Inter praecipuas machinationes

Inter praecipuas machinationes, or On Biblical Societies,^[1] was an encyclical issued by Pope Gregory XVI on 8 May 1844, condemning Protestant translations of the Bible.

Inter praecipuas Latin for 'Among the major' Encyclical of Pope Gregory XVI
Signature date	8 May 1844
Subject	Church and state
Number	9 of 9 of the pontificate
Text	In English
← Inter ea

Following the examples of Pius VII, Leo XII, and Pius VIII, Gregory condemns Bible societies for their distribution of unapproved Bible editions.^[2] He accuses the Christian League, in New York, of "inciting sedition",^[1] converting Catholic Italian immigrants to Protestantism by encouraging them to form their own interpretations of the Bible.^[3]

Many American Protestants saw Gregory's position as conceding that Catholic doctrines were unbiblical.^[4] Protestant groups like the Plymouth Brethren took the encyclical as evidence that Catholic countries were in need of their missionary labor.^[5]