Regnans in Excelsis
Excommunicating Elizabeth I of England
Pope St Pius V - 27 April 1570
Pius Bishop, servant of the servants of God, in lasting
memory of the matter.
He that reigneth on high, to whom is given all power in
heaven and earth, has committed one holy Catholic and
apostolic Church, outside of which there is no salvation,
to one alone upon earth, namely to Peter, the first of
the apostles, and to Peter's successor, the pope of Rome,
to be by him governed in fullness of power. Him alone He
has made ruler over all peoples and kingdoms, to pull up,
destroy, scatter, disperse, plant and build, so that he
may preserve His faithful people (knit together with the
girdle of charity) in the unity of the Spirit and present
them safe and spotless to their Saviour.
1. In obedience to which duty, we (who by God's goodness
are called to the aforesaid government of the Church)
spare no pains and labour with all our might that unity
and the Catholic religion (which their Author, for the
trial of His children's faith and our correction, has
suffered to be afflicted with such great troubles) may be
preserved entire. But the number of the ungodly has so
much grown in power that there is no place left in the
world which they have not tried to corrupt with their
most wicked doctrines; and among others, Elizabeth, the
pretended queen of England and the servant of crime, has
assisted in this, with whom as in a sanctuary the most
pernicious of all have found refuge. This very woman,
having seized the crown and monstrously usurped the place
of supreme head of the Church in all England to gether
with the chief authority and jurisdiction belonging to
it, has once again reduced this same kingdom- which had
already been restored to the Catholic faith and to good
fruits- to a miserable ruin.
2. Prohibiting with a strong hand the use of the true
religion, which after its earlier overthrow by Henry VIII
(a deserter therefrom) Mary, the lawful queen of famous
memory, had with the help of this See restored, she has
followed and embraced the errors of the heretics. She has
removed the royal Council, composed of the nobility of
England, and has filled it with obscure men, being
heretics; oppressed the followers of the Catholic faith;
instituted false preachers and ministers of impiety;
abolished the sacrifice of the mass, prayers, fasts,
choice of meats, celibacy, and Catholic ceremonies; and
has ordered that books of manifestly heretical content be
propounded to the whole realm and that impious rites and
institutions after the rule of Calvin, entertained and
observed by herself, be also observed by her subjects.
She has dared to eject bishops, rectors of churches and
other Catholic priests from their churches and benefices,
to bestow these and other things ecclesiastical upon
heretics, and to determine spiritual causes; has
forbidden the prelates, clergy and people to acknowledge
the Church of Rome or obey its precepts and canonical
sanctions; has forced most of them to come to terms with
her wicked laws, to abjure the authority and obedience of
the pope of Rome, and to accept her, on oath, as their
only lady in matters temporal and spiritual; has imposed
penalties and punishments on those who would not agree to
this and has exacted then of those who perserved in the
unity of the faith and the aforesaid obedience; has
thrown the Catholic prelates and parsons into prison
where many, worn out by long languishing and sorrow, have
miserably ended their lives. All these matter and
manifest and notorius among all the nations; they are so
well proven by the weighty witness of many men that there
remains no place for excuse, defence or evasion.
3. We, seeing impieties and crimes multiplied one upon
another the persecution of the faithful and afflictions
of religion daily growing more severe under the guidance
and by the activity of the said Elizabeth -and
recognising that her mind is so fixed and set that she
has not only despised the pious prayers and admonitions
with which Catholic princes have tried to cure and
convert her but has not even permitted the nuncios sent
to her in this matter by this See to cross into England,
are compelled by necessity to take up against her the
weapons of juctice, though we cannot forbear to regret
that we should be forced to turn, upon one whose
ancestors have so well deserved of the Christian
community. Therefore, resting upon the authority of Him
whose pleasure it was to place us (though unequal to such
a burden) upon this supreme justice-seat, we do out of
the fullness of our apostolic power declare the foresaid
Elizabeth to be a heretic and favourer of heretics, and
her adherents in the matters aforesaid to have incurred
the sentence of excommunication and to be cut off from
the unity of the body of Christ.
4. And moreover (we declare) her to be deprived of her
pretended title to the aforesaid crown and of all
lordship, dignity and privilege whatsoever.
5. And also (declare) the nobles, subjects and people of
the said realm and all others who have in any way sworn
oaths to her, to be forever absolved from such an oath
and from any duty arising from lordshop. fealty and
obedience; and we do, by authority of these presents , so
absolve them and so deprive the same Elizabeth of her
pretended title to the crown and all other the abovesaid
matters. We charge and command all and singular the
nobles, subjects, peoples and others afore said that they
do not dare obey her orders, mandates and laws. Those who
shall act to the contrary we include in the like sentence
of excommunication.
6. Because in truth it may prove too difficult to take
these presents wheresoever
it shall be necessary, we will that copies made under the
hand of a notary public and sealed with the seal of a
prelate of the Church or of his court shall have such
force and trust in and out of judicial proceedings, in
all places among the nations, as these presents would
themselves have if they were exhibted or shown.
Given at St. Peter's at Rome, on 27 April 1570 of the
Incarnation; in the fifth year of our pontificate.
Pius PP.