In the Syllabus of errors, Section IV, Pope Pius IX condemned a few types of society, Communist, Freemasonic, Bible Societies (NSDAP was not yet in existence, so could not be as yet condemned, it was that later by German bishops, who in 1933 eased up for low ranking members, but not highranking ones, Steinerian Anthroposophy was also not yet in existence and got condemned in I think 1919, the same year that C. S. Lewis, as yet an Atheist, became friends with the Steinerian Owen Barfield, note, while Lewis never became a Catholic in this life, neither did he become a Steinerian).
But the syllabus doesn't list the actual errors of these, it refers to a few other documents. Of these, exactly two feature Bible Societies, and we will take a look on why:
14. This is the goal too of the crafty Bible Societies which renew the old skill of the heretics and ceaselessly force on people of all kinds, even the uneducated, gifts of the Bible. They issue these in large numbers and at great cost, in vernacular translations, which infringe the holy rules of the Church. The commentaries which are included often contain perverse explanations; so, having rejected divine tradition, the doctrine of the Fathers and the authority of the Catholic Church, they all interpret the words of the Lord by their own private judgment, thereby perverting their meaning. As a result, they fall into the greatest errors. Gregory XVI of happy memory, Our superior predecessor, followed the lead of his own predecessors in rejecting these societies in his apostolic letters.[16] It is Our will to condemn them likewise.
Qui Pluribus
On Faith and Religion | Pope Bl. Pius IX - 1846
https://www.papalencyclicals.net/Pius09/p9quiplu.htm
14. The crafty enemies of the Church and human society attempt to seduce the people in many ways. One of their chief methods is the misuse of the new technique of book-production. They are wholly absorbed in the ceaseless daily publication and proliferation of impious pamphlets, newspapers and leaflets which are full of lies, calumnies and seduction. Furthermore, under the protection of the Bible Societies which have long since been condemned by this Holy See,[7] they distribute to the faithful under the pretext of religion, the holy bible in vernacular translations. Since these infringe the Church’s rules,[8] they are consequently subverted and most daringly twisted to yield a vile meaning. So you realize very well what vigilant and careful efforts you must make to inspire in your faithful people an utter horror of reading these pestilential books. Remind them explicitly with regard to divine scripture that no man, relying on his own wisdom, is able to claim the privilege of rashly twisting the scriptures to his own meaning in opposition to the meaning which holy mother Church holds and has held. It was the Church alone that Christ commissioned to guard the deposit of the faith and to decide the true meaning and interpretation of the divine pronouncements.[9]
Nostis Et Nobiscum
On the Church in the Pontifical States | Pope Bl. Pius IX - 1849
https://www.papalencyclicals.net/Pius09/p9nostis.htm
So, what exactly is being condemned in a Bible society. In each you will see that they distribute Bibles, or even foist them on people, for free, and that even to the uneducated.
Takeaway: the Catholic Church approves of reading the Bible if you are educated, not if you are uneducated.
As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are certain things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, to their own destruction.
[2 Peter 3:16]
Did you catch the part of "unlearned"?
So, in the encyclical concerning the Papal States (when they had still 21 years to go, they were only occupied by the Antichristian (back then) Kingdom of Italy in 1870, and this was in 1849, Pius IX says that Bible Societies are a front for ... basically people like Cavour and the other Secularist counsellors of Victor Emmanuel II, King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy since a few months earlier.
Given that the Papal States were only allowing Catholicism and Judaism to be practised by permanent residents, the latter with some restrictions that in two cases or so came in conflict with what would otherwise be parental rights, cases that many Jews are still bitter about, the idea of spreading Protestantism inside them (see further) was tantamount to an appeal for sedition from Papal States and creating a "Fifth Column" (sorry for the actual Fifth Column in Madrid, which was martyred, the expression is unfair to them, but it is understood), and that for Victor Emmanuel II.
They are wholly absorbed in the ceaseless daily publication and proliferation of impious pamphlets, newspapers and leaflets which are full of lies, calumnies and seduction.
Obviously, the problem isn't daily publication, L'Osservatore Romano was a daily and weekly in Italian from 1861, the problem is lies, calumnies and seduction. Or in other words, promoting Protestantism and Victor Emmanuel II.
The Bibles distributed infringed on the Church's rules. One of them was, you need a priest's permission or encouragement to read the Bible. Which as it so happens I got. My second father confessor, at my Novus Ordo confirmation, gave me as a present the Novum Testamentum Graece et Latine. He was also my Docent in Latin and I had started university courses in Greek. So, I am absolutely not infringing on this rule.
Some of the others are:
- you cannot present a 66 book collection as a complete Bible
- you are not allowed to mistranslate (Matthew 6:7 should not use the phrase "repetitions" about what's more probably "empty phrases" or "multiple rephrasings" ... as if stuttering and never pronouncing the point)
- a Bible for laymen needs to have a Catholic theological commentary. It should not be uncommented, and should not be commented by unorthodox commenters.
I'm not infringing those rules either.
Remind them explicitly with regard to divine scripture that no man, relying on his own wisdom, is able to claim the privilege of rashly twisting the scriptures to his own meaning in opposition to the meaning which holy mother Church holds and has held. It was the Church alone that Christ commissioned to guard the deposit of the faith and to decide the true meaning and interpretation of the divine pronouncements.
The phrasing does not condemn individual creativity in fidelity to the Church, it condemns contradicting the meaning of the Church, and specifically its formal decisions or judgements and also its constancy of teaching, "holds and has held" ... something which I absolutely do not do. Creationism and Geocentrism contradict the judgements of no Pope at all, real or false, before "John Paul II" and no real Pope since Michael I (who was elected in 1990, before Wojtyla went publically astray in 1992).
The commentaries which are included often contain perverse explanations;
Like pretending Jesus had siblings in the fullest possible sense.
so, having rejected divine tradition, the doctrine of the Fathers and the authority of the Catholic Church, they all interpret the words of the Lord by their own private judgment, thereby perverting their meaning. As a result, they fall into the greatest errors.
The problem is not private judgement as a fact in itself, but when it flows from (here) or leads to (Trent Session IV) rejection of tradition. The ones who would pretend I'm doing that (yes, they exist) are lying or being lied to, and in the latter case too gullible. Or too casually acquainted with the principles here announced and in fact misunderstanding what they mean.
But what about CMI, which I am often promoting? While they understand themselves perhaps in a sense as heirs to the Bible societies, they usually abstain themselves from the faults here mentioned. Tomorrow's article Resolving the Archean Belts in the context of Noah’s Flood discusses what is likelier based on Bible and science that they were created Days 1 and 2 (Dickens and Snelling) or early in the Flood (authors of the paper). The walls of Jericho shows archaeology agreeing with Biblical history. Other recent articles, none of which promote Protestant errors or argue against the Papal States are: Is Luke mistaken about the census of Quirinius? / More evidence that the Gospel author is correct, The wonder of flying fish, Jericho after Joshua’s destruction / The match between the Bible and archaeology, Will a woolly mammoth be cloned and placed in Siberia?, Canaanite DNA disproves the Bible? / Or, Canaanite DNA disproves media’s ability to read the Bible, The non-evolution of the human liver, Variation and natural selection versus evolution / First published in Refuting Evolution, Chapter 2, The wonders of water all of them are about topics that a Catholic well could and in fact should agree on. And same is true for Answers in Genesis.
Hans Georg Lundahl
Paris
St. Martina
30.I.2025
1.I Romae passio sanctae Martinae, Virginis et Martyris; quae, sub Alexandro Imperatore, diversis tormentorum generibus cruciata, tandem, gladio percussa, martyrii palmam adepta est. Ipsius vero festum tertio Kalendas Februarii recolitur.
30.I Sanctae Martinae, Virginis et Martyris, cujus dies natalis Kalendis Januarii recolitur.
PS, if anyone were to pretend I'd be infringing the Syllabus section IV by being a Communist, that would be very ironic. The guys who make above type of accusation against me (and yes, there are some) are basically the minions of Lenin./HGL
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