Ecclesiam a Jesu Christo was a Papal bull promulgated by

Pius VII Pope Pius VII ( it, Pio VII; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. Chiaramonti was also a m ...

in 1821. It stated that

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

must be

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...

for their oath bound secrecy of the society and conspiracies against church and state. It also linked Freemasonry with the

Carbonari The Carbonari () was an informal network of secret revolutionary societies active in Italy from about 1800 to 1831. The Italian Carbonari may have further influenced other revolutionary groups in France, Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Uruguay and Ru ...

, an

anti-clerical Anti-clericalism is opposition to religious authority, typically in social or political matters. Historical anti-clericalism has mainly been opposed to the influence of Roman Catholicism. Anti-clericalism is related to secularism, which seeks to ...

revolutionary group active in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

.Papal Pronouncements, A Guide, 1740 - 1978, 2 Vols., by Claudia Carlen, IHM, (The Pierian Press, 1990), cited in Endnote 6 i
Roman Catholic Church Law Regarding Freemasonry
by Reid McInvale, Texas Lodge of Research It said that the Carbonari affected a love of the Catholic religion."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." Transl. "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 audacioulsly call their Grand-Master and the head of their group.

(In French). However the true goals of the Carbonari was said to be: *

Religious indifference Indifferentism is the belief held by some that no one religion or philosophy is superior to another. Religious indifferentism is to be distinguished from political indifferentism. Political indifferentism relates to the policy of a State that tr ...

"principalement pour but de propager l'indifférence en matière de religion le plus dangereux de tous les systèmes
Ecclesiam a Jesu Christo
(In French). * Disestablishment of the church and total

religious freedom Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freedom ...

"donner à chacun la liberté absolue de se faire une religion suivant ses penchants et ses idées
Ecclesiam a Jesu Christo
(In French). * The profanation of

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

through their ceremonies"de profaner et de souiller la Passion du Sauveur par quelques-unes de leurs coupables cérémonies
Ecclesiam a Jesu Christo
(In French). * To scorn, and perhaps replace the

sacraments A sacrament is a Christian rite that is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol of the real ...

of the churchmépriser 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. * To plot against

Papal primacy Papal primacy, also known as the primacy of the bishop of Rome, is a Roman Catholic ecclesiological doctrine concerning the respect and authority that is due to the pope from other bishops and their episcopal sees. The doctrine is accepted a ...

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). All members of the Carbonari were excommunicated,"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." Transl. "We recommend to them atholicsto 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). along with those who kept Carbonari secrets "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." Transl. "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.

(In French). and those promoting Carbonari literature."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." Transl. "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.

(In French). {{webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040307203058/http://membres.lycos.fr/lesbonstextes/pviiecclesiamajesuchristo.htm , date=7 March 2004

References

Catholicism and Freemasonry History of Catholicism in Italy Carbonari 1821 in Europe

See also

References