Encyclical: On Liberalism and Religious Indifferentism; Mirari Vos

by Pope Gregory XVI

In the early 1800s, the Church in France, infected by its Revolution of 1789, turned to its charismatic philosopher and apologist, Abbé Felicite-Robert de Lamennais, promoter of a movement to “catholicize liberalism.” He expounded an alien philosophy based on a new theory of certitude claiming truth does not belong to individual reason , but to the universal consent of mankind. According to him, certainty of truth was not determined by evidence, but by the authority of mankind. The true religion, he concluded, is that which can put forth on its behalf the greatest number of witnesses. His opinions on liberty of press, conscience, revolt, and democratization of the Church, were receiving popularity. This caught the attention of Pope Gregory XVI, who condemned them in Mirari Vos (15 August 1832). De Lammenais refused to submit and renounced his priesthood and Catholicism. He died unrepentant and unreconciled with the Church.

“From this poisoned source of indifferentism flows that false and absurd, or rather extravagant, maxim that liberty of conscience should be established and guaranteed to each man—a most contagious error,...”

Genres: Catholic, Religion, Theology, Nonfiction, Politics

19 pages, Paperback

First published August 15, 1832

About the author

Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari reigned as Pope Gregory XVI from 2 February 1831 to his death in 1846. He is the most recent pope to take the pontifical name "Gregory", and the most recent non-bishop to become pope. Strongly conservative and traditionalist, he opposed modernising reforms in the Papal States and throughout Europe, seeing them as fronts for revolutionary leftism.

Reviews

[Maria Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to reread this short encyclical letter, and I'm very glad I did! There is something so refreshing about the straightforward way that the old popes wrote about the truths of the faith and the challenges of these modern times. In Mirari Vos, we find a succinct denunciation of indifferentism, "liberty of conscience," "freedom to publish," separation of Church and state, and of attacks on clerical celibacy and marriage. Gregory XVI says there is a "conspiracy against clerical celibacy [that] spreads daily and is promoted by profligate philosophers, some even from the clerical order" (11). It sounds like this encyclical was written for today, but it was written in 1832! Still, the solution remains the same: "let Us raise Our eyes and hands to the most holy Virgin Mary, who alone crushes all heresies, and is Our greatest reliance and the whole reason for Our hope" (24).

[Paul Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This encyclical, written as a means of coutering the errors of liberalism, begins by saying thus: "by institutions and by the example of teachers, the minds of the youth are corrupted and a tremendous blow is dealt to religion and the perversion of morals is spread. So the restraints of religion are thrown off, by which alone kingdoms stand. We see the destruction of public order, the fall of principalities, and the overturning of all legitimate power approaching". This is so eerily close to our modern times, and the errors addressed therein are all too familiar in a society built upon them.

Best quotes:

-"To use the words of the fathers of Trent, it is certain that the Church “was instructed by Jesus Christ and His Apostles and that all truth was daily taught it by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.” Therefore, it is obviously absurd and injurious to propose a certain “restoration and regeneration” for her as though necessary for her safety and growth, as if she could be considered subject to defect or obscuration or other misfortune."

-"The people therefore must be zealously taught that a marriage rightly entered upon cannot be dissolved; for those joined in matrimony God has ordained a perpetual companionship for life and a knot of necessity which cannot be loosed except by death...marriages will have an unhappy end which are entered upon contrary to the discipline of the Church or without God’s favor or because of concupiscence alone, with no thought of the sacrament and of the mysteries signified by it."

-"This perverse opinion [indifferentism] is spread on all sides by the fraud of the wicked who claim that it is possible to obtain the eternal salvation of the soul by the profession of any kind of religion, as long as morality is maintained."

-"Here We must include that harmful and never sufficiently denounced freedom to publish any writings whatever and disseminate them to the people, which some dare to demand and promote with so great a clamor. We are horrified to see what monstrous doctrines and prodigious errors are disseminated far and wide in countless books, pamphlets, and other writings...Is there any sane man who would say poison ought to be distributed, sold publicly, stored, and even drunk because some antidote is available"

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

My ChatGpt Review:

Summary:

Expression of Humility: Pope Leo XII reflects on the immense responsibility of the papal office, expressing humility and reliance on divine assistance.

Emphasis on Episcopal Collaboration: He underscores the importance of unity and cooperation between the Pope and bishops to effectively shepherd the faithful.

Condemnation of Indifferentism: The encyclical warns against religious indifferentism, reaffirming the doctrine that salvation is found solely within the Catholic Church.



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Impactful Quotes:

1. "We are pressed and almost overwhelmed by the great weight of our pastoral office, in which we must safeguard the Lord’s flock with constant vigilance and untiring labor."


2. "The principal charge entrusted to us consists in defending the integrity of the faith and in preserving the discipline of the universal Church."




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Mnemonic for Recall:

Think of Ubi Primum as the Three H's:

Humility in accepting the papal role

Harmony between the Pope and bishops

Heresy of indifferentism condemned


This encapsulates the encyclical's core themes of humility, unity, and doctrinal clarity.

[Bowler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely prophetic. A must read for any understanding of the current political crisis.