Decree, issued by Pope Leo XII, to the Jews of Vatican City [Present-day Vatican City]: The following was sent to the Jewish elders through the courts, similar to a summons: “His Holiness Pope Leo XII, reaffirming the ordinances of his illustrious predecessors, Clement III, Innocent IV and Alexander VIII, as well as the resolutions of the sacred council of August 9, 1617, has ordered us, through the Holy Inquisition, to make known to you: that from now on, you are forbidden to take any Christian servants, neither male nor female, and therefore it is also forbidden to them to render services such as igniting fire and light, and the Christian wet-nurses are prohibited from suckling your children, neither in their homes, nor in yours. His Holiness further wants the service of lighting fire and light to cease at once, whereas other servants may be dismissed within one month for females and two months for males. Contraventions shall be subject to the most severe penalties by the Holy Office.” [Researcher’s note: Both “Holy Inquisition” and “Holy Office” are common names for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Holy See’s body responsible for promulgating and defending Catholic doctrine; it was originally founded in 1542, to defend the church from heresy, and is headed by a cardinal-prefect.]
Jost, Isaak Markus. Geschichte der Israeliten seit der Zeit der Maccabäer bis auf unsre Tage: Neuere Geschichte der Israeliten von 1815 bis 1845; 2. Die Staaten und Länder außer Deutschland: mit Nachträgen und Berichtigungen zur älteren Geschichte, Band 10, Teil 2 (History of the Israelites from the time of the Maccabees to our present days: Recent history of the Israelites from 1815 until 1845; 2. The states and countries other than Germany: with appendices and corrections of older history, Vol. 10, Part 2). Schlesinger: Berlin, 1847. Page 278. Researched by Dominik Jacobs 5/3/2020