''Milites Templi'' (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for "Soldiers of the Temple") was a papal bull issued by

Pope Celestine II Pope Celestine II ( la, Caelestinus II; died 8 March 1144), born Guido di Castello,Thomas, pg. 91 was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 26 September 1143 to his death in 1144. Early life Guido di Castello, possibly ...

in 1144. It ordered the clergy to protect the Knights Templar and encouraged the faithful to contribute to their cause. It allowed the Templars to make their own collections once a year, even in areas under

interdict In Catholic canon law, an interdict () is an ecclesiastical censure, or ban that prohibits persons, certain active Church individuals or groups from participating in certain rites, or that the rites and services of the church are banished from ...

. This is one of the most important papal bulls relating to the Temple, and together with '' Omne datum optimum'' (1139) and '' Militia Dei'' (1145) forms the foundation for the Order's future wealth and success.

References

Sources

* * Knights Templar 1144 works 12th-century papal bulls Documents of Pope Celestine II {{crusades-stub