Inter praecipuas machinationes
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| Inter praecipuas Latin for 'Among the major' Encyclical of Pope Gregory XVI | |
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| Signature date | 8 May 1844 |
| Subject | Church and state |
| Number | 9 of 9 of the pontificate |
| Text | |
Inter praecipuas machinationes, or On Biblical Societies,[1] was an encyclical issued by Pope Gregory XVI on 8 May 1844, condemning Protestant translations of the Bible.
Following the examples of Pius VII, Leo XII, and Pius VIII, Gregory condemns Bible societies for their distribution of unapproved Bible editions.[2] He accuses the Christian League, in New York, of "inciting sedition",[1] converting Catholic Italian immigrants to Protestantism by encouraging them to form their own interpretations of the Bible.[3]
Many American Protestants saw Gregory's position as conceding that Catholic doctrines were unbiblical.[4] Protestant groups like the Plymouth Brethren took the encyclical as evidence that Catholic countries were in need of their missionary labor.[5]
