POPE PIUS V'S BULL AGAINST ELIZABETH
(1570)
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 gether 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 perserved 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 notorius among all the nations; they are so well proven by the
weighty witness of many men that there remains no place for excuse, defence 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 recognising 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 juctice, 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 lordshop. 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 abovesaid
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
exhibted or shown.
Given at St. Peter's at Rome, on 27 Apr 1570 of the Incarnation; in the fifth
year of our pontificate.
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