thumb|Cardinal [[Angelo Scola holding the Blessed Sacrament in Venice, 16 July 2005 ]]
The Divine Praises or Laudes Divinae (informally known as Blessed be God) is an 18th-century Roman Catholic expiatory prayer. It is traditionally recited during Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. It may also be said after having heard, seen, or inadvertently uttered profanity or blasphemy.
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History
The Divine Praises were originally written in Italian by Luigi Felici, a Jesuit priest, in 1797 for the purpose of making reparation after saying or hearing sacrilege or blasphemy.
The original text, translated into English and as presented in a 19th century Raccolta, was:
The Divine Praises have been expanded over time; the additional lines, in the order they were added, are presented below.
Text of the prayer
{|
!Latin
!English
!Italian
|-
| Benedictus Deus.
| Blessed be God.
| Dio sia benedetto.
|-
| Benedictum Nomen Sanctum eius.
| Blessed be His Holy Name.
| Benedetto il Suo santo Nome.
|-
| Benedictus Iesus Christus, verus Deus et verus homo.
| Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.
| Benedetto Gesù Cristo, vero Dio e vero Uomo.
|-
| Benedictum Nomen Iesu.
| Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
| Benedetto il Nome di Gesù.
|-
| Benedictum Cor eius sacratissimum.
| Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart.
| Benedetto il Suo sacratissimo Cuore.
|-
| Benedictus Sanguis eius pretiosissimus.
| Blessed be His Most Precious Blood.
| Benedetto il Suo preziosissimo Sangue.
|-
| Benedictus Iesus in sanctissimo altaris Sacramento.
| Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
| Benedetto Gesù nel SS. Sacramento dell’altare.
|-
| Benedictus Sanctus Spiritus, Paraclitus.
| Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
| Benedetto lo Spirito Santo Paraclito.
|-
| Benedicta excelsa Mater Dei, Maria sanctissima.
| Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most Holy.
| Benedetta la gran Madre di Dio, Maria Santissima.
|-
| Benedicta sancta eius et immaculata Conceptio.
| Blessed be her Holy and Immaculate Conception.
| Benedetta la Sua santa e Immacolata Concezione.
|-
| Benedicta eius gloriosa Assumptio.
| Blessed be her Glorious Assumption.
| Benedetta la Sua gloriosa Assunzione.
|-
| Benedictum nomen Mariae, Virginis et Matris.
| Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
| Benedetto il Nome di Maria, Vergine e Madre.
|-
| Benedictus sanctus Ioseph, eius castissimus Sponsus.
| Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
| Benedetto S. Giuseppe, Suo castissimo Sposo.
|-
| Benedictus Deus in Angelis suis, et in Sanctis suis. Amen.
| Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints. Amen.
| Benedetto Dio nei Suoi Angeli e nei Suoi Santi. Amen.
|-
|}