Inter praecipuas machinationes

Contents

Inter praecipuas machinationes, or On Biblical Societies,[1] was the final encyclical letter issued by Pope Gregory XVI. It was issued on 8 May 1844 and condemned Protestant translations of the Bible.

Contents

Following the earlier writings of Popes Pius VII, Leo XII, and Pius VIII, Gregory condemns Bible societies for their distribution of unapproved Bible editions.[2] He accuses the Christian League, in New York, of "inciting sedition",[1] converting Catholic Italian immigrants to Protestantism by encouraging them to form their own interpretations of the Bible.[3]

Reactions

Many American Protestants saw Gregory's position as conceding that Catholic doctrines were unbiblical.[4] Protestant groups like the Plymouth Brethren took the encyclical as evidence that Catholic countries were in need of their missionary labor.[5]

References

  1. 1.[1.2]Noll, Mark A. (2022). America's Book: The Rise and Decline of a Bible Civilization, 1794-1911. Oxford University Press. p. 321. ISBN 978-0-19-762346-6.
  2. 2.Dievenkorn, Sabine; Levin, Shaul (26 February 2024). [Re]Gained in Translation II: Bibles, Histories, and Struggles for Identity. Frank & Timme GmbH. p. 65. ISBN 978-3-7329-0790-8.
  3. 3.Schuck, Michael Joseph (1991). That They be One: The Social Teaching of the Papal Encyclicals, 1740-1989. Georgetown University Press. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-87840-489-6.
  4. 4.Stanley, Christopher D. The Colonized Apostle. Fortress Press. p. 194. ISBN 978-0-8006-6854-9.
  5. 5.Eaton, Kent (3 June 2015). Protestant Missionaries in Spain, 1869–1936: "Shall the Papists Prevail?". Lexington Books. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-7391-9411-9.