Providas Romanorum

Providas Romanorum is a papal bull promulgated by Pope Benedict XIV on 18 March 1751, 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. It specifically forbids Roman Catholics from seeking membership in any Masonic group.

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.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Pope Benedict XIV, Bolla Providas Romanorum, Holy See, Dicastery for Communication (in Italian), published on 18 March 1751, accessed on 10 June 2026
  2. ↑ Papal 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.
  3. ↑ Pope Pius VII, Bolla Ecclesiam a Jesu, in Italian, paragraph 7, published on 13 September 1821, accessed on 20 June 2026