Ecclesiam a Jesu Christo
Ecclesiam a Jesus Christ is a papal bull issued by Pope Pius VII, she dated 13 September 1821 and deals mainly with the excommunication of followers of Freemasonry.
Against Freemasonry
The reason for excommunication and condemnation of Freemasonry, he led the " secret societies " and their " heresy " against the Church. In addition, the Freemasons with the emerging companies of the Carbonari in Italy would - also called as " Köhler " - connect to an anti-clerical and revolutionary group. The threat of excommunication, he extended this bull also to all members of the Carbonari, together with those who kept their secrets or would promote their literature.
Specifically, the Pope led to:
Pope Pius VII gave the Freemasons and the Carbonari against the oath by which they enter into the obligation of confidentiality, the Priscillianists and the secret meetings all heretics ( in Latin: illud iusiurandum quo veteres Priscillianistas magna ex parte imitantes pollicentur [ ... ]; clandestina illa praeterea et illegitima conventicula more a pluribus haereticis usurpato ipsi habent ) to have taken. Furthermore, Pope Pius VII by all under pain of excommunication, to display the bishops or other authorities to them known members of this organization, or in any of their crimes Intricate ( in Latin: Praecipimus praeterea omnibus sub eadem excommunicationis poena [ ... ] ut teneantur denunciare Episcopi, vel caeteris, ad quos spectat eos omnes, quos noverint Huic societati nomen dedisse, vel aliquot ex iis criminibus, quae sunt commemorata, se inquinasse ).
About his predecessors
In this context, he referred to the Pope Clement XII. Bull wrote in eminenti Apostolatus specula from April 1738 and the letter Benedict XIV Providas Romanorum of 18 May 1751st His predecessors had recognized the dangers and the evils of the society in predictive views and banished the lodges and secret societies in their letters and 28 the excommunication pronounced.
Recommendation and arrangement
His recommendation to all the clergy, the laity and the statesmen of high rank is not to neglect the obedience to the Holy See, and he expects that none of these companies connection should be included and no propaganda should be conducted. He commands further pronounce the spell and extended this right about the " followers of Christ ", that is, the Apostolic See, to include all bishops and priests. Furthermore, he orders to stop the writings and books that do not comply with the code, they do not read, and even the printing or handwritten papers had to condemn.