On Censures

"To no apostolic Missionary of whatever grade, condition, preeminence, religion, or state is it to be lawful in the future to commit to type any work of his own or of another, under any pretext whatsoever, by himself or through another or others, without the express license in writing of the S. C. itself, in the accustomed form, under penalty of privation of office, of active and passive voice, suppression of the same work, excommunication latae sententiae to be incurred by the very fact and reserved to Our Most Holy Lord alone, commanding the above-mentioned and each of them that, in the case in which they obtain the said license, they are bound to print the same at the beginning of the work itself, under the same penalties, notwithstanding whatsoever privileges, faculties, licenses, even orally, otherwise given or conceded, all and singular of which by the present Decree are to be judged revoked in every way." S. C. de P. F. 6 Dec. 1655.

"Therefore since, as we have received, although at another time the Congregation of Our Venerable Brothers the Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church for just causes had forbidden anyone without its license to publish by type books and writings in which Missions were treated in any way, nevertheless many, either ignorant of what the same Congregation had decreed, or rashly transgressing its decree, publish writings and books often containing false and inept things, not without offense of pious and learned men: We, moved by these and other grave causes, by the counsel of the mentioned Cardinals, by apostolic authority and the tenor of the present letters, again prohibit that anyone of whatever state, grade, and condition, even a regular of any Order, Congregation, Institute, and Society, even of Jesus, although he were one of whom specific and individual mention would have to be made, without license in writing of the Congregation of the same Cardinals, which he is bound to print at the beginning of the work, publish by himself or through another books and writings in which Missions or matters pertaining to Missions are treated, under the penalties of excommunication latae sententiae, from which no one can be absolved by anyone except by Us, or the Roman Pontiff existing for the time, unless constituted in the article of death, and of privation of office and of active and passive voice, and also of suppression of the works, to be incurred by the very fact." Clement X, Brief Creditae nobis, 6 Apr. 1673.

"It is in no way expedient that in the Empire of China and the Kingdom of Tonkin any writings or books be published, whether treating of Religion directly or indirectly, or discussing ecclesiastical matters, unless by prior examination and approval of the Sacred Congregation itself. Yet it declared small doctrines, catechisms, instructions, and prayers which serve the daily use of the faithful to be excepted from this law; nevertheless under this condition, that they cannot be scattered among the people unless the respective Bishops of the places, or Apostolic Vicars, shall first have seen them and permitted them to be emitted into the light." S. C. de P. F. 28 Dec. 1770; 31 March 1856 to the Apostolic Vicar of Cochinchina; 31 Aug. 1840 to the Apostolic Vicar of Siam; 30 Sept. 1848 to the Apostolic Vicar of Western Cochinchina.

"And since it has been discovered that in several Vicariates there are published books and booklets in which discourse is instituted concerning the morals and usages of the Gentiles, and which refer more or less directly to the interpretation of the Apostolic Constitution of Benedict XIV of holy memory which begins Omnium sollicitudinum, the Most Eminent Fathers judged that Apostolic Vicars and Missionaries are to be warned that an exemplar of whatsoever instructions and booklets must altogether be sent to this Sacred Congregation, in which there is question of matters pertaining in any way to the interpretation of the remembered Bull." Instr. S. C. de P. F. to the Apostolic Vicars of India, 8 Dec. 1868.

"Since from the year 1788 up to this day Breviaries, Diurnal Hours, Missals, Little Offices of the B. M. V., Offices of Holy Week, Rituals, and other things of that kind, which are newly committed to the press, no longer bear the attestations of the Reverend Ordinaries, by which it is declared that these exemplars agree with those which are printed at Rome according to the tracks of the Bulls of St. Pius V, Clement VIII, and Urban VIII, Supreme Pontiffs, which are found at the front of the Roman Breviary, the S. R. C. was supplicated that it be declared whether the recounted Pontifical Constitutions ought still to be observed, and whether transgressors incurred the penalties inflicted there. And the same Sacred Congregation, all things maturely weighed and accurately considered, judged that it must be rescripted and declared: the Pontifical Constitutions remain in their force, and the abuse is not to be tolerated." S. R. C. 26 Apr. 1834.

"1. Is it lawful to give one's name to societies whose proposal is to promote the use of burning human corpses? 2. Is it lawful to command that one's own or others' corpses be burned? Resp. To the 1st: Negatively, and if there is question of societies affiliated to the Masonic sect, the penalties laid against this are incurred. To the 2nd: Negatively. And when a report concerning these things had been made to Our Most Holy Pope Leo XIII, His Holiness approved and confirmed the resolutions of the Most Eminent Fathers, and ordered them to be communicated to the local Ordinaries, that they may take care opportunely to instruct the Christian faithful concerning the detestable abuse of burning human bodies, and that with all their strength they deter from it the flock entrusted to them." S. I. C. 19 May 1886.