Pope Pius VIII
One of the great Popes of the 19th Century.
The 19th Century produced some of the greatest Popes in the history of the Church. If one had to pick a century for the best Popes, the 19th Century would be my pick. At the end of the 18th Century, the diabolical abomination known as the French Revolution spread through Europe and completely overwhelmed Pope Pius VI and the Catholic Church.
Pius VI died in 1799 and in 1800, Pius VII was elected to combat these demonic ideas. The ideas of the French Revolution would be the target of many encyclicals throughout the 19th Century and even until the mid-20th Century. The ideas of Freemasonry were condemned.
Many good encyclicals were written in the 19th Century but here are my top 5 picks. They can all be found online.
5) Traditi Humilitati by Pope Pius VIII (May 5, 1829)
Although his pontificate was only 20 months, Pope Pius VIII published an amazing encyclical. It was short, sweet, and to the point. Indifferentism is viciously attacked as completely contrary to the faith. Pius VIII also condemns the publishing of Bibles without Church approval and patristic commentaries. A most excellent encyclical by an almost forgotten Pope.
4) Mirari Vos by Pope Gregory XVI (August 15, 1832)
In this document, Gregory XVI mercilessly goes after liberalism and indifferentism. Two of the many evils that came out of the Revolution. He taps into tradition by quoting the Councils of Florence and Trent. Two of the most important Councils of the Church. He also tells his fellow bishops to defend clerical celibacy and refers to the movement against it as an “abominable conspiracy”. In paragraph 13 he unambiguously comes out against indifferentism. In the next paragraph he clearly states: “This shameful font of indifferentism gives rise to that absurd and erroneous proposition which claims that liberty of conscience must be maintained for everyone.” Pope Gregory XVI is without a doubt, one of the strongest Popes since the Council of Trent. He didn’t compromise one bit to the heresy that confronted the Church in his day.
