter, in the year of the In- 

 carnation of our Lord, 1868, on the 29th June, in the 

 23d year of our Pontificate. 



L. t-s. fPIUS. 



Bishop of the Catholic Church. 

 (Here follow the signatures of the cardinals.) 



On the 8th of September, an invitation was 

 issued to the bishops of the Eastern Churches, 

 to attend the Council (see the text of the Pa- 

 pal letter, and the replies of the Eastern bish- 

 ops, in the article EASTERN CHUECHES). 



On the 14th of Septemher, the following 

 Papal letter was addressed to Protestant and 

 non-Catholic bodies : 



Pius, Sovereign Pontiff, Ninth of the Name, to all 

 Protestants and other Non- Catholics : 



You must already all know that we, who, despite 

 our unworthinessj have been raised to the throne of 

 Peter, and, theretore, have been advanced to the su- 

 preme government of the whole Catholic Church, 

 and to its administration, which has been intrusted 

 to us in Divine fashion by Christ Himself, our Lord 

 we have judged it fitting to summon before us all our 

 venerable brethren, the bishops of all the world, and 

 to convene them in (Ecumenical Council, which is to 

 be celebrated next year in such a manner that, with 

 those same venerable brethren who have been sum- 

 moned to take part in this subject of our solicitude, 

 we may be able to adopt all'the most opportune and 

 necessary resolutions to dissipate the shadows of so 

 large a number of pestilential errors which daily are 

 extending their power and license, to the great preju- 

 dice of souls, and daily more and more to establish 

 and strengthen, among the Christian people com- 

 mitted to our watchful care, the reign of the true 

 faith, of justice, and of the true peace of God. Bely- 

 ing, then, with firm confidence upon the close and 

 affectionate bond of union which unites those our 

 same venerable brothers to our person, and to the 

 Apostolic See. and who have never ceased, at any 

 period of our Pontificate, to give to us, and to the 

 Apostolic See, the most striking evidence of faith, of 

 love, and of respect, we truly hope that, as it has been 

 in times past with other General Councils, so it may 

 be in the present, and that this (Ecumenical Council, 

 convoked by us, may bring forth, with the help 01 

 Divine grace, the most rich and the most fertile 

 fruits, to the great glory of God, and the eternal wel- 

 fare of man. 



Therefore, in that hope, and instigated and en- 

 couraged by the charity of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

 who laid down His life for the salvation of the world, 

 we cannot forbear, on the occasion of the meeting of 

 the next council, addressing our apostolic and pa- 

 ternal word to all those who, while recognizing that 

 same Jesus Christ as our Saviour, and rejoicing in 

 the name of Christians, yet do not profess the veri- 

 table faith of Christ or follow the communion of the 

 Catholic Church. And if we do so, it is, before all, to 

 warn, exhort, and supplicate with all our zeal and all 

 our charity, to consider and seriously examine if they 

 in truth follow the path prescribed by our Lord Jesus 

 Christ, and which leads to eternal happiness. In fact, 

 no one can deny or doubt that Jesus Christ Himself in 

 order that all future human generations should enjoy 

 the fruit of His redemption, built up here below his 

 Church in the person of Peter that is to say, the 

 Church, one, holy, Catholic, and Apostolic and that 

 He granted to him all the necessary power, in order 

 that the faith should be preserved intact and entire, and 

 that the same faith should be transmitted to all peo- 

 ples, to all races, and to all nations, in such a manner 

 that all men should be able to be united in His mysti- 

 cal body in baptism, and always to preserve in them- 



