Pope Benedict XIV on Jews
(June 14, 1751)
On Jews and Christians
Living in the Same Place
A Quo Primum Encyclical of Pope Benedict XIV promulgated on June 14, 1751.
To the Primate, Archbishops and Bishops,
of the Kingdom of Poland.
Venerable Brothers, We give you Greeting
and Our Apostolic Blessing.
God in his goodness allowed Catholicism to
take root in Poland at the end of the tenth
century during the reign of Our predecessor
Leo VIII. At the time, the efforts of King
Mieszko and his Christian consort Dobrava
(Dlugosz, Annalium vestrorum Scriptorum,
2, 94) encouraged the spread of Christianity.
Since then pious and devout Poles have continued
the faithful practice of their new religion.
During this time various sects have attempted
to establish themselves in Poland and to spread
the seeds of their errors, heresies, and evil
opinions. But the faithful Polish people have
strongly withstood their efforts.
We esteem the glorious memory of Polish martyrs,
confessors, virgins and holy men; their exemplary
lives are recorded in the holy annals of the
Church. We also recall the many successful
councils and synods which gloriously defeated
the Lutherans who tried tenaciously, using
a variety of methods, to establish a foothold
and welcome in this kingdom. At that time
indeed the great council of Piotrkow met under
Our great predecessor and fellow citizen Gregory
XIII, with prelate Lippomano, bishop of Verona
and Apostolic nuncio, as its president. To
the great glory of God it prohibited the principle
of freedom of conscience; adherents of this
principle were seeking to introduce and establish
it in Poland. Another threat to Christians
has been the influence of Jewish faithlessness;
this influence was strong because Christians
and Jews were living in the same cities and
towns. However their influence was minimized
because the Polish bishops did all they could
to aid the Poles in their resistance to the
Jews. What the bishops did is recorded in
the large tome which contains the constitutions
of the synods of the province of Gniezno.
These facts establish most clearly and plainly
the great glory which the Polish nation has
won for its zeal in preserving the holy religion
embraced by its ancestors so many ages before.
2. In regard to the matter of the Jews We
must express our concern, which causes Us
to cry aloud: "the best color has been
changed." Our credible experts in Polish
affairs and the citizens of Poland itself
who communicated with Us have informed Us
that the number of Jews in that country has
greatly increased. In fact, some cities and
towns which had been predominantly Christian
are now practically devoid of Christians.
The Jews have so replaced the Christians
that some parishes are about to lose their
ministers because their revenue has dwindled
so drastically. Because the Jews control businesses
selling liquor and even wine, they are therefore
allowed to supervise the collection of public
revenues. They have also gained control of
inns, bankrupt estates, villages and public
land by means of which they have subjugated
poor Christian farmers. The Jews are cruel
taskmasters, not only working the farmers
harshly and forcing them to carry excessive
loads, but also whipping them for punishment.
So it has come about that those poor farmers
are the subjects of the Jews, submissive to
their will and power. Furthermore, although
the power to punish lies with the Christian
official, he must comply with the commands
of the Jews and inflict the punishments they
desire. If he doesn't, he would lose his post.
Therefore the tyrannical orders of the Jews
have to be carried out.
3. In addition to the harm done to Christians
in these regards, other unreasonable matters
can result in even greater loss and danger.
The most serious is that some households of
the great have employed a Jew as "Superintendent-of-the-Household";
in this capacity, they not only administer
domestic and economic matters, but they also
ceaselessly exhibit and flaunt authority over
the Christians they are living with. It is
now even commonplace for Christians and Jews
to intermingle anywhere. But what is even
less comprehensible is that Jews fearlessly
keep Christians of both sexes in their houses
as their domestics, bound to their service.
Furthermore, by means of their particular
practice of commerce, they amass a great store
of money and then by an exorbitant rate of
interest utterly destroy the wealth and inheritance
of Christians. Even if they borrow money from
Christians at heavy and undue interest with
their synagogues as surety, it is obvious
to anyone who thinks about it that they do
so to employ the money borrowed from Christians
in their commercial dealings; this enables
them to make enough profit to pay the agreed
interest and simultaneously increase their
own store. At the same time, they gain as
many defenders of their synagogues and themselves
as they have creditors.
4. The famous monk, Radulph, inspired long
ago by an excess of zeal, was so inflamed
against the Jews that he traversed Germany
and France in the twelfth century and, by
preaching against the Jews as the enemies
of our holy religion, incited Christians to
destroy them. This resulted in the deaths
of a very large number of Jews. What must
we think his deeds or thoughts would be if
he were now alive and saw what was happening
in Poland? But the great St. Bernard opposed
this immoderate and maddened zeal of Radulph,
and wrote to the clergy and people of eastern
France: "The Jews are not to be persecuted:
they are not to be slaughtered: they are not
even to be driven out. Examine the divine
writings concerning them. We read in the psalm
a new kind of prophecy concerning the Jews:
God has shown me, says the Church, on the
subject of my enemies, not to slay them in
case they should ever forget my people. Alive,
however, they are eminent reminders for us
of the Lord's suffering. On this account they
are scattered through all lands in order that
they may be witnesses to Our redemption while
they pay the just penalties for so great a
crime" (epistle 363). And he writes this
to Henry, Archbishop of Mainz: "Doesn't
the Church every day triumph more fully over
the Jews in convicting or converting them
than if once and for all she destroyed them
with the edge of the sword: Surely it is not
in vain that the Church has established the
universal prayer which is offered up for the
faithless Jews from the rising of the sun
to its setting, that the Lord God may remove
the veil from their hearts, that they may
be rescued from their darkness into the light
of truth. For unless it hoped that those who
do not believe would believe, it would obviously
be futile and empty to pray for them."
(epistle 365).
5. Peter, abbot of Cluny, likewise wrote
against Radulph to King Louis of France, and
urged him not to allow the destruction of
the Jews. But at the same time he encouraged
him to punish their excesses and to strip
them of the property they had taken from Christians
or had acquired by usury; he should then devote
the value of this to the use and benefit of
holy religion, as may be seen in the Annals
of Venerable Cardinal Baronius (1146). In
this matter, as in all others, We adopt the
same norm of action as did the Roman Pontiffs
who were Our venerable predecessors. Alexander
III forbade Christians under heavy penalties
to accept permanent domestic service under
Jews. "Let them not continually devote
themselves to the service of Jews for a wage."
He sets out the reason for this in the decretal.
"Because Jewish ways do not harmonize
in any way with ours and they could easily
turn the minds of the simple to their own
superstitions and faithlessness through continual
intercourse and unceasing acquaintance."
Innocent III, after saying that Jews were
being received by Christians into their cities,
warns that the method and condition of this
reception should guard against their repaying
the benefit with evildoing. "They on
being admitted to our acquaintance in a spirit
of mercy, repay us, the popular proverb says,
as the mouse in the wallet, the snake in the
lap and fire in the bosom usually repay their
host." The same Pope stated that it was
fitting for Jews to serve Christians rather
than vice versa and added: "Let not the
sons of the free woman be servants of the
sons of the handmaid; but as servants rejected
by their lord for whose death they evilly
conspired, let them realize that the result
of this deed is to make them servants of those
whom Christ's death made free," as we
read in his decretal . Likewise in the decretal
under the same heading , he forbids the promotion
of Jews to public office: "forbidding
Jews to be promoted to public offices since
in such circumstances they may be very dangerous
to Christians." Innocent IV, also, in
writing to St. Louis, King of France, who
intended to drive the Jews beyond the boundaries
of his kingdom, approves of this plan since
the Jews gave very little heed to the regulations
made by the Apostolic See in their regard:
"Since We strive with all Our heart for
the salvation of souls, We grant you full
power by the authority of this letter to expel
the Jews, particularly since We have learned
that they do not obey the said statutes issued
by this See against them" (Raynaldus,
Annals, A.D. 1253, no. 34).
6. But if it is asked what matters the Apostolic
See forbids to Jews living in the same cities
as Christians, We will say that all those
activities which are now allowed in Poland
are forbidden; these We recounted above. There
is no need of much reading to understand that
this is the clear truth of the matter. It
is enough to peruse decretals with the heading
; the constitutions of Our predecessors, the
Roman Pontiffs Nicholas IV, Paul IV, St. Pius
V, Gregory XIII and Clement VIII are readily
available in the Roman Bullarium. To understand
these matters most clearly, Venerable Brothers,
you do not even need to read those. You will
recall the statutes and prescripts of the
synods of your predecessors; they always entered
in their constitutions every measure concerning
the Jews which was sanctioned and ordained
by the Roman Pontiffs.
7. The essence of the difficulty, however,
is that either the sanctions of the synods
are forgotten or they are not put into effect.
To you then, Venerable Brothers, passes the
task of renewing those sanctions. The nature
of your office requires that you carefully
encourage their implementation. In this matter
begin with the clergy, as is fair and reasonable.
These will have to show others the right way
to act, and light the way for the rest by
their example. For in God's mercy, We hope
that the good example of the clergy will lead
the straying laity back to the straight path.
You will be able to give these orders and
commands easily and confidently, in that neither
your property nor your privileges are hired
to Jews; furthermore you do no business with
them and you neither lend them money nor borrow
from them. Thus, you will be free from and
unaffected by all dealings with them.
8. The sacred canons, prescribe that in the
most important cases, such as the present,
censures should be imposed upon the recalcitrant;
and that those cases which bode danger and
ruin to religion should be reckoned as reserved
cases in which only the bishop can give absolution.
The Council of Trent considered your jurisdiction
when it affirmed your right to reserve cases.
It did not restrict such cases to public crimes
only, but extended them to include more notorious
and serious cases, provided they were not
purely internal. But we have often said that
some cases should be considered more notorious
and serious. These are cases, to which men
are more prone, which are a danger both to
ecclesiastical discipline and to the salvation
of the souls which have been entrusted to
your episcopal care. We have discussed these
at length in Our treatise, Book 5, 5.
9. In this matter We will help as much as
possible. If you have to proceed against ecclesiastics
exempt from your jurisdiction, you will doubtless
encounter additional difficulties. Therefore
We are giving Our Venerable Brother Archbishop
Nicaenus, Our Nuncio there, a mandate appropriate
for this business, in order that he may supply
for you the necessary means from the powers
entrusted to him. At the same time We promise
you that when the situation arises, We will
cooperate energetically and effectively with
those whose combined authority and power are
appropriate to remove this stain of shame
from Poland. But first Venerable Brothers,
ask aid from God, the source of all things.
From Him beg help for Us and this Apostolic
See. And while We embrace you in the fullness
of charity, We lovingly impart to you, Our
brothers, and to the flocks entrusted to your
care, Our Apostolic Blessing.
Given at Castelgandolfo on the 14th of June
1751 in the eleventh year of Our Pontificate.
Sources: Eternal
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