Untitled article by PIUS, P. P. IX.

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Third-day, November 26, 1867

The Pope's Lamentation.

By PIUS, P. P. IX.

THE last Encyclical of the Pope, contains the following outburst of sorrow, which shows either that the Papacy is not the branch of Babylon which says, “I sit a queen and am no widow,” or that the time has not yet come for that boast. After speaking of various evils and calamities which threaten the Papacy, he says:—

“Amid all these calamities and sorrows which have burst upon the Church and upon ourselves, as there is no one save our Lord God alone who sustains the contest in our favor, we earnestly call upon you venerable brethren in the name of your love and zeal for Catholic interest, and in the name of your profound piety toward us, to unite your most fervent prayers with ours, to beseech and to supplicate God unceasingly, with all your clergy and your faithful people, that, mindful of his eternal mercy, he may turn his indignation from us and cause us and his church to escape the deluge of evils; that he may send the aid and protection of his almighty power to the children of that church, who in all countries, but especially in Italy, in the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Poland are now a prey to so many attacks, and are afflicted by so many sorrowful trials; that he may preserve and strengthen them more and more in the profession of the Catholic faith, and its saving doctrine; that he will confound the impious scheme of the enemies of the church; and lastly, that he will withdraw them from the pit of iniquity and lead them into the path of his commandments.”

Consequently we desire that there be obtained in your dioceses a triduum of prayers within six months, dating from this day, and within a year in countries beyond the seas. In order to arouse the zeal of the faithful to assist in these public devotions and to pray God themselves, we mercifully grant in the Lord plenary indulgence and the remission of their sins to all and each of the sex who, having confessed and communicated, shall assist devoutly in the prayers during these three days, and who shall pray to God, in accordance with our desire, for the present needs of the church.

By the faithful who, contrite at least in heart, shall have done the works prescribed upon one or other of the aforesaid days, we grant, following the habitual forms of the church, an indulgence of seven years and seven forty day periods for the penitences of any sort they may have incurred.

All these indulgences, remissions of sins and penitence, we grant in the Lord to the souls of the faithful in Christ, who, united with God in charity, have departed this life, application being made to them thereof through representatives, and this notwithstanding any opposition to the contrary.

Finally rest assured nothing can be more agreeable to us than eagerly to profit by the present opportunity of attesting and confirming the extreme good will with which we pray for you to God. As its strongest proof receive the apostolic blessing we bestow with all the warmth of our heart upon yourselves, venerable brethren, and all the faithful ecclesiastics and laity confided to the vigilance of each one among you.

Given at St. Peter's at Rome, this 17th October, 1867, in the twenty-second year of our pontificate.

PIUS, P. P. IX.