Pope Pius IV and the Tridentine Creed – Bull *Injunctum Nobis* (Pontifical Doctrine of Pope IV, nos. 166-167)

Pio IV (1559-1565) as Pope who Concluded the Council of Trent and Promulgated the Tridentine Profession of Faith, a key symbol of the Counter-Reformation, which includes an explicit Marian clause. The Bull Iniunctum Nobis (November 13, 1564), which publishes this Profession of Faith, is one of the most important Marian documents of the 16th century.

Collection	Pontifical Doctrine IV: Marian Documents, nn. 166-167
Pope	Pio IV (1559-1565)
Document	Bull Iniunctum Nobis, November 13, 1564
Topic	Tridentine Profession of Faith, mandatory Marian clause

The Tridentine Profession of Faith and MaryThe Tridentine Profession of Faith, required of all bishops, priests, theology professors, and converts to Catholicism, includes a mandatory Marian clause. This clause summarizes the Mariology position of Trent in three affirmations:

1. Canonicity of Scriptures about Mary: Biblical texts about Mary are canonical and inspired scripture, not pious legends.
2. Apostolic Tradition about Mary: Apostolic tradition regarding Mary’s divine motherhood and perpetual virginity is binding, not negatable in the name of sola Scriptura.
3. Legitimate Veneration of Mary: Veneration of Mary, her relics, and her images is legitimate and laudably Christian, against Protestant iconoclasm.

> “I also acknowledge… that the sacred Scriptures… are nine and seven… and that the holy Roman Catholic Church, the mother and mistress of all churches, I know to be… and that it is lawful to invoke her saints…”n. 166, Bull “Iniunctum nobis” (November 13, 1564)The bull itself, which publishes and makes mandatory the Tridentine Profession of Faith for all specified categories by the Council, is particularly relevant because:– It makes belief in Mary’s divine motherhood and perpetual virginity mandatory for anyone holding ecclesiastical office. – It implicitly prohibits teaching any doctrine denying these points. – It provides the legal basis for censuring Protestant positions on Mary.n. 167, Additional DecreeThe Additional Decree (n. 167) extends the obligation of the Tridentine Profession of Faith to new categories: university professors of philosophy and theology, who must profess Marian faith before beginning teaching. It safeguards orthodox Mariology in Catholic universities, significant at a time when Erasmism and humanism tended to minimize Marian doctrines.Further ReadingExplore Mariology, the Council of Trent and the Counter-Reformation Mariana Privilege and Royalty, the Lumen Gentium, Chapter VIII, and Post-Graduate Mariology.