Hispanopedia WikiProvidas Romanorum is a papal bull promulgated by Pope Benedict XIV on 18 March 1751,[1] which condemned freemasonry on the grounds of its alleged naturalism, demand for oaths, secrecy, religious indifferentism, and possible threat to the church and state.
In the bull, Benedict confirmed, and quoted in full, Pope Clement XII's constitution on the same subject, In eminenti apostolatus, issued in 1738.[1] It specifically forbids Roman Catholics from seeking membership in any Masonic group.[2]
In turn, Pope Pius VII, in his bull Ecclesiam a Jesu Christo (1821) drew on both of these documents. Pius was concerned with the Carbonari, but wrote that the society of the Carbonari were "perhaps an offshoot, or certainly an imitation" of the freemasons.[3]
See also
References
- 12Pope Benedict XIV, Bolla Providas Romanorum, Holy See, Dicastery for Communication (in Italian), published on 18 March 1751, accessed on 10 June 2026
- āPapal Pronouncements, A Guide, 1740 - 1978, 2 Vols., by Claudia Carlen, IHM, (The Pierian Press, 1990), cited in Endnote 6 in Roman Catholic Church Law Regarding Freemasonry by Reid McInvale, Texas Lodge of Research.
- āPope Pius VII, Bolla Ecclesiam a Jesu, in Italian, paragraph 7, published on 13 September 1821, accessed on 20 June 2026
External links
- Providas Romanorum
- Catholicism and Freemasonry
- Documents of Pope Benedict XIV
- 1751 in Italy
- 1751 works
- 18th-century Christian texts
- 1750s in the Papal States
- Catholic Church document stubs
- Freemasonry stubs