Oath against modernism


The oath against modernism was required of "all clergy, pastors, confessors, preachers, religious superiors, and professors in philosophical-theological seminaries" of the Catholic Church from 1910 until 1967. It was instituted on 1 September 1910 by Pope Pius X in his motu proprio Sacrorum antistitum and rescinded on 17 July 1967 by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith with the approval of Paul VI.

Background

Pius X had previously defined modernism as a heresy in his encyclicals Pascendi Dominici gregis and Lamentabili sane exitu, both of 1907; Thomas Pègues, O.P. was also influential in the anti-modernist movement within the Church.

Excerpts from the text in English

To be sworn to by all clergy, pastors, confessors, preachers, religious superiors, and professors in philosophical-theological seminaries.

Legacy

Although no longer mandatory, some clergy, particularly those associated with the Society of Saint Pius X and the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, continue to take the oath voluntarily.