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The Oath of a Catholic Cardinal
"I, _____, of the holy Roman Church, Cardinal of _____, promise and swear from this hour hence as long as I live to be faithful and obedient to the blessed St. Peter, the Holy Roman Apostolic Church, and the Most Holy Lord Pius X, and also his canonically elected successors. I swear to give no counsel, nor to concur in anything and not to aid in any way against the pontifical majesty or person; never to disclose affairs entrusted to me by the nuncios, or in their letters, willingly or knowingly, to their detriment or dishonor; to be ever ready to aid them to retain, defend, or recover their rights against all.
"I shall fight with all my zeal and all my forces for their honor and dignity. I shall defend the legates and nuncios of the Apostolic See in all places under my jurisdiction, provide for their safe journey, treat them honorably on their coming, during their stay, and on their return and resist even to the shedding of blood, whomsoever would attempt anything against them.
"I shall try in every way to assert, uphold, preserve, increase and promote the rights, even temporal, the liberty, honor, privileges and authority of the Holy Roman Church of our Lord, the Pope and his successors. When it shall come to my knowledge that some machination prejudicial to those rights, which I cannot prevent, is occurring, I shall immediately make it known to the Pope, his successor, or someone qualified to convey such knowledge to him.
"I swear to observe and fulfill and see that others observe and fulfill, the regulations, degrees, ordinances, dispensations, reservations, and provisions of the Apostolic mandates and constitutions of Sixtus First of happy memory, and to combat with every effort, heretics, schismatics, and rebellious utterances against our Lord the Pope, and his successors.
"Even summon for any reason by the Holy Father or his successor I shall obey, or, when detained by just cause, I shall send some one to present my excuses, to show due reverence and obedience.
"I shall never sell, give away, mortgage or alienate, without consent of the Roman Pontiff, the convents, churches, monasteries, or their benefices, committed to me, and I shall likewise observe inviolably the constitution of the Supreme Pontiff Pius X., beginning, 'Vacant sede apostolica,' given at Rome on the 25th day of December, in the year 1904, concerning the vacancy in the Holy See and the election of a Roman Pontiff.
"I swear not to receive a commission from any civil power under any pretext to propose a veto even under the form of a simple desire, in accordance with the constitution 'commissum nobis' given by Pius X., January 24th, 1904, and not to disclose anything, no matter how known to me, either in open conclave or to the individual Cardinals by writing or orally, directly or indirectly, before or during the conclave, and I promise to lend no help, or countenance no intervention of any civil power in the election of the Pope.
"Likewise, I shall observe minutely each and all decrees, especially those which have emanated from the Sacred Congregation of Ceremonies, or those who come from it, relative to the sublime dignity of the Cardinalate, nor shall I do anything repugnant to the honor and dignity of the Cardinalate." Oath Taken by a Perspective Catholic Cardinal, as recorded in Congressional Record of the U.S.A., House Bill 1523, Contested election case of Eugene C. Bonniwell, against Thos. S. Butler, Feb. 15, 1913.