Etsi multa (1873)

On November 21, 1873, Pope Pius IX issued the encyclical Etsi multa amid turmoil following the First Vatican Council (1869–1870). The council’s decree on papal infallibility became a flashpoint, especially in parts of German-speaking Europe where some clergy and scholars resisted Rome’s decision. Pius IX answered with solemn warning and disciplinary clarity, portraying the rupture not as a mere administrative disagreement but as a spiritual crisis that threatened the church’s visible unity and the souls of those who led others into separation.

Old Catholic Movement

The “Old Catholics” formed as a protest movement against Vatican I, claiming fidelity to earlier tradition while refusing the council’s definition. Their cause gained public momentum through meetings, publications, and political support, particularly in Prussia, where state authorities were willing to recognize an alternative hierarchy. What appeared to some as “reform” functioned in practice as schism—creating parallel structures and encouraging believers to treat the church’s lawful governance as optional.

Bishop Joseph Hubert Reinkens

A respected academic, Joseph Hubert Reinkens was elected in 1873 to serve the separatist communities as their bishop and was consecrated outside Rome’s authorization, notably receiving ordination through Old Catholic channels in the Netherlands. In Etsi multa, Pius IX explicitly named Reinkens and declared that those who persisted in the revolt were excommunicated, lamenting them with severe language as “miserable sons of perdition.” The harshness signaled the perceived gravity of willful defiance and the danger of pride dressed in religious conviction.

Christian Significance

The episode still calls believers to contend for truth without surrendering charity, and to seek correction without tearing Christ’s flock. Jesus prayed “that all of them may be one” (John 17:21), reminding Christians that unity is not sentimental but rooted in shared submission to God’s will. Scripture also warns, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). True heroism in the church is often quiet: steadfast faith, teachable humility, and courageous obedience when division seems easier than repentance and reconciliation.