The Cardinals' Advice

Here is an excerpt from an address by the cardinals in the Roman Church to Pope Pius III, which is preserved in the National Library of Paris, folio No. 1068, Vol. 2, pp. 650 and 661:

"Of all the advice that we can offer your holiness we must open your eyes well and use all possible force in the matter, namely, to permit the reading of the gospel as little as possible in all countries under your jurisdiction. Let the very little part of the gospel suffice which is usually read in mass, and let no one be permitted to read more. So long as people will be content with the small amount, your interests will prosper; but as soon as the people want to read more, your interest will fail. The Bible is the book, which more than any other, has raised against us the tumults and tempests by which we have almost perished. In fact, if one compares the teaching of the Bible with what takes place in our churches, he will soon find discord, and will realize that our teachings are often different from the Bible, and oftener still, contrary to it."

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