The Bull 'Decet Romanum': the Condemnation and
Excommunication of Martin Luther, the Heretic, and his Followers,
January 1521.
Preamble
Through the power given him from God,
the Roman Pontiff has been appointed to administer spiritual and
temporal punishments as each case severally deserves. The purpose
of this is the repression of the wicked designs of misguided men,
who have been so captivated by the debased impulse of their evil
purposes as to forget the fear of the Lord, to set aside with
contempt canonical decrees and apostolic commandments, and to
dare to formulate new and false dogmas and to introduce the evil
of schism into the Church of God—or to support, help and
adhere to such schismatics, who make it their business to cleave
asunder the seamless robe of our Redeemer and the unity of the
orthodox faith. Hence it befits the Pontiff, lest the vessel of
Peter appear to sail without pilot or oarsman, to take severe
measures against such men and their followers, and by multiplying
punitive measures and by other suitable remedies to see to it
that these same overbearing men, devoted as they are to purposes
of evil, along with their adherents, should not deceive the
multitude of the simple by their lies and their deceitful
devices, nor drag them along to share their own error and
ruination, contaminating them with what amounts to a contagious
disease. It also befits the Pontiff, having condemned the
schismatics, to ensure their still greater confounding by
publicly showing and openly declaring to all faithful Christians
how formidable are the censures and punishments to which such
guilt can lead; to the end that by such public declaration they
themselves may return, in confusion and remorse, to their true
selves, making an unqualified withdrawal from the prohibited
conversation, fellowship and (above all) obedience to such
accursed excommunicates; by this means they may escape divine
vengeance and any degree of participation in their damnation.
I. [Here the Pope recounts his previous
Bull Exsurge Domine and continues]
II. We have been informed that after
this previous missive had been exhibited in public and the
interval or intervals it prescribed had elapsed [60
days]—and we hereby give solemn notice to all faithful
Christians that these intervals have and are elapsed—many of
those who had followed the errors of Martin took cognisance of
our missive and its warnings and injunctions; the spirit of a
saner counsel brought them back to themselves, they confessed
their errors and abjured the heresy at our instance, and by
returning to the true Catholic faith obtained the blessing of
absolution with which the self-same messengers had been
empowered; and in several states and localities of the said
Germany the books and writings of the said Martin were publicly
burned, as we had enjoined.
Nevertheless Martin himself—and it
gives us grievous sorrow and perplexity to say this—the
slave of a depraved mind, has scorned to revoke his errors within
the prescribed interval and to send us word of such revocation,
or to come to us himself; nay, like a stone of stumbling, he has
feared not to write and preach worse things than before against
us and this Holy See and the Catholic faith, and to lead others
on to do the same.
He has now been declared a heretic; and
so also others, whatever their authority and rank, who have cared
nought of their own salvation but publicly and in all men's eyes
become followers of Martin's pernicious and heretical sect, and
given him openly and publicly their help, counsel and favour,
encouraging him in their midst in his disobedience and obstinacy,
or hindering the publication of our said missive: such men have
incurred the punishments set out in that missive, and are to be
treated rightfully as heretics and avoided by all faithful
Christians, as the Apostle says (Titus iii. 10-11).
III. Our purpose is that such men
should rightfully be ranked with Martin and other accursed
heretics and excommunicates, and that even as they have ranged
themselves with the obstinacy in sinning of the said Martin, they
shall likewise share his punishments and his name, by bearing
with them everywhere the title "Lutheran" and the
punishments it incurs.
Our previous instructions were so clear
and so effectively publicised and we shall adhere so strictly to
our present decrees and declarations, that they will lack no
proof, warning or citation.
Our decrees which follow are passed
against Martin and others who follow him in the obstinacy of his
depraved and damnable purpose, as also against those who defend
and protect him with a military bodyguard, and do not fear to
support him with their own resources or in any other way, and
have and do presume to offer and afford help, counsel and favour
toward him. All their names, surnames and rank—however lofty
and dazzling their dignity may be—we wish to be taken as
included in these decrees with the same effect as if they were
individually listed and could be so listed in their publication,
which must be furthered with an energy to match their contents.
On all these we decree the sentences of
excommunication, of anathema, of our perpetual condemnation and
interdict; of privation of dignities, honours and property on
them and their descendants, and of declared unfitness for such
possessions; of the confiscation of their goods and of the crime
of treason; and these and the other sentences, censures and
punishments which are inflicted by canon law on heretics and are
set out in our aforesaid missive, we decree to have fallen on all
these men to their damnation.
IV. We add to our present declaration,
by our Apostolic authority, that states, territories, camps,
towns and places in which these men have temporarily lived or
chanced to visit, along with their possessions—cities which
house cathedrals and metropolitans, monasteries and other
religious and sacred places, privileged or unprivileged—one
and all are placed under our ecclesiastical interdict, while this
interdict lasts, no pretext of Apostolic Indulgence (except in
cases the law allows, and even there, as it were, with the doors
shut and those under excommunication and interdict excluded)
shall avail to allow the celebration of mass and the other divine
offices. We prescribe and enjoin that the men in question are
everywhere to be denounced publicly as excommunicated, accursed,
condemned, interdicted, deprived of possessions and incapable of
owning them. They are to be strictly shunned by all faithful
Christians.
V. We would make known to all the small
store that Martin, his followers and the other rebels have set on
God and his Church by their obstinate and shameless temerity. We
would protect the herd from one infectious animal, lest its
infection spread to the healthy ones. Hence we lay the following
injunction on each and every patriarch, archbishop, bishop, on
the prelates of patriarchal, metropolitan, cathedral and
collegiate churches, and on the religious of every
Order—even the mendicants—privileged or unprivileged,
wherever they may be stationed: that in the strength of their vow
of obedience and on pain of the sentence of excommunication, they
shall, if so required in the execution of these presents,
publicly announce and cause to be announced by others in their
churches, that this same Martin and the rest are excommunicate,
accursed, condemned, heretics, hardened, interdicted, deprived of
possessions and incapable of owning them, and so listed in the
enforcement of these presents. Three days will be given: we
pronounce canonical warning and allow one day's notice on the
first, another on the second, but on the third peremptory and
final execution of our order. This shall take place on a Sunday
or some other festival, when a large congregation assembles for
worship. The banner of the cross shall be raised, the bells rung,
the candles lit and after a time extinguished, cast on the ground
and trampled under foot, and the stones shall be cast forth three
times, and the other ceremonies observed which are usual in such
cases. The faithful Christians, one and all, shall be enjoined
strictly to shun these men.
We would occasion still greater
confounding on the said Martin and the other heretics we have
mentioned, and on their adherents, followers and partisans:
hence, on the strength of their vow of obedience we enjoin each
and every patriarch, archbishop and all other prelates, that even
as they were appointed on the authority of Jerome to allay
schisms, so now in the present crisis, as their office obliges
them, they shall make themselves a wall of defence for their
Christian people. They shall not keep silence like dumb dogs that
cannot bark, but incessantly cry and lift up their voice,
preaching and causing to be preached the word of God and the
truth of the Catholic faith against the damnable articles and
heretics aforesaid.
VI. To each and every rector of the
parish churches, to the rectors of all the Orders, even the
mendicants, privileged or unprivileged, we enjoin in the same
terms, on the strength of their vow of obedience, that appointed
by the Lord as they are to be like clouds, they shall sprinkle
spiritual showers on the people of God, and have no fear in
giving the widest publicity to the condemnation of the aforesaid
articles, as their office obliges them. It is written that
perfect love casteth out fear. Let each and every one of you take
up the burden of such a meritorious duty with complete devotion;
show yourselves so punctilious in its execution, so zealous and
eager in word and deed, that from your labours, by the favour of
divine grace, the hoped-for harvest will come in, and that
through your devotion you will not only earn that crown of glory
which is the due recompense of all who promote religious causes,
but also attain from us and the said Holy See the unbounded
commendation that your proved diligence will deserve....
X. No one whatsoever may infringe this
our written decision, declaration, precept, injunction,
assignation, will, decree; or rashly contravene it. Should anyone
dare to attempt such a thing, let him know that he will incur the
wrath of Almighty God and of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul.
Written at St. Peter's, Rome, on the
3rd January 1521, during the eighth year of our pontificate.