''Benedictus Deus'' is a papal bull written by

Pius IV Pope Pius IV ( it, Pio IV; 31 March 1499 – 9 December 1565), born Giovanni Angelo Medici, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 December 1559 to his death in December 1565. Born in Milan, his family considered ...

in 1564 which ratified all decrees and definitions of the

Council of Trent The Council of Trent ( la, Concilium Tridentinum), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation, it has been described a ...

. It maintains that the decrees of the Council of Trent can be interpreted solely by the Papal office itself; and enjoins strict obedience upon all Catholics, forbidding, under pain of excommunication, all unauthorized interpretation. This was seen by Church contemporaries of Pius IV as an attempt to strengthen the influence of the Papacy against the rise of Conciliarism exemplified by the Council of Trent itself. There is a more minor bull of the same title written by Benedict XII in 1336.

Bibliography

* ''Bulla S.D.N.D. Pii Divina Providentia papae quarti super confirmatione oecumenii & generalis concilii Tridentini''. Mexicopoli: Ocharte, 156
Text at archive.org
* Council of Trent 16th-century papal bulls 1564 works Pope Pius IV 1564 in Christianity {{RC-document-stub