Ecclesiam a Jesu Christo

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Ecclesiam a Jesu Christo was a papal bull concerned with secret societies opposed to the Catholic Church, primarily the Carbonari. It was promulgated by Pius VII on 13 September 1821.^[1] Its opening words refer to "the church [founded] by Jesus Christ".

Signature date13 September 1821

SubjectCondemnation of Carbonarism

Text

In Latin

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Ecclesiam a Jesu Christo Latin for 'The Church established by Jesus Christ' Papal bull of Pope Pius VII

Signature date	13 September 1821
Subject	Condemnation of Carbonarism
Text	In Latin
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It stated that Freemasons must be excommunicated on account of the oath-bound secrecy of the society and its conspiracies against church and state.

Pius VII linked the Carbonari, an anti-clerical revolutionary group active in Italy, with Freemasonry, which other Popes before him had condemned.^[2] Pius rejected the argument that the pronouncements of Popes Clement XII (In eminenti apostolatus, 1738) and Benedict XIV (Providas Romanorum, 1751) did not apply to the Carbonari, but in any case he extended their earlier proscriptions to the Carbonari movement and its literature.^[1]^{: Para. 8}

Pius argued that the Carbonari "pretended to show respect and a certain zeal for the Catholic religion".^[3] However the true goals of the Carbonari were said to be:

Religious indifferentism;^[4]
Disestablishment of the church and total religious freedom^[5]
The profanation of Jesus Christ through their ceremonies^[6]
To scorn, and perhaps replace, the sacraments of the church; and^[7]
To plot against Papal primacy^[8]

All members of the Carbonari were excommunicated,^[9] along with those who kept Carbonari secrets^[10] and those promoting Carbonari literature.^[11]

References

[1]
Pope Pius VII, Bolla Ecclesiam a Jesu, in Italian, published on 13 September 1821, accessed on 17 June 2026
[2]
Papal Pronouncements, A Guide, 1740 - 1978, 2 Vols., by Claudia Carlen, IHM, (The Pierian Press, 1990), cited in Endnote 6 in Roman Catholic Church Law Regarding Freemasonry by Reid McInvale, Texas Lodge of Research
[3]
"Ils affectent un singulier respect et un zèle tout merveilleux pour la religion catholique, et pour la doctrine et la personne de notre Sauveur Jésus-Christ, qu'ils ont quelquefois la coupable audace de nommer leur grand-maître et le chef de leur société." Translation: "They pretend to have a great and singular respect and zeal for the Catholic religion, and the doctrines and person of our Saviour Jesus-Christ, whom they sometimes audaciously call their Grand-Master and the head of their group." Ecclesiam a Jesu Christo (in French), paragraph 3 in the Holy See edition. Archived 7 March 2004 at the Wayback Machine
[4]
"ont principalement pour but de propager l'indifférence en matière de religion le plus dangereux de tous les systèmes", Translation: mainly to spread indifference in matters of religion, the greatest danger of all systems". Ecclesiam a Jesu Christo (in French), paragraph 5. Archived 7 March 2004 at the Wayback Machine
[5]
"donner à chacun la liberté absolue de se faire une religion suivant ses penchants et ses idées" Ecclesiam a Jesu Christo (in French), Archived 7 March 2004 at the Wayback Machine
[6]
"de profaner et de souiller la Passion du Sauveur par quelques-unes de leurs coupables cérémonies" Ecclesiam a Jesu Christo (in French).Archived 7 March 2004 at the Wayback Machine
[7]
mépriser les sacrements de l'Église (auxquels ils paraissent par un horrible sacrilège en substituer quelques-uns inventés par eux), et même les mystères de la religion catholique. "Ecclesiam a Jesu Christo". Archived from the original on 7 March 2004. Retrieved 2006-07-28.
[8]
enfin, de renverser ce Siège Apostolique contre lequel, animés d'une haine toute particulière à cause de la primauté de cette Chaire (S. Aug. Epist. 43), ils trament les complots les plus noirs et les plus détestables." Ecclesiam a Jesu Christo (in French). Archived 7 March 2004 at the Wayback Machine
[9]
"Nous leur recommandons de s'abstenir entièrement de tout ce qui concerne cette société, de ses réunions, affiliations et conventicules, sous peine de l'excommunication, qu'encourront tous ceux qui contreviendraient à la présente constitution, et dont personne ne pourra recevoir l'absolution que de Nous, ou du Pontife Romain alors existent, à moins que ce ne soit à l'article de la mort." Translation "We recommend to them [Catholics] to completely abstain from all that relates to this group, its meetings, affiliations and conventicules, under penalty of excommunication, which will incur to all those who would contravene the present constitution, and of which nobody will be able to receive the discharge that Us, or of the Romain Pontiff then existing, unless it is not with the article of death." Ecclesiam a Jesu Christo (in French). Archived 7 March 2004 at the Wayback Machine
[10]
"Nous leur ordonnons en outre, sous la même peine de l'excommunication, réservée à Nous et aux Pontifes Romains Nos successeurs, de dénoncer aux Évêques ou à qui de droit tous ceux qu'ils connaîtraient pour être membre de cette société ou pour avoir trempé dans quelques-uns des complots dont Nous avons parlé." Translation "We also order them, under the same sanction of excommunication, reserved for Us and to the Roman Pontiffs Our successors, to denounce with the Bishops or the appropriate authority all those who they would know to be member of this company or to have soaked in some of the plots about which We spoke." Ecclesiam a Jesu Christo (in French). Archived 7 March 2004 at the Wayback Machine
[11]
"Enfin, pour repousser plus efficacement tout danger d'erreur, Nous condamnons et Nous proscrivons ce que les Carbonari nomment leurs catéchismes, leurs livres où est écrit ce qui se passe dans leurs assemblées, leurs statuts, leurs codes, tous les livres écrits pour leur défense, soit imprimés, soit manuscrits, et défendons à tous les fidèles, sous la même peine d'excommunication, de lire ou de garder aucun de ces livres, leur ordonnant en même temps de les livrer tous aux autorités ordinaires et aux autres qui ont le droit de les recevoir." Translation "Finally, in order to push back any danger of error, We condemn and proscribe what Carbonari name their catechisms, their minutes of their assemblies, their statutes, their codes, all the books written for their defense, either printed, or handwritten, and defend with all the faithful ones, under the same pain of excommunication, reading or keeping any of these books, ordering to them at the same time to deliver them all to the ordinary authorities and the others who have the right to receive them." Ecclesiam a Jesu Christo (in French).Archived 7 March 2004 at the Wayback Machine

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