The holy council commands all bishops and others who hold the office and charge of teaching that, in accordance with the usage of the Catholic and Apostolic Church, received from the primitive times of the Christian religion, and with the consent of the holy Fathers and the decrees of sacred councils, they diligently instruct the faithful above all concerning the intercession and invocation of the saints, the honor due to relics, and the legitimate use of images; teaching them that the saints who reign together with Christ offer their prayers to God for men; that it is good and useful to invoke them humbly, and to have recourse to their prayers, intercession and aid in order to obtain benefits from God through His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who alone is our Redeemer and Savior; and that those think impiously who deny that the saints who enjoy eternal happiness in heaven are to be invoked; or who assert that the saints do not pray for men; or that it is idolatry to invoke them so that they may pray for us, even for each one in particular; or that this is repugnant to the word of God and opposed to the honor of Jesus Christ, the one mediator between God and men; or that it is foolish to supplicate, vocally or mentally, those who reign in heaven.
They should also instruct the faithful that the holy bodies of the holy martyrs and of others who live with Christ, which were living members of Christ Himself and temples of the Holy Spirit, and which are to be raised by Him to eternal life and glorified, must be venerated; and that through them God bestows many benefits upon men. Therefore those who affirm that the relics of the saints should not be honored or venerated, or that these and other sacred monuments are uselessly honored by the faithful, or that visits to the shrines dedicated to the saints for the purpose of obtaining their help are in vain, must be wholly condemned, as the Church long ago condemned them and now also condemns them. Moreover, the council declares that the images of Christ, of the Virgin Mother of God, and of the other saints are to be kept and retained, especially in churches, and that due honor and veneration are to be given them: not because any divinity or virtue is believed to be in them on account of which they are to be worshipped, or because anything is to be asked of them, or because trust is to be placed in images, as was formerly done by the Gentiles who placed their hope in idols; but because the honor shown to the images is referred to the originals whom they represent; so that through the images which we kiss, and before which we uncover our heads and kneel, we adore Christ and venerate the saints whose likeness they bear. All this is what has been established by the decrees of the councils, and especially by those of the Second Council of Nicaea against the opponents of images.
The bishops should carefully teach that, by means of the histories of our redemption expressed in paintings and other representations, the people are instructed and confirmed, since the articles of faith are recalled to them and are continually brought back to their minds. They should also teach that great fruit is derived from all sacred images, not only because they remind the people of the benefits and gifts which Christ has bestowed on them, but also because the salutary examples of the saints and the miracles which God has worked through them are set before the eyes of the faithful, so that they may give thanks to God for them, conform their life and conduct to the examples of those same saints, and be moved to adore and love God and to practice piety. And if anyone shall teach or think contrary to these decrees, let him be excommunicated.
But if any abuses have crept into these holy and salutary practices, the holy council ardently desires that they be completely eradicated, so that no images of false doctrine be set up, nor such as give the uneducated occasion for dangerous errors. And if it should happen that histories and narratives of Sacred Scripture are at times expressed and represented, because these are useful for the instruction of the ignorant people, the people should be taught that this is not a representation of the divinity, as though it were possible for it to be seen with bodily eyes or expressed by colors or figures. All superstition in the invocation of the saints, in the veneration of relics, and in the sacred use of images must be utterly banished; all sordid gain must be driven away; and finally all indecency must be avoided, so that images are not painted or adorned with scandalous beauty, nor may men abuse the feasts of the saints or the visitation of relics for banquets and drunkenness, as if luxury and wantonness were the worship by which feast days in honor of the saints should be celebrated.
Finally, the bishops should exercise such care and diligence in this matter that nothing disorderly, out of place or confusedly arranged may be seen, nothing profane and nothing indecorous; for holiness is fitting to the house of God. And so that these determinations may be more exactly observed, the holy council establishes that no one may place, or cause to be placed, any unusual and new image in any place or church, even if in any way exempt, unless it has the approval of the bishop. Nor are new miracles to be admitted, nor new relics adopted, unless the same bishop has recognized and approved them. And as soon as he has obtained certain information concerning any matter pertaining to them, he shall consult theologians and other pious persons, and shall do what he judges to be in accord with truth and piety. If an abuse to be extirpated is doubtful or difficult to resolve, or if any grave difficulty should arise concerning these matters, the bishop shall await, before deciding the controversy, the judgment of the metropolitan and of the bishops of the province in a provincial council; yet in such a way that nothing new or not hitherto used in the Church shall be decreed without consulting the Roman Pontiff.
