SACRED DEPOSIT OF THE FAITH

CHURCH, COUNCIL AND PAPAL DOCUMENTS

"In the beginning was the Word"

  No study is complete without Divine Revelation of the Word of God contained in the Sacred Scripture of the Old and New Testaments and passed down through Tradition with the Latin Vulgate and translated to the Douay-Rheims edition which is the most loyal to those traditions. Therefore, we provide the full Bible available on line. See HOLY BIBLE

The Catechism of Absolutes
  Many were weaned on the Baltimore Catechism which were the truths put simply and concretely in black and white. Those reared on this Catechism know their Faith and, when all else fails, we strongly urge you to return to the roots of what the Roman Catholic Church teaches without ambiguity - without relativism - without pouring through 800 pages from cover to cover. Therefore we present the Baltimore Catechism

Council of Trent

  To understand what the Roman Catholic Faith is all about, the truths and absolutes of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, one needs to go back to the unchangeable doctrine that was defined and set in stone.. We start with the counter-reformation 19th Ecumenical Council in the Tridentine mountains of northern Italy in the longest council in Church history: the Council of Trent called by Pope Paul III in 1545 and the 25th session closed in 1563 by Pope Pius IV. For all the documents see Council of Trent

Proclamations of Pope Saint Pius V

  For Pope Saint Pius V's Apostolic Constitution on the Rosary "Consueverunt Romani" which helped create the miraculous victory at Lepanto in 1571, see Exhortation on the Rosary
For his Papal Bull Quo Primum for carrying out the reforms of Trent and establishing the Holy Mass in stone, see QUO PRIMUM


Pope Clement XII

  Pope Clement XII, 246th in the line of Peter, was the first Roman Pontiff to warn the world of the Masonic movement. His writings were masterful and left no doubts where the Church stood on all things. His first encyclical on September 13, 1758 A Quo Die ("Since That Day") entreated all Catholics to be united in the Faith and to be on guard against false doctrines and anti-Christian ideas. He urged, "Bishops should always keep this in mind: 'When a ruler listens to false reports, all his ministers will be scoundrels.' We must stop being envious of glory. Thus, glory will be the downfall of those who think earthly things are important." See A Quo Die

To best protect the faithful, Clement warned in his encyclical of September 17, 1759 Cum Primum ("Ever Since") that the bishops make sure they and their priests lived according to their ecclesiastical calling and not be compromised by duties better suited to the laity, thereby weaking their own spiritual resolve and causing scandal. See Cum Primum

To better be armed against the enemies of the Church, Clement illustrated the spiritual benefits of fasting and doing penance, self-mortification to fend off temptation. His encyclical on December 20, 1759, Appetente Sacro ("The Holy Season") laid out the advantages of fasting. See Appetente Sacro

On June 14, 1761 Clement wrote In Domenico Agro ("In the Lord's Field") on the Instruction of the Faith in which he warned of exactly what would happen to the Church with Vatican II. Here is a brief exerpt of his masterful writing, "It often happens that certain unworthy ideas come forth in the Church of God which, although they directly contradict each other, plot together to undermine the purity of the Catholic faith in some way. It is very difficult to cautiously balance our speech between both enemies in such a way that We seem to turn Our backs on none of them, but to shun and condemn both enemies of Christ equally. Meanwhile the matter is such that diabolical error, when it has artfully colored its lies, easily clothes itself in the likeness of truth while very brief additions or changes corrupt the meaning of expressions; and confession, which usually works salvation, sometimes, with a slight change, inches toward death. The faithful—especially those who are simple or uncultivated—should be kept away from dangerous and narrow paths upon which they can hardly set foot without faltering. The sheep should not be led to pasture through trackless places." We can see through past Papal pronouncements and Councils how Vatican II "easily clothed itself in the likeness of truth" while, in the New Mass, and various documents such as Sacrosanctum Concilium, Lumen Gentium and Gaudium et spes, to name a few, "very brief additions or changes corrupt meaning of expressions; and confession, which usually works salvation, sometimes, with a slight change, inches toward death." For this excellent encyclical, see In Domenico Agro

In a beautifully worded encyclical on November 25, 1766 Clement employed imagery and metaphor to clearly show the slithering serpent of freemasonry was making inroads and what Catholics needed to do to keep satan away. Christianae Reipublicae ("The Well-being of the Christian Community") warned of how dangerous and deceiving were anti-Christian writings, so cleverly couched for acceptability. Had Catholics abided by his words not just then, but today as well, we would not have the immorality and confusion in the world today. See Christianae Reipublicae

To better be armed against these enemies of the Church, Clement illustrated the spiritual benefits of fasting and doing penance, self-mortification to fend off temptation. His encyclical a year later on December 20, Appetente Sacro ("The Holy Season") laid out the advantages of fasting. See

To best protect the faithful, Clement warned in his encyclical of September 17, 1759 the bishops to make sure they and their priests lived according to their ecclesiastical calling and not be better be armed against these enemies of the Church, Clement illustrated the spiritual benefits of fasting and doing penance, self-mortification to fend off temptation. His encyclical a year later on December 20, Appetente Sacro ("The Holy Season") laid out the advantages of fasting. See A Quo Die


Pre-Vatican I Papal Proclamations

  For the encyclicals, apostolic exhortations and Papal Bulls fromPope Gregory XIII in 1572 through 28 Popes to Pope Gregory XVI up to 1846, see Between Trent and Vatican I


First Vatican Council

  306 years after the Council of Trent Blessed Pope Pius IX called the First Vatican Council in order to declare the doctrine of infallibility of the Vicar of Christ when speaking ex cathedra on faith and morals. This dogma was proclaimed on July 18, 1870. That same year, after 14 full sessions, Pius suspended the 20th Ecumenical Council because the Italian army had entered Rome, which would end the Papal States and Pius himself would never leave the Vatican again. For all these documents see Vatican I

Pope Pius IX
Proclamations of post-Vatican I Popes

  The longest reigning Pontiff outside of Saint Peter himself, Blessed Pope Pius IX was selected the 255th successor of Peter on June 21, 1846 and died on February 7, 1878 - 32 years in which he guided the Barque of Peter through the troubling times of the rise of modernism and the masonic movement. A pious Pope who stood by the Traditions with every fiber of his being, he declared the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854. Sixteen years later he would see the end of the Papal States when the Italian Army took over Rome. He chose to forever remain within the Vatican. For the encyclicals, apostolic exhortations and Papal Bulls by Blessed Pope Pius IX, including his Syllabus of Errors in which he clearly outlined those things which would be, are and should forever be anathema, see Blessed Pope Pius IX

Pope Leo XIII
Proclamations of post-Vatican I Popes

  Cardinal Joachim Pecci served the Church well, especially after becoming Pope Leo XIII on March 3, 1878. His pontificate spanned the turn of the century and he followed and was succeeded by two holy Pontiffs named Pius. He passed away on July 20, 1903. lFor the encyclicals, apostolic exhortations and Papal Bulls by Pope Leo XIII, including his encyclical "Rerum Novarum" against Marxism, which plagues the Church today, and his encyclical "Humanum Genus" on Freemasonry, see Pope Leo XIII

Pope Saint Pius X
Proclamations of post-Vatican I Popes

  Pope Saint Pius X was born Joseph Sarto and became the 257th Sovereign Pontiff on August 9, 1903. His glorious papacy lasted eleven years with him passing to his Heavenly reward on August 20, 1914. For the encyclicals, apostolic exhortations and Papal Bulls by this holy Pontiff of the Holy Eucharist who urged priestly sanctity and who so fought againt Modernism, warning the Church over and over including his encyclical "Lamentabili Sane" and "Pascendi Dominici Gregis " followed by his "Oath Against Modernism" released three years after the two former encyclicals, see see Pope Saint Pius X

Pope Benedict XV
Proclamations of post-Vatican I Popes

  For the encyclicals by Pope Benedict XV during his 8-year papacy (September 6, 1914 - January 22, 1922) on emulating the saints and pleading for peace in the wake of World War I, see Pope Benedict XV

Pope Pius XI
Proclamations of post-Vatican I Popes

  For the many encyclicals by Pope Pius XI, including his "Divini Redemptoris" in which he condemned atheistic communism and many other encyclicals where he warned the world of the dangers ahead, especially to the United States with his "Vigilanti Cura" in which he pleaded for decency in the mushrooming film industry that, today, has become a cesspool that has plunged the world into decadence. The "Legion of Decency" which he promoted so was disbanded after Vatican II. Pius XI's pontificate spanned 17 years from February 12, 1922 until his death on Februuary 10, 1939. For his writings, see Pope Pius XI

Pope Pius XII
Proclamations of post-Vatican I Popes

   ;For the encyclicals, apostolic exhortations and Papal Bulls by Pope Pius XII, the last Traditional Pope and the last to speak ex cathedra with "Munificentissimus Deusi" on the Dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on November 1, 1950. Elected on March 2, 1939 as war was about to break out throughout Europe, his pontificate withstood the ravages of World War II and behind the scenes he did all he could and more to protect all - especially the Jews. He did all he could to keep the modernists, progressivists and communists in check. After his encyclical "Humani Generis" he censured and exiled men who were spreading false opinions and many times heresy. The saddest part of all this is that all those he exiled were feted as the new thinkers at Vatican II. Pius followed up his successor's encyclical on the film industry with an even stronger one "Miranda Prorsus" in 1957, a year before he died on October 9, 1958. For his writings, see Pope Pius XII

Second Vatican Council

  Rather than re-open Vatican I, John XXIII shocked the world and launched the slippery slope the Church has been on ever since when he announced on January 25, 1959 at St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls that he would convene the Second Vatican Council. After sending out the original schemas to every diocese in the world and wading through all the feedback that greatly diluted the original content, the Council opened on October 11, 1962. A dying John XXIII closed it on December 8, 1962 and, on his death bed, begged, "Stop the Council! Stop the Council!" But his successor Paul VI reopened it on September 29, 1963 - just three months after his election - and closed it on December 4, 1963. The third session was opened on September 14, 1964 and closed on November 21, 1964. The fourth and final session convened a year later on September 14, 1965 - where non-Catholics and women were given a greater say than ever in the history of the Church as the progressivists completed the hijacking of the largest, and, what will go down in history, as the most damaging Council in Church History. The Council closed on December 8th of the same year. For all these documents see Vatican II

John XXIII
Proclamations of post-Vatican II popes

   Though he was beatified last year on September 3rd in a balance of Traditionalist (Pio Nono) and Liberals, make no mistake John XXIII was a liberal. He was also full of love, tremendous love for everyone and trusted too much. Elected on October 28, 1958 as an interim Pope because the Conclave was deadlocked and settled on this loveable Patriarch of Venice. He wrote eight encyclicals during his 4-year pontificate. His first "Ad Petri Cathedram" illustrates the love and his belief that all could live in harmony. Two of his more famous encyclicals were "Mater et Magistra" and the controversial "Pacem in Terris". It was not until he lay on his deathbed, dying from lukemia that he realized how he had been used by the modernists, progressivists, communists and masons to undermine the one obstacle in their way: Holy Mother Church. Sadly, his successor did not heed his plea, "Stop the Council! Stop the Council!" He passed away on June 3, 1963 and the entire world mourned the good Pope. For his writings, see John XXIII

Paul VI
Proclamations of post-Vatican II popes

   The jury is still out on Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini who, though exiled by Pope Pius XII returned to Rome to be elected Roman Pontiff and, rather than following John XXIII's cautions, plunged even deeper into the malaise that Vatican II became as factions greatly embittered all camps and those progressivists from the northern regions of Europe were allowed to run freely and rule liberally as the Rhine flowed into the Tiber. Paul's pontificate lasted 15 years and yet he wrote one less encyclical than his predecessor. While many think he will forever be remembered for the one great encyclical that was so widely rejected "Humanae Vitae", the truth is he will forever be lamented for what he did on April 3, 1969 when he ushered in the "abomination of desolation"..."standing in the holy place" (which Christ had warned of in Matthew 24: 15) of the man-made sacrilege of the Novus Ordo. If only it had been ignored as was his encyclical on human life, but the modernists had already gained a strong foothold after Vatican II in almost every chancery worldwide. With this infiltration in place the cancer began to grow even deeper as the devil recruited more to help him in deconstructing his greatest enemy on earth - Holy Mother Church. Paul died on August 6, 1978, admitting that satan was now in the sanctuary. For his Encyclicals, Apostolic Letters Constitutions, and Exhortations see Pope Paul VI

John Paul II
Proclamations of post-Vatican II popes

   Now in the 23rd year of his pontificate, John Paul II was elevated on October 16, 1978 after his predecessor John Paul I died mysteriously after only 33 days as pope. No Sovereign Pontiff has been more well known, more popular with the world and media, or has traveled to more countries as he has become the "pilgrim pope." It has been left to this Polish pontiff to try to salvage Vatican II, but it is a futile attempt for there are no good fruits from a bad tree. Yet, he has tried to please all sides in calling for unity and peace, so diluting the Truths and Traditions of Holy Mother Church. Those intent on destroying the Church seem to have his ear and sadly it is also a fact that many within the heirarchy have long been working to undermine his authority, trying to paint him into a corner so that he will lessen the temporal and spiritual powers of the Keeper of the Keys. At 82, we pray he has the strength to resist them. Now in the twilight years of his life, John Paul II will go down as one of the most prolific, yet ambiguous and wordy writers among the Popes. He has written volumes and volumes. We present Brother Ignatius' compilation of his many works, including his Encyclicals, Apostolic Letters Constitutions, Exhortations, Angeleses, General Audiences and Homilies see Pope John Paul II

The New Catechism

   For those who have read the new Catechism of the Catholic Church cover to cover, please let us know if it is as clear and concise as the Baltimore Catechism. While it is definitely more detailed, many believe it is too much so for it discourages the common Catholic from reading more because it is written, so often, above everyone's heads - such a thorough job have these 'knowledgable theologians' done. Nevertheless, because it is an approved work, we present this as a comparison to something that was perfectly fine before the periti decided to publish the following tome. The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Code of Canon Law

   We present here the Code of Canon Law of 1983. Canon Law is the ecclesiastical rule for the Church in establishing the norms and standards for all to follow. We don't really expect all to use this link unless you are looking up something specific. But it will help you if you are interested in various canons. Even more interesting is to compare it to the Pio-Benedictine Code of 1917 which was revised with the 1983 Code. See Code of Canon Law

St. Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica
   For those truly interested in theology, who are confused by the modern theologians who have led so many astray, we strongly recommend thee work by the Angelic Doctor of the Church Saint Thomas Aquinas and his masterful Summa Theologica available at New Advent's site. See "Summa Theologica" and see CREDO & CULTURE


Back to Today's Issue