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Given by His
Holiness Pope Benedict XIV
June 14, 1751
To the Primate,
Archbishops and Bishops, of the Kingdom of Poland.
Venerable Brothers, We give you Greeting and Our Apostolic Blessing.
God in his goodness allowed Catholicism to take root in Poland at the
end of the tenth century during the reign of Our predecessor Leo VIII.
At the time, the efforts of King Mieszko and his Christian consort
Dobrava (Dlugosz, Annalium vestrorum Scriptorum, 2, 94) encouraged the
spread of Christianity. Since then pious and devout Poles have
continued the faithful practice of their new religion. During this time
various sects have attempted to establish themselves in Poland and to
spread the seeds of their errors, heresies, and evil opinions. But the
faithful Polish people have strongly withstood their efforts.
We esteem the glorious memory of Polish martyrs, confessors, virgins
and holy men; their exemplary lives are recorded in the holy annals of
the Church. We also recall the many successful councils and synods
which gloriously defeated the Lutherans who tried tenaciously, using a
variety of methods, to establish a foothold and welcome in this
kingdom. At that time indeed the great council of Piotrkow met under
Our great predecessor and fellow citizen Gregory XIII, with prelate
Lippomano, bishop of Verona and Apostolic nuncio, as its president. To
the great glory of God it prohibited the principle of freedom of
conscience; adherents of this principle were seeking to introduce and
establish it in Poland. Another threat to Christians has been the
influence of Jewish faithlessness; this influence was strong because
Christians and Jews were living in the same cities and towns. However
their influence was minimized because the Polish bishops did all they
could to aid the Poles in their resistance to the Jews. What the
bishops did is recorded in the large tome which contains the
constitutions of the synods of the province of Gniezno. These facts
establish most clearly and plainly the great glory which the Polish
nation has won for its zeal in preserving the holy religion embraced by
its ancestors so many ages before.
2. In regard to the matter of the Jews We must express our concern,
which causes Us to cry aloud: "the best color has been changed." Our
credible experts in Polish affairs and the citizens of Poland itself
who communicated with Us have informed Us that the number of Jews in
that country has greatly increased. In fact, some cities and towns
which had been predominantly Christian are now practically devoid of
Christians.
The Jews have so replaced the Christians that some parishes are about
to lose their ministers because their revenue has dwindled so
drastically. Because the Jews control businesses selling liquor and
even wine, they are therefore allowed to supervise the collection of
public revenues. They have also gained control of inns, bankrupt
estates, villages and public land by means of which they have
subjugated poor Christian farmers. The Jews are cruel taskmasters, not
only working the farmers harshly and forcing them to carry excessive
loads, but also whipping them for punishment. So it has come about that
those poor farmers are the subjects of the Jews, submissive to their
will and power. Furthermore, although the power to punish lies with the
Christian official, he must comply with the commands of the Jews and
inflict the punishments they desire. If he doesn't, he would lose his
post. Therefore the tyrannical orders of the Jews have to be carried
out.
3. In addition to the harm done to Christians in these regards, other
unreasonable matters can result in even greater loss and danger. The
most serious is that some households of the great have employed a Jew
as "Superintendent-of-the-Household"; in this capacity, they not only
administer domestic and economic matters, but they also ceaselessly
exhibit and flaunt authority over the Christians they are living with.
It is now even commonplace for Christians and Jews to intermingle
anywhere. But what is even less comprehensible is that Jews fearlessly
keep Christians of both sexes in their houses as their domestics, bound
to their service. Furthermore, by means of their particular practice of
commerce, they amass a great store of money and then by an exorbitant
rate of interest utterly destroy the wealth and inheritance of
Christians. Even if they borrow money from Christians at heavy and
undue interest with their synagogues as surety, it is obvious to anyone
who thinks about it that they do so to employ the money borrowed from
Christians in their commercial dealings; this enables them to make
enough profit to pay the agreed interest and simultaneously increase
their own store. At the same time, they gain as many defenders of their
synagogues and themselves as they have creditors.
4. The famous monk, Radulph, inspired long ago by an excess of zeal,
was so inflamed against the Jews that he traversed Germany and France
in the twelfth century and, by preaching against the Jews as the
enemies of our holy religion, incited Christians to destroy them. This
resulted in the deaths of a very large number of Jews. What must we
think his deeds or thoughts would be if he were now alive and saw what
was happening in Poland? But the great St. Bernard opposed this
immoderate and maddened zeal of Radulph, and wrote to the clergy and
people of eastern France: "The Jews are not to be persecuted: they are
not to be slaughtered: they are not even to be driven out. Examine the
divine writings concerning them. We read in the psalm a new kind of
prophecy concerning the Jews: God has shown me, says the Church, on the
subject of my enemies, not to slay them in case they should ever forget
my people. Alive, however, they are eminent reminders for us of the
Lord's suffering. On this account they are scattered through all lands
in order that they may be witnesses to Our redemption while they pay
the just penalties for so great a crime" (epistle 363). And he writes
this to Henry, Archbishop of Mainz: "Doesn't the Church every day
triumph more fully over the Jews in convicting or converting them than
if once and for all she destroyed them with the edge of the sword:
Surely it is not in vain that the Church has established the universal
prayer which is offered up for the faithless Jews from the rising of
the sun to its setting, that the Lord God may remove the veil from
their hearts, that they may be rescued from their darkness into the
light of truth. For unless it hoped that those who do not believe would
believe, it would obviously be futile and empty to pray for them."
(epistle 365).
5. Peter, abbot of Cluny, likewise wrote against Radulph to King Louis
of France, and urged him not to allow the destruction of the Jews. But
at the same time he encouraged him to punish their excesses and to
strip them of the property they had taken from Christians or had
acquired by usury; he should then devote the value of this to the use
and benefit of holy religion, as may be seen in the Annals of Venerable
Cardinal Baronius (1146). In this matter, as in all others, We adopt
the same norm of action as did the Roman Pontiffs who were Our
venerable predecessors. Alexander III forbade Christians under heavy
penalties to accept permanent domestic service under Jews. "Let them
not continually devote themselves to the service of Jews for a wage."
He sets out the reason for this in the decretal Ad haec, de Judaeis.
"Because Jewish ways do not harmonize in any way with ours and they
could easily turn the minds of the simple to their own superstitions
and faithlessness through continual intercourse and unceasing
acquaintance." Innocent III, after saying that Jews were being received
by Christians into their cities, warns that the method and condition of
this reception should guard against their repaying the benefit with
evildoing. "They on being admitted to our acquaintance in a spirit of
mercy, repay us, the popular proverb says, as the mouse in the wallet,
the snake in the lap and fire in the bosom usually repay their host."
The same Pope stated that it was fitting for Jews to serve Christians
rather than vice versa and added: "Let not the sons of the free woman
be servants of the sons of the handmaid; but as servants rejected by
their lord for whose death they evilly conspired, let them realize that
the result of this deed is to make them servants of those whom Christ's
death made free," as we read in his decretal Etsi Judaeos. Likewise in
the decretal Cum sit nimis under the same heading de Judaeis, et
Saracenis, he forbids the promotion of Jews to public office:
"forbidding Jews to be promoted to public offices since in such
circumstances they may be very dangerous to Christians." Innocent IV,
also, in writing to St. Louis, King of France, who intended to drive
the Jews beyond the boundaries of his kingdom, approves of this plan
since the Jews gave very little heed to the regulations made by the
Apostolic See in their regard: "Since We strive with all Our heart for
the salvation of souls, We grant you full power by the authority of
this letter to expel the Jews, particularly since We have learned that
they do not obey the said statutes issued by this See against them"
(Raynaldus, Annals, A.D. 1253, no. 34).
6. But if it is asked what matters the Apostolic See forbids to Jews
living in the same cities as Christians, We will say that all those
activities which are now allowed in Poland are forbidden; these We
recounted above. There is no need of much reading to understand that
this is the clear truth of the matter. It is enough to peruse decretals
with the heading de Judaeis, et Saracenis; the constitutions of
Our predecessors, the Roman Pontiffs Nicholas IV, Paul IV, St. Pius V,
Gregory XIII and Clement VIII are readily available in the Roman
Bullarium. To understand these matters most clearly, Venerable
Brothers, you do not even need to read those. You will recall the
statutes and prescripts of the synods of your predecessors; they always
entered in their constitutions every measure concerning the Jews which
was sanctioned and ordained by the Roman Pontiffs.
7. The essence of the difficulty, however, is that either the sanctions
of the synods are forgotten or they are not put into effect. To you
then, Venerable Brothers, passes the task of renewing those sanctions.
The nature of your office requires that you carefully encourage their
implementation. In this matter begin with the clergy, as is fair and
reasonable. These will have to show others the right way to act, and
light the way for the rest by their example. For in God's mercy, We
hope that the good example of the clergy will lead the straying laity
back to the straight path. You will be able to give these orders and
commands easily and confidently, in that neither your property nor your
privileges are hired to Jews; furthermore you do no business with them
and you neither lend them money nor borrow from them. Thus, you will be
free from and unaffected by all dealings with them.
8. The sacred canons, prescribe that in the most important cases, such
as the present, censures should be imposed upon the recalcitrant; and
that those cases which bode danger and ruin to religion should be
reckoned as reserved cases in which only the bishop can give
absolution. The Council of Trent considered your jurisdiction when it
affirmed your right to reserve cases. It did not restrict such cases to
public crimes only, but extended them to include more notorious and
serious cases, provided they were not purely internal. But we have
often said that some cases should be considered more notorious and
serious. These are cases, to which men are more prone, which are a
danger both to ecclesiastical discipline and to the salvation of the
souls which have been entrusted to your episcopal care. We have
discussed these at length in Our treatise On the diocesan synod, Book
5, 5.
9. In this matter We will help as much as possible. If you have to
proceed against ecclesiastics exempt from your jurisdiction, you will
doubtless encounter additional difficulties. Therefore We are giving
Our Venerable Brother Archbishop Nicaenus, Our Nuncio there, a mandate
appropriate for this business, in order that he may supply for you the
necessary means from the powers entrusted to him. At the same time We
promise you that when the situation arises, We will cooperate
energetically and effectively with those whose combined authority and
power are appropriate to remove this stain of shame from Poland. But
first Venerable Brothers, ask aid from God, the source of all things.
From Him beg help for Us and this Apostolic See. And while We embrace
you in the fullness of charity, We lovingly impart to you, Our
brothers, and to the flocks entrusted to your care, Our Apostolic
Blessing.
Given at Castelgandolfo on the 14th of June 1751 in the eleventh year
of Our Pontificate.
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