Benedictus Deus is a papal bull issued in 1336 by Pope Benedict XII. This dogma, widely recited in Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae, defined the Church's belief that the souls of the departed go to their eternal reward immediately after death, as opposed to remaining in a state of unconscious existence until the Last Judgment. See also Beatific vision References Sources Further reading Benedictus Deus on papalencyclicals.net 14th-century papal bulls 1336 in Europe Christianity and death