Vix pervenit Latin for 'It has hardly reached' Encyclical of Pope Benedict XIV | |
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Signature date | 1 November 1745 |
Subject | On usury |
Number | 2nd of the pontificate |
Text | |
Vix pervenit is an encyclical, promulgated by Pope Benedict XIV on November 1, 1745, which condemned the practice of charging interest on loans as usury. Because the encyclical was addressed to the bishops of Italy, it is generally not considered ex cathedra.[1][2] The Holy Office applied the encyclical to the whole of the Roman Catholic Church on July 29, 1836, during the reign of Pope Gregory XVI.[1][2]
The encyclical codified church teachings which date back to early ecumenical councils, at a time when scholastic philosophy (which did not regard money as a productive input) was increasingly coming into conflict with capitalism.