An Opening Extract from

THE MYSTERY OF Belief (Mysterium Fidei)

Encyclical Letter of His Holiness Pope Paul Mire

Given at Rome, at St. Peter’s, the 3rd day’s September, the Feast of Pope St. Pius X, around 1965, the 3rd year in our pontificate.

Venerable siblings, within this very matter which we’re discussing, there aren’t missing causes of serious pastoral concern and anxiety. The attention in our apostolic duty doesn’t let us be silent when confronted with these complaints. Indeed, we understand the proven fact that, among individuals who cope with this Most Holy Mystery in written or spoken word, there are several who with regard with the idea to Masses that are celebrated privately, in order to the dogma of transubstantiation, in order to devotion towards the Eucharist, spread abroad opinions which disturb the faithful and fill their brains without any little confusion about matters of belief. It’s as though everybody were allowed to consign to oblivion doctrine already based on the Church, otherwise to interpret it in a way regarding weaken the real concept of the language or even the recognized pressure from the concepts involved.

To verify what we should have stated by examples, it’s not allowable to highlight what’s known as the communal Mass towards the disparagement of Masses celebrated privately, in order to embellish the component of sacramental sign as though the meaning, which all certainly admit within the Eucharist, expresses fully and exhausts completely the mode of Christ’s presence within this sacrament. Neither is it allowable to go over the mystery of transubstantiation and not mention exactly what the Council of Trent mentioned concerning the marvelous conversion from the whole substance from the bread in to the Body as well as the entire substance from the wine in to the Bloodstream of Christ, speaking rather only of what’s known as transignification and transfiguration, or finally to propose and do something about the opinion based on which, within the Consecrated Hosts which remain following the celebration from the sacrifice from the Mass, Christ Our Lord is not present.

Everybody can easily see the spread of those and other alike opinions does great injury to the belief and devotion towards the Divine Eucharist.

And for that reason, so the hope turned on through the council, that the flourishing of eucharistic piety that is now pervading the entire Church, be not annoyed by this spread of false opinions, we’ve with apostolic authority made the decision to deal with you, venerable siblings, and also to express our mind about this subject.

See the complete text of Mysterium Fidei from EWTN Online Services ftp site.

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