The
History of Christianity (Roman)
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The historical formation and progress of Christianity; from the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ on through the origin of the different Christian denominations, up to our modern day Christianity, then on through the prophesied 'Great' Apostasy of the book of Revelation, and into the Second Advent of the Messiah Jesus Christ.
Index of Topics in the study to navigate through:
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Continuation of Dr. Halley's "Church History":
The darkest period of the Papacy:
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Adrian 11(867-872). John VIII (872-882). Marinus (882-884). With these Popes began the Darkest Period of the Papacy (870-1050). The 200 years between Nicolas I and Gregory VII is called by historians the MIDNIGHT OF THE DARK AGES. Bribery, Corruption, Immorality and Bloodshed, make it just about the Blackest Chapter in the Whole History of the Church.
Adrian III (884-885).
Stephen V (885-891). Formosus (891-896).
Boniface VI (896). Stephen VI (896-897).
Romanus (897). Theodore II (898). John
IX (898-900). Benedict IV (900-903). Leo
V (903). Christopher (903-904).
"Rule of the Harlots":
Sergius III (A.D. 904-911). Said to have had a mistress, Marozia. She, her mother Theodora, and her sister, "filled the Papal chair with their paramours and bastard sons, and turned the Papal Palace into a den of robbers." Called in history The Rule of the Harlots (904-963).
Anastasius III (911-913). Lando (913-914). John X (914-928), "was brought from Ravenna to Rome and made Pope by Theodora for the more convenient gratification of her passion." He was smothered to death by Marozia, who, then, in succession, raised to the Papacy Leo VI (928-929), and Stephen VII (929-931), and John XI (931-936), her own illegitimate son. Another of her sons appointed the four following Popes, Leo VII (936-939), Stephen VIII (939-942), Martin III (942-946), and Agapetus II (946-955). John XII (955-963), a grandson of Marozia, was "guilty of almost every crime; violated virgins and widows, high and low; lived with his fathers mistress; made the Papal Palace a brothel; was killed while in the act of adultery by the woman's enraged husband."
Depths
of Papal Degradation:
Leo VIII (963-965). John XIII (965-972). Benedict VI (972-974). Donus II (974). Benedict VII (975-983). John XIV (983-984).
Boniface VII (984-985), murdered Pope John XIV, and "maintained himself on the blood-stained Papal Throne by a lavish distribution of stolen money." The Bishop of Orleans, referring to John XII, Leo VIII and Boniface VII, called them: "monsters of guilt, reeking in blood and filth; Antichrist sitting in the Temple of God".
John XV (985-996). Gregory V (996-999). Sylvester II (999-1003). John XVII (1003). John XVIII (1003-1008). Sergius IV (1009-1012).
Benedict VIII (1012-1024), bought the Office of Pope with open bribery. This was called SIMONY, that is, the purchase or sale of Church Office with money.
John XIX (1024-1033), Bought the Papacy. He passed through all the necessary clerical degrees in one day.
Benedict IX (1033-1045), was made Pope as a boy 12 years old, through a money bargain with the powerful families that ruled Rome. "Surpassed John XII in wickedness; committed murders and adulteries in broad daylight; robbed pilgrims on the graves of martyrs a hideous criminal, the people drove him out of Rome." Some call him the Worst of all the Popes.
Gregory VI (1045-1046), Bought the Papacy. Three rival Popes: Benedict IX, Gregory VI, Sylvester III. "Rome swarmed with hired assassins; virtue of pilgrims was violated."
Clement II (1046-1047), was appointed Pope by Emperor Henry III of Germany "because no Roman clergyman could be found who was free of the pollution of Simony and Fornication."
Damascus II (1048). Loud protests against Papal Infamy, and a Cry for Reform found answer in Hildebrand.
Golden
Age of Papal Power:
Hildebrand, small of stature, ungainly in appearance, feeble in voice, yet great in intellect, fiery in spirit, determined, and a zealous advocate of Papal Absolutism, associated himself with the Reform Party, and led the Papacy into its Golden Age (1049-1294). He controlled the five successive Papal administrations immediately preceding his own: Leo IX (1049-1054); Victor II (1055-1057); Stephen IX (1057- 1058); Nicolas II (1059-1061); Alexander II (1061-1073).
Hildebrand, Pope Gregory VII (1073-1085). His great object was to Reform the Clergy. The two prevailing Sins of the Clergy were Immorality and Simony. Simony was the Purchase of Church Office with Money. The Church owned a large share of all property, and had rich incomes. Practically all Bishops and Priests had paid for their office, for it gave them a chance to live in luxury. Kings habitually sold Church Offices to the highest bidder, regardless of fitness or character.
This brought Pope Gregory VII into bitter contest with Henry IV, Emperor of Germany. He deposed Gregory. Gregory, in turn, excommunicated and deposed Henry. War followed. For years Italy was devastated by the opposing armies. Gregory, in the end, was driven from Rome, and died in exile. But he had, in great measure, made the Papacy independent of Imperial Power. Repeatedly Gregory had called himself "Overlord of Kings and Princes," and made good his claim.
Victor III (1086-1087). Urban II (1088-1099), continued war with the German Emperor. Became leader in the Crusade Movement, which added to Papacys Leadership.
Pascal II (1099-1118), continued War with German Emperor.
Gelasius II (1118-1119). Calixtus II, (1119-1124). Honrius II (1124-1130). Innocent II (1130-1143), maintained his office by armed force against Anti-Pope Anacletus II, who had been chosen by certain powerful families in Rome.
Celestin II (1143-1144). Lucius II (1144-1145). Eugene III (1145-1153). Anastasius IV (1153-1154).
Adrian IV (1154-1159). Only English Pope. Gave Ireland to the King of England, and authorized him to take possession. This authorization was renewed by the next Pope, Alexander III, and carried out in 1171.
Alexander III (1159-1181). In conflict with four Anti-Popes. Renewed war with the German Emperor for supremacy. Many campaigns and pitched battles between the Papal Armies and German Armies, with terrible slaughter. Alexander was finally driven from Rome by the people, and died in exile.
Lucius III (1181--1185). Urban III (1185-1187). Gregory VIII (1187). Clement III (1187-1191). Celestine II (1191-1198).
Summit of Papal Power:
Innocent III (1198-1216). Most Powerful of all the Popes. Claimed to be "Vicar of Christ," "Vicar of God," "Supreme Sovereign over the Church and the World." Claimed the right to Depose Kings and Princes, and that "All things on earth and in heaven and in hell are subject to the Vicar of Christ."
He brought the Church into Supreme Control of the State. The Kings of Germany, France, England, and practically all the Monarchs of Europe obeyed his will. He even brought the Byzantine Empire under his control. Never in history has any one man exerted more power.
He ordered Two Crusades. Decreed Transubstantiation. Confirmed Auricular Confession. Declared that Peters successor "can never in any way depart from the Catholic faith," Papal Infallibility. Condemned the Magna Charta. Forbade the Reading of the Bible in vernacular (common language). Ordered the Extermination of Heretics. Instituted the Inquisition. Ordered the Massacre of the Albigenses. More Blood was Shed under his direction, and that of his immediate successors, than in any other period of Church History, except in the Papacy's effort to Crush the Reformation in the 16th and 17th centuries. One would think Nero, the Beast, had come to life in Name of the Lamb.
Papal Power Maintained by the Inquisition:
The Inquisition, called the "Holy Office," was instituted by Pope Innocent III, and perfected under the second following Pope, Gregory IX. It was the Church Court for Detection and Punishment of Heretics. Under it everyone was required to inform against Heretics. Anyone suspected was liable to Torture, without knowing the name of his accuser. The proceedings were secret. The Inquisitor pronounced sentence, and the victim was turned over to Civil Authorities to be Imprisoned for Life, or to be Burned. The victims property was confiscated, and divided between the Church and the State.
In the period immediately following Pope Innocent III the Inquisition did its most deadly work against the Albigenses, but also claimed vast multitudes of victims in Spain, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands.
Later on the Inquisition was the main agency in the Papacy's effort to Crush the Reformation. It is stated that in the 30 years between 1540 and 1570 no fewer than 900,000 Protestants were put to death in the Popes war for the extermination of the Waldenses.
Think of Monks and Priests, in holy garments, directing, with Heartless Cruelty and Inhuman Brutality, the work of Torturing and Burning alive Innocent Men and Women, and doing it in the Name of Christ, by the direct order of the "Vicar of Christ."
The Inquisition was the Most Infamous and Devilish Thing in Human History. It was devised by Popes, and used by them for 500 years, to Maintain their Power. For its record none of the subsequent line of "Holy" and "Infallible" Popes have ever apologized [ as of 1962].
WBSG Note: In March of the year 2000, in a special ceremony at the Vatican, John Paul II asked for forgiveness for the failings of 'his' church over the centuries, including its mistreatment of Jews and its violation of the rights of ethnic groups. And even today, many Catholic clergy are making independent apologies for things that have been brought to light by the secular press.
The irony in this is that when one supposedly "Infallible" Pope apologizes for the error of another supposedly "Infallible" Pope," he shows the folly of the Catholic false teaching that the Pope, a mere man, is perfect and "Infallible."
Let's examine the Catholic "secret":
Source: Chicago Tribune newspaper; Mar 31, 2000:
Diocese apologizes for earlier abusesOAKLAND -- In an emotional ritual, the regions Roman Catholic diocese made a public apology to victims of abuse by priests.
Bishop John S. Cummins joined fellow clergy, victims and their families for the service. during which the diocese expressed deep regret for the "grave evil" of sexual abuse.
"The failure of many of the leaders of the Catholic Church to confront this abuse head-on, ...remove priest abusers and other employees from active ministry, or to take the side of the victims, has been one of the more distressing aspects of the church's recent history," Cummins stated.
Some 130 people attended the service, held in a lodge hall because some victims did not want to enter a church. (End of Excerpt)
These apologies are hollow, self serving, insincere, and empty. The Catholic Priest of our generation has at least a four times higher chance of contracting Aids than the general population (one estimate places it at 11 times higher). Now just what do you think is going on here?!?
Excerpted from: The Kansas City Star Date: 01/29/00:
CATHOLIC PRIESTS WITH AIDSBy JUDY L. THOMAS - The Kansas City Star
Hundreds of Roman Catholic priests across the United States have died of AIDS-related illnesses, and hundreds more are living with HIV, the virus that causes the disease.The actual number of AIDS deaths is difficult to determine. But it appears priests are dying of AIDS at a rate at least four times that of the general U.S. population, according to estimates from medical experts and priests and an analysis of health statistics by The Kansas City Star.
In Missouri and Kansas alone, at least 16 priests and two religious-order brothers have died of AIDS since early 1987.
The deaths are of such concern to the church that most dioceses and religious orders now require applicants for the priesthood to take an HIV-antibody test before their ordination....But within the church, many have been touched by the disease. To the surprise of researchers and some church officials, 801 priests responded to The Star's survey on AIDS and the priesthood - a response rate of 27 percent. Nearly 60 percent said they personally knew at least one priest who had died of AIDS. And one in three said they knew priests who were living with HIV or AIDS....Another researcher who has extensively studied the issue of AIDS within the church is the Rev. Thomas Crangle, a Franciscan priest in the Capuchin order in Passaic, N.J. In 1990, Crangle conducted a mail survey of hundreds of priests selected at random.
Crangle said that of the 500 surveys he sent, 398 were returned. About 45 percent of those responding volunteered that they were gay, and 92 - nearly one-fourth - said they had AIDS.
"I was surprised," Crangle said. "I felt there was a problem, but I didn't think it was of that magnitude."....Cleghorn said he has treated about 20 priests and religious-order brothers with AIDS, all of whom had kept it a secret.
"The church and religious orders need to acknowledge that there is a problem -- that priests have sex and they are susceptible to all sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS," Cleghorn said....
"I think the most important message is that, just like every other part of the population, priests need sex education and sexual disease prevention." Keenan now runs weekly support sessions for infected priests. He believes most priests with AIDS contracted the disease through same-sex relations. He said he treated one priest who had infected eight other priests....Joseph Barone, a New Jersey psychiatrist and AIDS expert, puts the number of U.S. priests who have died at 1,000 - nearly 11 times the rate of the general population.
Barone directed an AIDS ministry from 1983 to 1993 for students at North American College in Rome. While there, he set up an underground AIDS testing program. Over seven years, he tested dozens of seminarians. Barone gave them false names, drove them to their tests in an unmarked car and paid for the tests himself.
"I didn't know who they were; they didn't know who I was," Barone said.
Of those he worked with, he said, 1 in 12 tested HIV-positive.
By the time Barone left Rome, he had treated about 80 priests with AIDS. Most of them were gay, he said, and contracted the disease through sexual activity.
"The tragedy is many of them have been so duplicitous and so closeted," said Barone, a member of the National Catholic AIDS Network.
"They didn't realize what they were doing, not only to themselves, but to other individuals, because of the exponential transmission rate."
Another researcher who has extensively studied the issue of AIDS within the church is the Rev. Thomas Crangle, a Franciscan priest in the Capuchin order in Passaic, N.J. In 1990, Crangle conducted a mail survey of hundreds of priests selected at random.
Crangle said that of the 500 surveys he sent, 398 were returned. About 45 percent of those responding volunteered that they were gay, and 92 - nearly one-fourth - said they had AIDS.
"I was surprised," Crangle said. "I felt there was a problem, but I didn't think it was of that magnitude." .... (End of Excerpt)
The truth of the matter is that the entire Roman Catholic Church system is built upon lies and modeled after the Pagan Roman Empire. An excellent book from the 1800's that reveals this sad fact, with documentation, is in our library: The Two Babylons
We continue in Halley's book excerpt:
Continued War with German Emperor:
Honorius III (1216-1227). Gregory IX (1227-1241). Innocent IV (1241-1254), gave Papal Sanction to the use of Torture in extracting confessions from suspected heretics. Under these three Popes, Emperor Frederick II of Germany led his Empire in its last great struggle with Papacy. After repeated wars, the Papacy emerged supreme.
Alexander IV (1254-1261). Urban IV (1261-1264). Clement IV (1265-1268). Gregory X (1271-1276). Innocent V (1276). John XXI (1276-1277), Nicolas III (1277-1280). Martin IV (1281-1285), Hononus IV (1285-1287), Nicolas IV (1288-1292). Celestine V (1294).
Beginning of Papal Decline:
Boniface VIII (1294-1303), in his famous bull, "Unam Sanctam," said, "We declare, affirm, define, and pronounce that it is altogether necessary for Salvation that every creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff." However, he himself was so Corrupt that Dante, who visited Rome during his pontificate, called the Vatican a "Sewer of Corruption," and assigned him, along with Nicolas III and Clement V, to the lowest parts of hell.
The Papacy had been victorious in its 200-year struggle with the German Empire. Boniface received the Papacy at its height; but he met his match in Philip the Fair, King of France, at whose feet the Papacy was humbled to the dust, and began its Era of Decline.
French Control of the Papacy:
Benedict XI (1303-1304). In his day, Philip the Fair, King of France, had become the leading Monarch of Europe.
Among the French People, a feeling of Nationalism and a spirit of Independence was developing, an outgrowth, no doubt, in part, of the Papacy's Brutal Massacre of the French Albigenses in the preceding century. And Philip the Fair, with whom the history of Modern France begins, took up the struggle with the Papacy. His conflict started with Pope Boniface VIII over taxation of the French Clergy. The Papacy was brought into complete submission to the State. And, after the death of Pope Benedict XI, the Papal Palace was removed from Rome to Avignon on the south border of France, and for 70 years the Papacy was a mere tool of the French Court.
"Babylonian Captivity" of the Papacy:
70 years (1305-1377), in which Papal Palace was at Avignon. Clement V (1305-1314). John XXII (1316-1334). Richest man in Europe. Benedict XII (1334-1342). Clement VI (1342-1352). Innocent VI (1352-1362). Urban V (1362-1370). Gregory XI (1370-1378).
The Avarice of the Avignon Popes knew no bounds. Burdensome taxes were imposed. Every Church Office was sold for money, and many new offices were created to be sold, to fill the coffers of Popes and support the Luxurious and Immoral Court. Petrarch accused the Papal Household of Rape, Adultery, and all manner of Fornication. In many parishes men insisted on priests keeping concubines as a protection for their own families. The "Captivity" was a blow to Papal Prestige.
The Papal Schism:
40 years (1377-1417), in which there were two sets of Popes, one at Rome, and one at Avignon, each claiming to be "Vicar of Christ," hurling anathemas and curses at each other.
Urban VI (1378-1389), under whom the Papal Palace was reestablished at Rome. Boniface IX (1389-1404). Innocent VII (1404-1406). Gregory XII (1406-1409). Alexander V (1409-1410).
John XXIII (1410-1415), called by some the most depraved criminal who ever sat on the Papal Throne; guilty of almost every crime; as cardinal in Bologna, 200 maidens, nuns and married women fell victims to his amours; as Pope he violated virgins and nuns; lived in adultery with his brothers wife; was guilty of sodomy and other nameless vices; bought the Papal Office; sold Cardinalates to children of wealthy families; and openly denied the future life.
Martin V (1417-1431). Healed the Papal Schism. But the Schism had been regarded by Europe as a Scandal. By it the Papacy suffered great loss of prestige. Eugene IV (1431-1447).
Renaissance Popes:
Nicolas V (1447-1455), authorized the King of Portugal to war on African peoples, take their property and enslave people.
Calixtus III (1455--1458), a Pope of blameless life.
Pius II (1458-1464), was said to have been the father of many illegitimate children, spoke openly of the methods he used to seduce women, encouraged young men to, and even offered to instruct them in methods of self-indulgence.
Paul II (1464-1471), "filled his house with concubines."
Sixtus IV (1471-1484). Sanctioned the Spanish Inquisition. Decreed that money would deliver souls from Purgatory. Was implicated in a plot to murder Lorenzo de Medici, and others who opposed his policies. Used the Papacy to enrich himself and his relatives. Made eight of his nephews Cardinals, while as yet some of them were mere boys. In luxurious and lavish entertainment he rivaled the Caesar's. In wealth and pomp he and his relatives surpassed the old Roman Families.
Innocent VIII (1484-1492). Had 16 children by various married women. Multiplied Church Offices, and sold them for vast sums of money. Decreed the extermination of the Waldenses, and sent an army against them. Appointed the brutal Thomas of Torquemada Inquisitor General of Spain, and ordered all rulers to deliver up Heretics to him. Permitted bull fights on St. Peters Square. Was Background for Savonarolas cry against Papal Corruption.
Alexander VI (1492-1503), called the most corrupt of the Renaissance Popes, licentious, avaricious, depraved; bought the Papacy; made many new cardinals, for money; had a number of illegitimate children, whom he openly acknowledged and appointed to high church office while they were yet children, who, with their father, murdered cardinals and others who stood in their way. Had for a mistress a sister of a Cardinal, who became next Pope, Pius III (1503).
Popes in Luther's Day:
From numerous bishoprics and church estates, bought the Papacy. As a Cardinal he had made sport of Celibacy. Involved in endless quarrels over the possession of cities and principalities, he maintained and personally led vast armies. Called the Warrior Pope. Issued Indulgences for money. Luther visited Rome, in his day, and was Appalled at what he saw.
Leo X (1513-1521), was Pope when Martin Luther started the Protestant Reformation. Was made an Archbishop at 8; a Cardinal at 13. Was appointed to 27 different church offices, which meant vast income, before he was 13. Was taught to regard ecclesiastical office purely. as a source of revenue. Bargained for the Papal chair. Sold church honors. All ecclesiastical offices were for sale, and many new ones were created. He appointed Cardinals as young as 7. He was in endless negotiations with kings and princes, jockeying for secular power, utterly indifferent to the Religious welfare of the Church. He maintained the most Luxurious and Licentious Court in Europe. His Cardinals vied with kings and princes in Gorgeous Palaces and Voluptuous Entertainment, attended by trains of servants. Yet this Voluptuary re-affirmed the Unam Sanctam, in which it is declared that Every Human Being must be Subject to the Roman Pontiff for Salvation. He issued Indulgences for stipulated fees; and declared Burning of Heretics a Divine Appointment.
Adrian VI (1522-1523). Clement VII (1523-1534). Paul III (1534-1549). Had many illegitimate children. He was a determined enemy of the Protestants; offered Charles V an army to exterminate them.
Enter the Jesuits:
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Rome's answer to the Lutheran Secession: the INQUISITION under the leadership of the JESUITS, an order founded by Ignatius Loyola. a Spaniard, on the principle of Absolute and Unconditional OBEDIENCE to the Pope, having for its object the Recovery of territory lost to Protestants and Mohammedans, and the Conquest of the entire Heathen World for the Roman Catholic Church. Their supreme aim, the Destruction of Heresy, that is, thinking anything different from what the Pope said think; for the accomplishment of which Anything was Justifiable, Deception, Immorality, Vice, even Murder. Their motto, "For the Greater Glory of God." Their methods; Schools, seeking especially the children of ruling classes, aiming in all schools to gain absolute mastery over the pupil: the Confessional, especially with Kings, Princes and Civil Rulers, Indulging them in all kinds of Vice and Crime, for the sake of gaining their favor: Force, persuading rulers to execute Inquisition sentences.
In France they were responsible for St. Bartholomews Massacre, Persecution of the Hugenots, Revocation of the Toleration Edict of Nantes, and the French Revolution. In Spain, Netherlands, South Germany, Bohemia, Austria, Poland and other countries, they led in the Massacre of Untold Multitudes. By these methods they stopped the Reformation in Southern Europe, and virtually saved the Papacy from ruin.
Julius III (1550-5): Marcellus II (1555). Paul IV (1555-9). Pius IV (1559-65). Pius V (1566-72). Gregory XIII (1572-85), celebrated, in solemn mass, with Thanksgiving and Joy, the news of St. Bartholomews Massacre. Sixtus V (1585-90). Urban VII (1590). Gregory XIV (1590-1). Innocent IX (1591).
WBSG Note: In AD 1534 we saw the Formation of the Society of Jesus (known as the Jesuit Priesthood). Founded by Roman Catholic Saint Ignatius Loyola to combat the weakening, by the Reformation, of the Holy Roman Empire (Catholic Church Universal). This was called the Counter-reformation. These Jesuit priests as well as the Catholic Dominicans and Franciscans would go on to conspire to murder (Martyr) untold numbers of Christians who refused to bow their knee to the authority of the Roman Catholic Pope.
I know that this information has been suppressed by the vast power of the Roman Catholic Church, and that it is not commonly taught. And it is with great sorrow that we must acknowledge the evil and barbarism of the Jesuit Priesthood as well as some of the other Catholic Orders, acting under the direct orders of the Pope of the Catholic Church. But it is the truth, it is well documented, and the Catholic Church won't even speak of it much less deny it. Just go ahead and try to find "Jesuit Priesthood" or "Counter Reformation" in the Catholic Catechism!
We at WBSG are committed to bringing the truth to light in regards to God's Word, the state of religion, and the activities of the enemy (satan and his misguided and deceived minions) as it relates to past and future Biblical prophecy. After all, forewarned is forearmed (spiritually speaking of course).
Eccl 1:9-11
9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
10 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.
11 There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after. (KJV)The Jesuit priesthood could be spoken of as the Pope's personal "problem fixers" or "cleansers," a virtual "holy" Mafia taking their orders from the supposed "Vicar of Christ" (representative of Christ) on earth - the Pope of Rome. And after reading the secret Oath of the Jesuit Priesthood below, there should remain no doubt in our minds as to the pure demonic evil perpetrated by the Papacy through his vile dead-soul henchmen.
Remember, It is the Catholic Church states that salvation cannot be found outside of the Catholic Church:
CC (Catechism) 816: "The sole Church of Christ (is that) which our Savior, after his Resurrection, entrusted to Peter's pastoral care, commissioning him and the other apostles to extend and rule it.... This Church, constituted and organized as a society in the present world, subsists in (subsistit in) the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the bishops in communion with him.'[LG 8 # 2.] The Second Vatican Council's Decree on Ecumenism explains: "For it is through Christ's Catholic Church alone, which is the universal help toward salvation, that the fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained. It was to the apostolic college alone, of which Peter is the head, that we believe that our Lord entrusted all the blessings of the New Covenant, in order to establish on earth the one Body of Christ into which all those should be fully incorporated who belong in any way to the People of God." [UR 3 # 5.]"
The irony of that statement in light of the history and heresy of the Catholic Church in incomprehensible!!!
Ceremony
of Induction and Extreme Oath of the Jesuit Priesthood of the
Roman Catholic Church:
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Note: This Jesuit oath is located in the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., Library of Congress Catalog Card # 66-43354. A nearly identical version of this oath may be found in the U.S. House Congressional Record, 1913, p. 3216. The oath was originally made public in the year 1883.
[When a Jesuit of the minor rank is to be elevated to command, he is conducted into the Chapel of the Convent of the Order, where there are only three others present, the principal or Superior standing in front of the altar. On either side stands a monk, one of whom holds a banner of yellow and white, which are the Papal colors, and the other a black banner with a dagger and red cross above a skull and crossbones, with the word INRI, and below them the words IUSTUM, NECAR, REGES, IMPIOS. The meaning of which is: It is just to exterminate or annihilate impious or heretical Kings, Governments or Rulers. Upon the floor is a red cross upon which the postulant or candidate kneels. The Superior hands him a small black crucifix, which he takes in his left hand and presses to his heart, and the Superior at the same time presents to him a dagger, which he grasps by the blade and holds the point against his heart, the Superior still holding it by the hilt, and thus addresses the postulant.]
The Superior Says:
"My son, heretofore you have been taught to act the dissembler: among Roman Catholics to be a Roman Catholic, and to be a spy even among your own brethren; to believe no man, to trust no man. Among the Reformers, to be a Reformer; among the Huguenots, to be a Huguenot; among the Calvinists, to be a Calvinist; among the Protestants, generally to be a Protestant; and obtaining their confidence to seek even to preach from their pulpits, and to denounce with all the vehemence in your nature our Holy Religion and the Pope; and even to descend so low as to become a Jew among the Jews, that you might be enabled to gather together all information for the benefit of your Order as a faithful soldier of the Pope.
You have been taught to insidiously plant the seeds of jealously and hatred between communities, provinces and states that were at peace, and incite them to deeds of blood, involving them in war with each other, and to create revolutions and civil wars in countries that were independent and prosperous, cultivating the arts and the sciences and enjoying the blessings of peace. To take sides with the combatants and to act secretly in concert with your brother Jesuit, who might be engaged on the other side, but openly opposed to that with which you might be connected; only that the Church might be the gainer in the end, in the conditions fixed in the treaties for peace and that the end justifies the means.
You have been taught your duty as a spy, to gather all statistics, facts and information in your power from every source; to ingratiate yourself into the confidence of the family circle of Protestants and heretics of every class and character, as well as that of the merchant, the banker, the lawyer, among the schools and universities, in parliaments and legislatures, and in the judiciaries and councils of state, and to "be all things to all men," for the Popes sake, whose servants we are unto death.
You have received all your instructions heretofore as a novice, a neophyte, and have served as a coadjutor, confessor and priest, but you have not yet been invested with all that is necessary to command in the Army of Loyola in the service of the Pope. You must serve the proper time as the instrument and executioner as directed by your superiors; "for none can command here who has not consecrated his labors with the blood of the heretic; for without the shedding of blood no man can be saved." Therefore, to fit yourself for your work and make your own salvation sure, you will, in addition to your former oath of obedience to your Order and allegiance to the Pope, repeat after me."
The Extreme Oath of the Jesuits:
"I, M______ N_______ , Now, in the presence of Almighty God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the blessed Michael the Archangel, the blessed St. John the Baptist, the holy Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul and all the saints and sacred hosts of heaven, and to you, my ghostly father, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, founded by St. Ignatius Loyola, in the Pontificate of Paul the Third, and continued to the present, do by the womb of the Virgin, the matrix of God, and the rod of Jesus Christ, declare and swear, that his holiness the Pope is Christ's Vicegerent and is the true and only Head of the Catholic or Universal Church throughout the earth; and that by virtue of the keys of binding and loosing, given to his Holiness by my Saviour, Jesus Christ, he hath power to depose heretical kings, princes, states, commonwealths and governments, all being illegal without his sacred confirmation and that they may safely be destroyed.
Therefore, to the utmost of my power, I shall and will defend this doctrine and His Holiness right and custom against all usurpers of the heretical or Protestant authority whatever, especially the Lutheran Church of Germany, Holland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway, and the now pretended authority and churches of England and Scotland, and branches of the same now established in Ireland and on the Continent of America and elsewhere; and all adherents in regard that they be usurped and heretical, opposing the sacred Mother Church of Rome. I do now renounce and disown any allegiance as due to any heretical king, prince or state named Protestants or Liberals or obedience to any of their laws, magistrates or officers.
I do further declare that the doctrines of the churches of England and Scotland, of the Calvinists, Huguenots and others of the name Protestants or Liberals to be damnable, and they themselves damned and to be damned who will not forsake the same.
I do further declare, that I will help, assist and advise all or any of his Holiness agents in any place wherever I shall be, in Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, England, Ireland, or America, or in any other kingdom or territory I shall come to, and do my uttermost to extirpate the heretical Protestants or Liberals doctrines and to destroy all their pretended powers, regal or otherwise.
I do further promise and declare, that notwithstanding I am dispensed with, to assume any religion heretical, for the propagating of the Mother Church's interest, to keep secret and private all her agents counsels from time to time, as they may entrust me, and not to divulge, directly or indirectly, by word, writing or circumstance whatever; but to execute all that shall be proposed, given in charge or discovered unto me, by you, my ghostly father, or any of this sacred convent.
I do further promise and declare, that I will have no opinion or will of my own, or any mental reservation whatever, even as a corpse or cadaver, (perinde ac cadaver,) but will unhesitatingly obey each and every command that I may receive from my superiors in the Militia of the Pope and of Jesus Christ.
That I will go to any part of the world whithersoever I may be sent, to the frozen regions of the North, the burning sands of the desert of Africa, or the jungles of India, to the centres of civilization of Europe, or to the wild haunts of the barbarous savages of America, without murmuring or repining, and will be submissive in all things whatsoever communicated to me.
I furthermore promise and declare that I will, when opportunity presents, make and wage relentless war, secretly or openly, against all heretics, Protestants and Liberals, as I am directed to do, to extirpate and exterminate them from the face of the whole earth; and that I will spare neither age, sex or condition; and that I will hang, burn, waste, boil, flay, strangle and bury alive these infamous heretics, rip up the stomachs and wombs of their women and crush their infants heads against the walls, in order to annihilate forever their execrable race. That when the same cannot be done openly, I will secretly use the poisoned cup, the strangulating cord, the steel of the poinard dignity, or authority of the person or persons, whatever may be their condition in life, either public or private, as I at any time may be directed so to do by any agent of the Pope or Superior of the Brotherhood of the Holy Faith, of the Society of Jesus.
In confirmation of which, I hereby dedicate my life, my soul and all my corporeal powers, and with this dagger which I now receive, I will subscribe my name written in my own blood, in testimony thereof; and should I prove false or weaken in my determination, may my brethren and fellow soldiers of the Militia of the Pope cut off my hands and my feet, and my throat from ear to ear, my belly opened and sulphur burned therein, with all the punishment that can be inflicted upon me on earth and my soul be tortured by demons in an eternal hell forever!
All of which I, M_______ N_______ , do swear by the blessed Trinity and blessed Sacrament, which I am now to receive, to perform and on my part to keep inviolably; and do call all the heavenly and glorious host of heaven to witness these my real intentions to keep this my oath.
In testimony hereof I take this most holy and blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist, and witness the same further, with my name written with the point of this dagger dipped in my own blood and sealed in the face of this holy convent."
[He receives the wafer [Eucharist wafer - Holy Communion] from the Superior and writes his name with the point of his dagger dipped in his own blood taken from over the heart.]
The Superior then Says:
"You will now rise to your feet and I will instruct you in the Catechism necessary to make yourself known to any member of the Society of Jesus belonging to this rank.
In the first place, you, as a Brother Jesuit, will with another mutually make the ordinary sign of the cross as any ordinary Roman Catholic would; then one crosses his wrists, the palms of his hands open, the other in answer crosses his feet, one above the other; the first points with forefinger of the right hand to the center of the palm of the left, the other with the forefinger of the left hand points to the center of the palm of the right; the first then with his right hand makes a circle around his head, touching it; the other then with the forefinger of his left hand touches the left side of his body just below his heart; the first then with his right hand draws it across the throat of the other, and the latter then with his right hand makes the motion of cutting with a dagger down the stomach and abdomen of the first. The first then says Iustum; the other answers Necar; the first then says Reges. The other answers Impios. [The meaning of which is: It is just to exterminate or annihilate impious or heretical Kings, Governments or Rulers.] The first will then present a small piece of paper folded in a peculiar manner, four times, which the other will cut longitudinally and on opening the name JESU will be found written upon the head and arms of a cross three times. You will then give and receive with him the following questions and answers.
(End of Jesuit Oath)
[WBSG Note: This Jesuit oath is located in the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., Library of Congress Catalog Card # 66-43354. A nearly identical version of this oath may be found in the U.S. House Congressional Record, 1913, p. 3216. The oath was originally made public in the year 1883.
The murder of Heathens was bad enough, for all murder is bad!, but perhaps the most unpalatable fact was that the Catholic Church also murdered (Martyred) Christians! Historically, the Roman Catholic Church murdered more Christians than the Pagan Roman Empire did.
Most of the murders of the Heathen peoples were nothing more than a "land-grab" for the Roman Catholic Empire. For when a Heathen died in the Catholic torture chambers without "accepting Christ and the Roman Pontiff," their lands and all their possessions became the lawful property of the Roman Catholic Church. I guess one would call this a 'conflict of interest', to say the least!
It could only be by satanic influences that such a tragedy come about: Christians being tortured and murdered by "Christian" Catholic Priests or under their direct supervision, ultimately under the direct authority and orders of the supposed "Vicar of Christ" (the Pope) because they would not worship a man (the Pope) on earth!
Apparently the evil lust for domination by the Jesuit priesthood could not be contained even by the equally power hungry Papacy. The Jesuit Priesthood, once subordinate to the Pope, now seemingly controls it's master, for as we see below, the servant has become the secret master:
Excerpt from: "The Secret History of the Jesuits," by Edmond Paris, 1975:
" A kind of sclerosis, if not necrosis, is spreading and corrupting the Church, under the Loyolan ascendancy [Jesuit Priesthood]. Vigilant guardians of the dogma, whose antiquated character they accentuate with their aberrant worship of the Virgin Mary, the Jesuits, masters of the Gregorian Pontifical University which was founded by Ignatius Loyola, check the teaching of the seminaries, supervise the Missions, reign at the Holy-Office, animate the Catholic Action, censure and direct the religious press in every country, patronize with tender love the great centres of pilgrimages: Lourdes, Lisieux, Fatima, etc. In short, they are everywhere, and we can regard as significant the fact that the Pope, when ministering at the Mass, is necessarily assisted by a Jesuit; his confessor is always a Jesuit, too.
By the working at perfecting the concentration of power in the hands of the Sovereign Pontiff, the Company [Jesuit Priesthood] is in fact working for itself, and the Pope, apparent beneficiary of that work, could echo these famous words: "I am their chief, so I follow them."
So, it becomes more and more hopeless trying to distinguish the action of the Holy See [Papacy] from the one of the Company [Jesuits]. But this Order [Jesuit], the very back bone of the Church, tends to dominate her entirely. "-- "The Secret History of the Jesuits" page 193
It gets worse. Below is an excerpt from the Fox's Book of Martyrs. It is at once shocking and revolting to read how satanically evil supposed men of God became in their lust for world dominance. It is truly sickening how the Inquisitions by the Catholic Church were carried out with all the trappings of a high religious ceremony. Read on in the below excerpt if you have the stomach for it, or Click past the 24 paragraphs of this excerpt and continue on at: Current Popes
An Excerpt:
FOX'S BOOK OF MARTYRS
Edited by William Byron Forbush
CHAPTER VAn Account of the Inquisition
(Emphasis added and definitions supplied in [purple bracketed text])
When the reformed religion began to diffuse the Gospel light throughout Europe, Pope Innocent III entertained great fear for the Romish Church. He accordingly instituted a number of inquisitors, or persons who were to make inquiry after, apprehend, and punish, heretics, as the reformed [Protestant] were called by the papists.
At the head of these inquisitors was one Dominic, who had been canonized by the pope, in order to render his authority the more respectable. Dominic, and the other inquisitors, spread themselves into various Roman Catholic countries, and treated the Protestants with the utmost severity. In process of time, the pope, not finding these roving inquisitors so useful as he had imagined, resolved upon the establishment of fixed and regular courts of Inquisition. After the order for these regular courts, the first office of Inquisition was established in the city of Toulouse, and Dominic became the first regular inquisitor, as he had before been the first roving inquisitor.
Courts of Inquisition were now erected in several countries; but the Spanish Inquisition became the most powerful, and the most dreaded of any. Even the kings of Spain themselves, though arbitrary in all other respects, were taught to dread the power of the lords of the Inquisition; and the horrid cruelties they exercised compelled multitudes, who differed in opinion from the Roman Catholics, carefully to conceal their sentiments.
The most zealous of all the popish monks, and those who most implicitly obeyed the Church of Rome, were the Dominicans and Franciscans: these, therefore, the pope thought proper to invest with an exclusive right of presiding over the different courts of Inquisition, and gave them the most unlimited powers, as judges delegated by him, and immediately representing his person: they were permitted to excommunicate, or sentence to death whom they thought proper, upon the most slight information of heresy. They were allowed to publish crusades against all whom they deemed heretics, and enter into leagues with sovereign princes, to join their crusades with their forces.
In 1244, their power was further increased by the emperor Frederic II, who declared himself the protector and friend of all the inquisitors, and published the cruel edicts, viz., 1. That all heretics who continue obstinate, should be burnt. 2. That all heretics who repented, should be imprisoned for life.
This zeal in the emperor, for the inquisitors of the Roman Catholic persuasion, arose from a report which had been propagated throughout Europe, that he intended to renounce Christianity, and turn Mahomedian [Muslim]; the emperor therefore, attempted, by the height of bigotry, to contradict the report, and to show his attachment to popery by cruelty.
The officers of the Inquisition are three inquisitors, or judges, a fiscal proctor, two secretaries, a magistrate, a messenger, a receiver, a jailer, an agent of confiscated possessions; several assessors, counsellors, executioners, physicians, surgeons, doorkeepers, familiars, and visitors, who are sworn to secrecy.
The principal accusation against those who are subject to this tribunal is heresy, which comprises all that is spoken, or written, against any of the articles of the creed, or the traditions of the Roman Church. The inquisition likewise takes cognizance of such as are accused of being magicians, and of such who read the Bible in the common language [English King James Bible], the Talmud of the Jews, or the Alcoran of the Mahomedians.
Upon all occasions the inquisitors carry on their processes with the utmost severity, and punish those who offend them with the most unparalleled cruelty. A Protestant has seldom any mercy shown him, and a Jew, who turns Christian, is far from being secure.
A defense in the Inquisition is of little use to the prisoner, for a suspicion only is deemed sufficient cause of condemnation, and the greater his wealth the greater his danger. The principal part of the inquisitors' cruelties is owing to their rapacity: they destroy the life to possess the property; and, under the pretense of zeal, plunder each obnoxious individual.
A prisoner in the Inquisition is never allowed to see the face of his accuser, or of the witnesses against him, but every method is taken by threats and tortures, to oblige him to accuse himself, and by that means corroborate their evidence. If the jurisdiction of the Inquisition is not fully allowed, vengeance is denounced against such as call it in question for if any of its officers are opposed, those who oppose them are almost certain to be sufferers for the temerity; the maxim of the Inquisition being to strike terror, and awe those who are the objects of its power into obedience. High birth, distinguished rank, great dignity, or eminent employments, are no protection from its severities; and the lowest officers of the Inquisition can make the highest characters tremble.
When the person impeached is condemned, he is either severely whipped, violently tortured, sent to the galleys, or sentenced to death; and in either case the effects are confiscated. After judgment, a procession is performed to the place of execution, which ceremony is called an auto da fe, or act of faith.
The following is an account of an auto da fe, performed at Madrid in the year 1682.
The officers of the Inquisition, preceded by trumpets, kettledrums, and their banner, marched on the thirtieth of May, in cavalcade, to the palace of the great square, where they declared by proclamation, that, on the thirtieth of June, the sentence of the prisoners would be put in execution.
Of these prisoners, twenty men and women, with one renegade Mahomedian [Muslim], were ordered to be burned; fifty Jews and Jewesses, having never before been imprisoned, and repenting of their crimes, were sentenced to a long confinement, and to wear a yellow cap. The whole court of Spain was present on this occasion. The grand inquisitor's chair was placed in a sort of tribunal far above that of the king.
Among those who were to suffer, was a young Jewess of exquisite beauty, and but seventeen years of age. Being on the same side of the scaffold where the queen was seated, she addressed her, in hopes of obtaining a pardon, in the following pathetic speech: "Great queen, will not your royal presence be of some service to me in my miserable condition? Have regard to my youth; and, oh! consider, that I am about to die for professing a religion imbibed from my earliest infancy!" Her majesty seemed greatly to pity her distress, but turned away her eyes, as she did not dare to speak a word in behalf of a person who had been declared a heretic.
Now Mass began, in the midst of which the priest came from the altar, placed himself near the scaffold, and seated himself in a chair prepared for that purpose.
The chief inquisitor then descended from the amphitheater, dressed in his cope, and having a miter on his head. After having bowed to the altar, he advanced towards the king's balcony, and went up to it, attended by some of his officers, carrying a cross and the Gospels, with a book containing the oath by which the kings of Spain oblige themselves to protect the Catholic faith, to extirpate heretics, and to support with all their power and force the prosecutions and decrees of the Inquisition: a like oath was administered to the counselors and whole assembly. The Mass was begun about twelve at noon, and did not end until nine in the evening, being protracted by a proclamation of the sentence of the several criminals, which were already separately rehearsed aloud one after the other.
After this followed the burnings of the twenty-one men and women, whose intrepidity in suffering that horrid death was truly astonishing. The king's near situation to the criminals rendered their dying groans very audible to him; he could not, however, be absent from this dreadful scene, as it is esteemed a religious one; and his coronation oath obliged him to give a sanction by his presence to all the acts of the tribunal.
What we have already said may be applied to inquisitions in general, as well as to that of Spain in particular. The Inquisition belonging to Portugal is exactly upon a similar plan to that of Spain, having been instituted much about the same time, and put under the same regulations. The inquisitors allow the torture to be used only three times, but during those times it is so severely inflicted, that the prisoner either dies under it, or continues always after a cripple, and suffers the severest pains upon every change of weather. We shall give an ample description of the severe torments occasioned by the torture, from the account of one who suffered it the three respective times, but happily survived the cruelties he underwent.
At the first time of torturing, six executioners entered, stripped him naked to his drawers, and laid him upon his back on a kind of stand, elevated a few feet from the floor. The operation commenced by putting an iron collar round his neck, and a ring to each foot, which fastened him to the stand. His limbs being thus stretched out, they wound two ropes round each thigh; which ropes being passed under the scaffold, through holes made for that purpose, were all drawn tight at the same instant of time, by four of the men, on a given signal.
It is easy to conceive that the pains which immediately succeeded were intolerable; the ropes, which were of a small size, cut through the prisoner's flesh to the bone, making the blood to gush out at eight different places thus bound at a time. As the prisoner persisted in not making any confession of what the inquisitors required, the ropes were drawn in this manner four times successively.
The manner of inflicting the second torture was as follows: they forced his arms backwards so that the palms of his hands were turned outward behind him; when, by means of a rope that fastened them together at the wrists, and which was turned by an engine, they drew them by degrees nearer each other, in such a manner that the back of each hand touched, and stood exactly parallel to each other. In consequence of this violent contortion, both his shoulders became dislocated, and a considerable quantity of blood issued from his mouth. This torture was repeated thrice; after which he was again taken to the dungeon, and the surgeon set the dislocated bones.
Two months after the second torture, the prisoner being a little recovered, was again ordered to the torture room, and there, for the last time, made to undergo another kind of punishment, which was inflicted twice without any intermission. The executioners fastened a thick iron chain round his body, which crossing at the breast, terminated at the wrists. They then placed him with his back against a thick board, at each extremity whereof was a pulley, through which there ran a rope that caught the end of the chain at his wrists. The executioner then, stretching the end of his rope by means of a roller, placed at a distance behind him, pressed or bruised his stomach in proportion as the ends of the chains were drawn tighter. They tortured him in this manner to such a degree, that his wrists, as well as his shoulders, were quite dislocated. They were, however, soon set by the surgeons; but the barbarians, not yet satisfied with this species of cruelty, made him immediately undergo the like torture a second time, which he sustained (though, if possible, attended with keener pains,) with equal constancy and resolution. After this, he was again remanded to the dungeon, attended by the surgeon to dress his bruises and adjust the part dislocated, and here he continued until their auto da fe, or jail delivery, when he was discharged, crippled and diseased for life.
An Account of the Cruel Handling and Burning of Nicholas Burton, an English Merchant, in Spain The fifth day of November, about the year of our Lord 1560, Mr. Nicholas Burton. . . [Excerpt truncated] To view entire article, click on: Fox's Book of Martyrs; The Inquisition After you go there to finish the article you will be provided a 'click-back' link to return to "Modern Popes" below
(End of excerpt from Fox's Book of Martyrs)
We
continue in Halley's book excerpt:
Modern
Popes:
Click
to return back to index
Clement VIII (1592-1605). Leo XI (1605). Paul V (1605-21). Gregory XV (1621-3). Urban VIII (1623-44), with aid of Jesuits, blotted out Protestants in Bohemia. Innocent X (1644-55). Alexander (1655-67). Clement IX (1667-9). Clenient X (1670-6). Innocent XI (1676-89). Alexander VIII (1689-91). Innocent XII (1691-1700). Clement XI (1700-21), declared that Kings Reign Only with His Sanction; issued a Bull against Bible Reading. Innocent XIII (1721-4). Benedict XIII (1724-30). Clement XII (1730-40). Benedict XIV (1740-58). Clement XIII, (1758-69). Clement XIV (1769-74), suppressed the Society of Jesuits in Spain, France and Portugal. Pius VI (1775-99). Pius VII (1800-20), issued a Bull against Bible Societies. Restored the Jesuits: one "infallible" Pope restoring for all time what another "Infallible" Pope just before him had suppressed.
Leo XII (1821-9), condemned All Religious Freedom, Tolerance, Bible Societies and Bible Translations; and declared that "Everyone separated from the Roman Catholic Church, however unblameable in other respects, has No Part in Eternal Life."
Pius VIII (1829-30), Denounced Liberty of Conscience, Bible Societies and Freemasonry. Gregory XVI (1831-46), an ardent advocate of Papal Infallibility. Condemned Bible Societies.
Pius IX (1846-78), lost the Papal States; decreed PAPAL INFALLIBILITY; proclaimed the Right to Suppress Heresy by Force; Condemned Separation of Church and State; commanded Catholics to Obey the Head of the Church rather than Civil Rulers; Denounced Liberty of Conscience, Liberty of Worship, Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press; decreed the Immaculate Conception and Deity of Mary; Condemned Bible Societies; declared that Protestantism is "No Form of the Christian Religion"; and that "Every dogma of the Roman Catholic Church has been dictated by Christ through His Viceregents on earth."
Papal Infallibility:
The idea that the Pope is Infallible found no expression in Christian literature for 600 years. It arose with the appearance of the False Decretals, and grew with Papal assertion in the Crusades and conflicts of Popes and Emperors.
Many Popes from Innocent III (1198-1216), onward, advocated it. But the Councils of Pisa (1409), Constance (1414), and Basel (1431), expressly decreed that Popes are subject to Councils.
Pius IX (1854), "Of his own Sovereign Authority, and without the cooperation of a Council," proclaimed the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, as a sort of feeler to the Roman Catholic World, on the question. Its reception emboldened him to call the Vatican Council (1870), for the express purpose of having Himself declared Infallible, which, under his skillful manipulation, they did. The decree reads that it is "divinely revealed" that the Pope, when he speaks "ex cathedra," is "possessed of Infallibility in defining doctrines of faith and morals," and that "such definitions are irreformable."
And so the Pope now claims Infallibility, because the Vatican Council, at his bidding, so voted. The Eastern Church considered this the Papacy's Crowning Blasphemy.
Loss of Temporal Power:
Since 754 the Popes had been Civil Rulers of a Kingdom called "The Papal States," which included a large part of Italy, with Rome as its Capital. Many Popes had been more concerned with extending the boundaries and wealth and power of this Kingdom than in the Spiritual Welfare of the Church. And Papal Corruption was just as glaring in their Secular Kingdom as in their Spiritual Kingdom. Papal Misrule of Rome became a byword: Venality of Officials, Frequency of Crime, Unwholesome Streets, Exactions upon Visitors, Falsified Coinage, Lotteries.
Pius IX ruled Rome with the help of 10,000 French troops. On the outbreak of the War between France and Germany (1870), these troops were recalled. And then Victor Immanuel, King of Italy, took possession of Rome, and added the Papal States to the Kingdom of Italy. The vote of the people transferring Rome from the Pope to the Government of Italy was 133,648 to 1,507.
Thus, the Pope not only lost his earthly Kingdom, but He Himself became a Subject of another King, which was deeply humiliating to him who claimed to be Ruler of All Kings.
His Temporal Power was restored on
a miniature scale (1929), by Mussolini; and, though Vatican City
comprises only 100 acres, the Pope is again a Sovereign in his
own little Kingdom.
Present-Day
Popes:
Of All Rulers, and that he holds on this earth the Place of Almighty God. Emphasized Papal Infallibility. Pronounced Protestants "enemies of the Christian Name." Proclaimed the only method of cooperation Complete Submission to the Roman Pontiff. Denounced "Americanism," and the Masonic Order.
Pius X (1903-1914), denounced leaders of the Reformation as "enemies of the Cross of Christ." Benedict XV (1914-1922).
Pius XI (1922-1939), in 1928 re-affirmed the Roman Catholic Church to be the Only Church of Christ, and the Re-Union of Christendom Impossible Except by Submission to Rome.
Pius XII (1939-1958). John XXIII (1958-1963). Paul VI (1963- [this article ended in 1963]).
Summary:
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to return back to index
The Papacy is an Italian Institution: It arose on the ruins of the Roman Empire, in the name of Christ occupying the throne of the Caesars; a Revival of the Image of the Roman Empire inheriting the Spirit thereof; "the Ghost of the Roman Empire come to life in the garb of Christianity." The Popes mostly have been Italians.
The Papacys Methods: It brought itself to power through the prestige of Rome, and the Name of Christ, and by shrewd political alliances, and by deception, and by armed force; and by Armed Force and Bloodshed has maintained itself in power.
Papal Revenues: Through a large part of its history the Papacy, by the sale of ecclesiastical office, and its shameless traffic in Indulgences, has received vast revenues that enabled it to maintain, for much of the time the most luxurious Court in Europe.
Personal character of the Popes: Some of the Popes have been good men; some of them unspeakably vile; the most of them have been absorbed in the pursuit of Secular Power.
Papal Claims: Yet, in spite of the Character of the general run of Popes, their Methods, and the Secular and Bloody record of the Papacy, these "Holy Fathers" claim that they are the "Vicars of Christ," "Infallible," and that they "hold on this earth the place of Almighty God," and that Obedience to Them is necessary to salvation.
The Papacy and the Bible: Hildebrand ordered Bohemians not to read the Bible. Innocent III forbade the people reading the Bible in their own language. Gregory IX forbade laymen possessing the Bible, and suppressed translations. Translations among the Albigenses and Waldenses were burned, and people burned for having them. Paul IV prohibited the possession of translations without permission of the Inquisition. The Jesuits induced Clement XI to condemn the reading of the Bible by the laity. Leo XII, Pius VIII, Gregory XVI and Pius IX all condemned Bible Societies. In Catholic countries the Bible is an unknown book.
WBSG Note:
Catholic Religion Prohibited Bible Reading
There are middle-aged former Catholics who can remember in the 1960's when they were never encouraged to read the Written Word of God - the Bible. Most Catholics today still don't know much about the Word, but the Catholic spin doctors are attempting to incorrectly use a few passages to support their Romanist system called Catholicism.
- The Council of Trent (1545-1564) placed the Bible on its list of prohibited books, and forbade any person to read the Bible without a license from a Roman Catholic bishop or inquisitor. The Council added these words: "That if any one shall dare to read or keep in his possession that book, without such a license, he shall not receive absolution till he has given it up to his ordinary."
- Rome's attempt to keep the Bible from men has continued to recent times. Pope Pius VII (1800-1823) denounced the Bible Society and expressed shock at the circulation of the Scriptures. Pius VII said, "It is evidence from experience, that the holy Scriptures, when circulated in the vulgar [English] tongue, have, through the temerity of men, produced more harm than benefit."
- Pope Leo XII called the Protestant Bible (the King James Bible) the "Gospel of the Devil" in an encyclical letter of 1824.
- Pope Gregory XVI (1831-1846) railed "against the publication, distribution, reading, and possession of books of the holy Scriptures translated into the vulgar [English] tongue."
- Pope Leo XII, in January 1850, condemned the Bible Societies and admitted the fact that the distribution of Scripture has "long been condemned by the holy chair." [The seat of the Pope]
Below is an excerpt from:
J.A. Wylie, LL.D.
circa 1851 in,
"History of the Papacy""...the Church (so-called) of Rome has no right to rank amongst Christian Churches. She is not a Church, neither is her religion the Christian religion. We are accustomed to speak of Popery as a corrupt form of Christianity. We concede too much. The Church of Rome bears the same relation to the Church of Christ which the hierarchy of Baal bore to the institute of Moses; and Popery stands related to Christianity only in the same way in which Paganism stood related to primeval Revelation. Popery is not a corruption simply, but a transformation. It may be difficult to fix the time when it passed from the one into the other; but the change is incontestable. Popery is the gospel transubstantiated into the flesh and blood of Paganism, under a few of the accidents of Christianity."
-- J.A. Wylie, LL.D.
We continue in Halley's book excerpt:
The Papacy and the State: Hildebrand called himself "Overlord of Kings and Princes." Innocent III called himself "Supreme Sovereign of the world." Pius IX condemned Separation of Church and State, and commanded all true Catholics to obey the Head of the Church rather than Civil Rulers. Leo XIII claimed that he was the "Head of All Rulers." At the coronation of the Popes, the Papal Crown is placed on their head with the words: "Thou art Father of Princes and Kings, Ruler of the World, and Vicar of Christ."
WBSG Note: The Pope makes vain claims to the authority that only Jesus Christ possesses:
Rev 19:16 (Speaking of Christ at His Second Advent)
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. (KJV)
The Papacy and the Church: The Papacy is not the Church,
but a Political Machine that got Control of the Church, and, by
assumed prerogatives, interposed itself between God and Gods
people.
The Papacy and Tolerance: Pope Clement VIII declared that the Toleration Edict of Nantes whereby "liberty of conscience is granted to everybody is the most cursed thing in the world." Innocent X and his successors have condemned, rejected, annulled and protested against the Toleration articles of the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia. Leo XII condemned religious freedom. Pius VIII denounced liberty of conscience. Pius IX expressly condemned religious toleration and liberty. Leo XIII endorsed the decree of Pius IX. However much Roman priests in our own country may cry "Tolerance," the Official "Infallible" Law of the System to which they belong is Against it. Romanists are in favor of Tolerance ONLY in countries where they are in the Minority. The Papacy has FOUGHT Religious Freedom at every step.
Providential Purpose in the Papacy?: It may be that, in the Providence of God, the Papacy served a purpose, in the Middle Ages, in saving Western Europe from chaos and in Blending the Roman and German civilizations. But just suppose that the Church had NEVER been made a STATE institution, and that it had entirely avoided the pursuit of Secular Power, and confined itself exclusively to its ORIGINAL policy of winning Converts to Christ and training them in His ways - then there might have been the MILLENNIUM instead of the DARK AGES.
This Story of the Papacy has been written as a background to the Reformation, in the belief that we ought to be familiar with the Wherefore of the Protestant Movement and the Historical Foundations of our Protestant Faith. Some of the things told herein seem Unbelievable. It seems inconceivable that men could take the Religion of Christ and develop it into an Unscrupulous Political Machine on which to ride to World Power. However, all statements made herein may be verified by reference to any of the completer Church Histories. [Which have since been suppressed or 'cleansed' from public knowledge. Let's admit it, did you know of the depravity of the Catholic Institution prior to reading this suppressed book article? The information is out there, but you have to find older publications to get it.]
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In His Service:
Nick Goggin
Watchmen Bible Study Group
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