Pius IX, 1846-1878

Sec. III. Indifferentism, Latitudinarianism

1715. 15. Everyman is free to embrace and profess that religion which he, led by the light of reason, thinks to be the true religion (8, 26).

1716. 16. In the worship of any religion whatever, men can find the way to eternal salvation, and can attain eternal salvation (1, 3, 17).

1717. 17. We must have at least good hope concerning the eternal salvation of all those who in no wise are in the true Church of Christ (13 [see n. 1646] 28 [see n. 1677]).

1718. 18. Protestantism is nothing else than a different form of the same true Christian religion, in which it is possible to serve God as well as in the Catholic Church (5).

Sec. IV. Socialism, Communism, Secret Societies, Biblical Societies, Clerico-liberal Societies

1718a. Evils of this sort have been reproved often and in very severe words in the Encyclical Letter, "Qui Pluribus," Nov. 9, 1846 (1); in the Allocution, "Quibus quantisque," Apr. 20, 1849 (4); in the Encyclical Epistle, "Nostis et Nobiscum," Dec. 8, 1849 (5); in the Allocution, "Singulari quadam," Dec. 9, 1854 (13); in the Encyclical Epistle, "Quanto conficiamur moerore," Aug. 10, 1863 (28).

Sec. V. Errors Concerning the Church and Its Rights

1719. 19. The Church is not a true and perfect society absolutely free, nor does it operate by its own fixed and proper rights conferred on it by its divine founder; but it belongs to the civil power to define which are the rights of the Church, and the limits within which it may exercise these rights (13, 23, 26).

1720. 20. The ecclesiastical power should not exercise its authority without the permission and assent of the civil government (25).

1721. 21. The Church does not have the power of defining dogmatically that the religion of the Catholic Church is the only true religion (8).

1722. 22. The obligation by which Catholic teachers and writers are absolutely bound is restricted to those matters only which are proposed by the infallible judgment of the Church, to be believed by all as dogmas of faith (30 [see n. 1683]).

1723. 23. The Roman Pontiffs and the Ecumenical Councils have trespassed the limits of their powers, have usurped the rights of princes, and have even erred in defining matters of faith and morals (8).

1724. 24. The Church does not have the power of using force, nor does it have any temporal power, direct or indirect (9).

1725. 25. Besides the power inherent in the episcopate, there is another temporal power attributed, either expressly or tacitly granted by the civil