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 Mary**The 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 Decree**The 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 Reading**Explore **Mariology**, the **Council of Trent and the Counter-Reformation Mariana Privilege and Royalty**, the **Lumen Gentium, Chapter VIII**, and **Post-Graduate Mariology**.