Translator’s Note: Pope Benedict XIV, Prospero Lambertini, was one of the great men of the eighteenth century and one of the most learned ever to sit on St. Peter’s throne. The following is taken from his work De servorum Dei beatificatione et beatorum canonizatione, which “served as the rule of the Sacred Congregation of Rites for almost two centuries” (John Paul II, Divinus perfectionis Magister).
De servorum Dei beatificatione et beatorum canonizatione III, xvii, 13
A different judgment is to be given concerning heretics or schismatics, for the agreed opinion of the Fathers and theologians is that after initial efforts, i.e. careful, mild and appropriate methods to dissuade them from error, have all been made to no avail, they can at length be compelled to the faith by threats and terrors, and if they are obstinate they can finally be punished by death by calling in the assistance of the secular arm. For instance, St. Augustine1 was once of the opinion that heretics were not to be coerced to the faith and to unity: “At first my opinion was that no one was to be coerced to the unity of Christ but rather to be driven by words, fought by argument, conquered by reason, lest we have as pretended Catholics those whom we had known as open heretics.” But he abandoned this opinion once he had been taught by experience and by the examples of his city, which, since it had gone over entirely to the Donatist sect, was converted to Catholic unity by fear of the imperial laws. The holy Doctor adds2 that fear of the laws opened their eyes to truth, since many remained in error either because they had been born in it or out of human respect or habit or negligence: “The fear of these laws, by promulgating which kings serve the Lord in reverence, so availed all of them that now some say, ‘We already desired this, but thanks be to God, Who has now offered us the chance to do it and has cut off the delays of hesitation.” Other quotations of St. Augustine are referred to by Gratian.3 Furthermore, Lamindus Pritanius4 vindicates the holy Doctor from the calumnies of Phereponus5 and shows in his learned way that Augustine was unjustly slandered by him as a Proteus6 because he changed his opinion regarding the persecution of heretics: “Augustine acknowledges below that he was previously of the opinion that heretics are not to be influenced by any temporal harassment but that he later changed his mind, because both experience and solid argument had persuaded him that this way of acting was not only just but useful and sometimes necessary besides.” St. Thomas follows St. Augustine.7 After he has taught that infidels, who have never accepted the faith, are not to be compelled to believe, he adds: “There are other infidels who at some point have received the faith and profess it, such as heretics and all8 apostates, and these are to be compelled even bodily to fulfill what they have promised and to maintain what they once received.” He gives the reason that “just as to make a vow belongs to the will but to fulfill it belongs to necessity, so to receive the faith belongs to the will but to hold it once received belongs to necessity. Therefore heretics are to be compelled to hold the faith.”9 Soto,10 Cardinal di Lauria11 and Cardinal Gotti12 expound his doctrine extensively, and Natalis Alexander follows him with ecclesiastical erudition gathered from every quarter. He shows at length that the Church justly handed the Albigensian heretics over to the secular power to be punished with temporal penalties.13 Nor can it be omitted that Calvin himself by his words and deeds abundantly proved that heretics are to be coerced by the ius gladii. His words are quoted by Natalis Alexander,14 and his deeds are preserved by Cardinal Gotti.15 For in fact he denounced Servetus, who was reviving the error of Arius, to the Genevan magistracy, and he succeeded in having him burned alive. And when among those who styled themselves Reformers a controversy arose as to whether heretics should be punished by the death penalty, Sebastian Castellio and Socinus denied it but Calvin affirmed, and the other co-ministers adhered to his view. Then, because Castellio, under the name Martin Bellius, wanted to patronize the cause of heretics, Calvin, who at that time was writing on Genesis, commissioned Theodore Beza to respond, which he in turn did in his On the Punishment of Heretics by the Magistracy.
- Ep. 93 to Vincentius, ch. 5. ↩︎
- Ibid., ch. 18. ↩︎
- Canon Displicet and following, C. 23 q. 4 c. 38. ↩︎
- De ingeniorum moderatione in religionis negotio II, 9. Lamindus Pritanius was the penname of the renowned scholar Muratori. ↩︎
- This was the penname of Jean Le Clerc. ↩︎
- That is, a shape-shifter. ↩︎
- ST II-II q. 10 a. 8. ↩︎
- Reading quicumque for quandoque. ↩︎
- ST II-II q. 10 a. 8. ad 3. ↩︎
- In quartum Sententiarum commentarii, dist. 5, qu. 1, art. 10. ↩︎
- Commentaria in tertium librum Sententiarum Ioannis Duns Scoti, part 2, tom. 3, disp. 15, art. 1. ↩︎
- Theologia scholastico-dogmatica, tom. 10, qu. 4, dub. 2, §1. ↩︎
- Historia ecclesiastica, tom. 8, diss. 3, art. 1. ↩︎
- Loc. cit., no. 10. ↩︎
- Vera ecclesia Christi, tom. 1, ch. 3, §5, no. 18. ↩︎