To the Venerable Brothers, the Primates, the Metropolitans, the Archbishops, and all the Bishops who are in Communion with the Holy See.

Venerable Brothers, Greetings and Apostolic Benediction.

There is no Catholic who does not know the care required to ensure that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is not only celebrated with due reverence and veneration, but also that all semblance of payment of any kind is removed from the dignity of such a sacrifice: both the base demand — rather than request — for alms and other similar practices which are not far removed from the sin of simony or at least from dishonest profit.

It is true that the avarice—which is the bondage of idolatry—of many clerics and laymen has already progressed to the point that they collect alms or stipends for the celebration of the Mass. These have been prescribed by local customs or sanctions of the diocesan synods for the maintenance of the priests. They then take this money and have the Mass celebrated elsewhere, where the alms or stipends given for each Mass are lower than would be given there where the fee was received.