in the discharge of the office divinely confided to
them in the person of Peter of feeding the entire flock of Christ, have
unweariedly taken on themselves the most arduous labors, and used every
possible means in order to have the various nations and races all over the
earth brought to the light of the Gospel, and by truth and holiness to
eternal life. All men know the zeal and unceasing vigilance with which
these same Roman Pontiffs have kept inviolate the deposit of faith,
discipline among the clergy, purity and science in the education given to
the members of the church, the holiness and dignity of Christian marriage:
how they studied day by day to promote the Christian education of the
youth of both sexes, to foster among all classes the love of religion, the
practice of piety and purity of morals as well as everything that might
conduce to the tranquillity, the good order and the prosperity of civil
society. Whenever great troubles arose, or serious calamities threatened
either the church or social order, the Roman Pontiffs judged it opportune
to convoke general councils, in order that with the advice and assistance
of the bishops of the Catholic world, whom the Holy Ghost hath established
to rule the Church of God, they might, in their united wisdom and
forethought, so dispose everything as to define the doctrines of faith, to
secure the destruction of the most prevalent errors, defend, illustrate
and develop Catholic teaching, restore and promote ecclesiastical
discipline and the reformation of morals.

"No one at the present time can be ignorant how terrible is the storm by
which the church is assailed, and what an accumulation of evils afflicts
civil society. The Catholic Church, her most salutary doctrines, her most
revered power, the supreme authority of this Holy See, are all assailed
and trampled on by the bitter enemies of God and man. All that is most
sacred is held up to contempt; ecclesiastical property is made the prey of
the spoiler; the most venerable ministers of the sacraments, men most
eminent for their Catholic character, are harassed by unheard of
annoyances. The religious orders are suppressed, impious books of every
kind and pestilential publications are disseminated, wicked and pernicious
societies are everywhere and under every form multiplied. The education of
youth is, in almost all countries, withdrawn from the clergy, and, what is
far worse, intrusted in many places to teachers of error a