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Celebrated under the sovereign Pontiff, Paul III, on the thirteenth day ofthe month of December, in the year of the Lord, 1545.

Doth it please you,--unto the praise and glory of the holy andundivided Trinity, Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost ; for the increase andexaltation of the Christian faith and religion; for the extirpation ofheresies; for the peace and union of the Church; for the reformation of theClergy and Christian people; for the depression and extinction of theenemies of the Christian name,--to decree and declare that the sacred andgeneral council of Trent do begin, and hath begun?

They answered: It pleaseth us.

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And whereas the solemnity of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ is near,and other festivals of the closing and opening year follow thereupon, dothit please you, that the first ensuing session be held on the Thursday afterthe Epiphany, which will be the seventh of the month of January, in theyear of the Lord MDXLVI?

They answered: It pleaseth us.

Celebrated on the seventh day of the month of January,1546.

The sacred and holy Synod of Trent--lawfully assembled in the HolyGhost, the same three legates of the Apostolic See presidingtherein--recognising, with the blessed apostle James,that Every best gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down fromthe father of lights, who, to those who ask of him wisdom, giveth to allabundantly, and upbraideth them not; and knowing withal that The fear ofthe Lord is the beginning of wisdom, hath ordained and decreed, that alland each of the faithful of Christ, assembled in the city of Trent, beexhorted, as they are hereby exhorted, to amend themselves of their evilsand sins heretofore committed, and to walk henceforth in the fear of theLord; not to fulfil the lusts of the flesh; to be instant in prayer; toconfess more frequently; to receive the sacrament of the Eucharist; tovisit churches; to fulfil, in fine, as far as each one shall be able, thecommandments of the Lord; and, furthermore, to pray daily in private forpeace between Christian princes, and for the unity of the Church: and asregards the bishops, and all others soever constituted in the priestlyorder, who are celebrating together an ecumenical council in this city,that they give heed to apply themselves assiduously to the praises[Page 14] of God;to offer up victims, praises, and prayers; to celebrate the sacrifice ofthe mass on each Sunday at least, the day whereon God made the light, roseagain from the dead, and poured forth the Holy Ghost upon the disciples;making, as the same Holy Ghost enjoins by the apostle, supplications,prayers, intercessions, thanksgiving, for our most holy lord the Pope, forthe emperor, for kings, and others who are placed in high stations, and forall men, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, may enjoy peace, andsee an increase of faith. Furthermore, it exhorts that they fast at leaston every Friday, in memory of the passion of the Lord, and give alms to thepoor: further, on every Thursday there shall be celebrated, in thecathedral church, the mass of the Holy Ghost, with the litanies and otherprayers appointed for this end; and on the same day there shall be said, inthe other churches, at least the litanies and prayers; and during the timethat the sacred services are being performed, let there be no talking orconversing together, but with mouth and mind association with thecelebrant. And forasmuch as It behoveth bishops to be blameless, sober,chaste, ruling well their own household, (the Council) exhorts also that,above all, each observe sobriety at table, and moderation in diet; further,that, whereas idle conversations are often wont to arise there, the readingof the divine Scriptures be introduced, even at the tables of bishops; andlet each teach and charge his servants not to be quarrelsome, given towine, immodest, covetous, proud, blasphemous, and lovers of pleasures; infine, let them shun vice and follow after virtue, and in dress, demeanour,and in all their actions show forth modesty, as becomes the servants of theservants of God.

Moreover, whereas it is the chief care, solicitude, and intention ofthis sacred and holy council, that, the darkness of heresies, which duringso many years has covered the earth, being dispelled, the light,brightness, and purity of Catholic truth may, by the assistance of JesusChrist, who is the true light, shine forth; and that those things whichneed reformation may be reformed; the said Synod exhorts all Catholics hereassembled,[Page 15] and to be assembled, and especially those skilled in sacredletters, that by sedulous meditation they ponder diligently withinthemselves, by what ways and means the intention of the Synod may be bestcarried out and obtain the desired effect; that, in the most prompt andprudent manner, the things to be condemned, may be condemned; and those tobe approved of be approved; that so, throughout the whole world, all may,with one mouth, and with the same confession of faith, glorify God, and theFather of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And in delivering their sentiments, when the priests of the Lord aresitting together in the place of benediction, no one--agreeably to thestatute of the council of Toledo--ought either to be boisterous byimmoderate outcries, or to cause disturbance by tumult; none to becontentious with false, vain, or obstinate disputation; but let whatsoeveris said be so tempered by the mildest utterance of the words spoken, thatneither the hearers may be offended, nor the rectitude of a correctjudgment be warped by the mind being troubled.

Furthermore, this sacred Synod has ordained and decreed, that if itshould chance to happen that any do not sit in their due places, and (thus)deliver their sentiments, even under the word Placet, (It pleaseth us,) arepresent at the Congregations, and take part in any other act whatsoeverduring the council, none shall thereby be prejudiced, none acquire a newright.

After this, the next Session was indicted for Thursday, the fourth of theensuing February.

Celebrated on the fourth day of the month of February, in the year 1546.

In the Name of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost.

This sacred and holy, ecumenical, and general Synod of[Page 16] Trent,--lawfully assembled in the Holy Ghost, the same three legates of theApostolic See presiding therein,--considering the magnitude of the mattersto be treated of, especially of those comprised under the two heads, of theextirpating of heresies, and the reforming of manners, for the sake ofwhich chiefly It is assembled, and recognizing with the apostles, that Itswrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the spirits ofwickedness in the high places, exhorts, with the same apostle, all and eachabove all things, to be strengthened in the Lord, and in the might of hispower, in all things taking the shield of faith, wherewith they may be ableto extinguish all the fiery darts of the most wicked one, and to take thehelmet of salvation, with the sword of the spirit, which is the word ofGod. Wherefore, that this its pious solicitude may begin and proceed bythe grace of God, It ordains and decrees that, before all other things, aconfession of faith is to be set forth; following herein the examples ofthe Fathers, who have been wont, in the most sacred coucils, at thebeginning of the Actions thereof, to oppose this shield against heresies;and with this alone, at times, have they drawn the unbelieving to thefaith, overthrown heretics, and confirmed the faithful. For which cause,this council has thought good, that the Symbol of faith which the holyRoman Church makes use of,--as being that principle wherein all who professthe faith of Christ necessarily agree, and that firm and alone foundationagainst which the gates of hell shall never prevail,--be expressed in thevery same words in which it is read in all the churches. Which Symbol isas follows: I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven andearth, of all things visible and invisible; and in one Lord Jesus Christ,the only-begotten Son of God, and born of the Father before all ages; Godof God, light of light, true God of true God; begotten, not made,consubstantial with the Father, by whom all things were made: who for usmen, and for our salvation, came down from the heavens, and was incarnateby the Holy Ghost of[Page 17] the Virgin Mary, and was made man: crucified also forus under Pontius Pilate, he suffered and was buried; and he rose again onthe third day, according to the Scriptures; and he ascended into heaven,sitteth at the right hand of the Father ; and again he will come with gloryto judge the living and the dead; of whose kingdom there shall be no end:and in the Holy Ghost the Lord, and the giver of life, who proceedeth fromthe Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is adoredand glorified; who spoke by the prophets and one holy Catholic andApostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins; and Ilook for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The same sacred and holy, ecumenical, and general Synod ofTrent,--lawfully assembled in the Holy Ghost, the same three legates of theApostolic See presiding therein, -- understanding that many prelates indivers places are girt for their journey, and that some also are on theirway hither; and considering that all that may be decreed by the said sacredSynod may seem to be in so much the greater estimation and honour with allmen, as it shall have been sanctioned and confirmed by a more numerous andfuller council and attendance of Fathers, has resolved and decreed, thatthe next Session after the present be celebrated on the Thursday afterLaetare Sunday next; but that, in the interim, the discussion andexamination of those things which it shall seem fit to the said Synod todiscuss and examine be not deferred.

Celebrated on the eighth day of the month of April, in the year MDXLVI.

The sacred and holy, ecumenical, and general Synod of Trent,--lawfullyassembled in the Holy Ghost, the Same three legates of the Apostolic Secpresiding therein,--keeping this[Page 18] always in view, that, errors being removed, the purity itself of the Gospel be preserved in the Church; which (Gospel), before promised through the prophets in the holy Scriptures, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, first promulgated with His own mouth, and then commanded to be preached by His Apostles to every creature, as the fountain of all, both saving truth, and moral discipline; and seeing clearly that this truth and discipline are contained in the written books, and the unwritten traditions which,received by the Apostles from the mouth of Christ himself, or from theApostles themselves, the Holy Ghost dictating, have come down even unto us,transmitted as it were from hand to hand; (the Synod) following theexamples of the orthodox Fathers, receives and venerates with an equalaffection of piety, and reverence, all the books both of the Old and of theNew Testament--seeing that one God is the author of both --as also the saidtraditions, as well those appertaining to faith as to morals, as havingbeen dictated, either by Christ's own word of mouth, or by the Holy Ghost,and preserved in the Catholic Church by a continuous succession. And ithas thought it meet that a list of the sacred books be inserted in thisdecree, lest a doubt may arise in any one's mind, which are the books thatare received by this Synod. They are as set down here below: of the OldTestament: the five books of Moses, to wit, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,Numbers, Deuteronomy; Josue, Judges, Ruth, four books of Kings, two ofParalipomenon, the first book of Esdras, and the second which is entitledNehemias; Tobias, Judith, Esther, Job, the Davidical Psalter, consisting ofa hundred and fifty psalms; the Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Canticle ofCanticles, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Isaias, Jeremias, with Baruch; Ezechiel,Daniel; the twelve minor prophets, to wit, Osee, Joel, Amos, Abdias, Jonas,Micheas, Nahum, Habacuc, Sophonias, Aggaeus, Zacharias, Malachias; twobooks of the Machabees, the first and the second. Of the New Testament:the four Gospels, according[Page 19] to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; the Acts ofthe Apostles written by Luke the Evangelist; fourteen epistles of Paul theapostle, (one) to the Romans, two to the Corinthians, (one) to theGalatians, to the Ephesians, to the Philippians, to the Colossians, two tothe Thessalonians, two to Timothy, (one) to Titus, to Philemon, to theHebrews; two of Peter the apostle, three of John the apostle, one of theapostle James, one of Jude the apostle, and the Apocalypse of John theapostle. But if any one receive not, as sacred and canonical, the saidbooks entire with all their parts, as they have been used to be read in theCatholic Church, and as they are contained in the old Latin vulgateedition; and knowingly and deliberately contemn the traditions aforesaid;let him be anathema. Let all, therefore, understand, in what order, and inwhat manner, the said Synod, after having laid the foundation of theConfession of faith, will proceed, and what testimonies and authorities itwill mainly use in confirming dogmas, and in restoring morals in theChurch.

Moreover, the same sacred and holy Synod,--considering that no smallutility may accrue to the Church of God, if it be made known which out ofall the Latin editions, now in circulation, of the sacred books, is to beheld as authentic,--ordains and declares, that the said old and vulgateedition, which, by the lengthened usage of so many years, has been approvedof in the Church, be, in public lectures, disputations, sermons andexpositions, held as authentic; and that no one is to dare, or presume toreject it under any pretext whatever.

Furthermore, in order to restrain petulant spirits, It decrees, thatno one, relying on his own skill, shall,--in matters of faith, and ofmorals pertaining to the edification of Christian doctrine, --wresting thesacred Scripture to his own senses, presume to interpret the said sacredScripture contrary to that sense which holy mother Church,--whose it is tojudge of the true sense and interpretation of the holy Scriptures,--hathheld and doth hold;[Page 20] or even contrary to the unanimous consent of theFathers; even though such interpretations were never (intended) to be atany time published. Contraveners shall be made known by their Ordinaries,and be punished with the penalties by law established.

And wishing, as is just, to impose a restraint, in this matter, alsoon printers, who now without restraint,--thinking, that is, that whatsoeverthey please is allowed them,--print, without the license of ecclesiasticalsuperiors, the said books of sacred Scripture, and the notes and commentsupon them of all persons indifferently, with the press ofttimes unnamed,often even fictitious, and what is more grievous still, without theauthor's name; and also keep for indiscriminate sale books of this kindprinted elsewhere; (this Synod) ordains and decrees, that, henceforth, thesacred Scripture, and especially the said old and vulgate edition, beprinted in the most correct manner possible; and that it shall not belawful for any one to print, or cause to be printed, any books whatever, onsacred matters, without the name of the author; nor to sell them in future,or even to keep them, unless they shall have been first examined, andapproved of, by the Ordinary; under pain of the anathema and fine imposedin a canon of the last Council of Lateran: and, if they be Regulars,besides this examination and approval, they shall be bound to obtain alicense also from their own superiors, who shall have examined the booksaccording to the form of their own statutes. As to those who lend, orcirculate them in manuscript, without their having been first examined, andapproved of, they shall be subjected to the same penalties as printers: andthey who shall have them in their possession or shall read them, shall,unless they discover the authors, be themselves regarded as the authors.And the said approbation of books of this kind shall be given in writing;and for this end it shall appear authentically at the beginning of thebook, whether the book be written, or printed; and all this, that is, boththe approbation and the examination, shall be done gratis, that so whatought to be approved, may be approved, and what ought to be condemned, maybe condemned.

Besides the above, wishing to repress that temerity, by which thewords and sentences of sacred Scripture are turned and[Page 21] twisted to all sortsof profane uses, to wit, to things scurrilous, fabulous, vain, toflatteries, detractions, superstitions, impious and diabolicalincantations, sorceries, and defamatory libels; (the Synod) commands andenjoins, for the doing away with this kind of irreverence and contempt, andthat no one may hence forth dare in any way to apply the words of sacredScripture to these and such like purposes; that all men of thisdescription, profaners and violators of the word of God, be by the bishopsrestrained by the penalties of law, and others of their own appointment.

Likewise, this sacred and holy Synod resolves and decrees, that thenext ensuing Session be held and celebrated on the Thursday after the nextmost sacred festival of Pentecost.

That our Catholic faith, without which it is impossible to please God, may,errors being purged away, continue in its own perfect and spotlessintegrity, and that the Christian people may not be carried about withevery wind of doctrine; whereas that old serpent, the perpetual enemy ofmankind, amongst the very many evils with which the Church of God is inthese our times troubled, has also stirred up not only new, but even old,dissensions touching original sin, and the remedy thereof; the sacred andholy, ecumenical and general Synod of Trent,--lawfully assembled in theHoly Ghost, the three same legates of the Apostolic See presidingtherein,--wishing now to come to the reclaiming of the erring, and theconfirming of the wavering,--following the testimonies of the sacred[Page 22] Scriptures, of the holy Fathers, of the most approved councils, and thejudgment and consent of the Church itself, ordains, confesses, and declaresthese things touching the said original sin:

1. If any one does not confess that the first man, Adam, when hehad transgressed the commandment of God in Paradise, immediately lost theholiness and justice wherein he had been constituted; and that he incurred,through the offence of that prevarication, the wrath and indignation ofGod, and consequently death, with which God had previously threatened him,and, together with death, captivity under his power who thenceforth had theempire of death, that is to say, the devil, and that the entire Adam,through that offence of prevarication, was changed, in body and soul, forthe worse; let him be anathema.

2. If any one asserts, that the prevarication of Adam injuredhimself alone, and not his posterity; and that the holiness and justice,received of God, which he lost, he lost for himself alone, and not for usalso; or that he, being defiled by the sin of disobedience, has onlytransfused death, and pains of the body, into the whole human race, but notsin also, which is the death of the soul; let him be anathema:--whereas hecontradicts the apostle who says; By one man sin entered into the world,and by sin death, and so death passed upon all men, in whom all havesinned.

3. If any one asserts, that this sin of Adam,--which in its origin isone, and being transfused into all by propogation, not by imitation, is ineach one as his own, --is taken away either by the powers of human nature,or by any other remedy than the merit of the one mediator, our Lord JesusChrist, who hath reconciled us to God in his own blood, made unto usjustice, santification, and redemption; or if he denies that the said meritof Jesus Christ is applied, both to adults and to infants, by the sacramentof baptism rightly administered in the form of the church; let him beanathema: For there is no other name under heaven given to men, whereby wemust be[Page 23] saved. Whence that voice; Behold the lamb of God behold him whotaketh away the sins of the world; and that other; As many as have beenbaptized, have put on Christ.

4. If any one denies, that infants, newly born from their mothers'wombs, even though they be sprung from baptized parents, are to bebaptized; or says that they are baptized indeed for the remission of sins,but that they derive nothing of original sin from Adam, which has need ofbeing expiated by the laver of regeneration for the obtaining lifeeverlasting,--whence it follows as a consequence, that in them the form ofbaptism, for the remission of sins, is understood to be not true, butfalse, --let him be anathema. For that which the apostle has said, By oneman sin entered into the world, and by sin death, and so death passed uponall men in whom all have sinned, is not to be understood otherwise than asthe Catholic Church spread everywhere hath always understood it. For, byreason of this rule of faith, from a tradition of the apostles, eveninfants, who could not as yet commit any sin of themselves, are for thiscause truly baptized for the remission of sins, that in them that may becleansed away by regeneration, which they have contracted by generation. For, unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannotenter into the kingdom of God.

5. If any one denies, that, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,which is conferred in baptism, the guilt of original sin is remitted; oreven asserts that the whole of that which has the true and proper nature ofsin is not taken away; but says that it is only rased, or not imputed; lethim be anathema. For, in those who are born again, there is nothing thatGod hates; because, There is no condemnation to those who are truly buriedtogether with Christ by baptism into death; who walk not according to theflesh, but, putting off the old man, and putting on the new who is createdaccording to God, are made inno-[Page 24]cent, immaculate, pure, harmless, andbeloved of God, heirs indeed of God, but joint heirs with Christ; so thatthere is nothing whatever to retard their entrance into heaven. But thisholy synod confesses and is sensible, that in the baptized there remainsconcupiscence, or an incentive (to sin); which, whereas it is left forour exercise, cannot injure those who consent not, but resist manfully bythe grace of Jesus Christ; yea, he who shall have striven lawfully shall becrowned. This concupiscence, which the apostle sometimes calls sin, theholy Synod declares that the Catholic Church has never understood it to becalled sin, as being truly and properly sin in those born again, butbecause it is of sin, and inclines to sin.

This same holy Synod doth nevertheless declare, that it is not itsintention to include in this decree, where original sin is treated of, theblessed and immaculate Virgin Mary, the mother of God; but that theconstitutions of Pope Sixtus IV., of happy memory, are to be observed,under the pains contained in the said constitutions, which it renews.

The same sacred and holy Synod, adhering to the pious constitutionsof the Sovereign Pontiffs, and of approved councils, and embracing andadding to them; that the heavenly treasure of the sacred books, which theHoly Ghost has with the greatest liberality delivered unto men, may not lieneglected, hath or-[Page 25]dained and decreed, that,--in those churches where thereis found to be a prebend, prestimony, or other stipend under whatsoevername, destined for lecturers in sacred theology,--the bishops, archbishops,primates, and other Ordinaries of those places shall force and compel, evenby the substraction of the fruits, those who hold such prebend, prestimony,or stipend, to expound and interpret the said sacred Scripture, eitherpersonally, if they be competent, or otherwise by a competent substitute,to be chosen by the said bishops, archbishops, primates, and otherOrdinaries of those places. But, for the future, let not such prebend,prestimony, or stipend be bestowed save on competent persons, and those whocan themselves discharge that office; and otherwise let the provision madebe null and void.

But in metropolitan, or cathedral churches, if the city bedistinguished and populous,--and also in collegiate churches which are inany large town, even though they may not belong to any diocese, providedthe clergy be numerous there,--wherein there is no such prebend,prestimony, or stipend set aside for this purpose, let the first prebendthat shall become vacant in any way soever, except by resignation, and towhich some other incompatible duty is not attached, be understood to beipso facto set apart and devoted to that purpose for ever. And in casethat in the said churches there should not be any, or not any sufficient,prebend, let the metropolitan, or the bishop himself, by assigningthereunto the fruits of some simple benefice,--the obligations theretobelonging being nevertheless discharged,--or by the contributions of thebeneficiaries of his city and diocese, or otherwise, as may be mostconvenient, provide in such wise, with the advice of his chapter, as thatthe said lecture of sacred Scripture be had; yet so that whatsoever otherlectures there may be, whether established by custom, or in any other way,be not by any means therefore omitted.

As to churches, whose annual revenues are slight, and where thenumber of the clergy and laity is so small, that a lectureship of Theologycannot be conveniently had therein, let them at least have a master--to bechosen by the bishop, with the advice of the chapter--to teach grammargratuitously to clerics, and other poor scholars, that so they mayafterwards, with God's blessing,[Page 26] pass on to the said study of sacredScripture. And for this end, either let the fruits of some simple beneficebe assigned to that master of grammar,--which fruits he shall receive solong as he continues teaching, provided however, that the said benefice benot deprived of the duty due to it,--or let some suitable remuneration bepaid him out of the episcopal or capitular revenue; or in fine let thebishop himself devise some other method suited to his church and diocese;that so this pious, useful, and profitable provision may not be, under anycolourable pretext whatever, neglected.

In the monasteries also of monks, let there be in like manner alecture on sacred Scripture, where this can be conveniently done: whereinof the abbots be negligent, let the bishops of the places, as the delegatesherein of the Apostolic See, compel them thereto by suitable remedies. Andin the convents of other Regulars, in which studies can convenientlyflourish, let there be in like manner a lectureship of sacred Scripture;which lectureship shall be assigned, by the general or provincial chapters,to the more able masters.

In the public colleges also, wherein a lectureship so honourable,and the most necessary of all, has not hitherto been instituted, let it beestablished by the piety and charity of the most religious princes andgovernments, for the defence and increase of the Catholic faith, and thepreservation and propagation of sound doctrine; and where such lectureship,after being once instituted, has been neglected, let it be restored. Andthat impiety may not be disseminated under the semblance of piety, the sameholy Synod ordains, that no one be admitted to this office of lecturing,whether in public or in private, without having been previously examinedand approved of by the bishop of the place, as to his life, conversation,and knowledge: which however is not to be understood of lecturers inconvents of monks. Furthermore, those who are teaching the said sacredScripture, as long as they teach publicly in the schools, as also thescholars who are studying in those schools, shall fully enjoy[Page 27] and possess,though absent, all the privileges accorded by common law, as regards thereception of the fruits of their prebends and benefices.

But seeing that the preaching of the Gospel is no less necessary tothe Christian commonwealth than the reading thereof; and whereas this isthe principal duty of bishops; the same holy Synod hath resolved anddecreed, that all bishops, archbishops, primates, and all other prelates ofthe churches be bound personally--if they be not lawfully hindered--topreach the holy Gospel of Jesus Christ. But if it should happen thatbishops, and the others aforesaid, be hindered by any lawful impediment,they shall be bound, in accordance with the formprescribed by the general Council (of Lateran), to appoint fit persons todischarge wholesomely this office of preaching. But if any one throughcontempt do not execute this, let him be subjected to rigorous punishment.

Archpriests, curates, and all those who in any manner soever holdany parochial, or other, churches, which have the cure of souls, shall, atleast on the Lord's days, and solemn feasts, either personally, or if theybe lawfully hindered, by others who are competent, feed the peoplecommitted to them, with wholesome words, according to their own capacity,and that of their people; by teaching them the things which it is necessaryfor all to knew unto salvation, and by announcing to them with briefnessand plainness of discourse, the vices which they must avoid, and thevirtues which they must follow after, that they may escape everlastingpunishment, and obtain the glory of heaven. And if any one of the aboveneglect to discharge this duty,--even though he may plead, on whatsoeverground, that he[Page 28] is exempt from the jurisdiction of the bishop, and eventhough the churches may be, in whatsoever way, said to be exempted, orhaply annexed or united to a monastery that is even out of thediocese,--let not the watchful pastoral solicitude of the bishops bewanting, provided those churches be really within their diocese; lest thatword be fulfilled; The little ones have asked for bread, and there was noneto break it unto them. Wherefore, if, after having been admonished by thebishop, they shall neglect this their duty for the space of three months,let them be compelled by ecclesiastical censures, or otherwise, at thediscretion of the said bishop; in such wise that even-if this seem to himexpedient-a fair remuneration be paid, out of the fruits of the benefices,to some other person to discharge that office, until the principal himselfrepenting shall fulfil his own duty.

But should there be found to be any parochial churches, subject tomonasteries which are not in any diocese, if the abbots and Regularprelates be negligent in the matters aforesaid, let them be compelledthereto by the metropolitans, in whose provinces the said dioceses aresituated, as the delegate for that end of the Apostolic See; nor letcustom, or exemption, or appeal, or reclamation, or action of recovery beof effect to impede the execution of this decree; until by a competentjudge,--who shall proceed summarily, and examine only into the truth of the(matter of) fact,--the case shall have been taken cognizance of, anddecided.

Regulars, of whatsoever order they may be, may not preach even inthe churches of their own orders, unless they have been examined andapproved of as regards their life, manners, and knowledge, by their ownsuperiors, and with his license; with which license they shall be bound topresent themselves personally before the bishops, and beg a blessing fromthem, before they begin to preach. But, (to preach) in churches which arenot those of their own orders, besides the license of their own superiorsthey shall be obliged to have also the license of the bishop, without whichthey may not on any account preach in the said churches which belong not totheir own orders: but bishops shall grant[Page 29] the said license gratuitously.

But if, which God forbid, a preacher should spread errors, orscandals, amongst the people, let the bishop interdict his preaching, eventhough he preach in a monastery of his own, or of another, order: whereas,if he preach heresies, let him proceed against him according to theappointment of the law, or the custom of the place, even though the saidpreacher should plead that he is exempted by a general, or special,privilege: in which case the bishop shall proceed by apostolic authority,and as the delegate of the Apostolic See. But let bishops be careful, thata preacher be not annoyed, either by false accusations, or in any other waycalumniously; or have any just cause of complaint against them.

Furthermore, let bishops be on their guard not to permit anyone,--whether of those, who, being Regulars in name, live nevertheless outof their monasteries, and the obedience of their religious institute, orsecular priests, unless they be known to them, and are of approved moralsand doctrine,--to preach in their own city, and diocese, even under thepretext of any privilege whatsoever; until the holy Apostolic See has beenconsulted by the said bishops thereon; from which See it is not likely thatunworthy persons can extort any such privileges, except by suppressing thetruth, or by uttering what is false.

Those who quest for alms--who are also commonly called Questors-ofwhatsoever condition they may be, shall not in any way presume, eitherpersonally, or by another, to preach; and Contraveners shall, anyprivileges notwithstanding, be wholly restrained by suitable remedies, bythe bishop and Ordinaries of the places.

The sacred and holy Synod also ordains and decrees, that the firstensuing Session be held and celebrated on the Thursday after the feast ofthe blessed apostle James.

The Session was afterwards prorogued to the thirteenth of January, MDXLVII.

Celebrated on the thirteenth day of the month of January, 1547.

Whereas there is, at this time, not without the shipwreck of many souls,and grievous detriment to the unity of the Church, a certain erroneousdoctrine disseminated touching Justification; the sacred and holy,oecumenical and general Synod of Trent, lawfully assembled in the HolyGhost,--the most reverend lords, Giammaria del Monte, bishop of Palaestrina,and Marcellus of the title of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, priest,cardinals of the holy Roman Church, and legates apostolic a latere,presiding therein, in the name of our most holy father and lord in Christ,Paul III., by the providence of God, Pope,-purposes, unto the praise andglory of Almighty God, the tranquillising of the Church, and the salvationof souls, to expound to all the faithful of Christ the true and sounddoctrine touching the said Justification; which (doctrine) the sun ofjustice, Christ Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, taught, whichthe apostles transmitted, and which the Catholic Church, the Holy Ghostreminding her thereof, has always retained; most strictly forbidding thatany henceforth presume to believe, preach, or teach, otherwise than as bythis present decree is defined and declared.

The holy Synod declares first, that, for the correct and soundunderstanding of the doctrine of Justification, it is necessary[Page 31] that eachone recognise and confess, that, whereas all men had lost their innocencein the prevarication of Adam-having become unclean, and, as the apostlesays, by nature children of wrath, as (this Synod) has set forth in thedecree on original sin,-they were so far the servants of sin, and under thepower of the devil and of death, that not the Gentiles only by the force ofnature, but not even the Jews by the very letter itself of the law ofMoses, were able to be liberated, or to arise, therefrom; although freewill, attenuated as it was in its powers, and bent down, was by no meansextinguished in them.

Whence it came to pass, that the heavenly Father, the father of mercies andthe God of all comfort, when that blessed fulness of the time was come,sent unto men, Jesus Christ, His own Son-who had been, both before the Law,and during the time of the Law, to many of the holy fathers announced andpromised-that He might both redeem the Jews who were under the Law, andthat the Gentiles, who followed not after justice, might attain to justice,and that all men might receive the adoption of sons. Him God hath proposedas a propitiator, through faith in his blood, for our sins, and not for oursins only, but also for those of the whole world.

But, though He died for all, yet do not all receive the benefit of His[Page 32] death, but those only unto whom the merit of His passion is communicated. For as in truth men, if they were not born propagated of the seed of Adam,would not be born unjust,-seeing that, by that propagation, they contractthrough him, when they are conceived, injustice as their own,-so, if theywere not born again in Christ, they never would be justified; seeing that,in that new birth, there is bestowed upon them, through the merit of Hispassion, the grace whereby they are made just. For this benefit theapostle exhorts us, evermore to give thanks to the Father, who hath made usworthy to be partakers of the lot of the saints in light, and hathdelivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into theKingdom of the Son of his love, in whom we have redemption, and remissionof sins.

By which words, a description of the Justification of the impious isindicated,-as being a translation, from that state wherein man is born achild of the first Adam, to the state of grace, and of the adoption of thesons of God, through the second Adam, Jesus Christ, our Saviour. And thistranslation, since the promulgation of the Gospel, cannot be effected,without the laver of regeneration, or the desire thereof, as it is written;unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enterinto the Kingdom of God.

The Synod furthermore declares, that in adults, the beginning of the saidJustification is to be derived from the prevenient[Page 33] grace of God, throughJesus Christ, that is to say, from His vocation, whereby, without anymerits existing on their parts, they are called; that so they, who by sinswere alienated from God, may be disposed through His quickening andassisting grace, to convert themselves to their own justification, byfreely assenting to and co-operating with that said grace: in such sortthat, while God touches the heart of man by the illumination of the HolyGhost, neither is man himself utterly without doing anything while hereceives that inspiration, forasmuch as he is also able to reject it; yetis he not able, by his own free will, without the grace of God, to movehimself unto justice in His sight. Whence, when it is said in the sacredwritings: Turn ye to me, and I will turn to you, we are admonished of ourliberty; and when we answer; Convert us, O Lord, to thee, and we shall beconverted, we confess that we are prevented by the grace of God.

Now they (adults) are disposed unto the said justice, when, excited andassisted by divine grace, conceiving faith by hearing, they are freelymoved towards God, believing those things to be true which God has revealedand promised,-and this especially, that God justifies the impious by Hisgrace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; and when,understanding themselves to be sinners, they, by turning themselves, fromthe fear of divine justice whereby they are profitably agitated, toconsider the mercy of God, are raised unto hope, confiding that God will bepropitious to them for Christ's sake; and they begin to love Him as thefountain of all justice; and are therefore moved against sins by a certainhatred and detestation, to wit, by that penitence which must be performedbefore baptism: lastly, when they purpose to receive baptism,[Page 34] to begin anew life, and to keep the commandments of God. Concerning this dispositionit is written; He that cometh to God, must believe that he is, and is arewarder to them that seek him; and, Be of good faith, son, thy sins areforgiven thee; and, The fear of the Lord driveth out sin; and, Do penance,and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for theremission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost;and, Going, therefore, teach ye all nations, baptizing them in the name ofthe Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; finally, Prepare yourhearts unto the Lord.

This disposition, or preparation, is followed by Justification itself,which is not remission of sins merely, but also the sanctification andrenewal of the inward man, through the voluntary reception of the grace,and of the gifts, whereby man of unjust becomes just, and of an enemy afriend, that so he may be an heir according to hope of life everlasting.

Of this Justification the causes are these: the final cause indeed is theglory of God and of Jesus Christ, and life everlasting; while the efficientcause is a merciful God who washes and sanctifies gratuitously, signing,and anointing with the holy Spirit of promise, who is the pledge of ourinheritance; but the meritorious cause is His most beloved only-begotten,our Lord Jesus Christ, who, when we were enemies, for the exceeding charitywherewith he loved us, merited Justification for us by His most holyPassion on the wood of the cross, and made satisfaction for us unto God theFather; the instru-[Page 35]mental cause is the sacrament of baptism, which is thesacrament of faith, without which (faith) no man was ever justified;lastly, the alone formal cause is the justice of God, not that whereby HeHimself is just, but that whereby He maketh us just, that, to wit, withwhich we being endowed by Him, are renewed in the spirit of our mind, andwe are not only reputed, but are truly called, and are, just, receivingjustice within us, each one according to his own measure, which the HolyGhost distributes to every one as He wills, and according to each one'sproper disposition and co-operation. For, although no one can be just, buthe to whom the merits of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ arecommunicated, yet is this done in the said justification of the impious,when by the merit of that same most holy Passion, the charity of God ispoured forth, by the Holy Spirit, in the hearts of those that arejustified, and is inherent therein: whence, man, through Jesus Christ, inwhom he is ingrafted, receives, in the said justification, together withthe remission of sins, all these (gifts) infused at once, faith, hope, andcharity. For faith, unless hope and charity be added thereto, neitherunites man perfectly with Christ, nor makes him a living member of Hisbody. For which reason it is most truly said, that Faith without works isdead and profitless; and, In Christ Jesus neither circumcision, availethanything, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by charity. Thisfaith, Catechumen's beg of the Church-agreeably to a tradition of theapostles-previously to the sacrament of Baptism; when they beg for thefaith which bestows life everlasting, which, without hope and charity,faith cannot bestow: whence also do they immediately hear that word ofChrist; If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. Wherefore,when receiving true and Christian justice, they are bidden, immediately onbeing born again, to preserve it pure and spotless, as the first robe giventhem through Jesus Christ in lieu of that which[Page 36] Adam, by his disobedience,lost for himself and for us, that so they may bear it before thejudgment-seat of our Lord Jesus Christ, and may have life everlasting.

And whereas the Apostle saith, that man is justified by faith and freely,those words are to be understood in that sense which the perpetual consentof the Catholic Church hath held and expressed; to wit, that we aretherefore said to be justified by faith, because faith is the beginning ofhuman salvation, the foundation, and the root of all Justification; withoutwhich it is impossible to please God, and to come unto the fellowship ofHis sons: but we are therefore said to be justified freely, because thatnone of those things which precede justification-whether faith orworks-merit the grace itself of justification. For, if it be a grace, itis not now by works, otherwise, as the same Apostle says, grace is no moregrace.

But, although it is necessary to believe that sins neither are remitted,nor ever were remitted save gratuitously by the mercy of God for Christ'ssake; yet is it not to be said, that sins are forgiven, or have beenforgiven, to any one who boasts of his confidence and certainty of theremission of his sins, and rests on that alone; seeing that it may exist,yea does in our day exist, amongst heretics and schismatics; and with greatvehemence is this vain confidence, and one alien from all godliness,preached up in opposition to the Catholic Church. But neither[Page 37] is this tobe asserted,-that they who are truly justified must needs, without anydoubting whatever, settle within themselves that they are justified, andthat no one is absolved from sins and justified, but he that believes forcertain that he is absolved and justified; and that absolution andjustification are effected by this faith alone: as though whoso has notthis belief, doubts of the promises of God, and of the efficacy of thedeath and resurrection of Christ. For even as no pious person ought todoubt of the mercy of God, of the merit of Christ, and of the virtue andefficacy of the sacraments, even so each one, when he regards himself, andhis own weakness and indisposition, may have fear and apprehension touchinghis own grace; seeing that no one can know with a certainty of faith, whichcannot be subject to error, that he has obtained the grace of God.

Having, therefore, been thus justified, and made the friends and domesticsof God, advancing from virtue to virtue, they are renewed, as the Apostlesays, day by day; that is, by mortifying the members of their own flesh,and by presenting them as instruments of justice unto sanctification, they,through the observance of the commandments of God and of the Church, faithco-operating with good works, increase in that justice which they havereceived through the grace of Christ, and are still further justified, asit is written; He that is just, let him be justified still; and again, Benot afraid to be justified even to death; and also, Do you see that byworks a man is justified, and not by faith only. And this increase ofjustification holy Church begs, when she prays, "Give unto us, O Lord,increase of faith, hope, and charity."

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But no one, how much soever justified, ought to think himself exempt fromthe observance of the commandments; no one ought to make use of that rashsaying, one prohibited by the Fathers under an anathema,-that theobservance of the commandments of God is impossible for one that isjustified. For God commands not impossibilities, but, by commanding, bothadmonishes thee to do what thou are able, and to pray for what thou art notable (to do), and aids thee that thou mayest be able; whose commandmentsare not heavy; whose yoke is sweet and whose burthen light. For, whoso arethe sons of God, love Christ; but they who love him, keep his commandments,as Himself testifies; which, assuredly, with the divine help, they can do. For, although, during this mortal life, men, how holy and just soever, attimes fall into at least light and daily sins, which are also calledvenial, not therefore do they cease to be just. For that cry of the just,Forgive us our trespasses, is both humble and true. And for this cause,the just themselves ought to feel themselves the more obligated to walk inthe way of justice, in that, being already freed from sins, but madeservants of God, they are able, living soberly, justly, and godly, toproceed onwards through Jesus Christ, by whom they have had access untothis grace. For God forsakes not those who have been once justified by Hisgrace, unless he be first forsaken by them. Wherefore, no one ought toflatter himself up with faith alone, fancying that by faith alone he ismade an heir, and will obtain the inheritance, even though he suffer notwith Christ, that so he may be also glori-[Page 39]fied with him. For even ChristHimself, as the Apostle saith, Whereas he was the son of God, learnedobedience by the things which he suffered, and being consummated, hebecame, to all who obey him, the cause of eternal salvation. For whichcause the same Apostle admonishes the justified, saying; Know you not thatthey that run in the race, all run indeed, but one receiveth the prize? Sorun that you may obtain. I therefore so run, not as at an uncertainty: Iso fight, not as one beating the air, but I chastise my body, and bring itinto subjection; lest perhaps, when I have preached to others, I myselfshould become a cast-away. So also the prince of the apostles, Peter;Labour the more that by good works you may make sure your calling andelection. For doing those things, you shall not sin at any time. Fromwhich it is plain, that those are opposed to the orthodox doctrine ofreligion, who assert that the just man sins, venially at least, in everygood work; or, which is yet more insupportable, that he merits eternalpunishments; as also those who state, that the just sin in all their works,if, in those works, they, together with this aim principally that God maybe gloried, have in view also the eternal reward, in order to excite theirsloth, and to encourage themselves to run in the course: whereas it iswritten, I have inclined my heart to do all thy justifications for thereward: and, concerning Moses, the Apostle saith, that he looked unto thereward.

No one, moreover, so long as he is in this mortal life, ought so far topresume as regards the secret mystery of divine predestination, as todetermine for certain that he is assuredly in[Page 40] the number of thepredestinate; as if it were true, that he that is justified, either cannotsin any more, or, if he do sin, that he ought to promise himself an assuredrepentance; for except by special revelation, it cannot be known whom Godhath chosen unto Himself.

So also as regards the gift of perseverance, of which it is written, Hethat shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved:-which gift cannot bederived from any other but Him, who is able to establish him who standeththat he stand perseveringly, and to restore him who falleth:-let no oneherein promise himself any thing as certain with an absolute certainty;though all ought to place and repose a most firm hope in God's help. ForGod, unless men be themselves wanting to His grace, as he has begun thegood work, so will he perfect it, working (in them) to will and toaccomplish. Nevertheless, let those who think themselves to stand, takeheed lest they fall, and, with fear and trembling work out their salvation,in labours, in watchings, in almsdeeds, in prayers and oblations, infastings and chastity: for, knowing that they are born again unto a hope ofglory, but not as yet unto glory, they ought to fear for the combat whichyet remains with the flesh, with the world, with the devil, wherein theycannot be victorious, unless they be with God's grace, obedient to theApostle, who says; We are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according tothe flesh; for if you live according to the flesh, you shall die; but if bythe spirit you mortify the deeds of the flesh, you shall live.

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As regards those who, by sin, have fallen from the received grace ofJustification, they may be again justified, when, God exciting them,through the sacrament of Penance they shall have attained to the recovery,by the merit of Christ, of the grace lost: for this manner of Justificationis of the fallen the reparation: which the holy Fathers have aptly called asecond plank after the shipwreck of grace lost. For, on behalf of thosewho fall into sins after baptism, Christ Jesus instituted the sacrament ofPenance, when He said, Receive ye the Holy Ghost, whose sins you shallforgive, they are forgiven them, and whose sins you shall retain, they areretained. Whence it is to be taught, that the penitence of a Christian,after his fall, is very different from that at (his) baptism; and thattherein are included not only a cessation from sins, and a detestationthereof, or, a contrite and humble heart, but also the sacramentalconfession of the said sins,-at least in desire, and to be made in itsseason,-and sacerdotal absolution; and likewise satisfaction by fasts,alms, prayers, and the other pious exercises of a spiritual life; notindeed for the eternal punishment,-which is, together with the guilt,remitted, either by the sacrament, or by the desire of the sacrament,-butfor the temporal punishment, which, as the sacred writings teach, is notalways wholly remitted, as is done in baptism, to those who, ungrateful tothe grace of God which they have received, have grieved the Holy Spirit,and have not feared to violate the temple of God. Concerning whichpenitence it is written; Be mindful whence thou art fallen; do penance, anddo the first works. And again; The sorrow that is according to[Page 42] God workethpenance steadfast unto salvation. And again; Do penance, and bring forthfruits worthy of penance.

In opposition also to the subtle wits of certain men, who, by pleasingspeeches and good words, seduce the hearts of the innocent, it is to bemaintained, that the received grace of Justification is lost, not only byinfidelity whereby even faith itself is lost, but also by any other mortalsin whatever, though faith be not lost; thus defending the doctrine of thedivine law, which excludes from the kingdom of God not only theunbelieving, but the faithful also (who are) fornicators, adulterers,effeminate, liers with mankind, thieves, covetous, drunkards, railers,extortioners, and all others who commit deadly sins; from which, with thehelp of divine grace, they can refrain, and on account of which they areseparated from the grace of Christ.

Before men, therefore, who have been justified in this manner,-whether theyhave preserved uninterruptedly the grace received, or whether they haverecovered it when lost,-are to be set the words of the Apostle: Abound inevery good work, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord; forGod is not unjust, that he should forget your work, and the love which youhave shown in his name; and, do not lose your confidence, which hath agreat reward. And, for this cause, life eternal is to be proposed to thoseworking well unto[Page 43] the end, and hoping in God, both as a grace mercifullypromised to the sons of God through Jesus Christ, and as a reward which isaccording to the promise of God Himself, to be faithfully rendered to theirgood works and merits. For this is that crown of justice which the Apostledeclared was, after his fight and course, laid up for him, to be renderedto him by the just judge, and not only to him, but also to all that lovehis coming. For, whereas Jesus Christ Himself continually infuses hisvirtue into the said justified,-as the head into the members, and the vineinto the branches,-and this virtue always precedes and accompanies andfollows their good works, which without it could not in any wise bepleasing and meritorious before God,-we must believe that nothing furtheris wanting to the justified, to prevent their being accounted to have, bythose very works which have been done in God, fully satisfied the divinelaw according to the state of this life, and to have truly merited eternallife, to be obtained also in its (due) time, if so be, however, that theydepart in grace: seeing that Christ, our Saviour, saith: If any one shalldrink of the water that I will give him, he shall not thirst for ever; butit shall become in him a fountain of water springing up unto lifeeverlasting. Thus, neither is our own justice established as our own asfrom ourselves; nor is the justice of God ignored or repudiated: for thatjustice which is called ours, because that we are justified from its beinginherent in us, that same is (the justice) of God, because that it isinfused into us of God, through the merit of Christ. Neither is this to beomitted,-that although, in the sacred writings, so much is attributed togood works, that Christ promises, that even he that shall give a drink ofcold water to one of his least ones, shall not lose his reward; and theApostle testifies that, That which is at present momentary and light of ourtribulation, worketh for us above measure exceedingly an eternal weight ofglory; nevertheless God forbid that a Christian should either trust orglory in himself, and not in the Lord, whose bounty towards all[Page 44] men is sogreat, that He will have the things which are His own gifts be theirmerits. And forasmuch as in many things we all offend, each one ought tohave before his eyes, as well the severity and judgment, as the mercy andgoodness (of God); neither ought any one to judge himself, even though hebe not conscious to himself of anything; because the whole life of man isto be examined and judged, not by the judgment of man, but of God, who willbring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest thecounsels of the hearts, and then shall every man have praise from God, who,as it is written, will render to every man according to his works. Afterthis Catholic doctrine on Justification, which whoso receiveth notfaithfully and firmly cannot be justified, it hath seemed good to the holySynod to subjoin these canons, that all may know not only what they oughtto hold and follow, but also what to avoid and shun.

CANON I.-If any one saith, that man may be justified before God by his ownworks, whether done through the teaching of human nature, or that of thelaw, without the grace of God through Jesus Christ; let him be anathema.

CANON II.-If any one saith, that the grace of God, through Jesus Christ, isgiven only for this, that man may be able more easily to live justly, andto merit eternal life, as if, by free will without grace, he were able todo both, though hardly indeed and with difficulty; let him be anathema.

CANON III.-If any one saith, that without the prevenient inspiration of theHoly Ghost, and without his help, man can believe, hope, love, or bepenitent as he ought, so as that the grace of Justification may be bestowedupon him; let him be anathema.

[Page 45] CANON IV.-If any one saith, that man's free will moved and excited by God,by assenting to God exciting and calling, nowise co-operates towardsdisposing and preparing itself for obtaining the grace of Justification;that it cannot refuse its consent, if it would, but that, as somethinginanimate, it does nothing whatever and is merely passive; let him beanathema.

CANON V.-If any one saith, that, since Adam's sin, the free will of man islost and extinguished; or, that it is a thing with only a name, yea a namewithout a reality, a figment, in fine, introduced into the Church by Satan;let him be anathema.

CANON VI.-If any one saith, that it is not in man's power to make his waysevil, but that the works that are evil God worketh as well as those thatare good, not permissively only, but properly, and of Himself, in such wisethat the treason of Judas is no less His own proper work than the vocationof Paul; let him be anathema.

CANON VII.-If any one saith, that all works done before Justification, inwhatsoever way they be done, are truly sins, or merit the hatred of God; orthat the more earnestly one strives to dispose himself for grace, the moregrievously he sins: let him be anathema.

CANON VIII.-If any one saith, that the fear of hell,-whereby, by grievingfor our sins, we flee unto the mercy of God, or refrain from sinning,-is asin, or makes sinners worse; let him be anathema.

CANON IX.-If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified;in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate inorder to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not inany way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of hisown will; let him be anathema.

CANON X.-If any one saith, that men are just without the justice of Christ,whereby He merited for us to be justified; or that it is by that justiceitself that they are formally just; let him be anathema.

[Page 46] CANON XI.-If any one saith, that men are justified, either by the soleimputation of the justice of Christ, or by the sole remission of sins, tothe exclusion of the grace and the charity which is poured forth in theirhearts by the Holy Ghost, and is inherent in them; or even that the grace,whereby we are justified, is only the favour of God; let him be anathema.

CANON XII.-If any one saith, that justifying faith is nothing else butconfidence in the divine mercy which remits sins for Christ's sake; or,that this confidence alone is that whereby we are justified; let him beanathema.

CANON XIII.-If any one saith, that it is necessary for every one, for theobtaining the remission of sins, that he believe for certain, and withoutany wavering arising from his own infirmity and disposition, that his sinsare forgiven him; let him be anathema.

CANON XIV.-If any one saith, that man is truly absolved from his sins andjustified, because that he assuredly believed himself absolved andjustified; or, that no one is truly justified but he who believes himselfjustified; and that, by this faith alone, absolution and justification areeffected; let him be anathema.

CANON XV.-If any one saith, that a man, who is born again and justified, isbound of faith to believe that he is assuredly in the number of thepredestinate; let him be anathema.

CANON XVI.-If any one saith, that he will for certain, of an absolute andinfallible certainty, have that great gift of perseverance unto theend,-unless he have learned this by special revelation; let him beanathema.

CANON XVII.-If any one saith, that the grace of Justification is onlyattained to by those who are predestined unto life; but that all others whoare called, are called indeed, but receive not grace, as being, by thedivine power, predestined unto evil; let him be anathema.

CANON XVIII.-If any one saith, that the commandments of God are, even forone that is justified and constituted in grace, impossible to keep; let himbe anathema.

[Page 47] CANON XIX.-If any one saith, that nothing besides faith is commanded in theGospel; that other things are indifferent, neither commanded norprohibited, but free; or, that the ten commandments nowise appertain toChristians; let him be anathema.

CANON XX.-If any one saith, that the man who is justified and how perfectsoever, is not bound to observe the commandments of God and of the Church,but only to believe; as if indeed the Gospel were a bare and absolutepromise of eternal life, without the condition of observing thecommandments ; let him be anathema.

CANON XXI.-If any one saith, that Christ Jesus was given of God to men, asa redeemer in whom to trust, and not also as a legislator whom to obey; lethim be anathema.

CANON XXII.-If any one saith, that the justified, either is able topersevere, without the special help of God, in the justice received; orthat, with that help, he is not able; let him be anathema.

CANON XXIII.-lf any one saith, that a man once justified can sin no more,nor lose grace, and that therefore he that falls and sins was never trulyjustified; or, on the other hand, that he is able, during his whole life,to avoid all sins, even those that are venial,-except by a specialprivilege from God, as the Church holds in regard of the Blessed Virgin;let him be anathema.

CANON XXIV.-If any one saith, that the justice received is not preservedand also increased before God through good works; but that the said worksare merely the fruits and signs of Justification obtained, but not a causeof the increase thereof; let him be anathema.

CANON XXV.-If any one saith, that, in every good work, the just sinsvenially at least, or-which is more intolerable still-mortally, andconsequently deserves eternal punishments; and that for this cause only heis not damned, that God does not impute those works unto damnation; let himbe anathema.

CANON XXVI.-If any one saith, that the just ought not, for their good worksdone in God, to expect and hope for an eternal recompense from God, throughHis mercy and the merit of Jesus Christ, if so be that they persevere tothe end in well[Page 48] doing and in keeping the divine commandments; let him beanathema.

CANON XXVII.-If any one saith, that there is no mortal sin but that ofinfidelity; or, that grace once received is not lost by any other sin,however grievous and enormous, save by that of infidelity ; let him beanathema.

CANON XXVIII.-If any one saith, that, grace being lost through sin, faithalso is always lost with it; or, that the faith which remains, though it benot a lively faith, is not a true faith; or, that he, who has faith withoutcharity, is not a Chris taught; let him be anathema.

CANON XXIX.-If any one saith, that he, who has fallen after baptism, is notable by the grace of God to rise again; or, that he is able indeed torecover the justice which he has lost, but by faith alone without thesacrament of Penance, contrary to what the holy Roman and universalChurch-instructed by Christ and his Apostles-has hitherto professed,observed, and taugh; let him be anathema.

CANON XXX.-If any one saith, that, after the grace of Justification hasbeen received, to every penitent sinner the guilt is remitted, and the debtof eternal punishment is blotted out in such wise, that there remains notany debt of temporal punishment to be discharged either in this world, orin the next in Purgatory, before the entrance to the kingdom of heaven canbe opened (to him); let him be anathema.

CANON XXXI.-If any one saith, that the justified sins when he performs goodworks with a view to an eternal recompense; let him be anathema.

CANON XXXII.-If any one saith, that the good works of one that is justifiedare in such manner the gifts of God, as that they are not also the goodmerits of him that is justified; or, that the said justified, by the goodworks which he performs through the grace of God and the merit of JesusChrist, whose[Page 49] living member he is, does not truly merit increase of grace,eternal life, and the attainment of that eternal life,-if so be, however,that he depart in grace,-and also an increase of glory; let him beanathema.

CANON XXXIII.-If any one saith,that,by the Catholic doctrine touchingJustification, by this holy Synod inset forth in this present decree, theglory of God, or the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ are in any wayderogated from, and not rather that the truth of our faith, and the gloryin fine of God and of Jesus Christ are rendered (more) illustrious; let himbe anathema.

The same sacred and holy Synod,-the same legates of the Apostolic Seepresiding,-wishing to apply itself to restore ecclesiastical discipline,which is exceedingly relaxed, and to amend the depraved manners of theclergy and Christian people, has thought it fit to begin with those whopreside over the greater churches; for the integrity of those who govern,is the safety of the governed. Trusting, therefore, that by the mercy ofour Lord and God, and the provident vigilance of His own vicar on earth, itwill surely for the future happen, that those who are most worthy,-andwhose previous life, in every stage thereof, from their infancy to theirriper years, having been laudably passed in the exercises of ecclesiasticaldiscipline, bears testimony in their favour,-will be assumed unto thegovernment of churches, in accordance with the venerable ordinances of theFathers, for that it is a burthen whose weight would be formidable evenunto angels: (the Synod) admonishes all those who, under whatsoever nameand title, are set over any[Page 50] patriarchal, primatial, metropolitan, andcathedral churches, and hereby accounts all such admonished, that, takingheed to themselves, and to the whole flock, wherein the Holy Ghost hathplaced them to rule the Church of God which he hath purchased with his ownblood, they be vigilant, as the Apostle enjoins, that they labour in allthings, and fulfil their ministry: but let them know, that fulfil it theycannot, if like hirelings they abandon the flocks committed to them, andapply not themselves to the keeping of their own sheep, whose blood will berequired at their hands, by the Supreme Judge; seeing that it is mostcertain that, if the wolf have devoured the sheep, the shepherd's excusewill not be admitted, that he knew not thereof.

And yet, for as much as some are to be found at this time, who-as isgrievously to be lamented-forgetful even of their own salvation, andpreferring earthly things to heavenly, and things human before divine,wander about in various courts, or, their fold forsaken, and the care ofthe sheep committed to them neglected, keep themselves occupied with thesolicitudes of temporal affairs; it hath seemed good to the sacred and holySynod to renew, as by virtue of the present decree It doth renew, theancient canons promulgated against non-residents, which (canons) have,through the disorders of the times and of men, well nigh fallen intodesuetude; and furthermore, in order to the more fixed residence of thesame, and for the reforming of manners in the church, it hath seemed goodto appoint and ordain in the manner following:-If any one, by whatsoeverdignity, degree, and pre-eminence distinguished, shall, by remaining sixmonths together out of his own diocese, all lawful impediment, or just andreasonable causes ceasing, be absent from a patriarchal, primatial,metropolitan, or cathedral church, under what title soever, cause, name, orright committed to him, he shall ipso jure incur the penalty of theforfeiture of a fourth part of one year's fruits, to be applied, by anecclesiastical[Page 51] superior, to the fabric of the church and to the poor of theplace. And if he continue absent in this way during six other months, heshall thereupon forfeit another fourth part of the fruits to be applied inlike manner. But if the contumacy proceed yet further, the metropolitanshall, for the subjecting him to a severer censure of the sacred canons, beobliged to denounce his absent suffragan bishops, and the oldest residentsuffragan bishop to denounce his absent metropolitan, to the Roman pontiff,either by letter or by messenger, within the space of three months, underthe penalty, to be ipso facto incurred, of being interdicted from enteringinto the church; that he, by the authority of his own supreme See, mayproceed against the said non-resident prelates, according as the greater orless contumacy of each may require, and provide the said churches with moreuseful pastors, as he shall know in the Lord to be salutary and expedient.

Those inferior to bishops, who hold by title, or in commendam, anyecclesiastical benefices requiring personal residence whether by law orcustom, shall be compelled, by their Ordinaries, to reside, by suitablelegal remedies; as to them shall seem expedient for the good government ofthe churches and the advancement of the service of God, taking into accountthe character of the places and persons; and to no one shall any perpetualprivileges, or indults, in favour of non-residence, or of receiving thefruits during absence, be of avail: temporary indulgences anddispensations, however, granted solely for true and reasonable causes, andwhich are to be legitimately proved before the Ordinary, shall remain inforce; in which cases[Page 52] nevertheless, it shall be the office of bishops, asdelegated in this matter by the Apostolic See, to provide that, by deputingcompetent vicars, and by assigning them a suitable portion of the fruits,the cure of souls be nowise neglected; no privilege or exemption whateverbeing of avail to any in this regard.

The prelates of the churches shall apply themselves prudently anddiligently to correct the excesses of their subjects; and no Secularcleric, under pretext of a personal privilege, or any Regular, living outof his monastery, shall, under pretext of a privilege of his order, beaccounted, if he transgress, exempt from being visited, punished, andcorrected, in accordance with the ordinances of the canons, by the Ordinaryof the place, as being delegated hereunto by the Apostolic See.

The Chapters of cathedral, and of other greater, churches, and the membersthereof, shall not be able,-by any exemptions, customs, judgments, oaths,concordates, which only bind the authors thereof and not also theirsuccessors,-to screen themselves from being capable of being, in accordancewith the ordinances of the canons, visited, corrected, and amended, asoften as shall be needful, even with apostolical authority, by their ownbishops, and other greater prelates, by themselves alone, or with thosewhom they shall see fit to have accompany them.

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It shall not be lawful for any bishop, under the plea of any privilegesoever, to exercise pontifical functions in the diocese of another, save bythe express permission of the Ordinary of the place, and in regard to thosepersons only who are subject to that same Ordinary: if the contrary shallhave been done, the bishop shall be ipso facto suspended from the exerciseof episcopal functions, and those so ordained (be similarly suspended) fromthe exercise of their orders.

Doth it please you, that the next ensuing Session be celebrated onThursday, the fifth day after the first Sunday of the approaching Lent,which (Thursday) will be the third day of the month of March? Theyanswered: It pleaseth us.

Celebrated on the third day of the month of March, MDXLVII.

Proem.

For the completion of the salutary doctrine on Justification, which waspromulgated with the unanimous consent of the Fathers in the last precedingSession, it hath seemed suitable to treat of the most holy Sacraments ofthe Church, through which all true justice either begins, or being begun isincreased, or being lost is repaired. With this view, in order to destroythe errors and to extirpate the heresies, which have appeared[Page 54] in these ourdays on the subject of the said most holy sacraments,-as well those whichhave been revived from the heresies condemned of old by our Fathers, asalso those newly invented, and which are exceedingly prejudicial to thepurity of the Catholic Church, and to the salvation of souls,-the sacredand holy, oecumenical and general Synod of Trent, lawfully assembled in theHoly Ghost, the same legates of the Apostolic See presiding therein,adhering to the doctrine of the holy Scriptures, to the apostolictraditions, and to the consent of other councils and of the Fathers, hasthought fit that these present canons be established and decreed;intending, the divine Spirit aiding, to publish later the remaining canonswhich are wanting for the completion of the work which It has begun.

CANON I.-If any one saith, that the sacraments of the New Law were not allinstituted by Jesus Christ, our Lord; or, that they are more, or less, thanseven, to wit, Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, Penance, ExtremeUnction, Order, and Matrimony; or even that any one of these seven is nottruly and properly a sacrament; let him be anathema.

CANON II.-If any one saith, that these said sacraments of the New Law donot differ from the sacramnets of the Old Law, save that the ceremonies aredifferent, and different the outward rites; let him be anathema.

CANON III.-If any one saith, that these seven sacraments are in such wiseequal to each other, as that one is not in any way more worthy thananother; let him be anathema.

CANON IV.-If any one saith, that the sacraments of the New Law are notnecessary unto salvation, but superfluous; and that, without them, orwithout the desire thereof, men obtain of God, through faith alone, thegrace of justification;-though all (the sacraments) are not ineed necessaryfor every individual; let him be anathema.

CANON V.-If any one saith, that these sacraments were instituted for thesake of nourishing faith alone; let him be anathema.

[Page 55] CANON VI.-If any one saith, that the sacraments of the New Law do notcontain the grace which they signify; or, that they do not confer thatgrace on those who do not place an obstacle thereunto; as though they weremerely outward signs of grace or justice received through faith, andcertain marks of the Christian profession, whereby believers aredistinguished amongst men from unbelievers; let him be anathema.

CANON VII.-If any one saith, that grace, as far as God's part is concerned,is not given through the said sacraments, always, and to all men, eventhough they receive them rightly, but (only) sometimes, and to somepersons; let him be anathema.

CANON VIII.-If any one saith, that by the said sacraments of the New Lawgrace is not conferred through the act performed, but that faith alone inthe divine promise suffices for the obtaining of grace; let him beanathema.

CANON IX.-If any one saith, that, in the three sacrments, Baptism, to wit,Confirmation, and Order, there is not imprinted in the soul a character,that is, a certain spiritual and indelible Sign, on account of which theycannot be repeated; let him be anathema.

CANON X.-If any one saith, that all Christians have power to administer theword, and all the sacraments; let him be anathema.

CANON XI.-If any one saith, that, in ministers, when they effect, andconfer the sacraments, there is not required the intention at least ofdoing what the Church does; let him be anathema.

CANON XII.-If any one saith, that a minister, being in mortal sin,-if so bethat he observe all the essentials which belong to the effecting, orconferring of, the sacrament,-neither effects, nor confers the sacrament;let him be anathema.

CANON XIII.-If any one saith, that the received and approved rites of theCatholic Church, wont to be used in the solemn[Page 56] administration of thesacraments, may be contemned, or without sin be omitted at pleasure by theministers, or be changed, by every pastor of the churches, into other newones; let him be anathema.

CANON I.-If any one saith, that the baptism of John had the same force asthe baptism of Christ; let him be anathema.

CANON II.-If any one saith, that true and natural water is not of necessityfor baptism, and, on that account, wrests, to some sort of metaphor, thosewords of our Lord Jesus Christ; Unless a man be born again of water and theHoly Ghost; let him be anathema.

CANON III.-If any one saith, that in the Roman church, which is the motherand mistress of all churches, there is not the true doctrine concerning thesacrament of baptism; let him be anathema.

CANON IV.-If any one saith, that the baptism which is even given byheretics in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,with the intention of doing what the Church doth, is not true baptism; lethim be anathema.

CANON V.-If any one saith, that baptism is free, that is, not necessaryunto salvation; let him be anathema.

CANON VI.-If any one saith, that one who has been baptized cannot, even ifhe would, lose grace, let him sin ever so much, unless he will not believe;let him be anathema.

CANON VII.-If any one saith, that the baptized are, by baptism itself, madedebtors but to faith alone, and not to the observance of the whole law ofChrist; let him be anathema.

CANON VIII.-If any one saith, that the baptized are freed from all theprecepts, whether written or transmitted, of holy Church, in such wise thatthey are not bound to observe them, unless they have chosen of their ownaccord to submit themselves thereunto; let him be anathema.

[Page 57] CANON IX.-If any one saith, that the resemblance of the baptism which theyhave received is so to be recalled unto men, as that they are tounderstand, that all vows made after baptism are void, in virtue of thepromise already made in that baptism; as if, by those vows, they bothderogated from that faith which they have professed, and from that baptismitself; let him be anathema.

CANON X.-If any one saith, that by the sole remembrance and the faith ofthe baptism which has been received, all sins committed after baptism areeither remitted, or made venial; let him be anathema.

CANON XI.-If any one saith, that baptism, which was true and rightlyconferred, is to be repeated, for him who has denied the faith of Christamongst Infidels, when he is converted unto penitence; let him be anathema.

CANON XII.-If any one saith, that no one is to be baptized save at that ageat which Christ was baptized, or in the very article of death; let him beanathema.

CANON XIII.-If any one saith, that little children, for that they have notactual faith, are not, after having received baptism, to be reckonedamongst the faithful; and that, for this cause, they are to be rebaptizedwhen they have attained to years of discretion; or, that it is better thatthe baptism of such be omitted, than that, while not believing by their ownact, they should be bapized in the faith alone of the Church; let him beanathema.

CANON XIV.-If any one saith, that those who have been thus baptized whenchildren, are, when they have grown up, to be asked whether they willratify what their sponsors promised in their names when they were baptized;and that, in case they answer that they will not, they are to be left totheir own will; and are not to be compelled meanwhile to a Christian lifeby any other penalty, save that they be excluded from the participation ofthe Eucharist, and of the other sacraments, until they repent; let him beanathema.

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CANON I.-If any one saith, that the confirmation of those who have beenbaptized is an idle ceremony, and not rather a true and proper sacrament;or that of old it was nothing more than a kind of catechism, whereby theywho were near adolescence gave an account of their faith in the face of theChurch; let him be anathema.

CANON II.-If any one saith, that they who ascribe any virtue to the sacredchrism of confirmation, offer an outrage to the Holy Ghost; let him beanathema.

CANON III.-If any one saith, that the ordinary minister of holyconfirmation is not the bishop alone, but any simple priest soever; let himbe anathema.

The same sacred and holy Synod, the same legates also presiding, purposingto prosecute, unto the praise of God, and the increase of the Christianreligion, the work which It hath begun touching residence and reformation,has thought good to ordain as follows,-saving always, in all things, theauthority of the Apostolic See.

No one shall be assumed unto the government of Cathedral churches, but onethat is born of lawful wedlock, is of mature age, and endowed with gravityof manners, and skill in letters, agreeably to the constitution ofAlexander III., which begins, Cum in cunctis, promulgated in the Council ofLateran.

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No one, by whatsoever dignity, grade, or pre-eminence distinguished, shallpresume, in contravention of the institutes of the sacred canons, to acceptand to hold at the same time several Metropolitan, or Cathedral, churches,whether by title, or in commendam, or under any other name whatsoever;seeing that he is to be accounted exceedingly fortunate whose lot it is torule one church well and fruitfully, and unto the salvation of the soulscommitted to him. But as to those who now hold several churches contraryto the tenor of the present decree, they shall be bound, retaining the onewhich they may prefer, to resign the rest, within six months if they are atthe free disposal of the Apostolic See, in other cases within the year;otherwise those churches, the one last obtained only excepted, shall befrom that moment deemed vacant.

CHAPTER III.

Benefices shall be conferred solely on capable individuals.

Inferior Ecclesiastical Benefices, especially such as have the cure ofsouls, shall be conferred on persons worthy and capable, and who can resideon the spot and exercise personally the said cure; in accordance with theConstitution of Alexander IIl., in the Council of Lateran, which begins,Quia nonnulli; and that other of Gregory X., published in the GeneralCouncil of Lyons, which begins, Licet Canon. A collation, or provision,made otherwise, shall be wholly annulled: and let the ordinary collatorknow, that he will himself incur the penalties set down in the Constitutionof the General Council (of Lateran), which begins, Grave nimis.

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Whosoever shall for the future presume to accept, or to retain at the sametime several cures, or otherwise incompatible Ecclesiastical Benefices,whether by way of union for life, or in perpetual commendam, or under anyother name or title whatsoever, in contravention of the appointment of thesacred Canons, and especially of the Constitution of Innocent III.,beginning, De multa, shall be ipso jure deprived of the said benefices,according to the disposition of the said constitution, and also by virtueof the present Canon.

CHAPTER V.

The holders of several Benefices with cure of souls shall exhibit theirdispensations to the Ordinary, who shall provide the churches with a Vicar,assigning a suitable portion of the fruits.

The Ordinaries of the places shall strictly compel all those who holdseveral cures, or otherwise incompatible, Ecclesiastical Benefices toexhibit their dispensations; and they shall otherwise proceed according tothe Constitution of Gregory X., published in the General Council of Lyons,beginning Ordinarii, which (Constitution) this holy Synod thinks ought tobe renewed, and doth renew; adding further, that the said Ordinaries are byall means to provide, even by deputing fit vicars and by assigning asuitable portion of the fruits, that the cure of souls be not in any wayneglected, and that the said benfices be nowise defrauded of the servicesdue to them: no appeals, privileges, or exemptions whatsoever, even with acommission of special judges, and inhibitions from the same, being of availto any one in the matters aforenamed.

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Unions in perpetuity, made within forty years, may be examined into by theOrdinaries, as delegated by the Apostolic See, and such as shall have beenobtained by surreption or obreption shall be declared null. Now those areto be presumed to have been surreptitiously obtained, which having beengranted within the aforenamed period, have not as yet been carried intoeffect wholly, or in part, as also those which shall henceforth be made atthe instance of any person soever, unless it shall be certain that theyhave been made for lawful, or otherwise reasonable causes, which are to beverified before the Ordinary of the place, those persons being summonedwhose interests are concerned: and therefore (such unions) shall bealtogether of no force, unless the Apostolic See shall have declaredotherwise.

Ecclesiastical Benefices with cures, which are found to have been alwaysunited and annexed to Cathedral, Collegiate, or other churches, or tomonasteries, benefices, colleges, or otherpious places of what sort soever, shall be visited every year by theOrdinaries of those places; who shall apply themselves sedulously toprovide that the cure of souls be laudably exercised by competent vicars,and those even perpetual, unless the said Ordinaries shall deem itexpedient for the good of the churches that it be otherwise,-which (vicars)shall be deputed thereunto by those Ordinaries, with a provision consistingof a third part of the fruits, or of a greater or less proportion, at thediscretion[Page 62] of the said Ordinaries, which (portion) is to be assigned evenupon a specific property; no appeals, privileges, exemptions, even with acommission of judges, and inhibitions from the same, being of any avail inthe matters abovenamed.

The Ordinaries of the places shall be bound to visit every year, withapostolic authority, all churches whatsoever, in whatsoever mannerexempted; and to provide by suitable legal remedies that whatever needsrepairs, be repaired; and that those churches be not in any way defraudedof the Cure of souls, if such be annexed thereunto, or of other servicesdue to them;-all appeals, privileges, customs, even those that have aprescription from time immemorial, commission of judges, and inhibitionsfrom the same, being utterly set aside.

Those who have been promoted to the greater churches shall receive the riteof consecration within the time prescribed by law, and any delays granted,extending beyond the period of six months, shall be of no avail to any one.

It shall not be lawful for Chapters of churches, when a see is vacant, togrant,-whether by ordinance of common law, or by virtue of any privilege orcustom whatsoever,-a license for[Page 63] ordination, or letters dimissory, or "reverend," as some call them, withina year from the day of that vacancy, to any one who is not straitened (fortime), by occasion of some ecclesistical benefice received, or about to bereceived. Otherwise, the contravening Chapter shall be subjected to anecclesiastical interdict; and the persons so ordained, if they have beenconstituted in minor orders, shall not enjoy any clerical privilege,especially in criminal causes; whilst those constituted in the greaterorders shall be, ipso jure, suspended from the exercise thereof, during thepleasure of the next appointed prelate.

Faculties, for being promoted (to orders) by any prelate whatsoever, shallbe of no avail but to those who have a lawful cause-which is to beexpressed in their letters-why they cannot be ordained by their ownbishops; and even then they shall not be ordained but by a bishop who isresident in his own diocese, or by him who exercises the pontificalfunctions for him, and after having undergone a previous carefulexamination.

Faculties granted for not being promoted (to orders) shall avail for a yearonly, except in the cases by law provided.

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Persons presented, or elected, or nominated by any ecclesiastics soever,even by Nuncios of the Apostolic See, shall not be instituted, or confirmedin, or admitted to any ecclesiastical benefices whatsoever, even under theplea of any privilege soever, or custom, which may even have a prescriptionfrom time immemorial, unless they shall have been first examined, and foundfit, by the Ordinaries of the places. And no one shall be able to screenhimself, by means of an appeal, from being bound to undergo thatexamination. Those, however, are to be excepted, who are presented,elected, or nominated by universities, or by colleges for general studies.

In the causes of exempted persons, the Constitution of Innocent IV.,beginning Volentes, set forth in the general Council of Lyons, shall beobserved,-which Constitution this sacred and holy Synod hath thought oughtto be renewed, and doth hereby renew it; adding further, that, in civilcauses relative to wages, and to persons in distress, clerics, whetherSeculars, or Regulars who live out of their monasteries,-howsoeverexempted, and even though they may have upon the spot a special judgedeputed by the Apostolic See; and in other causes, if they have no suchjudge,-may be brought before the Ordinaries of the places, and beconstrained and compelled by course of law to[Page 65] pay what they owe; noprivileges, exemptions, commissions of conservators, and inhibitionstherefrom, being of any force whatever in opposition to the (regulations)aforesaid.

The Ordinaries shall take care that all hospitals whatsoever be faithfullyand diligently governed by their own administrators, by what namessoever called, and in what way soever exempted: observing herein the formof the Constitution of the Council of Vienne, which begins, Quia contingit,which this holy Synod hath thought fit to renew, and doth hereby renew,together with the derogations therein contained.

This sacred and holy Synod hath also resolved and decreed that the nextensuing Session be held and celebrated on Thursday, the fifth day after thecoming Sunday in Albis (Low Sunday), which will be the twenty-first of themonth of April of the present year, MDXLVII.

Paul, bishop, servant of the servants of God, to our venerable brotherGiammaria, bishop of Palaestrina, and to our beloved sons, Marcellus of thetitle of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem,priest, and Reginald of Saint Mary in Cosmedin, deacon, cardinals, ourLegates, a latere, and those of the Apostolic See, health and apostolicalbenediction.

We, by the providence of God, presiding over the government of theuniversal Church, though with merits unequal thereunto, account it a partof our office that, if anything of more than common moment have to besettled touching the Christian[Page 66] commonweal, it be done not only at asuitable season, but also in a convenient and fit place. Wherefore,whereas We lately, with the advice and consent of our venerable brethrenthe cardinals of the holy Roman Church,-upon hearing that peace had beenmade between our most dear sons in Christ, Charles the Emperor of theRomans, ever august, and Francis the most Christian King of theFrench,-took off and removed the suspension of the celebration of thesacred oecumenical and universal Council, which we had on another occasion,for reasons then stated, indicted with the advice and consent aforesaid,for the city of Trent, and which was, for certain other reasons at thattime also named, suspended, upon the like advice and consent, unto anothermore opportune and suitable time to be declared by us: being ourselvesunable, from being at that time lawfully hindered, to repair to theabove-named city in person, and to be present at that Council, We, by thesame advice, appointed and deputed you as Legates a latere on our behalfand that of the Apostolic See, in that Council; and we sent you unto thatsame city as angels of peace, as in divers our letters thereupon is morefully set forth: wishing to provide seasonably that so holy a work as thecelebration of such a Council may not be hindered through theincommodiousness of the place, or otherwise in any other manner, We, of ourproper motion, and certain knowledge, and the plenitude of apostolicauthority, and with the advice and consent aforesaid, by the tenor of thesepresents do, with apostolic authority, concede to you all together, or totwo of you, upon the other being detained by a lawful impediment, or maybeabsent therefrom, full and unrestrained power and faculty, to transfer andchange, when soever you shall see cause, the aforesaid Council from thecity of Trent to any other more Convenient, suitable, or safe City, as toyou shall seem fit, and to suppress and dissolve that which is held in thesaid city of Trent; as also to prohibit, even under ecclesiastical painsand censures, the prelates and other members of the said Council, fromproceeding to any further measures therein in the said sity of Trent; andalso to continue, hold, and celebrate the same Council in the other city asaforesaid unto which it shall have been transferred and changed, and[Page 67] tosummon thereunto the prelates and other members of the said Council ofTrent, even under the pain of perjury and of the other penalties named inthe letters of Indiction of that Council; to preside and proceed, in theCouncil thus translated and changed, in the name and by the authorityaforesaid, and to perform, regulate, ordain, and execute the other thingsmentioned above, and the things thereunto necessary and suitable inaccordance with the contents and tenor of the previous letters which havebeen on other occasion addressed unto you: declaring that We will hold asratified and pleasing whatsoever by you shall have been done, regulated,ordained, in the matters aforesaid, and will, with God's help, cause it tobe inviolably observed; any apostolical Constitutions and ordinances, andother things whatsoever to the contrary notwithstanding. Wherefore, let noone soever infringe this letter of our grant, or with rash daring gocontrary thereto. But if any one shall presume to attempt this, let himknow that he will incur the indignation of Almighty God, and of the blessedPeter and Paul, His apostles.

Given at Rome, at St. Peter's, in the year of the Lord's IncarnationMDXLVII, on the eighth of the calends of March, in the eleventh year of ourPontificate.

FAB. BISH. OF SPOL. B. MOTTA.

Celebrated on the eleventh day of the month of March, in the year MDXLVII.

Doth it please you to decree and declare, that, from the foregoingstatements and other allegations, a disease of the kind stated is soplainly and notoriously certain, that the prelatescannot without danger of their lives remain in this city, and that[Page 68] therefore they cannot and ought not to be detained therein against theirwills? And considering moreover the withdrawal of many prelates since theSession last held, and the protests made in the general congregations byvery many other prelates, who wish by all means to depart hence throughfear of the said disease, who cannot justly be detained; and by whosedeparture the Council would either be dissolved, or, from the small numberof the prelates, its beneficial progress be hindered; and considering alsothe imminent danger to life, and the other notoriously true and legitimatereasons alleged in the said congregations by certain of the Fathers; dothit please you, in like manner, to decree and declare, that, for thepreservation and prosecution of the said Council, and for the safety of thelives of the said prelates, this Council be transferred for a time to thecity of Bologna, as being a place better provided, more healthy, and fit,and that the translation have effect from this day forth, and that theSession, already indicted for the twentyfirst of April ought to becelebrated, and be celebrated, there on that appointed day; and that thefurther matters be proceeded with in order, until it shall seem expedient,to our most holy Lord and to the sacred Council, that the said Council may,and ought to, be brought back to this, or to some other place, takingcouncil also thereupon with the most invincible Emperor, the most Christianking, and with the other Christian kings and princes? They answered: Itpleaseth us.

Celebrated at Bologna, on the twenty-first day of the month of April, MDXLVII.

This sacred and holy, ecumenical and general Synod, which lately wasassembled in the city of Trent, and is now lawfully assembled in the HolyGhost at Bologna, the same most reverend Lords Giammaria del Monte, bishopof Palaestrina, and Marcellus, of the title of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem,priest,[Page 69] cardinals of the holy Roman Church, and Legates apostolic a latere,presiding therein in the name of our most holy Father in Christ, and Lord,Paul III., by the providence of God, Pope; considering that, on theeleventh day of the month of March of the present year, in a general andpublic Session celebrated in the said city of Trent, in the usual place,all the formalities being observed in the usual manner; (the Synod) ,-forcauses then pressing, urgent, and legitimate, and with the interpositionalso of the authority of the holy Apostolic See, specially also granted tothe said most reverend Presidents,-decreed and ordained, that the Councilwas to be transferred, as it did transfer it, from that place to this city,and likewise that the Session,-indicted there for this twenty-first day ofApril, that Canons touching the matters of the Sacraments and ofReformation, whereon It had purposed to treat, might be established andpromulgated,-ought to be celebrated in this city of Bologna; andconsidering that some of the Fathers who have been accustomed to be presentat this Council,-being some engaged in their own Churches during these lastdays of the great week (of Lent), and of the Paschal solemnity, and somealso detained by other hindrances, -have not as yet come hither, but whonevertheless, it is to be hoped, will shortly be present; and that, fromthis cause, it has happened that the said matters of the Sacraments and ofReformation could not be examined and discussed in an assembly of prelatesas numerous as the holy Synod desired: wherefore, to the end that allthings may be done with mature deliberation, with due dignity and gravity,(the Synod) hath resolved, and doth resolve, that it is good, opportunie,and expedient, that the aforenamed Session, which, as has been said, was tohave been celebrated on this day, be deferred and prorogued, as it is nowdeferred and prorogued, to the Thursday within the approaching octave ofPentecost, for the expediting of the matters aforesaid; which day It hasdeemed, and deems, to be most opportune for the business to be transacted,and most convenient especially for the Fathers who are absent; addinghowever, that this holy Synod may and can, even in a private congregation,limit and abridge the said term, at Its will and pleasure, as It shallthink expedient for the business of the Council.

Celebrated at Bologna on the second day of the month of June, MDXLVII.

Although this sacred and holy, oecumenical and general Synod hath decreed,that the Session which was to have been celebrated, in this illustriouscity of Bologna, on the twenty-first day of the month of April last, on thesubject of the Sacraments and of Reformation, in accordance with the decreepromulgated in public Session in the city of Trent, should be deferred andprorogued to this present day, for certain reasons, and especially onaccount of the absence of some of the Fathers, who it was hoped would in ashort time be present; wishing, however, even yet to deal kindly with thosewho have not come, the same sacred and holy Synod, lawfully assembled inthe Holy Ghost, the same cardinals of the holy Roman Church, and Legates ofthe Apostolic See, presiding therein, resolves and decrees, that the saidSession, which It had decreed to celebrate on this the second day of themonth of June of this present year 1547, be deferred and prorogued, and Itdoth hereby defer and prorogue it, to the Thursday after the feast of theNativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which will be the fifteenth ofSeptember next; for the expediting of the aforesaid and other matters; yetso, however, that the prosecution of the discussion and examination, aswell of those things which relate to dogmas, as of those which regardreformation, shall not meanwhile be suspended; and that the said holy Synodfreely may and can, at Its will and pleasure, even in a privatecongregation, abridge or prorogue the said term.

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Julius, bishop, servant of the servants of God, for the future memory hereof.

Whereas, in order to remove the dissensions touching our religion, whichfor a long time have prevailed in Germany to the disturbance and scandal ofthe whole Christian world, it seems good, opportune, and expedient,-as alsoour most dearly beloved son in Christ, Charles the Emperor of the Romans,ever august, has caused to be signified to us by his letters andambassadors,-to bring back to the city of Trent, the sacred, oecumenical,(and) general Council indicted by our predecessor, Pope Paul III., of happymemory, and begun, regulated, and continued, by Us, who then enjoyed thehonour of the Cardinalate, and conjointly with two other Cardinals of theholy Roman Church, presided in the name of our said predecessor, in thesaid Council, wherein several public and solemn Sessions were held, andseveral decrees promulgated as well on the subject of faith as ofReformation, and also many things relating to both subjects examined anddiscussed;-We,-unto whom, as Sovereign Pontiff for the time, it appertainsto indict and direct general Councils,-that we may, unto the praise andglory of Almighty God, procure the peace of the Church and the increase ofthe Christian faith and of the orthodox religion, and may, as far as in uslies, consult with fatherly care for the tranquillity of Germany,-aprovince indeed which, in times past, was never second to any inChristendom, in cultivating true religion, and the doctrine of the sacredCouncils and holy Fathers, and in exhibiting due obedience and reverence tothe chief Pontiffs, the vicars on earth of Christ our Redeemer; hopingthat, by the grace and bounty of God, all Christian kings and princes willapprove of, favour and aid our just and pious wishes herein: We, by thebowels of the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, exhort, require, and admonishour venerable brethren the patri-[Page 72]archs, archbishops, bishops, and ourbeloved sons the abbots, and all and each of the others, who of right, orcustom, or privilege, ought to be present at General Councils, and whom oursaid predecessor, in his letters of indiction and any others soever madeand published on this subject, willed to be present at the Council, toconvene and assemble, where there is no lawful impediment, in the same cityof Trent, and to apply themselves without any delay whatever to thecontinuation and prosecution of the said Council, on the next ensuingcalends of May, which day we appoint, determine on, and assign, aftermature deliberation, and of our own certain knowledge, and the plenitude ofapostolic authority, and with the advice and consent of our venerablebrethren the Cardinals of the said holy Roman Church, for resuming andprosecuting the said Council in the state wherein it now is. For We shallmake it our special care, that, at the same time, in the said city, therebe always present our Legates, through whom,-if we shall be unable, onaccount of our age, state of health, and the necessities of the ApostolicSee, to be personally present,-we shall, under the guidance of the HolyGhost, preside over the said Council; any translation and suspension of thesaid Council, and any other things whatsoever to the contrarynotwithstanding, and especially those things which it was the will of ourpredecessor should not create any obstacle, as expressed in his lettersaforesaid, which, with all and each of the clauses and decrees thereincontained, we will and decree to continue in force, and we do, as far asthere is need thereof, hereby renew them; declaring moreover null and voidwhatsoever may be attempted, wittingly or ignorantly, by whatsoever person,or by whatsoever authority, against these presents. Let no one, therefore,infringe this our letter of exhortation, requisition, monition, statute,declaration, renewal, will, and decree, or with rash daring go contrarythereunto. But if any one shall presume to attempt this, let him know thathe will incur the indignation of Almighty God, and of His blessed apostles,Peter and Paul.

[Page 73] Given at Rome, at St. Peter's, in the year MDXLVIII of our Lord'sIncarnation, on the eighteenth of the calends of December, in the firstyear of our Pontificate.

M. CARDINAL CRESCEN.
ROM. AMASEUS.

Of the sacred and holy, oecumenical and general Council of Trent,celebrated on the calends of May, MDLI, being the first held under theSovereign Pontiff, Julius III.

Doth it please you, unto the praise and glory of the holy and undividedTrinity, Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost, for the increase and exaltationof the Christian faith and religion, that the sacred, oecumenical, andgeneral Council of Trent be, agreeably to the form and tenor of the lettersof our most holy lord, resumed, and that further matters be proceeded with?They answered: It pleaseth us.

Doth it please you that the next ensuing Session be held and celebrated onthe ensuing calends of September? They answered: It pleaseth us.

Being the second under the Sovereign Pontiff, Julius III., celebrated onthe first day of September, MDLI.

The sacred and holy, oecumenical and general Synod of Trent,-lawfullyassembled in the Holy Ghost, the same Legate and nuncios of the ApostolicSee presiding therein,-having, in[Page 74] the Session last held, decreed, that thisnext Session was to be on this day celebrated, and that further matterswere to be proceeded with; whereas It has hitherto delayed to proceed, onaccount of the absence of the illustrious German nation,-whose interestsare principally concerned,-and on account of the assemblage of the Fathersnot being numerous; now rejoicing in the Lord, and giving deserved thanksto that same Almighty God, for the arrival, a little before this day, ofour venerable brethren and sons in Christ, the Archbishops of Mayence andTreves,-electoral princes of the holy Roman Empire,-and also of severalother bishops of that country and of other provinces; and conceiving a firmhope that very many other prelates, both of Germany and of other nations,will, impelled by the requirements of their office and by this example, ina few days arrive; (the Synod) indicts the next session for the fortiethday from this present, which will be the eleventh of October next:-andprosecuting the said Council in the state wherein it now is, whereas in thepreceding Sessions decrees were passed touching the seven sacraments of theNew Law in general, and on baptism and confirmation in particular, Itresolves and decrees, that It will discuss and treat of the sacrament ofthe most holy Eucharist, and also, as regards Reformation, of the othermatters which relate to the more easy and commodious residence of prelates.And It admonishes and exhorts all the Fathers, that, after the example ofour Lord Jesus Christ, they meanwhile give themselves to fasting andprayer, so far at least as human weakness will permit, that so God, who isblessed for evermore, being at length appeased, may vouchsafe to bring backthe hearts of men to the acknowledgment of His own true faith, to the unityof holy mother Church, and to the rule of righteous living.

Being the third under the Sovereign Pontiff, Julius III., celebrated on theeleventh day of October, MDLI.

The sacred and holy, oecumenical and general Synod of Trent,-lawfullyassembled in the Holy Ghost, the same Legate, and nuncios of the ApostolicSee presiding therein, although the end for which It assembled, not withoutthe special guidance and governance of the Holy Ghost, was, that It mightset forth the true and ancient doctrine touching faith and the sacraments,and might apply a remedy to all the heresies, and the other most grievoustroubles with which the Church of God is now miserably agitated, and rentinto many and various parts; yet, even from the outset, this especially hasbeen the object of Its desires, that It might pluck up by the roots thosetares of execrable errors and schisms, with which the enemy hath, in theseour calamitous times, oversown the doctrine of the faith, in the use andworship of the sacred and holy Eucharist, which our Saviour,notwithstanding, left in His Church as a symbol of that unity and charity,with which He would fain have all Christians be mentally joined and unitedtogether. Wherefore, this sacred and holy Synod delivering here, on thisvenerable and divine sacrament of the Eucharist, that sound and genuinedoctrine, which the Catholic Church,-instructed by our Lord Jesus ChristHimself, and by His apostles, and taught by the Holy Ghost, who day by daybrings to her mind all truth, has always retained, and will preserve evento the end of the world, forbids all the faithful of Christ, to presume tobelieve, teach, or preach henceforth concerning the holy Eucharist,otherwise than as is explained and defined in this present decree.

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In the first place, the holy Synod teaches, and openly and simplyprofesses, that, in the august sacrament of the holy Eucharist, after theconsecration of the bread and wine, our Lord Jesus Christ, true God andman, is truly, really, and substantially contained under the species ofthose sensible things. For neither are these things mutuallyrepugnant,-that our Saviour Himself always sitteth at the right hand of theFather in heaven, according to the natural mode of existing, and that,nevertheless, He be, in many other places, sacramentally present to us inhis own substance, by a manner of existing, which, though we can scarcelyexpress it in words, yet can we, by the understanding illuminated by faith,conceive, and we ought most firmly to believe, to be possible unto God: forthus all our forefathers, as many as were in the true Church of Christ, whohave treated of this most holy Sacrament, have most openly professed, thatour Redeemer instituted this so admirable a sacrament at the last supper,when, after the blessing of the bread and wine, He testified, in expressand clear words, that He gave them His own very Body, and His own Blood;words which,-recorded by the holy Evangelists, and afterwards repeated bySaint Paul, whereas they carry with them that proper and most manifestmeaning in which they were understood by the Fathers,-it is indeed a crimethe most unworthy that they should be wrested, by certain contentions andwicked men, to fictitious and imaginary tropes, whereby the verity of theflesh and blood of Christ is denied, contrary to the universal sense of theChurch, which, as the pillar and ground of truth, has detested, assatanical, these inventions devised by impious men; she recognising, with amind ever grateful and unforgetting, this most excellent benefit of Christ.

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Wherefore, our Saviour, when about to depart out of this world to theFather, instituted this Sacrament, in which He poured forth as it were theriches of His divine love towards man, making a remembrance of hiswonderful works; and He commanded us, in the participation thereof, tovenerate His memory, and to show forth his death until He come to judge theworld. And He would also that this sacrement should be received as thespiritual food of souls, whereby may be fed and strengthened those who livewith His life who said, He that eateth me, the same also shall live by me;and as an antidote, whereby we may be freed from daily faults, and bepreserved from mortal sins. He would, furthermore, have it be a pledge ofour glory to come, and everlasting happiness, and thus be a symbol of thatone body whereof He is the head, and to which He would fain have us asmembers be united by the closest bond of faith, hope, and charity, that wemight all speak the same things, and there might be no schisms amongst us.

The most holy Eucharist has indeed this in common with the rest of thesacraments, that it is a symbol of a sacred thing, and is a visible form ofan invisible grace; but there is found in the Eucharist this excellent andpeculiar thing, that the other sacraments have then first the power ofsanctifying when one uses them, whereas in the Eucharist, before beingused, there is the[Page 78] Author Himself of sanctity. For the apostles had not as yet received theEucharist from the hand of the Lord, when nevertheless Himself affirmedwith truth that to be His own body which He presented (to them). And thisfaith has ever been in the Church of God, that, immediately after theconsecration, the veritable Body of our Lord, and His veritable Blood,together with His soul and divinity, are under the species of bread andwine; but the Body indeed under the species of bread, and the Blood underthe species of wine, by the force of the words; but the body itself underthe species of wine, and the blood under the species of bread, and the soulunder both, by the force of that natural connexion and concomitancy wherebythe parts of Christ our Lord, who hath now risen from the dead, to die nomore, are united together; and the divinity, furthermore, on account of theadmirable hypostatical union thereof with His body and soul. Wherefore itis most true, that as much is contained under either species as under both;for Christ whole and entire is under the species of bread, and under anypart whatsoever of that species; likewise the whole (Christ) is under thespecies of wine, and under the parts thereof.

And because that Christ, our Redeemer, declared that which He offered underthe species of bread to be truly His own body, therefore has it ever been afirm belief in the Church of God, and this holy Synod doth now declare itanew, that, by the consecration of the bread and of the wine, a conversionis made of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the bodyof Christ our Lord, and of the whole substance of the wine into thesubstance of His blood; which conversion is, by the holy Catholic Church,suitably and properly called Transubstantiation.

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Wherefore, there is no room left for doubt, that all the faithful of Christmay, according to the custom ever received in the Catholic Church, renderin veneration the worship of latria, which is due to the true God, to thismost holy sacrament. For not therefore is it the less to be adored on thisaccount, that it was instituted by Christ, the Lord, in order to bereceived: for we believe that same God to be present therein, of whom theeternal Father, when introducing him into the world, says; And let all theangels of God adore him; whom the Magi falling down, adored; who, in fine,as the Scripture testifies, was adored by the apostles in Galilee.

The holy Synod declares, moreover, that very piously and religiously wasthis custom introduced into the Church, that this sublime and venerablesacrament be, with special veneration and solemnity, celebrated, everyyear, on a certain day, and that a festival; and that it be bornereverently and with honour in processions through the streets, and publicplaces. For it is most just that there be certain appointed holy days,whereon all Christians may, with a special and unusual demonstration,testify that their minds are grateful and thankful to their common Lord andRedeemer for so ineffable and truly divine a benefit, whereby the victoryand triumph of His death are represented. And so indeed did it behovevictorious truth to celebrate a triumph over falsehood and heresy, thatthus her adversaries, at the sight of so much splendour, and in the midstof so great joy of the universal Church, may either pine away weakened andbroken; or, touched with shame and confounded, at length repent.

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The custom of reserving the holy Eucharist in the sacrarium is so ancient,that even the age of the Council of Nicaea recognised that usage. Moreover, as to carrying the sacred Eucharist itself to the sick, andcarefully reserving it for this purpose in churches, besides that it isexceedingly conformable to equity and reason, it is also found enjoined innumerous councils, and is a very ancient observance of the Catholic Church. Wherefore, this holy Synod ordains, that this salutary and necessarycustom is to be by all means retained.

If it is unbeseeming for any one to approach to any of the sacredfunctions, unless he approach holily; assuredly, the more the holiness anddivinity of this heavenly sacrament are understood by a Christian, the morediligently ought he to give heed that he approach not to receive it butwith great reverence and holiness, especially as we read in the Apostlethose words full of terror; He that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eatethand drinketh judgment to himself. Wherefore, he who would communicate,ought to recall to mind the precept of the Apostle; Let a man provehimself. Now ecclesiastical usage declares that necessary proof to be,that no one, conscious to himself[Page 81] of mortal sin, how contrite soever he mayseem to himself, ought to approach to the sacred Eucharist without previoussacramental confession. This the holy Synod hath decreed is to beinvariably observed by all Christians, even by those priests on whom it maybe incumbent by their office to celebrate, provided the opportunity of aconfessor do not fail them; but if, in an urgent necessity, a priest shouldcelebrate without previous confession, let him confess as soon as possible.

Now as to the use of this holy sacrament, our Fathers have rightly andwisely distinguished three ways of receiving it. For they have taught thatsome receive it sacramentally only, to wit sinners: others spirituallyonly, those to wit who eating in desire that heavenly bread which is setbefore them, are, by a lively faith which worketh by charity, made sensibleof the fruit and usefulness thereof: whereas the third (class) receive itboth sacramentally and spiritually, and these are they who so prove andprepare themselves beforehand, as to approach to this divine table clothedwith the wedding garment. Now as to the reception of the sacrament, it wasalways the custom in the Church of God, that laymen should receive thecommunion from priests; but that priests when celebrating shouldcommunicate themselves; which custom, as coming down from an apostolicaltradition, ought with justice and reason to be retained. And finally thisholy Synod with true fatherly affection admonishes, exhorts, begs, andbeseeches, through the bowels of the mercy of our God, that all and each ofthose who bear the Christian name would now at length agree and be of onemind in this sign of unity, in this bond of charity, in this symbol ofconcord; and that mindful of the so great majesty, and the so[Page 82] exceedinglove of our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave His own beloved soul as the priceof our salvation, and gave us His own flesh to eat, they would believe andvenerate these sacred mysteries of His body and blood with such constancyand firmness of faith, with such devotion of soul, with such piety andworship as to be able frequently to receive that supersubstantial bread,and that it may be to them truly the life of the soul, and the perpetualhealth of their mind; that being invigorated by the strength thereof, theymay, after the journeying of this miserable pilgrimage, be able to arriveat their heavenly country, there to eat, without any veil, that same breadof angels which they now eat under the sacred veils.

But forasmuch as it is not enough to declare the truth, if errors be notlaid bare and repudiated, it hath seemed good to the holy Synod to subjointhese canons, that all, -the Catholic doctrine being alreadyrecognised,-may now also understand what are the heresies which they oughtto guard against and avoid.

CANON I.-If any one denieth, that, in the sacrament of the most holyEucharist, are contained truly, really, and substantially, the body andblood together with the soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, andconsequently the whole Christ; but saith that He is only therein as in asign, or in figure, or virtue; let him be anathema.

CANON lI.-If any one saith, that, in the sacred and holy sacrament of theEucharist, the substance of the bread and wine remains conjointly with thebody and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and denieth that wonderful andsingular conversion of the whole substance of the bread into the Body, andof the whole substance of the wine into the Blood-the species Only of thebread and wine remaining-which conversion indeed the Catholic Church mostaptly calls Transubstantiation; let him be anathema.

CANON III.-If any one denieth, that, in the venerable sacrament of theEucharist, the whole Christ is contained under each[Page 83] species, and underevery part of each species, when separated; let him be anathema.

CANON IV.-If any one saith, that, after the consecration is completed, thebody and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ are not in the admirable sacramentof the Eucharist, but (are there) only during the use, whilst it is beingtaken, and not either before or after; and that, in the hosts, orconsecrated particles, which are reserved or which remain after communion,the true Body of the Lord remaineth not; let him be anathema.

CANON V.-If any one saith, either that the principal fruit of the most holyEucharist is the remission of sins, or, that other effects do not resulttherefrom; let him be anathema.

CANON VI.-If any one saith, that, in the holy sacrament of the Eucharist,Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, is not to be adored with the worship,even external of latria; and is, consequently, neither to be venerated witha special festive solemnity, nor to be solemnly borne about in processions,according to the laudable and universal rite and custom of holy church; or,is not to be proposed publicly to the people to be adored, and that theadorers thereof are idolators; let him be anathema.

CANON VII.-If any one saith, that it is not lawful for the sacred Eucharistto be reserved in the sacrarium, but that, immediately after consecration,it must necessarily be distributed amongst those present; or, that it isnot lawful that it be carried with honour to the sick; let him be anathema.

CANON VIII.-lf any one saith, that Christ, given in the Eucharist, is eatenspiritually only, and not also sacramentally and really; let him beanathema.

CANON IX.-If any one denieth, that all and each of Christ's faithful ofboth sexes are bound, when they have attained to years of discretion, tocommunicate every year, at least at Easter, in accordance with the preceptof holy Mother Church; let him be anathema.

[Page 84] CANON X.-If any one saith, that it is not lawful for the celebrating priestto communicate himself; let him be anathema.

CANON XI.-lf any one saith, that faith alone is a sufficient preparationfor receiving the sacrament of the most holy Eucharist; let him beanathema. And for fear lest so great a sacrament may be receivedunworthily, and so unto death and condemnation, this holy Synod ordains anddeclares, that sacramental confession, when a confessor may be had, is ofnecessity to be made beforehand, by those whose conscience is burthenedwith mortal sin, how contrite even soever they may think themselves. Butif any one shall presume to teach, preach, or obstinately to assert, oreven in public disputation to defend the contrary, he shall be thereuponexcommunicated.

DECREE ON REFORMATION

The same sacred and holy Synod,-lawfully assembled in the Holy Ghost, thesame legate and nuncios of the Apostolic See presiding therein,-purposingto ordain certain things which relate to the jurisdiction of bishops, inorder that they may, in accordance with the decree of the last Session, somuch the more willingly reside in the churches committed to them, by howmuch they shall be able, with greater ease and convenience, to rule and tokeep in propriety of life and conversation those subject to them, thinks itmeet that the bishops be first of all admonished to bear in mind, that theyare pastors and not strikers, and that they ought so to preside over thosesubject to them, as not to lord it over them, but to love them as sons andbrethren; and to strive, by exhortation and admonition,[Page 85] to deter them fromwhat is unlawful, that they may not be obliged, should they transgress, tocoerce them by due punishments. Towards whom, however, should they happento sin in any manner through human frailty, that injunction of the apostleis by bishops to be observed, that they reprove, entreat, rebuke them inall kindness and doctrine; seeing that benevolence towards those to becorrected often effects more than austerity; exhortation more than menace;charity more than power. But if, on account of the grievousness of the transgression, therebe need of the rod, then is rigour to be tempered with gentleness, judgmentwith mercy, severity with lenit; that so discipline, so salutary andnecessary for the people, may be preserved without harshness; and they whoare chastened may be amended, or, if they will not repent, that others, bythe wholesome example of their punishment, may be deterred from vices;since it is the office of a pastor, at once vigilant and kind, to applyfirst of all gentle fomentations to the disorders of his sheep, andafterwards to proceed to sharper and more violent remedies, when thegrievousness of the distempers may require them; but if not even these areeffectual in removing those disorders, then is he to free the other sheepat least from the danger of contagion. Whereas, therefore, those guilty ofcrimes, ordinarily, in order to avoid punishment, and to evade thejudgments of their bishops, affect to have subjects of complaint andgrievances, and, under the subterfuge of an appeal, impede the process ofthe judge, (this Synod) in order to prevent a remedy which was institutedfor the protection of innocence, from being abused to the defence ofwickedness, and that this their craft and tergiversation may be met, hathordained and decreed that: In causes relative to visitation and correction,or to competency or incompetency, as also in criminal causes, there shallbe no appeal, before the definitive sentence, from the bishop or his vicargeneral in spirituals, against any interlocutory sentence, or other(alleged) grievance, whatsoever; neither shall the bishop, nor his vicar,be bound to defer to any[Page 86] such appeal, as being frivolous; but they mayproceed to ulterior measures, that appeal, or any inhibition whatsoeveremanating from a judge of appeal, as also every usage and custom evenimmemorial, to the contrary notwithstanding; except it be that the saidgrievance cannot be repaired by the definitive sentence, or that there isno appeal from the said definitive sentence; in which cases the statutes ofthe ancient canons shall remain untouched.

A case of appeal-where there is room for such appeal-from the sentence ofthe bishop, or that of his vicar general, shall, if it happen to be a casecommitted by apostolic authority to judges on the spot, be referred to themetropolitan, or even to his vicar general in spirituals; or if thatmetropolitan be for some cause suspected, or be distant more than two days'journey as settled by law, or if it be from him that the appeal is made,the case shall be committed to one of the nearest bishops, or to the vicarsthereof, but not to inferior judges.

The accused who is in a criminal cause an appellant from the bishop, orfrom his vicar general in spirituals, shall absolutely produce, before thejudge to whom he has appealed, the acts of the first instance; and thejudge shall by no means proceed, without having seen them, to theabsolution of the accused. And he, from whom the appeal is made, shallfurnish on the demand (of the appellant), the said acts gratuitously withinthirty days; otherwise the said case of appeal shall be terminated withoutthem, in the way that justice may require.

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And whereas crimes so grievous are sometimes committed by ecclesiastics,that, on account of the atrocity thereof, they have to be deposed fromsacred orders, and delivered over to a secular court; in which case acertain number of bishops is, according to the Canons, required; andwhereas, should there be a difficulty in assembling them all, the dueexecution of the law would be retarded; whilst, should they on any occasionbe able to be present, their residence would be interrupted; therefore haththe Synod resolved and decreed, that it shall be lawful for a bishop, byhimself or by his vicar general in spirituals, without the presence even ofother bishops, to proceed against a cleric, even against one who is raisedto the sacred order of the priesthood, even to his condemnation, as also tohis verbal deposition; and he shall be able by himself to proceed even toactual and solemn degradation from the said ecclesiastical orders anddegrees, in the cases wherein the presence of other bishops, in a specificnumber, is required by the Canons; taking, however, to himself, and beingassisted therein by, a like number of abbots, who have the right of usingthe mitre and crosier by apostolic privilege, if so be that they can befound in the city, or diocese, and can conveniently be present; or in theirdefault, (being assisted) by (a like number of) others persons constitutedin ecclesiastical dignity, who are of weight by their age and recommendedby their knowledge of law.

And because it sometimes happens that, under false pleas, whichnotwithstanding seem probable enough, certain persons[Page 88] fraudulently obtaingraces, whereby the punishments inflicted on them by the just severity oftheir bishops are either wholly remitted, or are mitigated; and whereas itis a thing not to be borne, that a lie, which is so exceedingly displeasingto God, should not only itself go unpunished, but even obtain for him thattells it, the pardon of another crime; the Synod hath for this causeordained and decreed as follows: That a bishop, resident in his ownchurch, shall of himself, as the delegate of the Apostolic See, takecognizance even summarily of the surreption or obreption of any grace,obtained under false pretences, for the absolution of any public crime ordelinquency, into which he himself had instituted an inquiry; or for theremission of a punishment to which he has himself condemned the criminal;and he shall not admit the said grace, after that it shall have beenlawfully ascertained, that it was obtained by the statement of what isfalse, or by the suppression of the truth.

And whereas the subjects of a bishop, even though they have been justlychastened, do often nevertheless bear him a violent hatred, and, as if theyhad suffered some wrong at his hands, object false accusations against him,in order that they may annoy him by whatsoever means lie in theirpower,-the fear which annoyance doth for the most part render the bishopmore backward in inquiring into and punishing delinquencies; therefore,that a bishop may not be compelled-both to his own great inconvenience andthat of his Church-to abandon the flock entrusted to him, and that he maynot be forced-not without the diminution of the episcopal dignity-to wanderfrom place to place, (the Synod) hath thus ordained and decreed: That a[Page 89] bishop, even though he be proceeded against ex officio, or by way ofinquiry, or denunciation, or accusation, or in any other way whatsoever,shall not be cited or warned to appear in person, except for a cause forwhich he might have to be deposed from, or deprived of, his office.

In a criminal cause, witnesses shall not be received against a bishop,whether as to the information, or proofs, or other process affecting theprincipal point of the case, unless their testimony agree, and they be of agood life, in good esteem and reputation; and if they shall have made anydeposition through hatred, rashness, or interest, they shall be subjectedto grievous punishments.

The causes of bishops, when, on account of the quality of the crimeobjected, they have to appear (in person), shall be carried before theSovereign Pontiff, and be by him decided.

The same holy Synod,-desiring to pluck out of the field of the Lord all theerrors which like thorns have sprung up again on the subject of this mostholy sacrament, and wishing to provide for the salvation of all thefaithful, her daily prayers being devoutly offered up to Almighty God forthis end,-amongst the other articles, relative to this sacrament, whichhave been treated of with the most diligent inquiry into Catholic truth;very many and most accurate conferences, according to[Page 89] the importance of thematters, having been held, and the sentiments also of the most eminenttheologians having been ascertained; has likewise treated of thesefollowing: whether it be necessary to salvation, and be prescribed ofdivine right, that all the faithful of Christ receive the said venerablesacrament under both species. And; whether he who communicates under eitherspecies receive less than he who communicates under both. And; whether holyMother Church hath erred, by communicating, under the species of breadonly, the laity, and priests when not celebrating. And; whether littlechildren also are to be communicated. But whereas those, of the most nobleprovince of Germany, who call themselves Protestants, desire to be heard bythe holy Synod upon these said articles before they are defined, and forthis end have asked for the public faith from the Synod, that they may beallowed to come hither in safety, dwell in this city, speak freely and setforth their sentiments before the Synod, and afterwards depart when theyplease; this holy Synod,-although It has looked forward with greatearnestness for many months past for their coming, nevertheless, as anaffectionate mother that groaneth and travaileth, most ardently desiringand labouring after this, that, amongst those who bear the Christian name,there may be no schisms, but that, even as all acknowledge the same God andRedeemer, so may all say the same thing, believe the same, think thesame,-trusting in the mercy of God, and hoping that the result will be thatthey may be brought back to the most holy and salutary concord of onefaith, hope, and charity, (and) yielding to them herein, hath, as far asthe said Synod is concerned, given and granted, according to their request;a public assurance and faith, which they call a safe-conduct, of the tenorwhich will be set down below; and for their sakes It hath postponed thedefinition of those articles to the second next Session, which, that theymay conveniently be present thereat, It hath indicted for the festival ofthe conversion of Saint Paul, which will be on the twenty-fifth day of themonth of January of the ensuing year. And It furthermore ordains, that the[Page 91] sacrifice of the mass, on account of the close connexion between the twosubjects, shall be treated of in the same Session; and that meanwhile Itwill treat of the sacraments of Penance and Extreme Unction in the nextSession, which It hath decreed is to be held on the festival of SaintCatharine, virgin and martyr, which will be the twenty-fifth of November;and that at the same time, in both Sessions, the matter of reformationshall be proceeded with.

The sacred and holy, general Synod of Trent,-lawfully assembled in the HolyGhost, the same Legate and Nuncios of the holy Apostolic See presidingtherein,-grants, as far as regards the holy Synod itself, to all and eachone throughout the whole of Germany, whether ecclesiastics or Seculars, ofwhatsoever degree, estate, condition, quality they be, who may wish torepair to this oecumenical and general Council, the public faith and fullsecurity, which they call a safe-conduct, with all and each of thenecessary and suitable clauses and decrees, even though they ought to beexpressed specifically and not in general terms, and which it is Its wishshall be considered as expressed, so as that they may and shall have it intheir power in all liberty to confer, make proposals, and treat on thosethings which are to be treated of in the said Synod; to come freely andsafely to the said oecumenical Council, and there remain and abide, andpropose therein, as well in writing as by word of mouth, as many articlesas to them shall seem good, and to confer and dispute, without any abuse orcontumely, with the Fathers, or with those who may have been selected bythe said holy Synod; as also to withdraw whensoever they shall think fit.It hath furthermore seemed good to the holy Synod, that if, for theirgreater liberty and security, they desire that certain judges be deputed ontheir behalf, in regard of crimes whether committed, or that may becommitted, by them, they shall themselves nominate those who are favourabletowards them, even though the said crimes should be ever so enormous andshould savour of heresy.

The sacred and holy, oecumenical and general Synod of Trent, -lawfullyassembled in the Holy Ghost, the same Legate and Nuncios of the holyApostolic See presiding therein, --although, in the decree concerningJustification, there has been, through a certain kind of necessity, onaccount of the affinity of the subjects, much discourse introduced touchingthe sacrament of Penance; nevertheless, so great, in these our days, is themultitude of various errors relative to this sacrament, that it will be ofno small public utility to have given thereof a more exact and fulldefinition, wherein, all errors having been, under the protection of theHoly Ghost, pointed out and extirpated, Catholic truth may be made clearand resplendent; which (Catholic truth) this holy Synod now sets before allChristians to be perpetually retained.

If such, in all the regenerate, were their gratitude towards God, asthat they constantly preserved the justice received in baptism by Hisbounty and grace; there would not have been need for another sacrament,besides that of baptism itself, to be instituted for the remission of sinsBut because God, rich in mercy, knows our frame, He hath bestowed aremedy of life even on[Page 93] those who may, after baptism, have deliveredthemselves up to the servitude of sin and the power of the devil, --thesacrament to wit of Penance, by which the benefit of the death of Christ isapplied to those who have fallen after baptism. Penitence was in deed atall times neccessary, in order to attain to grace and justice, for all menwho had defiled themselves by any mortal sin, even for those who begged tobe washed by the sacrament of Baptism ; that so, their perversenessrenounced and amended, they might, with a hatred of sin and a godly sorrowof mind, detest so great an offence of God. Wherefore the prophet says; Be converted and do penance for all your iniquities, and iniquity shall not beyour ruin. The Lord also said; Except you do penance, you shall alsolikewise perish; and Peter, the prince of the apostoles, reconmendingpenitence to sinners who were about to be initiated by baptism, said; Dopenance, and be baptized every one you. Nevertheless, neither beforethe coming of Christ was penitance a sacrament, nor is it such, since Hiscoming, to any previously to baptism. But the Lord then principallyinstituted the sacrament of penance, when, being raised from the dead, Hebreathed upon His disciples, saying Receive ye the Holy Ghost, whose sinsyou shall forgive, they are forgiven them, and whose sins you shall retain,they are retained. By which action so signal, and words so clear, theconsent of all the Fathers has ever understood, that the power of forgivingand retaining sins was communicated to the apostles and their lawfulsuccessors, for the reconciling of the faithful who have fallen afterbaptism. And the Catholic Church with great reason repudiated andcondemned as heretics, the Novatians, who of old obstinately denied thatpower of forgiving. Wherefore, this holy Synod, approving of and receiving as most true this meaning of those words of our Lord, condemns thefanciful interpretations of those who, in opposition to the institution ofthis sacrament, falsely wrest those words to the power of preaching theword of God, and of an nouncing the Gospel of Christ.

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For the rest, this sacrament is clearly seen to be different frombaptism in many respects: for besides that it is very widely differentindeed in matter and form, which constitute the essence of a sacrament, itis beyond doubt certain that the minister of baptism need not be a judge,seeing that the Church exercises judgment on no one who has not enteredtherein through the gate of baptism. For, what have I, saith the apostle,to do to judge them that are without? It is otherwise with those whoare of the household of the faith, whom Christ our Lord has once, by thelaver of baptism, made the members of His own body; for such, if theyshould afterwards have defiled themselves by any crime, He would no longerhave them cleansed by a repetition of baptism--that being nowise lawful inthe Catholic Church-but be placed as criminals before this tribunal; that,by the sentence of the priests, they might be freed, not once, but as oftenas, being penitent, they should, from their sins committed, flee thereunto. Furthermore, one is the fruit of baptism, and another that of penance.For, by baptism putting on Christ, we are made therein entirely a newcreature, obtaining a full and entire remission of all sins: unto whichnewness and entireness, however, we are no ways able to arrive by thesacrament of Penance, without many tears and great labours on our parts,the divine justice demanding this; so that penance has justly been calledby holy Fathers a laborious kind of baptism. And this sacrament ofPenance is, for those who have fallen after baptism, necessary untosalvation; as baptism itself is for those who have not as yet beenregenerated.

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The holy synod doth furthermore teach, that the form of the sacrament ofpenance, wherein its force principally consists, is placed in those wordsof the minister, I absolve thee, &c: to which words indeed certain prayersare, according to the custom of holy Church, laudably joined, whichnevertheless by no means regard the essence of that form, neither are theyneces sary for the administration of the sacrament itself. But the acts ofthe penitent himself, to wit, contrition, confession and satisfaction, areas it were the matter of this sacrament. Which acts, inasmuch as theyare, by God's institution, required in the penitent for the integrity ofthe sacrament, and for the full and perfect remission of sins, are for thisreason called the parts of penance. But the thing signified indeed andthe effect of this sacrament, as far as regards its force and efficacy, isreconciliation with God, which sometimes, in persons who are pious and whoreceive this sacrament with devotion, is wont to be followed by peace andserenity of conscience, with exceed ing consolation of spirit. The holySynod, whilst delivering these things touching the parts and the effect ofthis sacrament, condemns at the same time the opinions of those whocontend, that, the terrors which agitate the conscience, and faith, are theparts of penance.

Contrition, which holds the first place amongst the aforesaid acts of thepenitent, is a sorrow of mind, and a detestation for sin committed, withthe purpose of not sinning for the future.[Page 96] This movement of contritionwas at all times necessary for obtaining the pardon of sins; and, in onewho has fallen after baptism, it then at length prepares for the remissionsof sins, when it is united with confidence in the divine mercy, and withthe desire of performing the other things which are required for rightlyreceiving this sacrament. Wherefore the holy Synod declares, that thiscontrition contains not only a cessation from sin, and the purpose and thebeginning of a new life, but also a hatred of the old, agreeably tothat saying; Cast away from you all your iniquities, wherein you havetransgressed, and make to yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Andassuredly he who has considered those cries of the saints; To thee onlyhave I sinned, and have done evil before thee, I have laboured in mygroaning, every night I will wash my bed, I will recount to thee all myyears, in the bitterness of my soul, and others of this kind, willeasily understand that they flowed from a certain vehement hatred of theirpast life, and from an exceeding detestation of sins. The Synod teachesmoreover, that, although it sometimes happen that this contrition isperfect through charity, and reconciles man with God before this sacramentbe actually received, the said reconciliation, nevertheless, is not to beascribed to that contrition, independently of the desire of the sacramentwhich is included therein. And as to that imperfect contrition, which iscalled attrition, because that it is commonly conceived either from theconsideration of the turpitude of sin, or from the fear of hell and ofpunishment, It declares that if, with the hope of pardon, it exclude thewish to sin, it not only does not make a man a hypocrite, and a greatersinner, but that it is even a gift of God, and an impulse of the HolyGhost, --who does not indeed as yet dwell in the penitent, but only moveshim, --whereby the penitent being assisted prepares a way for himself untojustice. And although this (attrition) cannot of itself, without thesacrament of penance, conduct the sinner to justification, yet does itdispose him to obtain the grace of God in the sacrament of[Page 97] Penance. For,smitten profitably with this fear, the Ninivites, at the preaching ofJonas, did fearful penance and obtained mercy from the Lord. Whereforefalsely do some calumniate Catholic writers, as if they had maintained thatthe sacrament of Penance confers grace without any good motion on the partof those who receive it: a thing which the Church of God never taught, orthought: and falsely also do they assert that contrition is extorted andforced, not free and voluntary.

From the institution of the sacrament of Penance as already explained, theuniversal Church has always understood, that the entire confession of sinswas also instituted by the Lord, and is of divine right necessary for allwho have fallen after baptism; because that our Lord Jesus Christ, whenabout to ascend from earth to heaven, left priests His own vicars, aspresidents and judges, unto whom all the mortal crimes, into which thefaithful of Christ may have fallen, should be carried, in order that,in accordance with the power of the keys, they may pronounce the sentenceof forgiveness or retention of sins. For it is manifest, that priestscould not have exercised this judgment without knowledge of the cause;neither indeed could they have observed equity in enjoining punishments, ifthe said faithful should have declared their sins in general only, and notrather specifically, and one by one. Whence it is gathered that all themortal sins, of which, after a diligent examination of themselves, they areconscious, must needs be by penitents enumerated in confession, even thoughthose sins be most[Page 98] hidden, and committed only against the two last precepts of the decalogue,--sins which sometimes wound the soul more grievously, and aremore dangerous, than those which are committed outwardly. For venial sins,whereby we are not excluded from the grace of God, and into which we fallmore frequently, although they be rightly and profitably, and without anypresumption declared in confession, as the custom of pious personsdemonstrates, yet may they be omitted without guilt, and be expiated bymany other remedies. But, whereas all mortal sins, even those of thought,render men children of wrath, and enemies of God, it is necessary toseek also for the pardon of them all from God, with an open and modestconfession. Wherefore, while the faithful of Christ are careful to confessall the sins which occur to their memory, they without doubt lay them allbare before the mercy of God to be pardoned: whereas they who actotherwise, and knowingly keep back certain sins, such set nothing beforethe divine bounty to be forgiven through the priest: for if the sick beashamed to show his wound to the physician, his medical art cures not thatwhich it knows not of. We gather furthermore, that those circumstanceswhich change the species of the sin are also to be explained in confession,because that, without them, the sins themselves are neither entirely setforth by the penitents, nor are they known clearly to the judges; and itcannot be that they can estimate rightly the grievousness of the crimes,and impose on the penitents, the punishment which ought to be inflicted, onaccount of them. Whence it is unreasonable to teach, that thesecircumstances have been invented by idle men; or, that one circumstanceonly is to be confessed, to wit, that one has sinned against a brother. But it is also impious to assert, that confession, enjoined to be made inthis manner, is impossible, or to call it a slaughter-house of consciences:for it is certain, that in the Church nothing else is required ofpenitents, but that, after each has examined himself diligently, andsearched all the folds and recesses of his conscience, he confess thosesins by which he shall remember that he has mortally offended[Page 99] his Lord andGod: whilst the other sins, which do not occur to him after diligentthought, are understood to be included as a whole in that sameconfession; for which sins we confidently say with the prophet; From mysecret sins cleanse me, O Lord. Now, the very difficulty of aconfession like this, and the shame of making known one's sins, mightindeed seem a grievous thing, were it not alleviated by the so many and sogreat advantages and consolations, which are most assuredly bestowed byabsolution upon all who worthily approach to this sacrament. For the rest,as to the manner of confessing secretly to a priest alone, although Christhas not forbidden that a person may,--in punishment of his sins, and forhis own humi liation, as well for an example to others as for theedification of the Church that has been scandalized,--confess his sinspublicly, nevertheless this is not commanded by a divine precept; neitherwould it very prudent to enjoin by any human law, that sins, especiallysuch as are secret, should be made known by a public confession. Wherefore, whereas the secret sacramental confession, which was in use fromthe beginning in holy Church, and is still also in use, has always been commended by the most holy and the most ancient Fathers with a great andunanimous consent, the vain calumny of those is manifestly refuted, who arenot ashamed to teach, that confession is alien from the divine command, andis a human invention, and that it took its rise from the Fathers assembledin the Council of Lateran: for the Church did not, through the Council ofLateran, ordain that the faithful of Christ should confess,--a thing whichit knew to be necessary, and to be instituted of divine right,--but thatthe precept of confession should be complied with, at least once a year, byall and each, when they have attained to years of discretion. Whence,throughout the whole Church, the salutary custom is, to the great benefitof the souls of the faithful, now observed, of confessing at that mostsacred and most acceptable time of Lent,--a custom which this holy Synodmost highly approves of and embraces, as pious and worthy of beingretained.

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But, as regards the minister of this sacrament, the holy Synod declares allthese doctrines to be false, and utterly alien from the truth of theGospel, which perniciously extend the ministry of the keys to any otherssoever besides bishops and priests; imagining, contrary to the institutionof this sacrament, that those words of our Lord, Whatsoever you shall bindupon earth, shall be bound also in heaven, and whatsoever you shall looseupon earth shall be loosed also in heaven, and, Whose sins you shallforgive, they are forgiven the m, and whose sins you shall retain, they areretained,were in such wise addressed to all the faithful of Christindifferently and indiscriminately, as that every one has the power offorgiving sins,-public sins to wit by rebuke, provided he that is rebukedshall acquiesce, and secret sins by a voluntary confession made to anyindividual whatsoever. It also teaches, that even priests, who are inmortal sin, exercise, through the virtue of the Holy Ghost which wasbestowed in ordination, the office of forgiving sins, as the ministers ofChrist; and that their sentiment is erroneous who contend that this powerexists not in bad priests. But although the absolution of the priest is thedispensation of another's bounty, yet is it not a bare ministry only,whether of announcing the Gospel, or of declaring that sins are forgiven,but is after the manner of a judicial act, whereby sentence is pronouncedby the priest as by a judge: and therefore the penitent ought not so toconfide in his own personal faith, as to think that,--even though therebe no contrition on his part, or no intention on the part of the priest ofacting seriously and absolving truly,--he is nevertheless truly and inGod's sight absolved, on account of his faith alone. For neither would[Page 101] faith without penance bestow any remission of sins; nor would he beotherwise than most careless of his own salvation, who, knowing that apriest but absolved him in jest, should not care fully seek for another whowould act in earnest.

Wherefore, since the nature and order of a judgment require this, thatsentence be passed only on those subject (to that judicature), it has everbeen firmly held in the Church of God, and this Synod ratifies it as athing most true, that the absolution, which a priest pronounces upon oneover whom he has not either an ordinary or a deligated jurisdiction, oughtto be of no weight whatever. And it hath seemed to our most holy Fathersto be of great importance to the discipline of the Christian people, thatcertain more atrocious and more heinous crimes should be absolved, not byall priests, but only by the highest priests: whence the SovereignPontiffs, in virtue of the supreme power delivered to them in the universalChurch, were deservedly able to reserve, for their special judgment,certain more grievous cases of crimes. Neither is it to bedoubted,--seeing that all things, that are from God, are well ordered-butthat this same may be lawfully done by all bishops, each in his owndiocese, unto edification, however, not unto destruction, in virtue of theauthority, above (that of) other inferior priests, delivered to them overtheir subjects, especially as regards those crimes to which the censure ofexcommunication is annexed. But it is consonant to the divine authority,that this reservation of cases have effect, not merely in external polity,but also in God's sight. Nevertheless, for fear lest any may perish on thisaccount, it has always been very piously observed in the said Church ofGod, that there be no reservation at the point[Page 102] of death, and that thereforeall priests may absolve all penitents whatsoever from every kind of sinsand censures whatever: and as, save at that point of death, priests have nopower in reserved cases, let this alone be their endeavour, to persuadepenitents to repair to superior and lawful judges for the benefit of absolution.

Finally, as regards satisfaction,--which as it is, of all the parts ofpenance, that which has been at all times recommended to the Christianpeople by our Fathers, so is it the one especially which in our age is,under the loftiest pretext of piety, impugned by those who have anappearance of godliness, but have denied the power thereof,--the holySynod declares, that it is wholly false, and alien from the word of God,that the guilt is never forgiven by the Lord, without the wholepunishment also being therewith pardoned. For clear and illustriousexamples are found in the sacred writings, whereby, besides by divinetradition, this error is refuted in the plainest manner possible. And trulythe nature of divine justice seems to demand, that they, who throughignorance have sinned before baptism, be received into grace in one manner;and in another those who, after having been freed from the servitude of sinand of the devil, and after having received the gift of the Holy Ghost,have not feared, knowingly to violate the temple of God, and to grievethe Holy Spirit. And it beseems the divine clemency, that sins be notin such wise pardoned us without any sat is fac tion, as that, takingoccasion therefrom, thinking sins less grievous, we, offering as it were aninsult and an outrage to the Holy Ghost, should fall into more grievoussins, treasuring up wrath against the Jay of wrath. For, doubtless,these satisfactory punishments greatly recall from sin, and check as itwere with a bridle, and make penitents more cautious and watchful for thefuture; they are also remedies for the remains[Page 103] of sin, and, by acts of theopposite virtues, they remove the habits acquired by evil living. Neitherindeed was there ever in the Church of God any way accounted surer to turnaside the impending chastisement of the Lord, than that men should, withtrue sorrow of mind, practise these works of penitence. Add to thesethings, that, whilst we thus, by making satisfaction, suffer for our sins,we are made conformable to Jesus Christ, who satisfied for our sins, fromwhom all our sufficiency is; having also thereby a most sure pledge,that if we suffer with him, we shall also be glorified with him. Butneither is this satisfaction, which we discharge for our sins, so our own,as not to be through Jesus Christ. For we who can do nothing of ourselves,as of ourselves, can do all things, He cooperating, who strengthens us.Thus, man has not wherein to glory, but all our glorying is in Christ: inwhom we live; in whom we merit; in whom we satisfy; bringing forth fruitsworthy of penance, which from him have their efficacy; by him areoffered to the Father; and through him are accepted by the Father.Therefore the priests of the Lord ought, as far as the Spirit and prudenceshall suggest, to enjoin salutary and suitable satisfactions, according tothe quality of the crimes and the ability of the penitent; lest, if haplythey connive at sins, and deal too indulgently with penitents, by enjoiningcertain very light works for very grievous crimes, they be made partakersof other men 's sins. But let them have in view, that the satisfaction,which they impose, be not only for the preservation of a new life and amedicine of infirmity, but also for the avenging and punishing of pastsins. For the ancient Fathers likewise both believe and teach, that thekeys of the priests were given, not to loose only, but also to bind. Butnot therefore did they imagine that the sacrament of Penance is a tribunalof wrath or of punishments; even as no Catholic ever thought, by this kindof satisfactions on our parts, the efficacy of the merit and of thesatisfaction of our Lord Jesus Christ is either obscured,[Page 104] or in any waylessened: which when the innovators seek to understand, they in such wisemaintain a new o be the est penance, as to Fake away the entire efficacyand use of satisfaction.

The Synod teaches furthermore, that so great is the liberality of thedivine munificence, that we are able through Jesus Christ to makesatisfaction to God the Father, not only by punishments voluntarilyundertaken of ourselves for the punishment of sin, or by those imposed atthe discretion of the priest according to the measure of our delinquency,but also, which is a very great proof of love, by the temporal scourges inflicted of God, and borne patiently by us.

It hath also seemed good to the holy Synod, to subjoin, to the precedingdoctrine on penance, the following on the sacrament of Extreme Unction,which by the Fathers was regarded as being the completion, not only ofpenance, but also of the whole Christian life, which ought to be aperpetual penance. First, therefore, as regards its institution, Itdeclares and teaches, that our most gracious Redeemer,--who would have hisservants at all times provided with salutary remedies against all theweapons of all their enemies,--as, in the other sacraments, He prepared thegreatest aids, whereby, during life, Christians may preserve themselveswhole from every more grievous spiritual evil, so did He guard the close oflife, by the sacrament of Extreme Unction, as with a most firm defence. For though our adversary seeks and seizes opportunities, all our life long,to be able in any way to devour our souls; yet is there no time wherein hestrains more vehemently all the powers of his craft to ruin us utterly,and, if he can possibly, to make us fall even from trust in the mercy ofGod, than when he perceives the end of our life to be at hand.

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Now, this sacred unction of the sick was instituted by Christ our Lord, astruly and properly a sacrament of the new law, insinuated indeed in Mark,but recommended and promulgated to the faithful by James the Apostle, andbrother of the Lord. Is any man, he saith, sick among you ? Let him bringin the priests of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing himwith oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save thesick man; and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he be in sins, they shallbe forgiven him. In which words, as the Church has learned fromapostolic tradition, received from hand to hand, he teaches the matter, theform, the proper minister, and the effect of this salutary sacrament. Forthe Church has understood the matter thereof to be oil blessed by a bishop.For the unction very aptly represents the grace of the Holy Ghost withwhich the soul of the sick person is invisibly anointed; and furthermorethat whose words, "By this unction," &c. are the form.

Moreover the thing signified and the effect of this sacrament areexplained in those words; And the prayer of faith shall save the sick man,and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he be in sins they shall beforgiven him. For the thing here signified is the grace of the Holy Ghost;whose anointing cleanses away sins, if there be any still to be expiated,as also the remains of sins; and raises up and strengthens the soul of thesick person, by exciting in him a great confidence in the[Page 106] divine mercy;whereby the sick being supported, bears more easily the inconveniences andpains of his sickness; and more readily resists the temptations of thedevil who lies in wait for his heel; and at times obtains bodily health, when expedient for the welfare of the soul.

And now as to prescribing who ought to receive, and who to administer thissacrament, this also was not obscurely delivered in the words above cited.For it is there also shown, that the proper ministers of this sacrament arethe Presbyters of the Church; by which name are to be understood, in thatplace, not the elders by age, or the foremost in dignity amongst thepeople, but, either bishops, or priests by bishops rightly ordained by theimposition of the hands of the priesthood. It is also declared, thatthis unction is to be applied to the sick, but to those especially who liein such danger as to seem to be about to depart this life: whence also itis called the sacrament of the departing. And if the sick should, afterhaving received this unction, recover, they may again be aided by thesuccour of this sacrament, when they fall into another like danger ofdeath. Wherefore, they are on no account to be hearkened to, who, againstso manifest and clear a sentence of the apostle James, teach, eitherthat this unction is a human figment or is a rite received from the Fatherswhich neither has a command from Cod, nor a promise of grace: nor those whoassert that it has already ceased, as though it were only to be referred tothe grace of healing in the primitive church; nor those who say that therite and usage which the holy Roman Church observes in the administrationof this sacrament is repugnant to the sentiment of the apostle James, andthat it is therefore to be changed[Page 107] into some other: nor finally those whoaffirm that this Extreme Unction may without sin be contemned by thefaithful : for all these things are most manifestly at variance with theperspicuous words of so great an apostle. Neither assuredly does the RomanChurch, the mother and mistress of all other churches, observe aught inadministering this unction,--as regards those things which constitute thesubstance of this sacrament,--but what blessed James has prescribed. Norindeed can there be contempt of so great a sacrament without a heinous sin,and an injury to the Holy Ghost himself. These are the things which thisholy oecumenical Synod professes and teaches and proposes to all thefaithful of Christ, to be believed and held, touching the sacraments ofPenance and Extreme Unction. And it delivers the following canons to beinviolably preserved; and condemns and anathematizes those who assert whatis contrary thereto.

CANON I.--If any one saith, that in the Catholic Church Penance is nottruly and properly a sacrament, instituted by Christ our Lord forreconciling the faithful unto God, as often as they fall into sin afterbaptism; let him be anathema.

CANON II.--If any one, confounding the sacraments, saith that baptism isitself the sacrament of Penance, as though these two Sacraments were notdistinct, and that therefore Penance is not rightly called a second plankafter shipwreck; let him be anathema.

CANON III.--If any one saith, that those words of the Lord the Saviour,Receive ye the Holy Ghost, whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiventhem, and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained, are not to beunderstood of the power of forgiving and of retaining sins in the Sacramentof penance, as the Catholic Church has always from the beginning understoodthem; but wrests them, contrary to the institution of this sacra ment, tothe power of preaching the gospel; let him be anathema.

[Page 108] CANON IV.--If any one denieth, that, for the entire and perfect remissionof sins, there are required three acts in the penitent, which are as itwere the matter of the sacrament of Penance, to wit, contrition,confession, and satisfaction, which are called the three parts of penance;or saith that there are two parts only of penance, to wit, the terrors withwhich the conscience is smitten upon being convinced of sin, and the faith,generated by the gospel, or by the absolution, whereby one believesthat his sins are forgiven him through Christ; let him be anathema.

CANON V.--If any one saith, that the contrition which is acquired by meansof the examination, collection, and detestation of sins,--whereby onethinks over his years in the bitterness of his soul, by pondering onthe grievousness, the multitude, the filthiness of his sins, the loss ofeternal blessedness, and the eternal damnation which he has incurred,having therewith the purpose of a better life,--is not a true andprofitable sorrow, does not prepare for grace, but makes a man a hypocriteand a greater sinner; in fine, that this (contrition) is a forced and notfree and voluntary sorrow; let him be anathema.

CANON VI.--If any one denieth, either that sacramental confession wasinstituted, or is necessary to salvation, of divine right; or saith, thatthe manner of confessing secretly to apriest alone, which the Church hath ever observed from the beginning, anddoth observe, is alien from the institution and command of Christ, and is ahuman invention; let him be anathema.

CANON VII.--If any one saith, that, in the sacrament of Penance, it is notnecessary, of divine right, for the remission of sins, to confess all andsingular the mortal sins which after due and diligent previous meditationare remembered, even those (mortal sins) which are secret, and those whichare opposed to the two last commandments of the Decalogtie, as also thecircumstances which change the species of a sin; but (saith) that suchconfession is only useful to instruct and console the penitent, and that itwas of old only observed in order to impose a[Page 109] canonical satisfaction; or saith that they, who strive to confess all theirsins, wish to leave nothing to the divine mercy to pardon ; or, finally,that it is not lawful to confess venial sins ; let him be anathema.

CANON VIII.--If any one saith, that the confession of all sins, such as itis observed in the Church, is impossible, and is a human tradition to beabolished by the godly; or that all and each of the faithful of Christ, ofeither sex, are not obliged thereunto once a year, conformably to theconstitution of the great Council of Lateran, and that, for this cause,the faithful of Christ are to be persuaded not to con fess during Lent;let him be anathema.

CANON IX.--If any one saith, that the sacramental absolution of the priestis not a judicial act, but a bare ministry of pronouncing and declaringsins to be forgiven to him who confesses; provided only he believe himselfto be absolved, or (even though) the priest absolve not in earnest, but injoke; or saith, that the confession of the penitent is not required, inorder that the priest may be able to absolve him; let him be anathema.

CANON X.--If any one saith, that priests, who are in mortal sin, have notthe power of binding and of loosing; or, that not priests alone are theministers of absolution, but that, to all and each of the faithful ofChrist is it said: Whatsoever you shall bind upon earth shall be bound alsoin heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed alsoin heaven; and, whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them;and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained; by virtue of whichwords every one is able to absolve from sins, to wit, from public sins byreproof only, provided he who is reproved yield thereto, and from secretsins by a voluntary confession; let him be anathema.

CANON XI.--If any one saith, that bishops have not the right of reservingcases to themselves, except as regards external polity, and that thereforethe reservation of cases hinders not but that a priest may truly absolvefrom reserved cases; let him be anathema.

[Page 110] CANON XII.--If any one saith, that God always remits the whole punishmenttogether with the guilt, and that the satisfaction of penitents is no otherthan the faith whereby they apprehend that Christ has satisfied forthem; let him be anathema.

CANON XIII.--If any one saith, that satisfaction for sins, as to theirtemporal punishment, is nowise made to God, through the merits of JesusChrist, by the punishments inflicted by Him, and patiently borne, or bythose enjoined by the priest, nor even by those voluntarily undertaken, asby fastings, prayers, almsdeeds, or by other works also of piety; and that,therefore, the best penance is merely a new life; let him be anathema.

CANON XIV.--If any one saith, that the satisfaction, by which enitentsredeem their sins through Jesus Christ, are not a worship of God, buttraditions of men, which obscure the doctrine of grace, and the trueworship of God, and the benefit itself of the death of Christ; let him beanathema.

CANON XV.--If any one saith, that the keys are given to the Church, only toloose, not also to bind; and that, therefore, priests act contrary to thepurpose of the keys, and contrary to the institution of Christ, whenthey impose punishments on those who confess; and that it is a fiction,that, after the eternal punishment, has, by virtue of the keys, beenremoved, there remains for the most part a temporal punishment to bedischarged; let him be anathema.

CANON I.--If any one saith, that Extreme Unction is not truly and properlya sacrament, instituted by Christ our Lord, and promulgated by the blessedapostle James; but is only a rite received from the Fathers, or a humanfigment; let him be anathema.

[Page 111] CANON II.--If any one saith, that the sacred unction of the sick does notconfer grace, nor remit sin, nor comfort(h) the sick; but that it hasalready ceased, as though it were of old only the grace of working Cures;let him be anathema.

CANON III.--If any one saith, that the rite and usage of Extreme Unction,which the holy Roman Church observes, is repugnant to the sentiment of theblessed apostle James, and that is therefore to be changed, and may,without sin, be contemned by Christians; let him be anathema.

CANON IV.--If any one saith, that the Presbyters of the Church, whomblessed James exhorts to be brought to anoint the sick, are not the priestswho have been ordained by a bishop, but the elders in each community, andthat for this Cause a priest alone is not the proper minister of ExtremeUnction; let him be anathema.

It is the office of bishops to admonish their subjects, especiallythose appointed to the cure of souls, of their duty.

Whereas it is properly the office of bishops to reprove the vices of allwho are subject to them, this will have to be principally their care,--thatclerics, especially those appointed to the cure of souls, be blameless; andthat they do not, with their connivance, lead a disorderly life: for ifthey suffer them to be of evil and corrupt conversation, how shall theyreprove the laity for their vices, when they themselves can be by one wordsilenced by them, for that they suffer clerics to be worse than they? Andwith what freedom shall priests be able to correct laymen, when they haveto answer silently to themselves, that they have committed the very thingswhich they reprove? Wherefore, bishops shall charge their clergy, ofwhatsoever rank they be, that they be a guide to the people of Godcommitted to them, in conduct, conservation, and doctrine; being mindful ofthat which is written, Be holy for I also am holy. And, agreeably to theadmonition of the apostle; Let them not give[Page 112] offence to any man, that theirministry be not blamed; but in all things let them exhibit themselves asthe ministers of God, lest that saying of the prophet be fulfilled inthem, The priests of God defile the sanctuaries, and despise the law. But, in order that the said bishops may be able to execute this withgreater freedom, and may not be hindered therein under any pretextwhatever, the same sacred and holy, ocecumenical and general Synod ofTrent, the same legate and nuncios of the Apostolic See presiding therein,has thought fit that these canons following be established and decreed.

Whereas it is more beseeming and safe for one that is subject, by renderingdue obedience to those set over him, to serve in an inferior ministry,than, to the scandal of those set over him, to aspire to the dignity of amore exalted degree; to him, unto whom the ascent to sacred orders shallhave been interdicted by his own prelate, from whatsoever cause, be it evenon account of some secret crime, or in what manner soever, evenextra-judicially; and to him who shall have been suspended from his ownorders, or ecclesiastical degrees and dignities; no license, concededagainst the will of that said prelate, for causing himself to be promoted,nor any restoration to former orders, degrees, dignities and honours, shallbe of any avail.

And forasmuch as certain bishops of churches which are in partibusinfidelium, (in the districts of unbelievers), having[Page 113] neither clergy norChristian people, and being in a manner wanderers, having no fixed see, andseeking not the things of Christ, but other's sheep without the knowledgeof their own pastor, finding themselves prohibited by this holy Synod fromexercising episcopal functions in the diocese of another, without theexpress permission of the ordinary of the place, and then only in regard ofthose who are subject to the said ordinary, do, by an evasion and incontempt of the law, of their own rashness choose as it were an episcopalchair in a place which is not of any diocese, and presume to mark withthe clerical character, and to promote even to the sacred orders of thepriesthood, any that come unto them, even though they have no commendatoryletters from their own bishops, or prelates; whence it for the most partcomes to pass, that, persons being ordained who are but little fit, and areuninstructed and ignorant, and who have been rejected by their own bishopsas incapable and unworthy, they are neither able rightly to perform thedivine offices, nor to administer the sacraments of the Church: none of thebishops, who are called titular, even though they may reside, or tarry in aplace within no diocese, even though it be exempted, or in a monastery ofwhatsoever order, shall, by virtue of any privilege granted them to promoteduring a certain time such as come unto them, be able to ordain, or topromote to any sacred or minor orders, or even to the first tonsure, thesubject of another bishop, even under the pretext of his being his domesticfed constantly at his own table, without the express consent of, or withoutletters demissory from that individual's own bishop. The contravener shallbe ipso jure suspended during a year from the exercise of pontificalfunctions; and the person so promoted shall in like manner be suspendedfrom the exercise of the orders so received, for as long as to his ownprelate shall seem fit.

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The bishop may suspend, for the time that shall seem to him fit, from theexercise of the orders received, and may interdict from ministering at thealtar, or from exercising the functions of any order, any of his clerics,especially those who are in sacred orders, who have been, without hisprevious examination and commendatory letters, promoted by any authoritywhatsoever; even though they shall have been approved of as competent byhim who has ordained them, but whom he himself shall find but little fitand able to celebrate the divine offices, or to administer the sacramentsof the Church.

All prelates of the churches, who ought diligently to apply themselves tocorrect the excesses of their subjects,-and from whose jurisdiction, by thestatutes of this holy Synod, no cleric is, under the pretext of anyprivilege soever, considered screened, so as not to be able to be visited,punished and corrected, in accordance with the appointments of thecanons,--provided those prelates be resident in their own churches,--shallhave power, as delegates for this end of the Apostolic See, to correct andpunish, even out of the times of visitation, all Secularclerics,--howsoever exempted, who would otherwise be subject to theirjurisdiction,--for their excesses, crimes, and delinquencies, as often as,and whensoever there shall be need; no exemptions, declarations, customs,sentences, oaths, concordates, which only bind the authors thereof, beingof any avail to the said clerics,[Page 115] or to their relatives, chaplains,domestics, agents, or to any others whatsoever, in view and inconsideration of the said exempted clerics.

Moreover, whereas sundry persons, under the plea that divers wrongs andannoyances are inflicted on them in their goods, possessions, and rights,obtain certain judges to be deputed by means of letters conservatory, toprotect and defend them from the said annoyances and wrongs, and tomaintain and keep them in possession, or quasi-possession, of their goods,property, and rights, without suffering them to be molested therein; andwhereas they pervert these letters, in many ways, to an evil meaning quiteopposed to the intention of the donor;--therefore, these lettersconservatory, whatsoever be their clauses or decrees, whatsoever be thejudges deputed, or under whatsoever other kind of pretext or colour, theseletters may have been granted, shall not avail any, of what dignity andcondition soever, even though a Chapter, so as to screen the party frombeing capable of being, in criminal and mixed causes, accused and summoned,and from being examined and proceeded against before his own bishop, orother ordinary superior; or prevent him from being liable to be freelysummoned before the ordinary judge, in the matter of any rights which maybe pleaded as his from having been ceded to him. In civil causes also, ifhe be the plaintiff, it shall nowise be lawful for him to bring up any onefor judgment before his own judges conservatory. And if, in those causeswherein he shall be the defendant, it shall happen that the conservatorchosen by him shall be declared by the plaintiff to be one suspected byhim, or if any dispute shall have arisen between the judges themselves, theconservator[Page 116] to wit and the ordinary, concerning competency of jurisdiction,the cause shall not be proceeded with, until by arbitrators, chosen inlegal form, a decision shall have been come to relative to the saidsuspicion, or competency of jurisdiction. Neither shall these lettersconservatory be of any avail to the said party's domestics--who are in thehabit of screening themselves thereby--save to two only, and this providedthey live at his proper cost. Neither shall any one enjoy the benefit ofsuch letters longer than for five years. It shall also not be lawful forconservatory judges to have any fixed tribunal.As to causes which relate to wages and to destitute persons, the decree ofthis holy Synod thereupon shall remain in its full force. But generaluniversities, colleges of doctors or scholars, places belonging toRegulars, as also hospitals wherein hospitality is actually exercised, andpersons belonging to the said universities, colleges, places, and hospitalsare not to be deemed included in this present canon, but are to beconsidered, and are, wholly exempted.

And forasmuch as, though the habit does not make the monk, it isnevertheless need ful that clerics always wear a dress suitable to theirproper order, that by the decency of their outward apparel they may showforth the inward correctness of their morals; but to such a pitch, in thesedays, have the contempt of religion and the rashness of some grown, asthat, making but little account of their own dignity, and of the clericalhonour, they even wear in public the dress of laymen--setting their feet indifferent paths, one of God, the other of the flesh;-for this cause, allecclesiastical persons, howsoever exempted, who are either in sacred ordersor in possession of any manner of dignities, personates, or other offices,or benefices ecclesiastical;[Page 117] if, after having been admonished by their own bishop, even by a public edict, they shall not wear a becoming clerical dress, suitable to their order and dignity, and in conformity with the ordinance and mandate of the said bishop, they may, and ought to be, compelled thereunto, by suspension from their orders, office, benefice, and from the fruits, revenues, and proceeds of the said benefices; and also, if, after having been oncerebuked, they offend again herein, (they are to be coerced) even bydeprivation of the said offices and benefices; pursuant to the constitutionof Clement V. published in the Council of Vienne, and beginning Quoniam,which is hereby renewed and enlarged.

Whereas too, he who has killed his neighbour on set purpose and by lying inwait for him, is to be taken away from the altar, (q) because he hasvoluntarily committed a homicide ; even though that crime have neither beenproved by ordinary process of law, nor be otherwise public, but is secret,such an one can never be promoted to sacred orders; nor shall it be lawfulto confer upon him any ecclesiastical benefices, even though they have nocure of souls; but he shall be for ever excluded from every ecclesiasticalorder, benefice, and office. But if it be alleged that the homicide wasnot committed purposely but accidentally, or when repelling force by forcethat he might defend himself from death, in such wise that, by a kind ofright, a dispensation ought to be granted, even for the ministry of sacredorders, and of the altar, and for any kind of benefice whatever anddignity,-the case shall be committed to the Ordinary of the place, or, ifthere be a cause for it, to the metropolitan, or to the nearest bishop; whoshall not be able[Page 118] to dispense, without having taking cognizance of thecase, and after the prayers and allegations have been proved, and nototherwise.

Furthermore, forasmuch as there are sundry persons,--some of whom even aretrue pastors, and have their own sheep,--who seek also to rule over thesheep of others, and at times give their attention in such wise to thesubjects of others, as to neglect the care of their own; no one, eventhough he be of episcopal dignity, who may have by privilege the power ofpunishing the subjects of another, shall by any means proceed againstclerics not subject to him,--especially against such as are in sacredorders,--be they guilty of crime ever so atrocious; except with theintervention of the proper bishop of the said clerics, if that bishop beresident in his own church, or of the person that may be deputed by thesaid bishop: otherwise, the proceedings, and all the consequences thereof,shall be wholly without effect.

And forasmuch as it is with very good reason that dioceses and parisheshave been made distinct, and to each flock their proper pastors have beenassigned, and to inferior churches their rectors, each to take care of hisown sheep, that so ecclesiastical order may not be confounded, or one andthe same church belong in some sort to two dioceses, not without grievousinconvenience to such as are subject thereunto; the benefices of onediocese, be they even parochial churches, perpetual vicarages, simplebenefices, prestimonies, or prestimonial portions, shall[Page 119] not be united inperpetuity to a benefice, monastery, college, or even to a pious place, ofanother diocese, not even for the sake of augmenting divine worship, or thenumber of beneficiaries, or for any other cause whatsoever; thus hereinexplaining the decree of this holy Synod on the subject of these unions.

Benefices of Regulars that have been accustomed to be granted in title toprofessed Regulars, when they happen to become vacant by the death of thetitulary incumbent, or by his resignation, or otherwise, shall be conferredon religious of that order only, or on persons who shall be absolutelybound to take the habit, and make that profession, and upon none others,that they may not wear a garment that is woven of woollen and linentogether.

But forasmuch as Regulars, after being transferred from one order toanother, ordinarily obtain permission easily from their superior to remainout of their monastery, whereby occasion is given of their wandering aboutand apostatizing; no prelate or superior of any order shall be allowed, byvirtue of any faculty whatsoever, to admit any individual to the habit andto profession, except with the view that he shall remain perpetually inenclosure under obedience to his own superior, in the order itself to whichhe is transferred; and one so transferred, even though he be a canonRegular, shall be wholly incapable of Secular Benefices, even of cures.

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No one, moreover, of whatsoever ecclesiastical or Secular dignity, can, orought to, obtain, or acquire a right of patronage, for any other reasonwhatever, but that he has founded, and built anew, a church, benefice, orchapel; or that he has competently endowed, out of his own proper andpatrimonial resources, one already erected, which, however, is without asufficient endowment. But, in case of such foundation or endowment, theinstitution thereof shall be reserved to the bishop, and not to some otherinferior person.

Furthermore, it shall not be lawful for a patron, under pretext of anyprivilege whatsoever, to present any one, in any way, to the beneficeswhich are under his right of patronage, except to the ordinary bishop ofthe place, to whom the providing for, or the institution to, the saidbenefice would, that privilege ceasing, of right belong; otherwise thepresentation and institution, which may have followed, shall be null, andas such reputed.

The holy Synod declares, moreover, that, in the next Session, which It hasalready decreed is to beholden on the twenty-fifth[Page 121] day of January, of theensuing year, MDLII,--It will, together with the sacrifice of the mass,also apply itself to, and treat of the sacrament of order, and that thesubject of reformation will be prosecuted.

Whereas, in pursuance of the decrees made in the last Sessions, this holyand universal Synod has, during these days, most accurately and diligentlytreated of the things which relate to the most holy sacrifice of the mass,and to the sacrament of order, with the view that, in the Session held onthis day, It might publish, as the Holy Ghost should have suggested,decrees on these subjects, and on the four articles concerning the mostholy sacrament of the Eucharist, which had been finally deferred to thisSession ; and whereas it was thought that, in the interim, there would havepresented themselves at this sacred and holy Council those who callthemselves Protestants, for whose sake It had deferred the publication ofthe said articles, and to whom It had given the public faith, or asafe-conduct, that they might come freely and without any hesitation;nevertheless, seeing that they have not as yet come, and the holy Synod hasbeen petitioned in their name, that the publication which was to have beenmade on this day, be deferred to the following Session, an assured hopebeing held out that they will certainly be present long before thatSession, upon receiving in the meanwhile a safe-conduct in a more ampleform :-The same holy Synod, lawfully assembled in the Holy Ghost, the sameLegate and Nuncios presiding, desiring nothing more ardently than toremove, from amongst the noble nation of Germany, all dissensions andschisms touchingreligion,and to provide for its tranquillity, peace andrepose; being ready, should they come, both to receive[Page 122] them kindly, and tolisten to them favourably, and trusting that they will come, not with thedesign of obstinately opposing the Catholic Faith, but of learning thetruth, and that they will at last, as becomes those zealous for evangelicaltruth, acquiesce in the decrees and discipline of holy Mother Church; (thisSynod) has deferred the next Session,--therein to publish and promulgatethe matters aforesaid,--till the festival of St. Joseph, which will be onthe nineteenth day of the month of March; in order that they may havesufficient time and leisure, not only to come, but also to propose, beforethat day arrives, whatsoever they may wish. And,- that It may take fromthem all cause for further delay, It freely gives and grants them thepublic faith,-or a safe-conduct, of the tenour and form hereafter set down.But it ordains and decrees, that, in the meantime, It will treat of thesacrament of matrimony,- and will give its decisions thereon, in additionto the publication of the above-named decrees, in the same Session, andwill prosecute the subject of Reformation.

The sacred and holy, ocecumenical and general Synod of Trent,-lawfullyassembled in the Holy Ghost, the same Legate and Nuncios of the ApostolicSee presiding therein,--adhering to the safe-conduct given in the lastSession but one, and enlarging it in the manner following,- certifies toall men,- that by the ten our of these presents, It grants and whollyconcedes the public faith, and the fullest and most true security, whichthey entitle a safe-conduct, to all and singular the priests,electors,-princes, dukes, marquises, counts, barons, nobles, soldiers,commonalty, and to all other persons whatsoever, of what state, condition,or quality soever they may be, of the province and nation of Germany,- andto the cities and other places thereof, and to all other ecclesiastical andSecular persons,- especially those of the Confession of Augsburg,- whoshall come, or shall be sent with them, to this General Council of Trent,and to those that shall set forth, or have already repaired hither,- bywhatsoever name they are entitled, or may be designated,--to come freely tothis city[Page 123] of Trent, and there to remain, abide, sojourn, and to propose,speak and treat of, examine and discuss, any matters whatsoever togetherwith the said Synod, and freely to present and set forth all whatsoeverthey may think fit, and any articles what-ever, either in writing, or byword of mouth, and to explain, establish, and prove them by the sacredScriptures, aiid by the words, passages, and reasons of the blessedFathers, and to answer even, if it be needful, to the objections of theGeneral Council; and to dispute, or to confer in charity, without anyhindrance, with those who may have been selected by the Council, allopprobrious, railing, and contumelious laiiguage being utterly discarded;and in particular, that the controverted matters shall be treated of in theaforesaid Council of Trent, according to sacred Scripture, and thetraditions of the apostles, approved Councils, the consent of the CatholicChurch, and the authorities of the holy Fathers; with this furtheraddition, that they shall not be punished under pretence of religion,- orof offences already committed, or that may be committed, in regard thereof;as also, that the divine offices shall not, on account of their presence,be in any way interrupted, either upon the road, or in any place duringtheir progress, their stay, or their return, or in the city of Trentitself; and that, upon these matters being concluded, or before they areconcluded,- if they, or any of them, shall wish, and whensoever such istheir or his pleasure, or the command and leave of their superiors, toreturn to their own homes, they shall forthwith be able at their goodpleasure,- to return freely and securely, without any let, obstacle, ordelay, without injury done to their property, or to the honour also andpersons of their attendants respectively,--notifying, however, this theirpurpose of withdrawing to those who shall be deputed hereunto by the saidSynod, that so, without deceit or fraud, proper measures may be taken fortheir safety. The holy Synod also wills that all clauses whatsoever,- whichmay be necessary and useful for a full,- effectual, and sufficient securityin coming, sojourning, and returning, be included and comprised, and beaccounted as comprised, in this public faith and safe-conduct. It alsoexpressly declares, with a view to their greater security, and the blessingof peace and reconciliation, that if,[Page 124] which God forbid, any one, or diversamongst them, should, either on the road when coming to Trent, or whilstsojourning at, or returning from, that same city, perpetrate or commit anyheinous act, whereby the benefit of this public faith and assurance mightbe annulled and cease, that It wills and grants,- that the personsdiscovered in any such crime shall be forthwith punished by their owncountrymen, and not by others, with a proportionate chastisement and asufficient reparation, which the Synod on its part mayjustlyapprove of andcommend-the form, conditions, and terms of the safe-conduct remainingwholly untouched thereby. It also reciprocally wills, that if, which Godforbid, any one, or divers, of this Synod, should, either on the road, orwhilst sojourning at, or returning therefrom, perpetrate or commit anyheinous act, whereby the benefit of this public faith and assurance may beviolated, or in any way set aside, the persons discovered in any such crimeshall be forthwith punished by the Synod itself, and not by others,- with aproportionate chastisement and a sufficient reparation, which the Germansof the Confession of Augsburg, who may be present here at the time, may ontheir part justly approve of and commend,-the present form, conditions andterms of the safe-conduct remaining wholly untouched thereby. The saidSynod also wills, that all and each of the ambassadors shall be allowed togo out of the city of Trent to take the air, as of ten as it shall beconvenient or necessary, and to return thither; as also freely to send ordespatch their messenger or messengers to any places whatsoever, accordingas their affairs may require, and to receive the said messengers ormessenger, despatches or despatch, as often as they shall think fit; so ashowever one or more be associated therewith by the deputies of theCouncil,- to provide for the safety of the said couriers. And thissafe-conduct and security shall stand good and endure, both from and duringthe time that they shall have been received under the care of the saidSynod, and the protection of its agents; and further, after they have had asufficient audience, and twenty days having expired after they havethemselves asked, or after the Council, upon that audience had,- shall havegiven them notice, to return, It will, all deceit and fraud being entirelyexcluded, reconduct[Page 125] them, with God's help, from Trent to that place of safety which each may select for himself. All which things,- It promises and in good faith pledges Itself, shall be inviolably observed towards all and each of thefaithful of Christ, towards all ecclesiastical and Secular princes, andtowards all ecclesiastical and Secular persons, of whatsoever state andcondition they may be, or by whatsoever name designated.

Furthermore, Itpromises in sincere and good faith, without fraud or deceit, that the saidSynod will neither openly nor covertly seek for any opportunity ; nor makeuse of, nor stiffer any one else to make use of, any authority, power,right, or statute, privilege of laws or canons, or of any Councilswhatsoever, especially those of Constance and Sienna, under what formsoever expressed,--to the prejudice in any way of this public faith, andniost full security, and of the public and free hearing, by this said Synodgranted to the above-named;--derogating from the aforesaid in this regardand for this occasion.

And if the holy Synod, or any member thereof,--or of their followers, of whatsoever condition, state or pre-eminence, shall violate--which may the Almighty forbid--the forms and terms of the security and safe-conduct as above set down, in any point or clause whatever, and a sufficientreparation shall not have forthwith followed,- and one that may withreason be approved of and praised by the (interested) parties themselvesthey may and shall hold the said Synod to have incurred all thosepenalties, which, by law human and divine, or by custom, the violators ofsuch safe-conducts can possibly incur;--without there being any excuse orcontrary allegation in this regard.

Being the sixth, and last under the Sovereign Pontiff, JuliusIII., celebrated on the twenty-eighth day of April, MDLII.

The sacred and holy, oecumenical and general Synod of Trent, lawfullyassembled in the Holy Ghost, the most reverend lords, Sebastian, Archbishopof Siponto, and Aloysius, Bishop of Verona, Apostolic Nuncios, presidingtherein, as well in their own names as in that of the most reverend andillustrious lord, the Legate Marcellsu Crescenzio, Cardinal of the holyRoman Church, of the title of Saint Marcellus, who is absent by reason of amost grievous illness,--doubts not that it is well known to all Christians,that this ocecumenical Council of Trent was first convoked and assembled byPaul, of happy memory, and was afterwards, at the instance of the mostaugust Emperor, Charles V., restored by our most holy lord, Julius III.,for this cause especially, that It might bring back to its pristine state,religion which was miserably divided into diverse opinions in many parts ofthe world, and especially in Germany; and might amend the abuses and themost corrupt manners of Christians ; and whereas very many Fathers, withoutany regard to their personal labours and dangers, had for this endcheerfully assembled together from different countries, and the businesswas proceeded with earnestly and happily, in the midst of a great concurseof the faithful, and there was no slight hope that those Germans who hadexcited these novelties would come to the Council, and that so disposed asto acquiesce unanimously in the truthful reasons of the Church; when akind of light, in fine, seemed to have dawned upon things; and theChristian commonwealth, before so cast-down and afflicted, began to lift upits head; of a sudden such tumults and wars were enkindled[Page 127] by the craft ofthe enemy of mankind, that the Synod was at much inconvenience compelled asit were to pause, and to interrupt its course, and all hope was taken awayof further progress at that time; and so far was the holy Synod fromremedying the evils and troubles existing amongst Christians, that,contrary to its intention, It irritated rather than calmed the minds ofmany. Whereas, therefore, the said holy Synod perceived that all places,and especially Germany, were in a flame with arms and discord; that almostall the German bishops, and in particular the Electoral Princes, hadwithdrawn from the Council, in order to provide for their own churches ; Itresolved, not to struggle against so pressing a necessity, but to be silenttill better times ; that so the Fathers, who could not now act, mightreturn to their own churches to take care of their own sheep, and no longerwear away their time in unemployment, useless in both regards. Andaccordingly, for that the state of the times has so required, It decreesthat the progress of this ocecumenial Synod of Trent shall be suspendedduring two years, as It doth suspend it by this present decree; with thiscondition however, that if things be settled sooner, and the formertranquillity restored, which It hopes will happen be fore long through theblessing of the all good and all powerful God, the progress of the Councilshall be considered (as resumed, and) to have its full force, power andauthority. But if, which may God forefend, the lawful impedimentsaforesaid shall not have been removed at the expiration of the two years,the said suspension shall, as soon as those impediments shall have ceased,be thereupon accounted removed, and the Council shall be, and be understoodto be, restored to its full force and authority, without another freshconvocation thereof, the consent and authority of his Iloliness, and of theholy Aposotlic See, having been given to this decree. Meanwhile, however,this holy Synod exhorts all Christian princes, and all prelates, toobserve, and respectively to cause to be observed, as far as they areconcerned, in their own kingdoms, dominions, and churches, all and singularthe things which have been hitherto ordained and decreed by this sacredoecumenical Council.

[Page 128]

Paul, Bishop, servant of the servants of God, for the perpeual memory hereof.

Immediately on being called, by the alone mercy of God, to the Governmentof the Church, though unequal to so great a burthen, casting the eyes ofour mind over every part of the Christian commonweal, and beholding, notwithout great horror, how far and wide the pestilence of heresy and schismhad penetrated, and how much the morals of the Christian people stood inneed of correction; we began, as the duty of our office required, to applyour care and thoughts to the means of extirpating the said heresies, ofdoing away with so great and so pernicious a schism, and of amending moralsso much corrupted and depraved. And whereas we were sensible that, for thehealing of these evils, that remedy was the most suitable which this HolySee had been accustomed to apply, we formed the resolution of convoking,and, with God's help, of celebrating an ocecumenical and general Council. That Council had indeed been already indicted by our predecessors, PaulIII., of happy memory, and by Julius, his successor; but, having been oftenhindered and interrupted from various causes, It could not be brought to aconclusion. For Paul, after having indicted it first for the city ofMantua, then for Vicenza, he, for certain reasons expressed in his letters,first of all suspended, and afterwards transferred it to Trent. Then,after that the time of Its celebration had been, for certain reasons, thenalso postponed, at length, the suspension having been removed, It wasbegun, in the said city of Trent But, after a few Sessions had been held,and certain decrees made, the said Council afterwards, for certain reasons,with the concurrence also of the Apostolic See, transferred Itself toBologna. But Julius, who succeeded him, recalled it to the same city ofTrent, at which time certain other decrees were made. But as fresh tumultswere raised in the neighbouring parts of Germany, and a most fierce war wasenkindled in Italy and France, the Council was again suspended[Page 129] andpostponed; the enemy of mankind, to wit, striving, and throwingdifficulties upon difficulties and hindrances in the way, to retard atleast as long as possible, though unable entirely to prevent, a thing soadvantageous to the Church. But how greatly, meanwhile, the heresies wereincreased and multiplied, and propagated, how widely schism spread, we canneither think of, nor tell without the greatest sorrow of mind. But atlength the Lord, good and merciful, who is never so angry as not toremember mercy, vouchsafed to grant peace and unanimity to Christiankings and princes. Which opportunity being offered us, we have, relying onHis mercy conceived the strongest hope that, by the said means of aCouncil, an end may be put to these so grievous evils of the Church. We,therefore, have judged that the celebration thereof is no longer to bedeferred; to the end that schisms and heresies may be taken away; thatmorals may be corrected and reformed; that peace may be pre-served amongstChristian princes. Wherefore, upon mature deliberation had with ourvenerable brethren the Cardinals of the holy Roman Church, and having alsoacquainted with this our purpose our most dearly beloved sons in Christ,Ferdinand, Emperor elect of the Romans, and other kings and princeswhom,--even as we had promised ourselves from their exceeding piety andwisdom,--we found very ready to aid in the celebration of the said Council:We,--to the praise, honour, and glory of Almighty God, and for the good ofthe Universal Church, and relying on and supported by the authority of GodHimself, and of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, which (authority) wealso exercise on earth,-indict a sacred oecumenical and general Council inthe city of Trent for the next ensuing most sacred day of the Lord'sResurrection; and We ordain and appoint, that, all suspension soeverremoved, It be there celebrated. Wherefore, We do earnestly exhort andadmonish in the Lord, and we do also strictly charge and command,--byvirtue of holy obedience, and by the obligation of the oath which they havetaken, and under the penalties which[Page 130] they know are appointed by the sacred canons against those who neglect to assemble at general Councils,--our venerable brethren of all nations, patriarchs, archbishops, bishops, and our beloved sons the abbots, and others who, by common law, or by privilege, or ancient custom, are allowed to sit, and give their opinion in a general Council, to meet, by the aforesaid day, there to celebrate a Council; unless they happen to be hindered by a lawful impediment, which impediment nevertheless they shallbe bound to prove to the Synod by lawful proctors. We furthermore admonishall and each, whom it doth and may concern, that they fail not to bepresent at the Council. And we exhort and beseech our most dearly belovedsons in Christ, the Emperor elect of the Romans, and the other Christiankings and princes,--who it were sincerely to be wished could be present atthe Council,--that, should they not be able to be themselves presentthereat, they would send at least prudent, grave, and pious men as theirambassadors, to be present thereat in their name; and that they takediligent care, worthy of their piety, that the prelates of their kingdomsand dominions perform, without denial or delay, their duty to God and theChurch at this so urgent a conjuncture: doubting not they will also providethat there be kept a safe and free passage through their kingdoms anddominions for the prelates and their domestics, attendants, and all otherswho are proceeding to or returning from the Council, and that they betreated and received in all places kindly and courteously; as we also willsimilarly provide as far as we are concerned, who have resolved not to omitanything that can by us, who have been placed in this position, be donetowards the completion of so pious and salutary a work; seeking, as Godknows, nothing else, proposing nothing else, in celebrating this Council,but the honour of God, the recovery and the salvation of the sheep that arescattered, and the perpetual tranquillity and repose of the Christiancommonweal. And to the end that this letter, and the contents thereof maycome to the knowledge of all whom it concerns, and that none may plead asan excuse that he knew not thereof, especially as there may not, perhaps,be free access to all, who ought to be made acquainted with this ourletter: We will[Page 131] and ordain that, in the Vatican Basilica of the prince ofthe apostles, and in the Lateran Church, at the time when the people iswont to assemble there to be present at the solemnities of the mass, it bepublicly read in a loud voice by officers of our court, or by certainpublic notaries; and that it be, after being read, affixed to the doors ofthe said churches, also to the gates of the apostolic Chancery, and to theusual place in the Campo di Fiore, where it shall for some time be left tobe read by and made known to all men: and when removed thence, copiesthereof shall remain affixed in those same places. For we will that, bybeing so read, published, and affixed, this letter shall oblige and bind,after an interval of two months from the day of being published andaffixed, all and each of those whom it includes, even as if it had beencommunicated and read to them in person. And we ordain and decree, that,without any doubt, faith be given to copies thereof written, or subscribed,by the hand of a public notary, and guaranteed by the seal of some personconstituted in ecclesiastical dignity. Wherefore, let no one infringe thisour letter of indiction, statute, decree, precept, admonition andexhortation, or with rash daring go contrary thereunto. But if any oneshall presume to attempt this, let him know that he will incur theindignation of Almighty God, and of His Blessed Apostles, Peter and Paul. Given at Rome, at Saint Peter's, in the year MDLX of the Lord'sIncarnation, on the third of the calends of December, in the first yearof our Pontificate.

ANTONIUS FLORIBELLUS LAVELLINUS.

BARENGUS.

Of the Holy, Oecumenical, and General Council of Trent, being the firstunder the Sovereign Pontiff, Pius IV., celebrated on the eighteenth day ofJanuary, MDLXII.

Doth it please you, unto the praise and glory of the Holy and UndividedTrinity, Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost, for the increase and exaltationof the faith, and of the Christian religion, that the sacred, ocecumenical,and general Council of Trent, lawfully assembled in the Holy Ghost, be, allmanner of suspension removed, celebrated from this day-being the eighteenthof the month of January, in the year MDLXII from our Lord's Nativity,consecrated to the chair of Blessed Peter-according to the form and tenourof the letter of our most holy Lord, the Sovereign Pontiff, Pius IV.; andthat, due order being observed, those things be treated of therein, which,the Legates and Presidents proposing, shall to the said holy Synodappear suitable and proper, for assuaging the calamities of these times,appeasing controversies concerning religion, restraining deceitful tongues,correcting the abuses of depraved manners, and for procuring for the Churcha true and Christian peace? They answered: It pleaseth us.

Doth it please you that the next ensuing Session be held and celebrated onthe Thursday after the second Sunday of Lent, which will be on thetwenty-sixth day of the month of February? They answered: It pleaseth us.

Being the second under the Sovereign Pontiff, Pius IV., celebrated on thetwenty-sixth day of February, MDLXII.

The sacred and holy, oecumenical and general Synod of Trent,--lawfullyassembled in the Holy Ghost, the same Legates of the Apostolic Seepresiding therein,--not confiding in human strength, but relying on thesuccour and assistance of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has promised that hewould give to His Church a mouth and wisdom, hath especially in view torestore at length to its native purity and splendour, the doctrine of theCatholic faith, which is in many places defiled and obscured by theconflicting opinions of many who differ from each other; to bring back, toa better method of life, manners, which have divaricated from ancientusage; and to turn the heart of the fathers unto tke children, and theheart of the children unto the fathers. Whereas, then, first of all, it hasnoticed that the number of suspected and pernicious books, wherein animpure doctrine is Contained, and is disseminated far and wide, has inthese days increased beyond measure, which indeed has been the cause thatmany censures have been, out of a godly zeal, published in diversprovinces, and especially in the fair city of Rome,--and yet that nosalutary remedy has availed against so great and pernicious a disorder; Ithath thought good, that Fathers specially chosen for this inquiry, shouldcarefully consider what ought to be done in the matter of censures and ofbooks, and also in due time report thereon to this holy Synod; to the endthat It may more easily separate the various and strange doctrines, ascockle from the wheat of Christian truth, and may more convenientlydeliberate and determine, in regard thereof, that which shall seem bestadapted to remove scruples from the minds of very many, and to do away withvarious causes of complaint.[Page 134] And the Synod wishes all this to come to theknowledge of all persons whatsoever, as by this present decree It doth makethem cognizant thereof; in order that if any person may think himself inany way concerned, either in this matter of books and censures, or in theother things which It has declared beforehand are to be treated of in thisGeneral Council, he may not doubt but that he will be kindly listened to bythe Holy Synod. And forasmuch as this said holy Synod heartily desires, andearnestly beseeches God for the things that are for the peace of theChurch, that we all, acknowledging our common mother on earth, whocannot forget the sons of her womb, with one mouth may glorify Cod, andthe Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; It invites and exhorts, by thebowels of the mercy of our same God and Lord, all who hold not communionwith us, unto concord and reconciliation, and to come unto this holy Synod;to embrace charity, which is the bond of perfection, and to show forth thepeace of Christ rejoicing in thoir hearts, whereunto they are called, litone body. Wherefore, in hearing this voice, not of man, but of theHoly Ghost, let them not harden their hearts, but, walking not aftertheir own sense, nor pleasing themselves, let them be moved andconverted by this so charitable and salutary an admonition of their ownmother; for, as the holy Synod invites, so will It embrace them with allproofs of love. Moreover, this same holy Synod has decreed, that the publicfaith may be granted in a general congregation, and that It shall have thesame force, and shall be of the same authority and weight as if it had beengiven and decreed in public Session.

The same sacred and holy Synod of Trent, lawfully assembled in the HolyGhost, the same Legates of the Apostolic See pre-[Page 135]siding therein, resolvesand decrees, that the next ensuing Session be held and celebrated on theThursday after the most sacred festival of the Ascension of our Lord, whichwill be on the fourteenth day of the month of May.

In a General Congregation, on the fourth day of March, MDLXII.

The sacred and holy, ocecumenical and general Synod of Trent,--lawfullyassembled in the Holy Ghost, the same Legates of the Apostolic Seepresiding therein,--certifies to all men, that, by the tenour of thesepresents, It grants and wholly concedes the public faith, and the fullestand most true security, which they entitle a safe-conduct, to all andsingular the priests, electors, princes, dukes, marquisses, counts, barons,nobles, soldiers, commonalty, and to all other persons whatsoever, of whatstate, condition, or quality soever they may be, of the province and nationof Germany, and to the cities and other places thereof, and to all theecclesiastical and secular persons, especially those of the Confession ofAugsburg, who shall come, or shall be sent with them to this GeneralCouncil of Trent, and to those that shall set forth, or have alreadyrepaired hither, by whatsoever name they are entitled, or may bedesignated,--to Come freely to this city of Trent, and there to remain,abide, sojourn, and to propose, speak, and treat of, examine and discussany matters whatsoever together with the said Synod, and freely to presentand set forth all whatsoever they may think fit, and any articles whatever,either in writing or by word of mouth, and to explain, establish, and provethem by the sacred Scriptures, and by the words, passages, and reasons ofthe blessed Fathers, and to answer even, if it be needful, to theobjections of the General Council, and to dispute, or to confer in charity,without any hindrance with those who have been selected by the Council, allopprobrious, railing, and contumelious language being utterly discarded;and, in particular, that the controverted matters shall be treated of, inthe aforesaid Council of Trent, according to sacred Scripture, and thetraditions of the apostles,[Page 136] approved Councils, the consent of the CatholicChurch, and the authorities of the holy Fathers; with this furtheraddition, that they shall not be punished under pretence of religion, or ofoffences already committed, or that may be committed, in regard thereof; asalso, that the divine offices shall not, on account of their presence, bein any way interrupted, either upon the road, or in any place during theirprogress, their stay, or their return, or in the city of Trent itself ; andthat, upon these matters being concluded, or before they are concluded, ifthey, or any of them, shall wish, and whensover such is their or hispleasure, or the command and leave of their superiors, to return to theirown homes, they shall forthwith be able at their good pleasure, to returnfreely and securely, without any let, obstacle, or delay, without injurydone to their property, or to the honour also and persons of theirattendants respectively,--notifying, however, this their purpose ofwithdrawing, to those who shall be deputed hereunto by the said Synod, thatso, without deceit or fraud, proper measures may be taken for their safety.The holy Synod also wills that all clauses whatsoever, which may benecessary and useful for a full, effectual, and sufficient security incoming, sojourning, and returning, be included and comprised, and beaccounted as comprised, in this public faith and safe-conduct. It alsoexpressly declares, with a view to their greater security, and the blessingof peace and reconciliation, that if, which God forbid, any one, or diversamongst them, should, either on the road when coming to Trent, or whilstsojourning at, or returning from that same city, perpetrate or commit anyheinous act, whereby the benefit of this public faith and assurance mightbe annulled and quashed, that It wills and grants, that the personsdiscovered in any such crime shall be forthwith punished by their owncountrymen, and not by others, with a proportionate chastisement and asufficient reparation, which the Synod on its part may justly approve ofand commend,--the form, conditions, and terms of their safe-conductremaining wholly untouched thereby. It also reciprocally wills, that if,which God forbid, any one, or divers, of this Synod, should, either on theroad, or whilst sojourning at, or returning therefrom, perpetrate or commitany heinous act,[Page 137] whereby the benefit of this public faith and assurance maybe violated, or in any way set aside, the persons discovered in any suchCrime shall be forthwith punished by the Synod itself, and not by others,with a proportionate chastisement and a sufficient reparation, which theGermans of the Confession of Augsburg, who may be present here at the time,may on their part justly approve of and commend,--the present form,Conditions, and terms of the safe-conduct remaining wholly untouchedthereby. The said Synod also wills, that all and each of the ambassadorsshall be allowed to go out of the City of Trent to take the air, as oftenas it shall be convenient or necessary, and to return thither; as alsofreely to send or despatch their messenger or messengers to any plaCeswhatsoever, according as their affairs may require, and to receive the saidmessengers or messenger, despatches or despatch, as often as they shallthink fit; so as however one or more be associated therewith by thedeputies of the Council, to provide for the safety of the said couriers:and this safe-conduct and these securities shall stand good and endure,both from and during the time that they shall have been received under theCare of the said Synod, and the pro tection of its agents ; and further,after they have had a sufficient audience, and twenty days having expiredafter they have themselves asked, or after the Council, upon that audiencehad, shall have given them notice, to return, It will, all deceit and fraudbeing entirely excluded, reconduct them, with God's help, from Trent tothat place of safety which each may select for himself. All which things Itpromises, and in good faith pledges Itself, shall be inviolably observedtowards all and each of the faithful of Christ, towards all ecclesiasticaland secular princes, and towards all other ecclesiastical and secularpersons, of whatsoever state and condition they may be, or by whatsoevername designated.

Furthermore, It promises in sincere and good faith,without fraud or deceit, that the said Synod will, neither openly norcovertly, seek for any opportunity, nor make use of, nor suffer any oneelse to make use of, any authority, power, right, or statute, privilege oflaws or canons, or of any Councils whatsoever, especially those ofConstance and Sienna, under[Page 138] what form soever expressed; to the prejudice inany way of this public faith, and most full security, and of the public andfree hearing, by this said Synod granted to the above-named;--derogatingfrom the aforesaid in this regard and for this occasion.And if the holy Synod, or any member thereof, or of their followers, ofwhatsoever condition, state, or pre-eminence, shall violate--which may theAlmighty for fend-the form and terms of the security and safe-conduct asabove set down, in any point or clause whatever, and a sufficientreparation shall not have forthwith followed, and one that may with reasonbe approved of and praised by the (interested) parties themselves; they mayand shall hold the said Synod to have incurred all those penalties, which,by law human and divine, or by custom, the violators of such safe-conductscan possibly incur,--without there being any excuse, or Contrary allegationin this regard.

The same sacred and holy Synod, lawfully assembled in the Holy Ghost, thesame Legates a latere of the Apostolic See presiding therein, grants thepublic faith, or a safe-conduct, under the same form, and in the sameterms, wherein it is granted to the Germans, to all and each of thoseothers, who hold not communion with us in matters of faith, of whatsoeverkingdoms, nations, provinces, Cities, and places they may be, wherein thecontrary, to that which the holy Roman Church holds, is publicly and withimpunity preached, taught, or believed.

Being the third under the Sovereign Pontiff, Pius IV., celebrated on thefourteenth day of May, MDLXII.

The sacred and holy, ocecumenical and general Synod of Trent,--lawfullyassembled in the Holy Ghost, the Same Legatesof the Apostolic See presidingtherein,--has, for cerain just and good reasons, thought fit to prorogue,and doth hereby prorogue, to the Thursday after the approaching solemnityof Corpus Christi, which will be the day before the nones of June, those decrees which were to have been on this day ordained and sanctionedin the present Session; and It notifies to all men, that, on the said day,a Session will be held and celebrated. Meanwhile, supplication is to bemade to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the author of peace,that He would sanctify the hearts of all; that, by His help, the holy Synodmay be enabled, both now and ever, to study and to perform those thingswhich shall be unto His praise and glory.

Being the fourth under the Sovereign Pontiff, Pius IV., celebrated on thefourth day of June, MDLXII.

The sacred and holy, ocecumenical and general Synod of Trent,--lawfullyassembled in the Holy Ghost, the same Legates of the Apostolic Seepresiding therein,--by reason of various difficulties arising from diverscauses, and also to the end that all things may proceed in a more befittingmanner, and with greater deliberation; to wit, that dogmas may be treatedof and ratified conjointly with what relates to Reformation; has decreedthat whatsoever it shall seem fit to ordain, as well concerningReformation, as concerning dogmas, shall be defined in the next Session,which It notifies to all men for the sixteenth day of the month of Julynext; adding, however, that this holy Synod freely may and can, at Its willand pleasure, as it shall judge expedient for the business of the Council,shorten, or lengthen, the said term, even in a general congregation.

Being the fifth under the Sovereign Pontiff, Pius IV., celebrated on thesixteenth day of July, MDLXII.

The sacred and holy, ocecumenical and general Synod of Trent,--lawfullyassembled in the Holy Ghost, the same Legates of the Apostolic Seepresiding therein,-whereas, touching the tremendous and most holy sacramentof the Eucharist, there are in divers places, by the most wicked artificesof the devil, spread abroad certain monstrous errors, by reason of which,in some provinces, many are seen to have departed from the faith andobedience of the Catholic Church, It has thought fit, that what relates tocommunion under both species, and the com-munion of infants, be in thisplace set forth. Wherefore It forbids all the faithful in Christ topresume henceforth to believe, teach, or preach otherwise on these matters,than is in these decrees explained and defined.

Wherefore, this holy Synod,--instructed by the Holy Spirit, who is thespirit of wisdom and of understanding, the spirit of counsel and ofgodliness, and following the judgment and usage of the Churchitself,--declares and teaches, that laymen, and clerics when notconsecrating, are not obliged, by any divine precept, to receive thesacrament of the Eucharist under both species ; and that neither can it byany means be doubted, without injury to faith, that communion undereither species[Page 141] is sufficient for them unto salvation. For, although Christ,the Lord, in the last supper, instituted and delivered to the apostles,this venerable sacrament in the species of bread and wine; not therefore dothat institution and delivery tend thereunto, that all the faithful ofChurch be bound, by the institution of the Lord, to receive bothspecies. But neither is it rightly gathered, from that discourse which isin the sixth of John,-however according to the various interpretations ofholy Fathers and Doctors it be understood,--that the communion of bothspecies was enjoined by the Lord : for He who said; Except you eat theflesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you(v. 54), also said; He that eateth this bread shall live for ever (v. 59);and He who said, He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hatheverlasting life (v. 55), also said; The bread that I will give is my fleshfor the life of (lie world (v. 52); and, in fine,- He who said; He thateateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, abideth in me and I in him (v. 57),said, nevertheless; He that eateth this bread shall live for ever (v. 59.)

It furthermore declares, that this power has ever been in the Church, that,in the dispensation of the sacraments, their substance being untouched, it may ordain,--or change, what things soever it may judge most expedient,for the profit of those who receive, or for the veneration of the saidsacraments, according to the difference of circumstances, times, andplaces. And this the Apostle seems not obscurely to have intimated, when hesays; Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and thedispensers of the mysteries of God. And indeed it[Page 142] is sufficiently manifest that he himself exercised this power,- as in manyother things, so in regard of this very sacrament; when, after havingordained certain things touching the use thereof, he says; The rest I willset in order when I come. Wherefore, holy Mother Church, knowing thisher authority in the administration of the sacraments, although the use ofboth species has,--from the beginning of the Christian religion, not beenunfrequent, yet, in progress of time, that custom having been already verywidely changed,--she, induced by weighty and just reasons,- has approved ofthis custom of communicating under one species, and decreed that itwas to be held as a law; which it is not lawful to reprobate, or to changeat plea sure, without the authority of the Church itself.

It moreover declares, that although, as hath been already said, ourRedeemer, in that last supper, instituted, and delivered to the apostles,this sacrament in two species, yet is to be acknowledged, that Christ wholeand entire and a true sacrament are received under either species alone;and that therefore, as regards the fruit thereof, they, who receive onespecies alone, are not defrauded of any grace necessary to salvation.

Finally, this same holy Synod teaches, that little children, who have notattained to the use of reason, are not by any necessity obliged to thesacramental communion of the Eucharist:[Page 143] forasmuch as, having been regenerated by th by the laver of baptism, andbeing incorporated with Christ, they cannot, at that age, lose the gracewhich they have already acquired of being the sons of God. Not therefore,however, is antiquity to be condemned, if, in some places, it, at one time,observed that custom; for as those most holy Fathers had a probablecause for what they did in respect of their times, so, assuredly, is it tobe believed without controversy, that they did this without any necessitythereof unto salvation.

CANON I.--If any one saith, that, by the precept of God, or, by necessityof salvation, all and each of the faithful of Christ ought to receiveboth species of the most holy sacrament not consecrating; let him beanathema.

CANON 11.--if any one saith, that the holy Catholic Church was not induced,by just causes and reasons, to communicate, under the species of breadonly, laymen, and also clerics when not consecrating; let him be beanathema.

CANON III.--If any one denieth, that Christ whole and entire -the fountainand author of all graces--is received under the one species of bread;because that-as some falsely assert--He is not received, according to theinstitution of Christ himself, under both species; let him be anathema.

CANON IV.--If any one saith, that the communion of the Eucharist isnecessary for little children, before they have arrived at years ofdiscretion; let him be anathema.

As regards, however, those two articles,proposed on another occasion, but which have not as yet been discussed; towit, whether the reasons by which the holy Catholic Church was led tocommunicate, under the one species of bread only, laymen,[Page 144] and also priestswhen not celebrating, are in such wise to be adhered to, as that on noaccount is the use of the chalice to be allowed to any one soever; and,whether, in case that, for reasons beseeming and consonant withChristian charity, it appears that the use of the chalice is to be grantedto any nation or kingdom, it is to be conceded under certain conditions ;and what are those conditions: this same holy Synod reserves the same toanother time,--for the earliest opportunity that shall present itself,--to beexamined and defined.

The same sacred and holy, oecumenical and general Synod of Trent,--lawfullyassembled in the Holy Ghost, the same Legates of the Apostolic Seepresiding therein,-has thought fit that, to the praise of Almighty God, andthe adornment of holy Church, the things which follow be ordained atpresent, touching the business of Reformation.

Forasmuch as the ecclesiastical order ought to be free from every suspicionof covetousness, neither bishops, nor others, who confer orders, nor theirministers, shall, under any pretext, receive anything for the collation ofany manner of orders, not even for the clerical tonsure, nor for lettersdimissory, or testimonials, nor for the seal, nor for any other causewhatsoever,[Page 145] not even though it should be voluntarily offered. And notaries, --in those places only where the laudable custom of not receiving any thing does not prevail,--shall only be able to receive thc tenth part of a golden crown(aureus) for each dimissory letter, or testimonial ; provided still thatthere be no salary assigned them for the discharge of this office; andprovided that no emolument, out of the payments to the notary, Can accrue,either directly or indirectly, to the bishop from the collation of the saidorders. For in this case the Synod ordains that they are bound to givetheir labour altogether gratuitously; utterly quashing and prohibiting alltaxes to the contrary, and all statutes, and customs, even thoughimmemorial, of all places whatsoever,[Page 145] which may rather be called abuses andcorruptions tending to simoniacal pravity; and they who shall actotherwise, shall, as well the givers as the receivers, ipso facto, incur,besides the divine punishment, the penalties by law inflicted.

Whereas it beseems not those who are enrolled in the divine ministry, tobeg, or to exercise any sordid trade, to the disgrace of their order; andwhereas it is well known that very many, and that in very many places, areadmitted to sacred orders almost without any selection whatever; who, byvarious artifices and deceits, pretend to have an ecclesiastical benefice,or even means sufficient; the holy Synod ordains, that henceforth nosecular cleric, though otherwise fit as regards morals, knowledge, and age,shall be promoted to sacred orders, unless it be first legitimatelycertain, that he is in the peaceful possession of an ecclesiasticalbenefice sufficient for his honest livelihood: and he shall not be able toresign that benefice, without mentioning that he was promoted under thetitle thereof; nor shall that resignation be received, unless it be certainthat he can live[Page 146] conveniently from other sources; and any resignation madeotherwise shall be null. As to those who have a patrimony, or a pension,they shall not henceforth be ordained, except such as the bishop shallconsider ought to be received, in consideration of the necessity or theconvenience of his churches; after having also first seen carefully tothis, that they really enjoy that patrimony, or pension, and that they aresuch as to suffice for their sustenance: And the same may not in any casebe alienated, extinguished, or remitted, without the permission of thebishop, until they shall have obtained a sufficient ecclesiasticalbenefice, or they shall have from some other source wherewith to live;renewing hereupon the penalties of the ancient canons.

Whereas benefices were established in order to the performance of divineworship, and the offices of the Church; to the end that the divine worshipmay not in any respect be diminished, but due attention be paid thereuntoin all things; the holy Synod ordains, that in churches, as well cathedralas collegiate, wherein there are no daily distributions, or so slight, thatthey are probably disregarded, a third part of the fruits and of allproceeds whatever, and revenues, as well of dignities, as of canonries,personates, portions, and offices, shall be set apart and converted to thepurpose of daily distributions, to be divided amongst those who possessdignities and the others who are present at the divine service, accordingto that proportion which shall be settled by the bishop--even as thedelegate of the Apostolic See--at the time of the very first deduction madefrom the fruits; saving, however, the customs of those churches whereinthose who do not reside, or who do not serve, receive nothing, or less thana third: all exemptions, and any[Page 147] other customs, even though immemorial, andall appeals whatsoever notwithstanding. And upon the contumacy of those whodo not serve increasing, they may be proceeded against according to theprovision of the law, and of the sacred canons.

In all parish churches, or those wherein baptism is administered, inwhich (churches) the people is so numerous, that one rector is not enoughfor the administration of the sacraments of the Church, and for theperformance of divine worship, the bishops, even as delegates of theApostolic See, shall compel the rectors, or others whom it may concern, toassociate to themselves for this office, as many priests as shall besufficient to administer the sacraments, and to celebrate the divineworship. As regards those churches, to which, on account of the distance,or the difficulties of the locality, the parishioners cannot, without greatinconvenience, repair to receive the sacraments, and to hear the divineoffices; the bishops may, even against the will of the rectors, establishnew parishes, pursuant to the form of the constitution of Alexander III.,which begins, Ad audientiam. And to those priests who shall have to beappointed afresh over the churches newly erected, a competent portion shallbe assigned, according to the bishop's judgment, out of the fruits in anywise belonging to the Mother Church: and, if it be necessary, he may compelthe people to contribute what may be sufficient for the sustenance of thesaid priests; every general or special reservation, or assignment, that maylie upon the said churches, notwithstanding. Neither shall ordinances anderections of this kind be prevented, or hindered, by means of anyprovisions, or even by virtue of any resignation, or by any otherderogations, or suspensions whatsoever.

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In order, also, that the state of those churches, wherein the sacredoffices are administered unto God, may be maintained according to theirdignity, the bishops, even as the delegates of the Apostolic See, may,according to form of law, make unions in perpetuity--without prejudice,however, to the incumbents--of any parochial churches whatsoever, and ofthose wherein baptism is administered, and of other benefices with orwithout cure, with (other) cures, on account of the poverty of thosechurches, and in the other cases by law permitted; even though the saidchurches, or benefices, be generally or specially reserved, or in what waysoever applied: the which unions shall not be capable of being revoked, byvirtue of any provision whatever, not even on account of any resignation,or derogation, or suspension.

Forasmuch as illiterate and unskilful rectors of parish churches are butlittle fit for the sacred offices; and others, by reason of the turpitudeof their lives, rather destroy than edify; the bishops, even as thedelegates of the Apostolic See, may depute to the said illiterate andunskilful rectors, if they be otherwise of a blameless life, coadjutors, orvicars for the time being, and assign the same a part of the fruits fortheir sufficient maintenance, or provide for them in some other manner,setting aside any appeal or exemption whatsoever. But, those who liveshamefully and scandalously, they shall, after having first admo-[Page 149]nishedthem, restrain and punish; and, if they shall still continue incorrigiblein their wickedness, they shall have power to deprive them of theirbenefices, according to the constitutions of the sacred canons, settingaside every exemption or appeal whatsoever.

Whereas, also, very great care ought to be taken, lest those things whichhave been dedicated to sacred services, may, through the injury of time,cease to be so employed, and pass from the memory of men; the bishops, evenas the delegates of the Apostolic See, may transfer simple benefices--eventhose that are under a right of patronage-from churches which have falleninto ruin by age, or otherwise, and which cannot, by reason of the povertythereof, be restored, to the Mother Churches, or others of the same orneighbouring places, as they shall judge fit, after having summoned thosewho are interested therein; and they shall raise, in the said churches,altars, or chapels, under the same invocations; or transfer them, with alltheir emoluments and with all the obligations that were imposed on theformer churches, to altars or chapels already erected. But, as regardsparish churches which have thus fallen into decay, they shall, even thoughthey be under a right of patronage, make it their care that they berepaired and restored, out of any fruits and proceeds whatever, in any waybelonging to the said churches; and if those resources should not besufficient, they shall compel, by all suitable means, the patrons andothers who receive any fruits derived from those churches, or, in theirdefault, the parishioners, to provide for the aforesaid repairs; settingaside every appeal, exemption, or reservation whatsoever. But if theyshould be all too poor, those churches shall[Page 150] be transferred to the MotherChurches, or to the neighbouring churches, with power to convert both thesaid parish churches and others that are in ruins, to profane, though notto sordid uses; a cross, however, being erected there.

It is right that whatsoever things in a diocese regard the worship of God,be diligently cared for by the Ordinary, and, where there is need, be byhim set in order. Wherefore, monasteries held in commendam, even abbeys,priories, and those called provostries, wherein regular observance is notin vigour, as also benefices--with, or without the cure of souls, as wellRegular as Secular-in whatever way held in commendam, even though exempt,shall be annually visited by the bishop, even as the delegates of theApostolic See; and the said bishops shall provide, by suitable measures,even by the sequestration of the fruits, that what requires renewing orrepairing, be done accordingly; and that the cure of souls, if thoseplaces, or those annexed to them, be charged therewith, as also that allother duties required of them, be rightly exercised; notwithstanding anyappeals whatsoever, privileges, customs, even with a prescription from timeimmemorial, letters conservatory, commissions of judges, and theirinhibitions to the contrary. And, if Regular observance be thereinmaintained, the bishops shall make it their care, by fatherly admonitions,that the superiors of the said Regulars observe, and cause to be observed,the manner of life required by the institutes of their order, and that theykeep, and govern those subject to them, in their duty. And if, after havingbeen admonished, they shall not, within six months, have visited orcorrected them, then may the said bishops, even as delegates of theApostolic See, visit and correct[Page 151] them, in the same way as the superiorsthemselves might do, in accordance with their institutes; notwithstanding,and completely setting aside, all appeals, privileges, and exemptionswhatsoever.

Whereas many remedies, heretofore applied by divers councils in their day,as well by that of Lateran, and of Lyons, as by that of Vienne, againstthe wicked abuses of questors of alms, have become in later times useless;yea, rather the depravity of such is, to the great scandal and complaint ofall the faithful, found daily so to increase the more, as that there seemsto be no longer any hope left of their amendment; (the Synod) ordains that,in all parts of Christendom soever, their name and use be henceforthutterly abolished; nor shall they be allowed in any wise to exercise anysuch office; notwithstanding any privileges granted to any churches,monasteries, hospitals, pious places, or to any persons of whatsoeverdegree, estate, and dignity, or any customs, even though immemorial. Asregards the indulgences, or other spiritual graces, of which the faithfulof Christ ought not on this account to be deprived, It decrees, that theyare henceforth to be published to the people at the due times, by theOrdinaries of the places, aided by two members of the Chapter; to whom alsopower is given to gather faithfully the alms, and the succours of charitywhich are offered them, without their receiving any remunerationwhatsoever; that so all men may at length truly understand, that theseheavenly treasures of the Church are administered, not for gain, but forgodliness.

The sacred and holy, oecumenical and general Synod of Trent, lawfullyassembled in the Holy Ghost, the same Legates of the Apostolic Seepresiding therein, hath ordained and decreed, that the next ensuing Sessionbe held and celebrated on the Thursday after the octave of the feast of theNativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which will be on the seventeenth ofthe month of September next; with the addition, however, that the said holySynod freely may and can, according to Its will and pleasure, as It shalljudge expedient for the affairs of the Council, limit or extend, even in ageneral congregation, the said term, as also that which may be assignedhereafter for each Session.

Being the sixth under the Sovereign Pontiff, Pius IV., celebrated on theseventeenth day of September, MDLXII.

The sacred and holy, ecumenical and general Synod of Trent--lawfullyassembled in the Holy Ghost, the same Legates of the Apostolic Secpresiding therein--to the end that the ancient, complete, and in every partperfect faith and doctrine touching the great mystery of the Eucharist maybe retained in the holy Catholic Church; and may, all errors and heresiesbeing repelled, be preserved in its own purity; (the Synod) instructed bythe illumination of the Holy Ghost, teaches, declares; and decrees whatfollows, to be preached to the faithful, on the subject of the Eucharist,considered as being a true and singular sacrifice.

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Forasmuch as, under the former Testament, according to the testimony of theApostle Paul, there was no perfection, because of the weakness of theLevitical priesthood; there was need, God, the Father of mercies, soordaining, that another priest should rise, according to the order ofMelchisedech, our Lord Jesus Christ, who might consummate, and lead to whatis perfect, as many as were to be sanctified. He, therefore, our God andLord, though He was about to offer Himself once on the altar of the crossunto God the Father, by means of his death, there to operate an eternalredemption; nevertheless, because that His priesthood was not to beextinguished by His death, in the last supper, on the night in which He wasbetrayed,--that He might leave, to His own beloved Spouse the Church, avisible sacrifice, such as the nature of man requires, whereby that bloodysacrifice, once to be accomplished on the cross, might be represented, andthe memory thereof remain even unto the end of the world, and its salutaryvirtue be applied to the remission of those sins which we dailycommit,--declaring Himself constituted a priest for ever, according to theorder of Melchisedech, He offered up to God the Father His own body andblood under the species of bread and wine; and, under the symbols of thosesame things, He delivered (His own body and blood) to be received by Hisapostles, whom He then constituted priests of the New Testament; and bythose words, Do this in commemoration of me, He commanded them and theirsuccessors in the priesthood, to offer (them); even as the Catholic Churchhas always understood and taught. For, having celebrated the ancientPassover, which the multitude of the children of Israel immolated in memoryof their going out of[Page 154] Egypt, He instituted the new Passover, (to wit)Himself to be immolated, under visible signs, by the Church through (theministry of) priests, in memory of His own passage from this world unto theFather, when by the effusion of His own blood He redeemed us, and deliveredus from the power of darkness, and translated us into his kingdom. Andthis is indeed that clean oblation, which cannot be defiled by anyunworthiness, or malice of those that offer (it); which the Lord foretoldby Malachias was to be offered in every place, clean to his name, which wasto be great amongst the Gentiles; and which the apostle Paul, writing tothe Corinthians, has not obscurely indicated, when he says, that they whoare defiled by the participation of the table of devils, cannot bepartakers of the table of the Lord; by the table, meaning in both placesthe altar. This, in fine, is that oblation which was prefigured by varioustypes of sacrifices, during the period of nature, and of the law; in asmuch as it comprises all the good things signified by those sacrifices, asbeing the consummation and perfection of them all.

And forasmuch as, in this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the mass,that same Christ is contained and immolated in an unbloody manner, who onceoffered Himself in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross; the holySynod teaches, that this sacrifice is truly propritiatory and that by meansthereof this is effected, that we obtain mercy, and find grace inseasonable aid, if we draw nigh unto God, contrite and penitent, with asincere heart and upright faith, with fear and reverence. For the Lord,appeased by the oblation thereof, and granting the[Page 155] grace and gift ofpenitence, forgives even heinous crimes and sins. For the victim is oneand the same, the same now offering by the ministry of priests, who thenoffered Himself on the cross, the manner alone of offering being different.The fruits indeed of which oblation, of that bloody one to wit, arereceived most plentifully through this unbloody one; so far is this(latter) from derogating in any way from that (former oblation). Wherefore, not only for the sins, punishments, satisfactions, and othernecessities of the faithful who are living, but also for those who aredeparted in Christ, and who are not as yet fully purified, is it rightlyoffered, agreebly to a tradition of the apostles.

And although the Church has been accustomed at times to celebrate, certainmasses in honour and memory of the saints; not therefore, however, doth sheteach that sacrifice is offered unto them, but unto God alone, who crownedthem; whence neither is the priest wont to say, "I offer sacrifice to thee,Peter, or Paul;" but, giving thanks to God for their victories, he implorestheir patronage, that they may vouchsafe to intercede for us in heaven,whose memory we celebrate upon earth.

And whereas it beseemeth, that holy things be administered in a holymanner, and of all holy things this sacrifice is the most holy; to the endthat it might be worthily and reverently[Page 156] offered and received, the CatholicChurch instituted, many years ago, the sacred Canon, so pure from everyerror, that nothing is contained therein which does not in the highestdegree savour of a certain holiness and piety, and raise up unto God theminds of those that offer. For it is composed, out of the very words ofthe Lord, the traditions of the apostles, and the pious institutions alsoof holy pontiffs.

And whereas such is the nature of man, that, without external helps, hecannot easily be raised to the meditation of divine things; therefore hasholy Mother Church instituted certain rites, to wit that certain things bepronounced in the mass in a low, and others in a louder, tone. She haslikewise employed ceremonies, such as mystic benedictions, lights, incense,vestments, and many other things of this kind, derived from an apostolicaldiscipline and tradition, whereby both the majesty of so great a sacrificemight be recommended, and the minds of the faithful be excited, by thosevisible signs of religion and piety, to the contemplation of those mostsublime things which are hidden in this sacrifice.

The sacred and holy Synod would fain indeed that, at each mass, thefaithful who are present should communicate, not only in spiritual desire,but also by the sacramental participation of the Eucharist, that thereby amore abundant fruit might be derived to them from this most holy sacrifice:but not therefore, if this be not always done, does It condemn, as privateand unlawful, but approves of and therefore commends,[Page 157] those masses in whichthe priest alone communicates sacramentally; since those masses also oughtto be considered as truly common; partly because the people communicatespiritually thereat; partly also because they are celebrated by a publicminister of the Church, not for himself only, but for all the faithful, whobelong to the body of Christ.

The holy Synod notices, in the next place, that it has been enjoined by theChurch on priests, to mix water with the wine that is to be offered in thechalice; as well because it is believed that Christ the Lord did this, asalso because from His side there came out blood and water; the memory ofwhich mystery is renewed by this commixture; and, whereas in the apocalypseof blessed John, the peoples are called waters, the union of that faithfulpeople with Christ their head is hereby represented.

Although the mass contains great instruction for the faithful people,nevertheless, it has not seemed expedient to the Fathers, that it should beevery where celebrated in the vulgar tongue. Wherefore, the ancient usageof each church, and the rite approved of by the holy Roman Church, themother and mistress of all churches, being in each place retained;[Page 158] and,that the sheep of Christ may not suffer hunger, nor the little ones ask forbread, and there be none to break it unto them, the holy Synod chargespastors, and all who have the cure of souls, that they frequently, duringthe celebration of mass, expound either by themselves, or others, someportion of those things which are read at mass, and that, amongst the rest,they explain some mystery of this most holy sacrifice, especially on theLord's days and festivals.

And because that many errors are at this time disseminated and many thingsare taught and maintained by divers persons, in opposition to this ancientfaith, which is based on the sacred Gospel, the traditions of the Apostles,and the doctrine of the holy Fathers; the sacred and holy Synod, after manyand grave deliberations maturely had touching these matters, has resolved,with the unanimous consent of all the Fathers, to condemn, and to eliminatefrom holy Church, by means of the canons subjoined, whatsoever is opposedto this most pure faith and sacred doctrine.

CANON I.--If any one saith, that in the mass a true and proper sacriflce isnot offered to God; or, that to be offered is nothing else but that Christis given us to eat; let him be anathema.

CANON II.--If any one saith, that by those words, Do this for thecommemoration of me (Luke xxii. 19), Christ did not institute the apostlespriests; or, did not ordain that they, and other priests should offer Hisown body and blood; let him be anathema.

CANON III.--If any one saith, that the sacrifice of the mass is only asacrifice of praise and of thanksgiving; or, that it is a[Page 159] barecommemoration of the sacrifice consummated on the cross, but not apropitiatory sacrifice; or, that it profits him only who receives; and thatit ought not to be offered for the living and the dead for sins, pains,satisfactions, and other necessities; let him be anathema.

CANON IV.--If any one saith, that, by the sacrifice of the mass, ablasphemy is cast upon the most holy sacrifice of Christ consummated on thecross; or, that it is thereby derogated from; let him be anathema.

CANON V.--If any one saith, that it is an imposture to celebrate masses inhonour of the saints, and for obtaining their intercession with God, as theChurch intends; let him be anathema.

CANON VI.--If any one saith, that the canon of the mass contains errors,and is therefore to be abrogated; let him be anathema.

CANON VII.--If any one saith, that the ceremonies, vestments, and outwardsigns, which the Catholic Church makes use of in the celebration of masses,are incentives to impiety, rather than offices of piety; let him beanathema.

CANON VIII.--If any one saith, that masses, wherein the priest alonecommunicates sacramentally, are unlawful, and are, therefore, to beabrogated; let him be anathema.

CANON IX.--If any one saith, that the rite of the Roman Church, accordingto which a part of the canon and the words of consecration are pronouncedin a low tone, is to be condemned; or, that the mass ought to be celebratedin the vulgar tongue only; or, that water ought not to be mixed with thewine that is to be offered in the chalice, for that it is contrary to theinstitution of Christ; let him be anathema.

What great care is to be taken, that the sacred and holy sacrifice of themass be celebrated with all religious service and[Page 160] veneration, each one mayeasily imagine, who considers, that, in holy writ, he is called accursed,who doth the work of God negligently; and if we must needs confess, that noother work can be performed by the faithful so holy and divine as thistremendous mystery itself, wherein that life-giving victim, by which wewere reconciled to the Father, is daily immolated on the altar by priests,it is also sufficiently clear, that all industry and diligence is to beapplied to this end, that it be performed with the greatest possible inwardcleanness and purity of heart, and outward show of devotion and piety. Whereas, therefore, either through the wickedness of the times, or throughthe carelessness and Corruption of men, many things seem already to havecrept in, which are alien from the dignity of so great a sacrifice; to theend that the honour and cult due thereunto may, for the glory of God andthe edification of the faithful people, be restored; the holy Synoddecrees, that the ordinary bishops of places shall take diligent care, andbe bound to prohibit and abolish all those things which eithercovetousness, which is a serving of idols, or irreverence, which can hardlybe separated from impiety; or superstition, which is a false imitation oftrue piety, may have introduced. And that many things may be comprised ina few words: first, as relates to covetousness:--they shall wholly prohibitall manner of conditions and bargains for recompenses, and whatsoever isgiven for the celebration of new masses; as also those importunate andilliberal demands, rather than requests, for alms, and other things of thelike sort, which are but little removed from a simonical taint, or at allevents, from filthy lucre.

In the next place, that irreverence may be avoided, each, in his owndiocese, shall forbid that any wandering or unknown priest be allowed tocelebrate mass. Furthermore, they shall not allow any one who is publiclyand notoriously stained with crime, either to minister at the holy altar,or to assist at the sacred services; nor shall they suffer the holysacrifice to be celebrated, either by any Seculars or Regulars whatsoever,in[Page 161] private houses; or, at all, out of the church, and those oratories whichare dedicated solely to divine worship, and which are to be designated andvisited by the said Ordinaries; and not then, unless those who are presentshall have first shown, by their decently composed outward appearance, thatthey are there not in body only, but also in mind and devout affection ofheart. They shall also banish from churches all those kinds of music, inwhich, whether by the organ, or in the singing, there is mixed up any thinglascivious or impure; as also all secular actions; vain and thereforeprofane conversations, all walking about, noise, and clamour, that so thehouse of God may be seen to be, and may be called, truly a house of prayer.

Lastly, that no room may be left for superstition; they shall by ordinance,and under given penalties, provide, that priests do not celebrate at otherthan due hours; nor employ other rites, or other ceremonies and prayers, inthe celebration of masses, besides those which have been approved of by theChurch, and have been received by a frequent and praiseworthy usage. Theyshall wholly banish from the Church the observance of a fixed number ofcertain masses and of candles, as being the invention of superstitiousworship, rather than of true religion; and they shall instruct the people,what is, and whence especially is derived, the fruit so precious andheavenly of this most holy sacrifice. They shall also admonish theirpeople to repair frequently to their own parish churches, at least on theLord's days and the greater festivals. All, therefore, that has beenbriefly enumerated, is in such wise propounded to all Ordinaries of places,as that, by the power given them by this sacred and holy Synod, and even asdelegates of the Apostolic See, they may prohibit, ordain, reform, andestablish, not only the things aforesaid, but also whatsoever else shallseem to them to have relation hereunto; and may compel the faithful peopleinviolably to observe them, by ecclesiastical censures and other penalties,which at their pleasure they may appoint; any privileges, exemptions,appeals, and customs whatsoever, to the contrary notwithstanding.

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The same sacred and holy, ecumenical and general Synod of Trent,--lawfullyassembled in the Holy Ghost, the same Legates of the Apostolic Seepresiding therein,--to the end that the business of reformation may beproceeded with, has thought good that the following things be ordained inthe present Session.

There is nothing that continually instructs others unto piety, and theservice of God, more than the life and example of those who have dedicatedthemselves to the divine ministry. For as they are seen to be raised to ahigher position, above the things of this world, others fix their eyes uponthem as upon a mirror, and derive from them what they are to imitate. Wherefore clerics called to have the Lord for their portion, ought by allmeans so to regulate their whole life and conversation, as that in theirdress, comportment, gait, discourse, and all things else, nothing appearbut what is grave, regulated, and replete with religiousness; avoiding evenslight faults, which in them would be most grievous; that so their actionsmay impress all with veneration. Whereas, therefore, the more useful anddecorous these things are for the Church of God, the more carefully alsoare they to be attended to; the holy Synod ordains, that those things whichhave been heretofore copiously and wholesomely enacted by sovereignpontiffs and sacred councils,--relative to the life, propriety of conduct,dress, and learning of clerics, and also touching the luxuriousness,feastings, dances, gambling, sports, and all sorts of crime whatever, asalso the secular employments, to be by them shunned,--the same shall behenceforth observed, under the same penalties, or greater, to be imposed atthe discretion of the Ordinary; nor shall any appeal[Page 163] suspend the executionhereof, as relating to the correction of manners. But if anything of theabove shall be found to have fallen into desuetude, they shall make ittheir care that it be brought again into use as soon as possible, and beaccurately observed by all; any customs to the contrary notwithstanding;lest they themselves may have, God being the avenger, to pay the penaltydeserved by their neglect of the correction of those subject to them.

Whosoever is, hereafter, to be promoted to a cathedral church shall notonly be fully qualified by birth, age, morals, and life, and, in otherrespects, as required by the sacred canons, but shall also have beenpreviously constituted in sacred Order, for the space of at least sixmonths. And information on these points, if the individual be onlyrecently, or not at all, known at the court (of Rome), shall be derivedfrom the Legates of the Apostolic See, or from the Nuncios of theprovinces, or from his Ordinary, and in his default, from the nearestOrdinaries. And, besides the things above-named, he shall possess suchlearning as to be able to discharge the obligations of the office that isabout to be conferred upon him; and he shall, therefore, have beenpreviously promoted by merit, in some university for studies, to be amaster, or doctor, or licentiate, in sacred theology, or in canon law; orshall be declared, by the public testimony of some academy, fit to teachothers. And, if he be a Regular, he shall have a similar attestation fromthe superiors of his own order. And all the above-named persons, from whomthe information, or testimony, aforesaid is to be derived shall be bound toreport on these matters faithfully and gratuitously; otherwise let themknow, that their conciences will be grievously burthened, and that God, andtheir own superiors, will punish them.

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Bishops, even as the delegates of the Apostolic See, shall have power todivide the third part of any manner of fruits and proceeds of alldignities, personates, and offices existing in cathedral or collegiatechurches, into distributions, to be assigned as they shall judge fit; insuch wise to wit, that, if those who ought to receive them should fail, onany appointed day, personally to discharge the duty that devolves uponthem, according to the form that shall be prescribed by the said bishops,they shall forfeit that day's distribution, and shall acquire no manner ofproperty therein, but it shall be applied to the fabric of the church, asfar as it may need it, or to some other pious place, at the discretion ofthe Ordinary. But if their contumacy increase, they shall proceed againstthem according to the constitution of the sacred canons. But if any of theaforesaid dignitaries has, neither by right, nor custom, any jurisdiction,administration, or office, devolving upon him in the cathedral orcollegiate churches; but, out of the city, in the same diocese, there is acure of souls to be attended to, which he who holds that dignity is willingto take upon himself; in this case, during the time that he shall resideand minister in the church with that cure, he shall be considered as thoughhe were present and assisted at the divine offices in those cathedral orcollegiate churches. These things are to be understood as appointed forthose churches only, wherein there is no custom, or statute, whereby thesaid dignitaries, who do not serve, lose something, which amounts to thethird part of the said fruits and proceeds: any customs, even thoughimmemorial, exemptions, and constitutions, even though confirmed by oath orby any authority whatsoever, to the contrary notwithstanding.

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Whosoever being employed in the divine offices in a cathedral, orcollegiate, Secular or Regular, church, is not constituted in the order ofsubdeaconship at least, shall not have a voice in the chapter of thosechurches, even though this may have been voluntarily conceded to him by theothers. As to those who possess, or shall hereafter possess, in the saidchurches, any dignities, personates, offices, prebends, portions, and anyother manner of benefices whatever, to which various obligations areannexed, such as, that some shall say, or sing, mass, others the Gospel,others the Epistle, they shall be bound, all just impediment ceasing, toreceive the requisite orders within a year, whatsoever may be theirprivilege, exemption, prerogative, or nobility of birth; otherwise theyshall incur the penalties enacted by the constitution of the Council ofVienne, which begins, Ut ii qui, which by this present decree is renewed:and the bishops shall compel them to exercise in person the aforesaidorders on the appointed days, and to discharge all the other dutiesrequired of them in the divine service, under the said penalties, andothers even more grievous, which may be imposed at their discretion. Nor,for the future, shall any such office be assigned to any but those whoshall be well known fully to have already the age and the otherqualifications; otherwise such provision shall be null.

Dispensations, by whatsoever authority they are to be granted, if they areto be consigned out of the Roman court, shall be[Page 166] consigned to theOrdinaries of those who shall have obtained them. And as to thosedispensations which shall be granted as graces, they shall not have effect,until the said Ordinaries, as delegates of the Apostolic See, shall havefirst ascertained summarily only and extra-judicially, that the terms ofthe petition do not labour under the vice of surreption or obreption.

In alterations of last wills,--which alterations ought not to be madeexcept for a just and necessary cause,--the bishops, as delegates of theApostolic See, shall, before the alterations aforesaid are carried intoexecution, ascertain, that nothing has been stated in the prayer of thepetition, which suppresses what is true, or suggests what is false.

Apostolic legates and nuncios, patriarchs, primates, and metropolitans, inappeals interposed before them, shall, in all causes whatsoever, as well inadmitting the appeals, as in granting inhibitions after an appeal, be boundto observe the form and tenour of the sacred constitutions, and especiallyof the constitution of Innocent IV., beginning Romana; any custom, eventhough immemorial, or usage, or privilege, to the contrary notwithstanding;otherwise the inhibitions and proceedings, and all the consequencesthereof, shall be ipso jure null.

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The bishops, even as the delegates of the Apostolic See, shall, in thecases by law permitted, be the executors of all pious dispositions, whethermade by last will, or between the living: they shall have a right to visitall manner of hospitals, colleges, and confraternities of laymen, eventhose which are called schools, or which go by any other name; but not,however, those places which are under the immediate protection of kings,except with their permission; also the eleemosynary institutions, calledmonts-de-piete, or of charity, and all pious places by whatsoever namedesignated, even though the aforesaid institutions be under the care oflaymen, and though the said pious places be protected by a privilege ofexemption; and, by virtue of their office, they shall take cognizance of,and see to the performance,--in accordance with the ordinances of thesacred canons,--of all things that have been instituted for God's worship,for the salvation of souls, or for the support of the poor; any custom,even though immemorial, or privilege, or statute whatsoever, to thecontrary, notwithstanding.

The administrators, whether ecclesiastical, or lay, of the fabric of anychurch whatsoever, even though it be a cathedral, as also of any hospital,confraternity, charitable institution called[Page 168] mont-de-piete, and of anypious places whatsoever, shall be bound to give in, once a year, an accountof their administration to the Ordinary: all customs and privileges to thecontrary being set aside; unless it should happen that, in the institutionand regulations of any church or fabric, it has been otherwise expresslyprovided. But if from custom, or privilege, or some regulation of theplace, their account has to be rendered to others deputed thereunto, inthat case the Ordinary shall also be employed jointly with them; and allacquittances given otherwise shall be of no avail to the saidadministrators.

Whereas the unskilfulness of notaries causes very many injuries, and givesoccasion to many lawsuits, the bishop, even as the delegate of theApostolic See, may, by actual examination search into the competency of allnotaries, even though created by apostolic, imperial, or royal authority;and, if such notaries be found incompetent, or on any occasion guilty of adelinquency in the discharge of their office, he may forbid them,altogether or for a time, to exercise that office, in ecclesiastical andspiritual affairs, lawsuits, and causes; nor shall any appeal on theirparts suspend the prohibition of the Ordinary.

If any cleric, or layman, by whatsoever dignity pre-eminent, be he evenemperor or king, should be so possessed by covetousness, that root of allevils, as to presume to convert to his own use, and to usurp,--by himselfor by others, by force, or[Page 169] fear, or even by means of any supposititiouspersons, whether lay, or clerical, or by any artifice, or under anycolourable pretext whatsoever,--the jurisdictions, property, rents, andrights, even those held in fee or under lease, the fruits, emoluments, orany sources of revenue whatsoever, belonging to any church, or to anybenefice, whether Secular or Regular, monts-de-piete, or to any other piousplaces, which ought to be employed for the necessities of the ministers(thereof), and of the poor; or (shall presume) to hinder them (in any ofthe ways aforesaid) from being received by those unto whom they of rightbelong; he shall lie under an anathema until he shall have wholly restoredto the Church, and to the administrator or beneficiary thereof, thejurisdictions, property, effects, rights, fruits, and revenues which he hasseized upon, or in whatsoever way they have come to him, even by way ofgift from a supposititious person and until he shall, furthermore, haveobtained absolution from the Roman Pontiff. And if he be the patron of thesaid church, he shall, besides the penalties aforesaid, be thereupondeprived of the right of patronage. And the cleric who shall be the authorof, or consenting to, any execrable fraud and usurpation of this kind,shall be subjected to the same penalties; as also he shall be deprived ofall benefices whatsoever, and be rendered incapable of any otherswhatsoever; and ever after entire satisfaction and absolution, he shall besuspended from the exercise of his orders, at the discretion of hisOrdinary.

Moreover, whereas the same sacred and holy Synod, in the preceding Session,reserved unto another time, for an opportunity that might present itself,two articles to be examined and defined, which (articles) had been proposedon another occasion, but had not then been as yet discussed, to wit,whether the reasons by which the holy Catholic Church was led tocommunicate, under the one species of bread, laymen and also priests[Page 170] whennot celebrating, are in such wise to be adhered to, as that on no accountis the use of the chalice to be allowed to any one soever; and, whether, inthat case, for reasons beseeming and consonant with Christian charity, itappears that the use of the chalice is to be granted to any nation, orkingdom, it is to be conceded under certain conditions; and what are thoseconditions; It has now,--in Its desire that the salvation of those, onwhose behalf the request is made, may be provided for in the bestmanner,--decreed, that the whole business be referred to our most holylord, as by this present decree It doth refer it; who, of his singularprudence, will do that which he shall judge useful for the Christiancommonweal, and salutary for those who ask for the use of the chalice.

Moreover, this sacred and holy Synod of Trent appoints, for the day of thenext Session, the Thursday after the octave of All Saints, which will bethe twelfth day of the month of November; and thereon It will decreeconcerning the sacrament of Order, and the sacrament of Matrimony, &c.

The Session was prorogued until the fifteenth day of July, MDLXIII.

Being the seventh under the Sovereign Pontiff, Pius IV., celebrated on thefifteenth day of July, MDLXIII.

Sacrifice and priesthood are, by the ordinance of God, in such wiseconjoined, as that both have existed in every law.[Page 171] Whereas, therefore, inthe New Testament, the Catholic Church has received, from the institutionof Christ, the holy visible sacrifice of the Eucharist; it must needs alsobe confessed, that there is, in that Church, a new, visible, and externalpriesthood, into which the old has been translated. And the sacredScriptures show, and the tradition of the Catholic Church has alwaystaught, that this priesthood was instituted by the same Lord our Saviour,and that to the apostles, and their successors in the priesthood, was thepower delivered of consecrating, offering, and administering His Body andBlood, as also of forgivingand of retaining sins.

And whereas the ministry of so holy a priesthood is a divine thing; to theend that it might be exercised in a more worthy manner, and with greaterveneration, it was suitable that, in the most well-ordered settlement ofthe church, there should be several and diverse orders of ministers, tominister to the priesthood, by virtue of their office; orders sodistributed as that those already marked with the clerical tonsure shouldascend through the lesser to the greater orders. For the sacred Scripturesmake open mention not only of priests, but also of deacons; and teach, inwords the most weighty, what things are especially to be attended to in theOrdination thereof; and, from the very beginning of the church, the namesof the following orders, and the ministrations proper to each one of them,are known to have been in use; to wit those of subdeacon, acolyth,exorcist, lector, and door-keeper; though these were not of equal rank: forthe subdeavonship is classed amongst the greater orders by the Fathers andsacred Councils, wherein also we very often read of the other inferiororders.

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Whereas, by the testimony of Scripture, by Apostolic tradition, and theunanimous consent of the Fathers, it is clear that grace is conferred bysacred ordination, which is performed by words and outward signs, no oneought to doubt that Order is truly and properly one of the seven sacramentsof holy Church. For the apostle says; I admonish thee that thou stir upthe grace of God, which is in thee by the imposition of my hands. For Godhas not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love of sobriety.

But, forasmuch as in the sacrament of Order, as also in Baptism andConfirmation, a character is imprinted, which can neither be effaced nortaken away; the holy Synod with reason condemns the opinion of those, whoassert that the priests of the New Testament have only a temporary power;and that those who have once been rightly ordained, can again becomelaymen, if they do not exercise the ministry of the word of God. And ifany one affirm, that all Christians indiscrimately are priests of the NewTestament, or that they are all mutually endowed with an equal spiritualpower, he clearly does nothing but confound the ecclesiastical hierarchy,which is as an army set in array; as if, contrary to the doctrine ofblessed Paul, all were apostles, all prophets, all evangelists, allpastors, all doctors. Wherefore, the holy Synod declares that, besides[Page 173] theother ecclesiastical degrees, bishops, who have succeeded to the place ofthe apostles, principally belong to this hierarchial order; that they areplaced, as the same apostle says, by the Holy Ghost, to rule the Church ofGod; that they are superior to priests; administer the sacrament ofConfirmation; ordain the ministers of the Church; and that they can performvery many other things; over which functions others of an inferior orderhave no power. Furthermore, the sacred and holy Synod teaches, that, inthe ordination of bishops, priests, and of the other orders, neither theconsent, nor vocation, nor authority, whether of the people, or of anycivil power or magistrate whatsoever, is required in such wise as that,without this, the ordination is invalid: yea rather doth It decree, thatall those who, being only called and instituted by the people, or by thecivil power and magistrate, ascend to the exercise of these ministrations,and those who of their own rashness assume them to themselves, are notministers of the church, but are to be looked upon as thieves and robbers,who have not entered by the door. These are the things which it hathseemed good to the sacred Synod to teach the faithful in Christ, in generalterms, touching the sacrament of Order. But It hath resolved to condemnwhatsoever things are contrary thereunto, in express and specific canons,in the manner following; in order that all men, with the help of Christ,using the rule of faith, may, in the midst of the darkness of so manyerrors, more easily be able to recognise and to hold Catholic truth.

CANON I.--If any one saith, that there is not in the New Testament avisible and external priesthood; or that there is not any power ofconsecrating and offering the true body and blood of the Lord, and offorgiving and retaining sins; but only an office and bare ministry ofpreaching the Gospel, or, that those who do not preach are not priests atall; let him be anathema.

[Page 174] CANON II.--If any one saith, that, besides the priesthood, there are not inthe Catholic Church other orders, both greater and minor, by which, as bycertain steps, advance is made unto the priesthood; let him be anathema.

CANON III.--If any one saith, that order, or sacred ordination, is nottruly and properly a sacrament instituted by Christ the Lord; or, that itis a kind of human figment devised by men unskilled in ecclesiasticalmatters; or, that it is only a kind of rite for choosing ministers of theword of God and of the sacraments; let him be anathema.

CANON IV.--If any one saith, that, by sacred ordination, the Holy Ghost isnot given; and that vainly therefore do the bishops say, Receive ye theHoly Ghost; or, that a character is not imprinted by that ordination; or,that he who has once been a priest, can again become a layman; let him beanathema.

CANON V.--If any one saith, that the sacred unction which the Church usesin holy ordination, is not only not required, but is to be despised and ispernicious, as likewise are the other ceremonies of Order; let him beanathema.

CANON VI.--If any one saith, that, in the Catholic Church there is not ahierarchy by divine ordination instituted, consisting of bishops, priests,and ministers; let him be anathema.

CANON VII.--If any one saith, that bishops are not superior to priests; or,that they have not the power of confirming and ordaining; or, that thepower which they possess is common to them and to priests; or, that orders,conferred by them, without the consent, or vocation of the people, or ofthe secular power, are invalid; or, that those who have neither beenrightlyordained, nor sent, by ecclesiastical and canonical power, but come fromelsewhere, are lawful ministers of the word and of the sacraments; let himbe anathema.

CANON VIII.--If any one saith, that the bishops, who are assumed byauthority of the Roman Pontiff, are not legitimate and true bishops, butare a human figment; let him be anathema.

The same sacred and holy Synod of Trent, prosecuting the matter ofreformation, resolves and decrees that the things following be at presentordained.

CHAPTER I.
The negligence of Pastors of Churches in residing is variously punished:provision is made for the cure of souls.

Whereas it is by divine precept enjoined on all, to whom the cure of soulsis committed, to know their own sheep; to offer sacrifice for them; and, bythe preaching of the divine word, by the administration of the sacraments,and by the example of all good works, to feed them; to have a fatherly careof the poor and of other distressed persons, and to apply themselves to allother pastoral duties; all which (offices) cannot be rendered and fulfilledby those who neither watch over nor are with their own flock, but abandonit after the manner of hirelings; the sacred and holy Synod admonishes andexhorts such, that mindful of the divine precepts, and made a pattern ofthe flock, they feed and rule in judgment and in truth. And for fear lestthose things which have been already elsewhere holily and usefullyordained, concerning residence, under Paul III., of happy memory, may bewrested to a meaning alien from the mind of the sacred and holy Synod, asif by virtue of that decree it were lawful to be absent during fivecontinuous months; the sacred and holy Synod, adhering to those decrees,declares, that all persons who are--under whatsoever name and title, eventhough they be cardinals of the holy Roman Church--set over anypatriarchal, primatial, metropolitan, and cathe-[Page 176]dral churches whatsoever,are obliged to personal residence in their own church, or diocese, wherethey shall be bound to discharge the office enjoined them; and may not beabsent thence, save for the causes and in the manner subjoined. Forwhereas Christian charity, urgent necessity, due obedience, and the evidentutility of the Church, or of the commonwealth, require and demand that someat times be absent, this same sacred and holy Synod ordains, that thesecauses of lawful absence are to be approved of in writing by the mostblessed Roman Pontiff, or by the metropolitan, or, in his absence, by theoldest resident suffragan bishop, whose duty it shall also be to approve ofthe absence of the metropolitan; except when such absence happens inconsequence of some employment and office in the state attached to thebishoprics; the causes of which absence being notorious, and at timessudden, it will not be necessary even to notify them to the metropolitan;to whom it shall however belong, conjointly with the provincial Council, tojudge of the permissions granted by himself, or by his suffragan, and tosee that no one abuse that right, and that transgressors are punished withthe penalties adjudged by the canons. Meanwhile let those about to departremember to provide in such sort for their sheep, as that, as far aspossible, they may not suffer any injury through their absence. But,forasmuch as those who are only absent for a short period, are, in thesense of the ancient canons, not supposed to be absent, for that they areabout to return immediately; the sacred and holy Synod wills, that thatterm of absence, whether continuous or interrupted, ought not by any meansto exceed two, or at most three, months; except for the causes above named;and that regard be had that it be done from a just cause, and without anydetriment to the flock: which, whether it be the case, the Synod leaves tothe conscience of those who withdraw themselves which It hopes will bereligious and timorous; seeing that their hearts are open before God, whosework they are bound, at their periol, not to do deceitfully. In themeantime It[Page 177] admonishes and exhorts them in the Lord, that unless theirepiscopal duties call them to some other part of their own diocese, they onno account be absent from their own cathedral church during the period ofthe Advent of the Lord, and of Lent, on the days of the Nativity, of theLord's Resurrection, of Pentecost, and of Corpus Christi, on which daysespecially the sheep ought to be refreshed, and to rejoice in the Lord atthe presence of the Shepherd.

But if any one, which it is hoped will never happen, shall be absent,contrary to the regulation of this decree, the sacred and holy Synodordains, that, in addition to the other penalties imposed upon and renewedagainst non-residents, under Paul III., and the guilt of mortal sin whichsuch an one incurs, he acquires no property in any fruits, in proportion tothe time of his absence, and that he cannot, even though no otherdeclaration but this follow, retain them as his with a safe conscience; butis bound, or, in his default, his ecclesiastical superior for him, to applythem to the fabric of the churches, or to the poor of the place; every kindof agreement, or composition as it is called, in regard of ill-gottenfruits, being prohibited, whereby the aforesaid fruits even might bewholly, or in part, restored to him; any privileges whatsoever, granted toany college or fabric, to the contrary notwithstanding.

The same also, both as regards the guilt, the loss of fruits, and thepenalties, does the sacred and holy Synod wholly declare and decree, inregard of inferior pastors, and all others whomsoever who hold anyecclesiastical benefice having cure of souls; in such wise, however, asthat, whensoever it shall happen that they are absent, for a cause that hasbeen first made known to, and been approved of by, the bishop, they shallleave, with a due allowance of stipend, a suitable vicar, to be approved ofby the Ordinary. And they shall not obtain permission to be absent,--whichis to be granted in writing and gratuitously,--for a larger period than twomonths, except for some weighty cause; and if, after having been cited,even though not per-[Page 178]sonally, by an edict, they shall be contumacious, theSynod wills, that it be in the power of the Ordinaries to constrain them byecclesiastical censures, and by the sequestration and substraction offruits, and by other legal remedies, even as far as deprivation; and thatthe execution hereof shall not be able to be suspended by any manner ofprivilege soever, license, claim as a domestic, exemption,--though evenupon the ground of any manner of benefice,--by any compact, orstatute,--even though confirmed by oath or by what authority soever,--byany custom, even though immemorial, which herein is to be looked uponrather as a corruption, or by any appeal, or inhibition, even in the RomanCourt, or by virtue of the constitution of Eugenius. Finally, the holySynod commands, that both the decree under Paul III., and this present,shall be published in the provincial and episcopal councils; for It desiresthat things so nearly concerning the office of pastors, and the salvationof souls, be frequently impressed on the minds and ears of all men, thatso, with God's help, they may never hereafter be abolished through theinjury of time, the forgetfulness of men, or by desuetude.

Those who,--under whatsoever name or title, even though they be cardinalsof the holy Roman Church,--have been set over cathedral, or superior,churches, if they shall not, within three months, have received the rite ofconsecration, shall be bound to restore the fruits which they havereceived; if they shall have neglected to do this within three other monthsafterwards, they shall be ipso jure deprived of their churches. And theirconsecration, if performed out of the Court of Rome, shall be celebrated inthe church to which they have been promoted, or in the province, if it canbe conveniently done.

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Bishops shall themselves confer orders; but, should they be prevented byillness, they shall not send their subjects to another bishop forordination, unless they have been already approved of and examined.

None shall be initiated by the first tonsure, who have not received thesacrament of Confirmation; and who have not been taught the rudiments ofthe faith; and who do not know how to read and write; and in whose regardthere is not a probable conjecture, that they have chosen this manner oflife, that they may render unto God a faithful service, and not that theymay fraudulently withdraw themselves from Secular jurisdiction.

Those who are to be promoted to minor orders shall have a good testimonialfrom their parish priest; and from the master of the school in which theyare educated. As to those who are to be raised to any one of the greaterorders, they shall, a month before ordination, repair to the bishop, whoshall commission the parish priest, or such other person as may be deemedmore expedient, to state publicly in the church the names and the desire ofthose who wish to be promoted; and to diligently inform himself, frompersons worthy of credit, of the birth, age, morals, and life[Page 180] of thosewho are to be ordained, and shall transmit to the bishop himself, as soonas possible, letters testimonial containing the actual inquiry that hasbeen made.

No one, after being initiated by the first tonsure, or even after beingconstituted in minor orders, shall be able to hold a benefice before hisfourteenth year. Further, he shall not enjoy the privilege of the(ecclesiastical) court, unless he have an ecclesiastical benefice; or,wearing the ecclesiastical dress and tonsure, he serves in some church bythe bishop's order, or lives with the bishop's permission in anecclesiastical seminary, or in some school, or university, on the way as itwere to receive the greater orders. As regards married clerks, theconstitution of Boniface VIII., which begins, clerici qui cum unicis, shallbe observed; provided the said clerks, being deputed by the bishop to theservice or ministry of some church, serve and minister therein, and wearthe clerical dress and tonsure: no privilege, or custom, even immemorial,availing any one herein.

The holy Synod, adhering to the traces of the ancient canons, ordains, thatwhen a bishop has arranged to hold an ordination, all who may wish to bereceived into the sacred ministry shall be summoned to the city, for theThursday before the said ordination, or for such other day as the bishopshall think fit.[Page 181] And the bishop, calling to his assistance priests andother prudent persons, well skilled in the divine law, and of experience inthe constitutions of the church, shall diligently investigate and examinethe parentage, person, age, education, morals, learning, and faith of thosewho are to be ordained.

Ordinations of sacred orders shall be celebrated publicly, at the timeappointed by law, and in the cathedral churches, in the presence of thecanons of that church, who are to be invited for that purpose; but, if theyare celebrated in some other place of the diocese, in the presence of theclergy of the place; the principal church being always, as far as possible,made use of. But each one shall be ordained by his own bishop. And if anyone ask to be promoted by another bishop, this shall by no means be allowedhim, even under the pretext of any general or special rescript or privilegewhatsoever, even at the appointed times; unless his probity and morals berecommended by the testimony of his own Ordinary; otherwise, he who ordainshim shall be suspended from conferring orders during a year, and he who hasbeen ordained shall be suspended from exercising the orders which he hasreceived, for as long a period as shall seem expedient to his own Ordinary.

A bishop may not ordain one of his household, who is not his subject,unless he has lived with him for the space of[Page 182] three years; and he shallreally, and without fraud of any kind, at once confer on him a benefice;any custom, even though immemorial, to the contrary notwithstanding.

It shall not henceforth be lawful for abbots, or for any other personswhatsoever, howsoever exempted, being within the limits of any diocese,even though they be said to be of no diocese, or to be exempted, to conferthe tonsure, or minor orders on any one who is not a Regular subject tothem; nor shall the said abbots, and other exempted persons, or anycolleges, or Chapters whatsoever, even those of cathedral churches, grantletters dimissory to any Secular clerics to be ordained by others. But theordination of all these persons shall appertain to the bishops within thelimits of whose diocese they are, all things considered in the decrees ofthis holy Synod being observed; any privilege, prescriptions, or customs,even though immemorial, notwithstanding. And the Synod ordains, that thepenalty imposed on those, who, contrary to the decree of this holy Synodunder Paul III., obtain, during the vacancy of the episcopal See, lettersdimissory from the Chapter, be also extended to those who shall obtain thesaid letters, not from the Chapter, but from any other persons whatsoever,who, during the vacancy of the See, succeed to the jurisdiction of thebishop, in lieu of the Chapter. And they who give dimissory letters,contrary to the form of this decree, shall be ipso jure suspended during ayear from their office and benefice.

[Page 183]

The minor orders shall not be given but to such as understand the Latinlanguage at least, observing the appointed interstices of time, unless thebishop shall think it more expedient to act otherwise; that so they may bethe more accurately taught how great is the obligation of this their stateof life; and may exercise themselves in each office, agreeably to theappointment of the bishop; and this in the church to which they shall beassigned, unless they happen to be absent on account of their studies; andmay thus ascend step by step: that so with their increasing age they maygrow in worthiness of life and in learning; of which they will give proofespecially by the example of their good conduct, by their assiduous servicein the church, their greater reverence towards priests and the superiororders, and by a more frequent communion than heretofore of the Body ofChrist. And whereas from these orders is the entrance unto higher ordersand to the most sacred mysteries, no one shall be admitted thereunto, whomthe promise of knowledge does not point out as worthy of the greaterorders. And such shall not be promoted to sacred orders till a year afterthe reception of the last degree of minor orders; unless necessity, or theutility of the church, in the bishop's judgment, shall require otherwise.

No one shall for the future be promoted to the order of subdeaconshipbefore the twenty-second year of age; to that[Page 184] of deaconship before histwenty-third year; to that of priesthood before his twenty-fifth year. Nevertheless, bishops are to know, that not all who have attained to thatage must needs be admitted to the aforesaid orders, but those only who areworthy, and whose commendable life is an old age. Regulars likewise shallnot be ordained under the above age, nor without a diligent examination bythe bishop; all privileges whatsoever in this regard being completely setaside.

Such as have a good testimonial, and have been already tried in minororders, and are instructed in letters, and in those things which belong tothe exercise of their orders, shall be ordained subdeacons and deacons. They shall have a hope, with God's help, to be able to live continently;they shall serve in the churches to which they may be assigned; and are toknow that it is very highly becoming that, after ministering at the altar,they should receive the sacred communion, at least on the Lord's days andsolemnities. Those who have been promoted to the sacred order of thesubdeaconship shall not, until they have remained therein during at least ayear, be permitted to ascend to a higher degree, unless the bishop shalljudge otherwise. Two sacred orders shall not be conferred on the same day,even upon Regulars; any privileges and indults whatsoever, to whomsoevergranted, to the contrary notwithstanding.

Those who have conducted themselves piously and faithfully in theirprecedent functions, and are promoted to the order of[Page 185] priesthood, shallhave a good testimonial, and be persons who not only have served in theiroffice of deacon during at least an entire year,--unless for the utility andthe necessity of the Church, the bishop should judge otherwise,--but whohave also been approved to be, by a careful previous examination, capableof teaching the people those things which it is necessary for all to knowunto salvation, as also fit to administer the sacraments; and soconspicuous for piety and chasteness of morals, as that a shining exampleof good works and a lesson how to live may be expected from them. Thebishop shall take care that they celebrate mass at least on the Lord'sDays, and on solemn festivals; but, if they have the cure of souls, sooften as to satisfy their obligation. The bishop may, for a lawful cause,grant a dispensation to those who have been promoted per saltum, providedthey have not exercised the ministry (of that order).

Although priests receive in their ordination the power of absolving fromsins; nevertheless, the holy Synod ordains, that no one, even though he bea Regular, is able to hear the confessions of Seculars, not even ofpriests, and that he is not to be reputed fit thereunto, unless he eitherholds a parochial benefice, or is, by the bishops, after an examination ifthey shall think it necessary, or in some other manner, judged capable; andhas obtained their approval, which shall be granted gratuitously; anyprivileges, and custom whatsoever, though immemorial, to the contrarynotwithstanding.

[Page 186]

Whereas no one ought to be ordained, who, in the judgment of his ownbishop, is not useful or necessary for his churches, the holy Synod,adhering to the traces of the sixth canon of the council of Chalcedon,ordains, that no one shall for the future be ordained without beingattached to that church, or pious place, for the need, or utility of whichhe is promoted; there to discharge his duties, and not wander about withoutany certain abode. And if he shall quit that place without consulting thebishop, he shall be interdicted from the exercise of his sacred (orders). Furthermore, no cleric, who is a stranger, shall, without letterscommendatory from his own Ordinary, be admitted by any bishop to celebratethe divine mysteries, and to administer the sacraments.

That the functions of holy orders, from the deacon to the janitor,-whichfunctions have been laudably received in the Church from the times of theapostles, and which have been for some time interrupted in very manyplaces,-may be again brought into use in accordance with the sacred canons;and that they may not be traduced by heretics as useless; the holy Synod,burning with the desire of restoring the pristine usage, ordains that, forthe future, such functions shall not be exercised but by those who areactually in the said orders; and It exhorts in the Lord all and each of theprelates of the churches, and commands them, that it be their care torestore the said[Page 187] functions, as far as it can be conveniently done, in thecathedral, collegiate, and parochial churches of their dioceses, where thenumber of the people and the revenues of the church can support it; and, tothose who exercise those functions, they shall assign salaries out of somepart of the revenues of any simple benefices, or those of the fabric of thechurch,-if the funds allow of it,-or out of the revenues of both together,of which stipends they may, if negligent, be mulcted in a part, or bewholly deprived thereof, according to the judgment of the Ordinary. And ifthere should not be unmarried clerics at hand to exercise the functions ofthe four minor orders, their place may be supplied by married clerics ofapproved life; provided they have not been twice married, be competent todischarge the said duties, and wear the tonsure and the clerical dress inchurch.

Wereas the age of youth, unless it be rightly trained, is prone to followafter the pleasures of the world; and unless it be formed, from its tenderyears, unto piety and religion, before habits of vice have taken possessionof the whole man, it never will perfectly, and without the greatest, andwell-nigh special, help of Almighty God, persevere in ecclesiasticaldiscipline; the holy Synod ordains, that all cathedral, metropolitan, andother churches greater than these, shall be bound, each according to itsmeans and the extent of the diocese, to maintain, to educate religiously,and to train in ecclesiastical discipline, a certain number of youths oftheir city and diocese, or, if that number cannot be met with there, ofthat province, in a college to be chosen by the bishop for this purposenear the said churches, or in some other suitable place. Into this collegeshall be received such as are at least twelve years old, born in[Page 188] lawfulwedlock, and who know how to read and write competently, and whosecharacter and inclination afford a hope that they will always serve in theecclesiastical ministry. And It wishes that the children of the poor beprincipally selected; though It does not however exclude those of the morewealthy, provided they be maintained at their own expense, and manifest adesire of serving God and the Church. The bishop, having divided theseyouths into as many classes as he shall think fit, according to theirnumber, age, and progress in ecclesiastical discipline, shall, when itseems to him expedient, assign some of them to the ministry of thechurches, the others he shall keep in the college to be instructed; andshall supply the place of those who have been withdrawn, by others; that sothis college may be a perpetual seminary of ministers of God. And that theyouths may be the more advantageously trained in the aforesaidecclesiastical discipline, they shall always at once wear the tonsure andthe clerical dress; they shall learn grammar, singing, ecclesiasticalcomputation, and the other liberal arts; they shall be instructed in sacredScripture; ecclesiastical works; the homilies of the saints; the manner ofadministering the sacraments, especially those things which shall seemadapted to enable them to hear confessions; and the forms of the rites andceremonies. The bishop shall take care that they be present every day atthe sacrifice of the mass, and that they confess their sins at least once amonth; and receive the body of our Lord Jesus Christ as the judgment oftheir confessor shall direct; and on festivals serve in the cathedral andother churches of the place.

All which, and other things advantageous and needful for this object, allbishops shall ordain-with the advice of two of the senior and mostexperienced canons chosen by himself-as the Holy Spirit shall suggest; andshall make it their care, by frequent visitations, that the same be alwaysobserved. The froward, and incorrigible, and the disseminators of evilmorals, they shall punish sharply, even by expulsion if necessary; and,removing all hindrances, they shall carefully foster whatsoever appears totend to preserve and advance so pious and holy an institution. Andforasmuch as some certain revenues will be[Page 189] necessary, for raising thebuilding of the college, for paying their salaries to the teachers andservants, for the maintenance of the youths, and for other expenses;besides those funds which are, in some churches and places, set apart fortraining or maintaining youths, and which are to be hereby looked upon asapplied to this seminary under the said charge of the bishop; the bishopsas aforesaid, with the advice of two of the Chapter,--of whom one shall bechosen by the bishop, and the other by the Chapter itself, and also of twoof the clergy of the city, the election of one of whom shall in like mannerbe with the bishop, and of the other with the clergy,--shall take a certainpart or portion, out of the entire fruits of the episcopal revenue, and ofthe chapter, and of all dignities whatsoever, personates, offices,prebends, portions, abbies, and priories, of whatsoever order, even thoughRegular, or of whatsoever quality, or condition they may be, and ofhospitals which are conferred under title or administration, pursuant tothe constitution of the Council of Vienne, which begins Quia contingit; andof all benefices whatsoever, even those belonging to Regulars, even thosewhich are under any right of patronage, even those that are exempted, thatare of no diocese, or are annexed to other churches, monasteries,hospitals, or to any other pious places, even such as are exempted; as alsoof the revenues devoted to the fabrics of churches, and of other places,and likewise of all other ecclesiastical revenues and proceeds whatsoever,even those of other colleges;-in which, however, there are not actuallyseminaries of scholars, or of teachers, for promoting the common good ofthe Church; for the Synod wills that those places be exempted, except inregard of such revenues as may remain over and above the suitable supportof the said seminaries;--or of bodies, or confraternities, which in someplaces are called schools, likewise of all monasteries, with the exceptionof the Mendicants; also of the tithes in any way belonging to laymen, outof which ecclesiastical subsidies are wont to be paid; and those belongingto the soldiers of any[Page 190] military body, or order, the brethren of Saint Johnof Jerusalem alone excepted; and they shall apply to, and incorporate with,the said college this portion so deducted, as also a certain number ofsimple benefices, of whatsoever quality and dignity they may be, or evenprestimonies, or prestimonial portions as they are called, even before theyfall vacant, without prejudice however to the divine service, or to thosewho hold them. And this shall have effect, even though the benefices bereserved or appropriated to other uses; nor shall this union andapplication of the said benefices be suspended, or in any way hindered, byany resignation thereof, but shall still in any case have effect,notwithstanding any way whatever in which they may be vacated, even be itin the Roman court, and notwithstanding any constitution whatsoever to thecontrary.

The bishop of the place shall, by ecclesiastical censures, and other legalmeans, even by calling in for this purpose, if he think fit, the help ofthe Secular arm, compel the possessors of benefices, dignities, personates,and of all and singular the above-named (revenues), to pay this portion notmerely on their own account, but also on account of whatsoever pensionsthey may happen to have to pay to others, out of the said revenues,-keepingback however a sum equivalent to that which they have to pay on account ofthose pensions: notwithstanding as regards all and singular theabove-mentioned premises, any privileges, exemptions-even such as mightrequire a special derogation-any custom, even immemorial, or any appeal,and allegation, which might hinder the execution hereof. But in case itshould happen that, by means of the said unions being carried into effect,or from some other cause, the said seminary should be found to be wholly orin part endowed, then shall the portion, deducted as above from allbenefices and incorporated by the bishop, be remitted, either wholly or inpart, as the actual circumstances shall require. But if the prelates ofcathedrals, and of the other greater churches, should be negligent inerecting the said seminary, and in preserving the same, and refuse to paytheir share; it will be the duty of the archbishop sharply to reprove thebishop, and to compel him to comply with all the matters aforesaid, and ofthe provincial Synod to reprove and[Page 191] to compel in like manner thearchbishop, and sedulously to provide that this holy and pious work be assoon as possible proceeded with, wherever it is possible. The bishop shallannually receive the accounts of the revenues of the said seminary, in thepresence of two deputies from the Chapter, and of the same number deputedfrom the clergy of the city.

Furthermore, in order that the teaching in schools of this nature may beprovided for at less expense, the holy Synod ordains, that bishops,archbishops, primates, and other Ordinaries of places, shall constrain andcompel, even by the substraction of their fruits, those who possess anydignities as professors of theology, and all others to whom is attached theoffice of lecturing, or of teaching, to teach those who are to be educatedin the said schools, personally, if they be competent, otherwise bycompetent substitutes to be chosen by themselves, and to be approved of bythe Ordinary. And if, in the judgment of the bishop, those chosen are notfit, they shall noniminate another who is fit, without any appeal beingallowed; but should they neglect to do this, the bishop himself shalldepute one. And the aforesaid masters shall teach those things which thebishop shall judge expedient. And, henceforth, those offices, ordignities, which are called professorships of theology, shall not beconferred on any but doctors, or masters, or licentiates in divinity, orcanon law, or on other competent persons, and such as can personallydischarge that office; and any provision made otherwise shall be null andvoid: all privileges and customs whatsoever, even though immemorial,notwithstanding.

But if the churches in any province labour under so great poverty, as thata college cannot be established in certain (churches) thereof; theprovincial Synod, or the metropolitan, aided by the two oldest suffragans,shall take care to establish one or more colleges, as shall be judgedexpedient, in the metro-[Page 192]politan, or in some other more convenient church ofthe province, out of the revenues of two or more churches, in which singlya college cannot conveniently be established, and there shall the youths ofthose churches be educated.

But in churches which have extensive dioceses, the bishop may have one ormore seminaries in the diocese, as to him shall seem expedient; whichseminaries shall however be entirely dependent in all things on the oneerected and established in the (episcopal) city.

Finally, if, either upon occasion of the said unions, or the taxation, orassignment, and incorporation of the above-named portions, or from someother cause, there should happen to arise any difficulty, by reason ofwhich the institution, or maintenance of the said seminary may be hinderedor disturbed, the bishop with the deputies as above, or the provincialSynod according to the custom of the country, shall have power, regardbeing had to the character of the churches and benefices, to regulate andorder all and singular the matters which shall seem necessary and expedientfor the happy advancement of the said seminary, even so as to modify orenlarge, if need be, the contents hereof.

Moreover, the same sacred and holy Synod of Trent indicts the next ensuingSession for the sixteenth day of the month of September; in which it willtreat of the sacrament of Matrimony, and of such other matters, if there beany, relative to the doctrine of faith as can be expedited, as also onprovisions for bishoprics, dignities, and other ecclesiastical benefices,and divers articles of Reformation.

The Session was prorogued to the eleventh day of November, MDLXIII.

Being the eighth under the Sovereign Pontiff, Pius IV., celebrated on theeleventh day of November, MDLXIII.

The first parent of the human race, under the influence of the divineSpirit, pronounced the bond of matrimony perpetual and indissoluble, whenhe said; This now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. Wherefore aman shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and theyshall be two in one flesh. But, that by this bond two only are united andjoined together, our Lord taught more plainly, when rehearsing those lastwords as having been uttered by God, He said, therefore now they are nottwo, but one flesh; and straightway confirmed the firmness of that tie,proclaimed so long before by Adam, by these words; What therefore God hathjoined together, let no man put asunder. But, the grace which mightperfect that natural love, and confirm that indissoluble union, andsanctify the married, Christ Himself, the institutor and perfecter of thevenerable sacraments, merited for us by His passion; as the Apostle Paulintimates, saying: Husbands love your wives, as Christ also loved theChurch, and delivered himself up for it; adding shortly after, This is agreat sacrament, but I speak in Christ and in the Church. Whereastherefore matrimony, in the evangelical law, excels in grace, throughChrist, the ancient marriages; with reason have our holy Fathers, theCouncils, and the tradition of the universal Church, always taught, that itis to be numbered amongst the sacraments of the new law; against which,impious men of this age raging, have not only had false notions touchingthis venerable sacrament, but, introducing according to their wont,[Page 194] underthe pretext of the Gospel, a carnal liberty, they have by word and writingasserted, not without great injury to the faithful of Christ, many thingsalien from the sentiment of the Catholic Church, and from the usageapproved of since the times of the apostles; the holy and universal Synodwishing to meet the rashness of these men, has thought it proper, lesttheir pernicious contagion may draw more after it, that the more remarkableheresies and errors of the above-named schismatics be exterminated, bydecreeing against the said heretics and their errors the followinganathemas.

CANON I.-If any one saith, that matrimony is not truly and properly one ofthe seven sacraments of the evangelic law, (a sacrament) instituted byChrist the Lord; but that it has been invented by men in the Church; andthat it does not confer grace; let him be anathema.

CANON II.-If any one saith, that it is lawful for Christians to haveseveral wives at the same time, and that this is not prohibited by anydivine law; let him be anathema.

CANON III.-If any one saith, that those degrees only of consanguinity andaffinity, which are set down in Leviticus, can hinder matrimony from beingcontracted, and dissolve it when contracted; and that the Church cannotdispense in some of those degrees, or establish that others may hinder anddissolve it ; let him be anathema.

CANON IV.-If any one saith, that the Church could not establish impedimentsdissolving marriage; or that she has erred in establishing them; let him beanathema.

CANON V.-If any one saith, that on account of heresy, or irksomecohabitation, or the affected absence of one of the parties, the bond ofmatrimony may be dissolved; let him be anathema.

[Page 195] CANON VI.-If any one saith, that matrimony contracted, but not consummated,is not dissolved by the solemn profession of religion by one of the marriedparties; let him be anathema.

CANON VlI.-If any one saith, that the Church has erred, in that she hathtaught, and doth teach, in accordance with the evangelical and apostolicaldoctrine, that the bond of matrimony cannot be dissolved on account of theadultery of one of the married parties; and that both, or even the innocentone who gave not occasion to the adultery, cannot contract anothermarriage, during the life-time of the other; and, that he is guilty ofadultery, who, having put away the adulteress, shall take another wife, asalso she, who, having put away the adulterer, shall take another husband;let him be anathema.

CANON VIII.-If any one saith, that the Church errs, in that she declaresthat, for many causes, a separation may take place between husband andwife, in regard of bed, or in regard of cohabitation, for a determinate orfor an indeterminate period; let him be anathema.

CANON IX.-If any one saith, that clerics constituted in sacred orders, orRegulars, who have solemnly professed chastity, are able to contractmarriage, and that being contracted it is valid, notwithstanding theecclesiastical law, or vow; and that the contrary is no thing else than tocondemn marriage; and, that all who do not feel that they have the gift ofchastity, even though they have made a vow thereof, may contract marriage;let him be anathema: seeing that God refuses not that gift to those who askfor it rightly, neither does He suffer us to be tempted above that which weare able.

CANON X.-If any one saith, that the marriage state is to be placed abovethe state of virginity, or of celibacy, and that it is not better and moreblessed to remain in virginity, or in celibacy, than to be united inmatrimony; let him be anathema.

CANON XI.-If any one saith, that the prohibition of the solemnization ofmarriages at certain times of the year, is a tyrannical superstition,derived from the superstition of the[Page 196] heathen; or, condemn the benedictionsand other ceremonies which the Church makes use of therein; let him beanathema.

CANON XII.-If any one saith, that matrimonial causes do not belong toecclesiastical judges; let him be anathema.

Although it is not to be doubted, that clandestine marriages, made with thefree consent of the contracting parties, are valid and true marriages, solong as the Church has not rendered them invalid; and consequently, thatthose persons are justly to be condemned, as the holy Synod doth condemnthem with anathema, who deny that such marriages are true and valid; asalso those who falsely affirm that marriages contracted by the children ofa family, without the consent of their parents, are invalid, and thatparents can make such marriages either valid or invalid; nevertheless, theholy Church of God has, for reasons most just, at all times detested andprohibited such marriages. But whereas the holy Synod perceives that thoseprohibitions, by reason of man's disobedience, are no longer of avail; andwhereas it takes into account the grievous sins which arise from the saidclandestine marriages, and especially the sins of those parties who live onin a state of damnation, when, having left their former wife, with whomthey had contracted marriage secretly, they publicly marry another, andwith her live in per-[Page 197]petual adultery; an evil which the Church, which judgesnot of what is hidden, cannot rectify, unless some more efficacious remedybe applied; wherefore, treading in the steps of the sacred Council ofLateran celebrated under Innocent III., it ordains that, for the future,before a marriage is contracted, the proper parish priest of thecontracting parties shall three times announce publicly in the Church,during the solemnization of mass, on three continuous festival days,between whom marriage is to be celebrated; after which publication ofbanns, if there be no lawful impediment opposed, the marriage shall beproceeded with in the face of the church; where the parish priest, afterhaving interrogated the man and the woman, and heard their mutual consent,shall either say, "I join you together in matrimony, in the name of theFather, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost;" or, he shall use otherwords, according to the received rite of each province. But if uponoccasion, there should be a probable suspicion that the marriage may bemaliciously hindered, if so many publications of banns precede it; in thiscase either one publication only shall be made; or at least the marriageshall be celebrated in the presence of the parish priest, and of two orthree witnesses: Then, before the consummation thereof, the banns shall bepublished in the church; that so, if there be any secret impediments, theymay be the more easily discovered: unless the Ordinary shall himself judgeit expedient, that the publications aforesaid be dispensed with, which theholy Synod leaves to his prudence and judgment. Those who shall attempt tocontract marriage otherwise than in the presence of the parish priest, orof some other priest by permission of the said parish priest, or of theOrdinary, and in the presence of two or three witnesses; the holy Synodrenders such wholly incapable of thus contracting and declares suchcontracts invalid and null, as by the present decree It invalidates andannuls them. Moreover It enjoins, that the parish priest, or any otherpriest, who shall have been[Page 198] present at any such contract with a less numberof witnesses (than as aforesaid); as also the witnesses who have beenpresent thereat without the parish priest, or some other priest; and alsothe contracting parties themselves; shall be severely punished, at thediscretion of the Ordinary. Furthermore, the same holy Synod exhorts thebridegroom and bride not to live together in the same house until they havereceived the sacerdotal benediction, which is to be given in the church;and It ordains that the benediction shall be given by their own parishpriest, and that permission to give the aforesaid benediction cannot begranted by any other than the parish priest himself, or the Ordinary; anycustom, even though immemorial, which ought rather to be called acorruption, or any privilege to the contrary, notwithstanding. And if anyparish priest, or any other priest, whether Regular or Secular, shallpresume to unite in marriage the betrothed of another parish, or to blessthem when married, without the permission of their parish priest, heshall-even though he may plead that he is allowed to do this by aprivilege, or an immemorial custom,-remain ipso jure suspended, untilabsolved by the Ordinary of that parish priest who ought to have beenpresent at the marriage, or from whom the benediction ought to have beenreceived.

The parish priest shall have a book, which he shall keep carefully by him,in which he shall register the names of the persons married, and of thewitnesses, and the day on which, and the place where, the marriage wascontracted.

Finally, the holy Synod exhorts those who marry, that before they contractmarriage, or, at all events, three days before the consummation thereof,they carefully confess their sins, and approach devoutly to the most holysacrament of the Eucharist.

If any provinces have herein in use any praise-worthy customs andceremonies, besides the aforesaid, the holy Synod earnestly desires thatthey be by all means retained.

And that these so wholesome injunctions may not be unknown[Page 199] to any, Itenjoins on all Ordinaries, that they, as soon as possible, make it theircare that this decree be published and explained to the people in everyparish church of their respective dioceses; and that this be done as oftenas may be during the first year; and afterwards as often as they shalljudge it expedient. It ordains, moreover, that this decree shall begin tobe in force in each parish, at the expiration of thirty days, to be countedfrom the day of its first publication made in the said parish.

Experience teaches, that, by reason of the multitude of prohibitions,marriages are ofttimes unwittingly contracted in prohibited cases, in whichmarriages either the parties continue to live on, not without great sin, orthey are dissolved, not without great scandal. Wherefore, the holy Synod,wishing to provide against this inconvenience, and beginning with theimpediment arising from spiritual relationship, ordains, that, inaccordance with the appointments of the sacred canons, one person only,whether male or female, or at most one male and one female, shall receivein baptism the individual baptized; between whom and the baptized, and thefather and mother thereof; as also between the person baptizing and thebaptized, and the father and mother of the baptized; and these only; shallspiritual relationship be contracted.

The parish priest, before he proceeds to confer baptism, shall carefullyinquire of those whom it may concern, what person or persons they havechosen to receive from the sacred font the individual baptized, and heshall allow him or them only to receive the baptized; shall register theirnames in the book, and teach them what relationship they have contracted,that they may not have any excuse on the score of ignorance.[Page 200] And if anyothers, besides those designated, should touch the baptized, they shall notin any way contract a spiritual relationship; any constitutions that tendto the contrary notwithstanding. If through the fault or negligence of theparish priest any thing be done contrary hereto, he shall be punished, atthe discretion of the Ordinary. That relationship, in like manner, whichis contracted by confirmation shall not pass beyond him who confirms theperson confirmed, his father and mother, and him who places his hand onhim; all impediments arising from this kind of spiritual relationshipbetween other persons being utterly set aside.

The holy Synod entirely removes the impediment of justice arising frompublic honesty, whensoever espousals shall be, for whatsoever cause, notvalid; but, when they are valid, the impediment shall not extend beyond thefirst degree; forasmuch as any such prohibition can no longer be observed,without injury, in more remote degrees.

Moreover, the holy Synod, moved by the same and other most weighty reasons,limits, to those only who are connected in the first and second degree, theimpediment contracted by affinity arising from fornication, and whichdissolves the marriage that may have been afterwards contracted. Itordains[Page 201] that, as regards degrees more remote, this kind of affinity doesnot dissolve the marriage that may have been afterwards contracted.

If any one shall presume knowingly to contract marriage within theprohibited degrees, he shall be separated, and be without hope of obtaininga dispensation; and this shall much the rather have effect in regard of himwho shall have dared not only to contract such a marriage, but also toconsummate it. But if he have done this in ignorance, but yet hasneglected the solemnities required in contracting matrimony, he shall besubjected to the same penalties. For he who has rashly despised thewholesome precepts of the Church, is not worthy to experience withoutdifficulty her bounty. But if, having observed those solemnities, somesecret impediment be afterwards discovered, of which it was not unlikelythat he should be ignorant, he may in this case more easily obtain adispensation, and that gratuitously. As regards marriages to becontracted, either no dispensation at all shall be granted, or rarely, andthen for a cause, and gratuitously. A dispensation shall never be grantedin the second degree, except between great princes, and for a public cause.

The holy Synod ordains, that no marriage can subsist between the abducerand her who is abducted, so long as she shall remain in the power of theabducer. But if she that has been[Page 202] abducted, being separated from the abducer, and being in a safe and freeplace, shall consent to have him for her husband, the abducer may have herfor his wife; but nevertheless the abduced himself and all who lent himadvice, aid, and countenance, shall be ipso jure excommunicated, for everinfamous, and incapable of all dignities; and if they be clerics they shallforfeit their rank. The abducer shall furthermore be bound, whether hemarry the person abducted, or marry her not, to settle on her a handsomedowry at the discretion of the judge.

There are many persons who are vagrants, having no settled homes; and,being of a profligate character, they, after abandoning their first wife,marry another, and very often several in different places, during thelife-time of the first. The holy Synod, being desirous to obviate thisdisorder, gives this fatherly admonition to all whom it may concern, noteasily to admit this class of vagrants to marriage; and It also exhorts thecivil magistrates to punish such persons severely. But It commands parishpriests not to be present at the marriages of such persons, unless theyhave first made a careful inquiry, and, having reported the circumstance tothe Ordinary, they shall have obtained permission from him for so doing.

It is a grievous sin for unmarried men to have concubines; but it is a mostgrievous sin, and one committed in special contempt of this greatsacrament, for married men also to live in this state of damnation, and tohave the audacity at times to[Page 203] maintain and keep them at their own homeseven with their own wives. Wherefore, the holy Synod, that it may bysuitable remedies provide against this exceeding evil, ordains that theseconcubinaries, whether unmarried or married, of whatsoever state, dignity,and condition they may be, if, after having been three times admonished onthis subject by the Ordinary, even ex officio, they shall not have put awaytheir concubines, and have separated themselves from all connexion withthem, they shall be smitten with excommunication; from which they shall notbe absolved until they have really obeyed the admonition given them. Butif, regardless of this censure, they shall continue in concubinage during ayear, they shall be proceeded against with severity by the Ordinary,according to the character of the crime. Women, whether married or single,who publicly live with adulterers or with concubinaries, if, after havingbeen three times admonished, they shall not obey, shall be rigorouslypunished, according to the measure of their guilt, by the Ordinaries of theplaces, ex officio, even though not called upon to do so by any one; andthey shall be cast forth from the city or diocese, if the Ordinaries shallthink fit, calling in the aid of the Secular arm, if need be; the otherpenalties inflicted on adulterers and concubinaries remaining in their fullforce.

Earthly affections and desires do for the most part so blind the eyes ofthe understanding of temporal lords and magistrates, as that, by threatsand ill-usage, they compel both men and women, who live under theirjurisdiction,-especially such as are rich, or who have expectations of agreat inheritance,-to contract marriage against their inclination withthose whom the said lords or magistrates may prescribe unto them. Wherefore, seeing that it is a thing especially execrable to violate theliberty of matrimony, and that wrong comes from those from whom right islooked for, the holy Synod enjoins on all, of[Page 204] whatsoever grade, dignity,and condition they may be, under pain of anathema to be ipso factoincurred, that they put no constraint, in any way whatever, either directlyor indirectly, on those subject to them, or any others whomsoever, so as tohinder them from freely contracting marriage.

The holy Synod enjoins, that the ancient prohibitions of solemn nuptials becarefully observed by all, from the Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ untilthe day of the Epiphany, and from Ash-Wednesday until the octave of Easterinclusively; but at other times It allows marriage to be solemnlycelebrated; and the bishops shall take care that they be conducted withbecoming modesty and propriety: for marriage is a holy thing, and is to betreated in a holy manner.

The same sacred and holy Synod, prosecuting the subject of Reformation,ordains that the things following be established in the present Session.

If, as regards all manner of degrees in the Church, a provident andenlightened care is to be taken, that in the house of the Lord there benothing disorderly, nothing unseemly; much more ought we to strive that noerror be committed in the election of him who is constituted above allthose degrees.[Page 205] For the state and order of the whole household of the Lordwill totter, if what is required in the body be not found in the head. Forwhich cause, although the holy Synod has elsewhere usefully ordainedcertain things touching those who are to be promoted to cathedral andsuperior churches, yet doth it account this office to be of such a nature,as that were it to be pondered upon in proportion to its greatness, therewould never seem to have been caution enough taken. Wherefore It ordains,that, as soon as a church shall become vacant, processions, and prayersshall be made in public and private; and such shall be enjoined, by theChapter, throughout the city and diocese; that thereby both clergy andpeople may be enabled to obtain from God a good pastor.

And as regards all and each of those who have, in any way, any right fromthe Apostolic See, or who otherwise have a part, in the promotion of thoseto be set over the churches; the holy Synod,-without making any changeherein, from a consideration of the circumstances of the presenttime,-exhorts and admonishes them, that they above all things bear in mindthat they cannot do anything more conducive to the glory of God, and thesalvation of the people, than to study to promote good pastors, and such asare capable of governing a church; and that they sin mortally, becomingpartakers in others' sins, unless they carefully endeavour that those bepromoted whom they themselves judge the most worthy of, and useful to, thechurch, not guided by entreaties, or human affection, or the solicitationsof pretenders, but by what the merits of the individuals require at theirhands; and seeing that they be persons whom they know to have been born inlawful wedlock, and who, by their life, learning, and in all otherqualifications, are such as are required by the sacred canons, and by thedecrees of this Synod of Trent.

And forasmuch as, by reason of the diversity of nations, peoples, andcustoms, a uniform system cannot be followed everywhere, in receiving thegrave and competent testimony of[Page 206] good and learned men on the subject of theaforesaid qualifications, the holy Synod ordains, that, in a provincialSynod, to be held by the metropolitan, there shall be prescribed for eachplace and province a proper form of examination, scrutiny, or information,such as shall seem to be most useful and suitable for the said places,which form is to be submitted to the approval of the most holy RomanPontiff; yet so, however, that, after that this examination, or scrutiny,as regards the persons to be promoted, shall have been completed, it shall,after being reduced into the form of a public document, be necessarilytransmitted, as soon as possible, with all the attestations and with theprofession of faith made by the individual to be promoted, to the most holyRoman Pontiff, in order that the said Sovereign Pontiff, having a fullknowledge of the whole matter and of the persons, may, for the advantage ofthe Lord's flock, in a most useful manner provide those churches therewith,if they shall have been found, by the examination or scrutiny, suitablepersons. And all the scrutinies, informations, attestations, and proofs ofwhatsoever kind, and by whomsoever made, even though in the Roman court,touching the qualifications of the person to be promoted, shall becarefully examined by a cardinal-who shall report thereon to theconsistory-aided therein by three other cardinals; and the said reportshall be authenticated by the signature of the cardinal who drew up thereport, and of the three other cardinals; and therein each of the fourcardinals shall make affirmation that, after giving exact attentionthereto, he has found the persons to be promoted, endowed with thequalifications required by law, and by this holy Synod, and that, at theperil of his eternal salvation, he doth certainly think them fit to beplaced over the churches: in such wise that, after the report has been madein one consistory, the sentence shall be deferred until another consistory,in order that the said inquiry may be more maturely looked into in the meantime,-unless the most blessed Pontiff shall judge it expedient to actotherwise.

[Page 207] And the Synod ordains, that all and singular the particulars which havebeen elsewhere ordained, in the same Synod, touching the life, age,learning, and the other qualifications of those who are to be appointedbishops, the same are also to be required in the creation of cardinals-eventhough they be deacons -of the holy Roman Church; whom the most holy RomanPontiff shall, as far as it can be conveniently done, select out of all thenations of Christendom, as he shall find persons suitable.

Finally, the same holy Synod, moved by the so many most grievousafflictions of the Church, cannot avoid recording, that nothing is morenecessary for the Church of God than that the most blessed Roman Pontiffapply especially here that solicitude, which, by the duty of his office, heowes to the Universal Church,-that he take unto himself, to wit ascardinals, persons the most select only, and that he appoint over eachchurch, above all things, good and fit pastors; and this the more, for thatour Lord Jesus Christ will require at his hands the blood of those sheep ofChrist which shall perish through the evil government of pastors who arenegligent, and forgetful of their office.

Provincial councils, wheresoever they have been omitted, shall be renewed,for the regulating of morals, the correcting of excesses, the composing ofcontroversies, and for the other purposes allowed of by the sacred canons. Therefore, the metropolitans in person, or if they be lawfully hindered,the oldest suffragan bishop shall not fail to assemble a Synod, each in hisown province, within a year at latest from the termination of the presentcouncil, and afterwards, at least every third year,[Page 208] either after the octaveof the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, or at some other moreconvenient time, according to the custom of the province; at which councilall the bishops and others, who, by right or custom, ought to be presentthereat, shall be absolutely bound to assemble, those excepted who wouldhave to cross the sea at their imminent peril. The bishops of the provinceshall not, for the future, be compelled, under the pretext of any customwhatsoever, to repair against their will to the metropolitan church. Thosebishops likewise who are not subject to any archbishop, shall once for allmake choice of some neighbouring metropolitan, at whose provincial Synodthey shall be bound to be present with the other bishops, and shallobserve, and cause to be observed, whatsoever shall be therein ordained. In all other respects, their exemption and privileges shall remain wholeand entire.

Diocesan Synods also shall be celebrated every year; to which all thoseeven who are exempted, but who would otherwise, that exemption ceasing,have to attend, and who are not subject to general Chapters, shall be boundto come; understanding however that, on account of parochial, or otherSecular churches, even though annexed, those who have charge thereof mustneeds, whosoever they may be, be present at the said Synod. But if any,whether metropolitans, or bishops, or the others above-named, shall benegligent in these matters, they shall incur the penalties enacted by thesacred canons.

CHAPTER III.
In what manner Prelates are to make their visitation.

Patriarchs, primates, metropolitans, and bishops shall not fail to visittheir respective dioceses, either personally, or, if they be lawfullyhindered, by their Vicar-general, or visitor; if they shall not be able onaccount of its extent, to make the visitation of the whole annually, theyshall visit at least the greater part thereof, so that the whole shall becompleted in two years,[Page 209] either by themselves, or by their visitors. Metropolitans, however, even after having made a complete visitation oftheir own proper diocese, shall not visit the cathedral churches, or thedioceses of the bishops of their province, except for a cause takencognizance and approved of in the provincial Council.

But archdeacons, deans, and other inferiors, who have been hithertoaccustomed lawfully to exercise (the power of) visitation in certainchurches, shall henceforth visit those same places, but by themselves only,with the consent of the bishop, and assisted by a notary. The visitorsalso who may be deputed by a Chapter, where the Chapter has the right ofvisitation, shall be first approved of by the bishop; but the bishop, or,if he be hindered, his visitor, shall not thereby be prevented fromvisiting those same churches apart from those deputies; and the saidarchdeacons, and other inferiors, shall be bound to give the bishop anaccount, within a month, of the visitation that has been made, and to showhim the depositions of witnesses, and the proceedings in their entire form;any custom, even though immemorial, and any exemptions and privilegeswhatsoever notwithstanding.

But the principle object of all these visitations shall be to lead to soundand orthodox doctrine, by banishing heresies; to maintain good morals, andto correct such as are evil; to animate the people, by exhortations andadmonitions, to religion, peacefulness, and innocence; and to establishsuch other things as to the prudence of the visitors shall seem for theprofit of the faithful, according as time, place and opportunity shallallow. And to the end that all this may have a more easy and prosperous issue, all and each of the aforesaid, towhom the right of visitation belongs, are admonished to treat all personswith fatherly love and Christian zeal; and with this view being contentwith a modest train of servants and horses, they shall endeavour tocomplete the said visitation as speedily as possible, though with duecarefulness. And during it they shall be careful not to be troublesome orburthensome to any one by any useless expenses; and neither they, nor anyof theirs, shall, by way of agency fee for the visitation, or, on accountof wills made for pious uses--except that which is of right due to them outof[Page 210] pious bequests--or under any other name whatsoever, receive anything, beit money, or present, of whatsoever kind, or in whatsoever way offered; anycustom, even though immemorial, to the contrary notwithstanding; with theexception, however, of food, which shall be furnished frugally and inmoderation to them and theirs, only during the time necessary for thevisitation, and no longer. It shall, however, be at the option of thosewho are visited, to pay, if they prefer it, in money, according to a fixedassessment, what they have been accustomed heretofore to disburse, or tofurnish the food as aforesaid; saving also the right of ancient conventionsentered into with monasteries, or other pious places, or churches notparochial, which right shall remain inviolate. But, in those places orprovinces, where it is the custom that neither food, money, nor anythingelse be received by the visitors, but that all be done gratuitously, thesame shall be retained there.

But if any one, which God forbid, shall presume to receive anything morethan is prescribed in any of the cases above-named; besides the restitutionof double the amount which is to be made within a month, he shall also besubjected, without any hope of pardon, to the other penalties contained inthe constitution of the general Councils of Lyons, which begins, Exigit; asalso to the other penalties (which shall be enacted) in the provincialSynod, at the discretion of that Synod.

As regards patrons, they shall not presume in any way to interfere in thosethings which regard the administration of the sacraments; neither shallthey meddle with the visitation of the ornaments of the church, or itsrevenues arising from landed property, or from buildings, excepting so faras they are competent to do this by the institution, or foundation; but thebishops themselves shall attend to these things, and shall take care thatthe revenues of those buildings be expended upon purposes necessary anduseful for the church, as to them shall seem most expedient.

[Page 211]

The holy Synod, desirous that the office of preaching, which peculiarlybelongs to bishops, may be exercised as frequently as possible, for thewelfare of the faithful, and accommodating more aptly to the use of thepresent times, the canons elsewhere set forth on this subject, under PaulIII., of happy memory, ordains, that the bishops shall themselves inperson, each in his own church, announce the sacred Scriptures and thedevine law, or if lawfully hindered, it shall be done by those whom theyshall appoint to the office of preaching; and in the other churches by theparish priests, or, if they be hindered, by others to be deputed by thebishop, whether it be in the city, or in any other part whatsoever of thediocese wherein they shall judge such preaching expedient, at the charge ofthose who are bound, or who are accustomed, to defray it, and this at leaston all Lord's Days and solemn festivals; but, during the season of thefasts, of Lent and of the Advent of the Lord, daily, or at least on threedays in the week, if the said bishop shall deem it needful; and, at othertimes, as often as they shall judge that it can be opportunely done. Andthe bishop shall diligently admonish the people, that each one is bound tobe present at his own parish church, where it can be conveniently done, tohear the word of God. But no one, whether Secular or Regular, shallpresume to preach, even in churches of his own order, in opposition to thewill of the bishop.

The said bishops shall also take care, that, at least on the Lord's Daysand other festivals, the children in every parish be carefully taught therudiments of the faith, and obedience towards[Page 212] God and their parents, by those whose duty it is, and who shall beconstrained thereunto by their bishops, if need be, even by ecclesiasticalcensures; any privileges and customs notwithstanding. In other respects,those things decreed, under the said Paul III., concerning the office ofpreaching, shall have their full force.

The more grave criminal causes against bishops, even of heresy-which mayGod forfend-which merit deposition or deprivation, shall be takencognizance of and decided by the Sovereign Roman Pontiff himself only. Butif the cause shall be of such a nature that it must necessarily becommitted out of the Roman Court, it shall not be committed to any otherssoever, but metropolitans, or bishops, to be chosen by the most blessedPope. And this commission shall both be special, and shall be signed bythe most holy Pontiff's own hand; nor shall he ever grant more to thosecommissioners than this,-that they take information only of the fact, anddraw up the process, which they shall immediately transmit to the RomanPontiff; the definitive sentence being reserved to the said most holyPontiff.

The other things hereupon elsewhere decreed, under Julius III., ofhappy memory, as also the constitution published in a general Council underInnocent III., which begins, Qualiter et quando, which constitution theholy Synod renews in this present decree, shall be observed by all.

But the less criminal causes of bishops shall be taken cognizance of anddecided in the provincial Council only, or by persons deputed thereunto bythe provincial Council.

[Page 213]

It shall be lawful for the bishop to dispense in all manner ofirregularities and suspensions, arising from a crime that is secret,-exceptthat proceeding from wilful homicide, and those crimes which have beenalready carried before a legal tribunal; -and (it shall be lawful forthem), in their own diocese, either by themselves, or by a vicar to bedeputed especially for that purpose, to absolve gratuitously, as far as thetribunal of the conscience is concerned, after imposing a salutary penance,all delinquents whatsoever their subjects, in all cases whatsoever that aresecret, even though reserved to the Apostolic See. The same also, asregards the crime of heresy, shall be permitted them in the said court ofconscience, but to them only, and not to their vicars.

In order that the faithful people may approach to the reception of thesacraments with greater reverence and devotion of mind, the holy Synodenjoins on all bishops, that, not only when they are themselves about toadminister them to the people, they shall first explain, in a manner suitedto the capacity of those who receive them, the efficacy and use of thosesacraments, but shall endeavour that the same be done piously and prudently[Page 214] by every parish priest; and this even in the vernacular tongue, if need be,and it can be conveniently done; and in accordance with the form which willbe prescribed for each of the sacraments, by the holy Synod, in a catechismwhich the bishops shall take care to have faithfully translated into thevulgar tongue, and to have expounded to the people by all parish priests;as also that, during the solemnization of mass, or the celebration of thedivine offices, they explain, in the said vulgar tongue, on all festivals,or solemnities, the sacred oracles, and the maxims of salvation; and that,setting aside all unprofitable questions, they endeavour to impress them onthe hearts of all, and to instruct them in the law of the Lord.

The apostle admonishes that those who sin publicly are to be reprovedopenly. When, therefore, any one has, publicly and in the sight of many,committed a crime, whereby there is no doubt that others have been offendedand scandalized; there must needs be publicly imposed upon him a penancesuitable to the measure of his guilt; that so those whom he has allured toevil manners by his example, he may bring back to an upright life by thetestimony of his amendment. The bishop, however, may, when he judges itmore expedient, commute this kind of public penance into one that issecret. Likewise, in all cathedral churches, where it can be convenientlydone, the bishop shall appoint a penitentiary, annexing thereto the prebendthat shall next become vacant, which penitentiary shall be a master, ordoctor, or licentiate in theology, or in canon law, and forty years of age,or otherwise one who shall be found more suitable[Page 215] considering the characterof the place; and, whilst hearing confessions in the church, he shall bemeanwhile reputed as present in choir.

Those things which have elsewhere been established by this same Council,under Paul III., of happy memory, and lately under our most blessed lordPius IV., touching the diligence to be used by the Ordinaries in visitingbenefices, even though exempted, the same shall also be observed in regardof those Secular churches which are said to be in no one's diocese; to witthey shall be visited by the bishop-as the delegate of the ApostolicSee-whose cathedral church is the nearest, if he be able to do so;otherwise, by him whom the prelate of the said place has once for allselected in the provincial Council;-any privileges and customs whatsoever,even though immemorial, to the contrary notwithstanding.

Bishops, that they may be the better able to keep the people whom they rulein duty and obedience, shall, in all those things which regard visitationand correction of manners, have the right and power, even as delegates ofthe Apostolic See, of ordaining, regulating, correcting, and executing, inaccordance with the enactments of the canons, those things which, in theirprudence, shall seem to them necessary for the amendment of their subjects,and for the good of their respective dioceses. Nor herein, when visitationand correction of manners are concerned, shall any exemption, or anyinhibition, or appeal, or complaint, even though interposed to theApostolic See, in any way hinder, or suspend the execution of those thingswhich shall have been by them enjoined, decreed, or adjudged.

[Page 216]

Forasmuch as the privileges and exemptions which, under various titles, aregranted to very many persons, are clearly seen to raise, in these days,confusion in the jurisdiction of bishops, and to give occasion to thoseexempted to lead a more relaxed life; the holy Synod ordains, that if atany time it be thought proper, for just, weighty, and well nigh compulsorycauses, that certain persons be distinguished by the honorary titles ofProtonotary, Acolyte, Count Palatine, Royal Chaplain, or other such titlesof distinction, whether in the Roman court or elsewhere; as also thatothers be admitted into monasteries as Oblates, or as attached thereunto insome other way, or under the name of servants to military orders,monasteries, hospitals, colleges, or under any other title whatsoever;nothing is to be understood as being, by these privileges, taken away fromthe Ordinaries, so as to prevent those persons, unto whom those privilegeshave already been granted, or to whom they may be hereafter conceded, frombeing fully subject in all things to the said Ordinaries, as delegates ofthe Apostolic See, and this as regards Royal Chaplains, in accordance withthe constitution of Innocent III., which begins Cum capella: those persons,however, being excepted, who are engaged in actual service in the aforesaidplaces, or in military orders, and who reside within their enclosures andhouses, and live under obedience to them; as also those who have made theirprofession lawfully and according to the rules of the said military orders,whereof the Ordinary must be certified: notwithstanding any privileges whatsoever, even those of the order of Saint John of Jerusalem, and of othermilitary orders. But, as regards those privileges which by virtue of theconstitution of Eugenius, those are accustomed to enjoy who reside in theRoman Court, or who are in the household of cardinals, such privilegesshall in no wise be understood to apply to those who hold ecclesiasticalbenefices, in so[Page 217] far as those benefices are concerned; but such shallcontinue subject to the jurisdiction of the Ordinary; any inhibitions tothe contrary notwithstanding.

Whereas dignities, especially in cathedral churches, were established topreserve and increase ecclesiastical discipline, with the view that thosewho should obtain them, might be pre-eminent in piety, be an example toothers, and aid the bishop by their exertions and services; it is butright, that those who are called unto those dignities, should be such as tobe able to answer the purposes of their office. Wherefore, no one shallhenceforth be promoted to any dignities whatsoever, to which the cure ofsouls is attached, who has not attained at least to the twenty-fifth yearof his age, and, having been exercised for some time in the clerical order,is recommended by the learning necessary for the discharge of his office,and by integrity of morals, conformably to the constitution of AlexanderIII., promulgated in the Council of Lateran, which begins, Cum in cunctis.

In like manner archdeacons, who are called the eyes of the bishop, shall,in all churches, where it is possible, be masters in theology, or doctorsor licentiates in canon law. But, to the other dignities or personates, towhich no cure of souls is attached, clerics shall be promoted, who are inother respects qualified, and who are not less than twenty-two years ofage. Those also who are promoted to any benefices whatsoever having cureof souls, shall, within two months at the latest from the day of obtainingpossession, be bound to make a public profession of their orthodox faith inthe presence of the bishop[Page 218] himself, or, if he be hindered, before hisVicar-general, or official; and shall promise and swear, that they willcontinue in obedience to the Roman Church. But those who are promoted tocanonries and dignities in cathedral churches, shall be bound to do thisnot only before the bishop, or his official, but also in the Chapter;otherwise all those promoted as aforesaid shall not render the fruitstheirs; nor shall possession avail them anything. No one shall henceforthbe received to a dignity, canonry, or portion, but one who has eitheralready been admitted to that sacred order which that dignity, prebend, orportion requires, or is of such an age as to be capable of being admittedto that order, within the time prescribed by law and by this holy Synod. As regards all cathedral churches, all canonries and portions shall beattached to the order of the priesthood, deaconship, or subdeaconship; andthe bishop, with the advice of the Chapter, shall designate and apportion,as he shall judge expedient, to which thereof each of those respectivesacred orders is for the future to be annexed; in such wise, however, thatone half at least shall be priests, and the rest deacons, or subdeacons:but where the more praiseworthy custom requires, that the greater part, orthat all be priests, it shall be by all means retained. Moreover, the holySynod exhorts that, in provinces where it can conveniently be done, all thedignities, and one half at least of the canonries, in cathedral and eminentcollegiate churches, be conferred only on masters, or doctors, or even onlicentiates in theology, or canon law. Furthermore, it shall not be lawful,by virtue of any manner of statute or custom whatsoever, for those whopossess, in the said cathedral or collegiate churches, any dignities,canonries, prebends, or portions, to be absent from those churches, abovethree months in each year-saving, however, the constitutions of thosechurches which require a longer term of service-otherwise every offendershall, for the first year, be deprived of onehalf of the fruits which hehas made his own by reason even of his prebend and residence. But, if hebe again guilty of the same negligence, he shall be deprived of all thefruits which he may have acquired during that same year: and, the contumacyincreasing, they shall be proceeded against according to the con-[Page 219] stitutionsof the sacred canons. As regards the distributions; those who have beenpresent at the stated hours shall receive them; all others shall, allcollusion and remission set aside, forfeit them, pursuant to the decree ofBoniface VIII., which begins, Consuetudinem, which the holy Synod bringsagain into use; any statutes, or customs, whatsoever, to the contrarynotwithstanding. And all shall be obliged to perform the divine offices inperson, and not by substitutes; as also to attend on and serve the bishopwhen celebrating (mass), or performing any other pontifical functions; andreverently, distinctly, and devoutly to praise the name of God, in hymnsand canticles, in the choir appointed for psalmody.

They shall, moreover, at all times wear a becoming dress, both in and outof church; shall abstain from unlawful hunting, hawking, dancing, taverns,and gaines; and be distinguished for such integrity of manners, as thatthey may with justice be called the senate of the Church. As to othermatters, regarding the suitable manner of conducting the divine offices,the proper way of singing or chanting therein, the specific regulations forassembling in choir and for remaining there, as also such things as may benecessary in regard of all those who minister in the church, and any otherthings of the like kind; the provincial Synod shall prescribe a fixed formon each Head, having regard to the utility and habits of each province. But, in the mean time, the bishop, assisted by not less than two canons,one of whom shall be chosen by the bishop, and the other by the Chapter,shall have power to provide herein as may be judged expedient.

Forasmuch as very many cathedral churches have so slight a revenue, and areso small, that they by no means correspond with the episcopal dignity, norsuffice for the necessities of the churches; the provincial Council, havingsummoned those whose[Page 220] interests are concerned, shall examine and weigh withcare, what churches it may be expedient, on account of their small extent,and their poverty, to unite to others in the neighbourhood, or to augmentwith fresh revenues; and shall send the documents prepared in regardthereof to the Sovereign Roman Pontiff; who, being thereby made acquaintedwith the matter, shall, of his own prudence, as he may judge expedient,either unite together the slightly provided churches, or improve them bysome augmentation derived from the fruits. But in the meantime, until thethings aforesaid are carried into effect, the Sovereign Pontiff mayprovide, out of certain benefices, for those bishops who, on account of thepoverty of their dioceses, stand in need of being aided by certain fruits;provided however those benefices be not cures, nor dignities, canonries,prebends, nor monasteries wherein regular observance is in force, or whichare subject to general Chapters, or to certain visitors.

In parish churches also, the fruits of which are in like manner so slightthat they are not sufficient to meet the necessary charges, the bishop,-ifunable to provide for the exigency by a union of benefices, not howeverthose belonging to Regulars,-shall make it his care, that, by theassignment of first fruits, or tithes, or by the contributions andcollections of the parishioners, or in some other way that shall seem tohim more suitable, as much be amassed as may decently suffice for thenecessities of the rector and of the parish.

But in whatsoever unions may have to be made, whether for the causesaforesaid, or for others, parish churches shall not be united to anymonasteries whatever, or abbeys, or dignities, or prebends of a cathedralor collegiate church, or to any other simple benefices, hospitals, ormilitary orders; and those so united shall be again taken cognizance of bythe Ordinaries, pursuant to the decree already made in this same Synod,under Paul III., of happy memory, which shall also be equally observed inregard of those unions that have been made from that time forth to thepresent; notwithstanding whatsoever form of words may have been usedtherein, which shall be accounted as being sufficiently expressed here.

Furthermore, all those cathedral churches, the revenue of which,[Page 221] in realannual value, does not exceed the sum of one thousand ducats, and thoseparish churches where it does not exceed the sum of one hundred ducats,shall not for the future be burthened with any manner of pensions, orreservations of fruits. Also, in those cities and places where the parishchurches have not any certain boundaries, neither have the rectors thereoftheir own proper people to govern, but administer the sacraments to allindiscriminately who desire them, the holy Synod enjoins on bishops, thatfor the greater security of the salvation of the souls committed to theircharge, having divided the people into fixed and proper parishes, theyshall assign to each parish its own perpetual and peculiar parish priestwho may know his own parishioners, and from whom alone they may licitlyreceive the sacraments; or the bishops shall make such other provision asmay be more beneficial, according as the character of the place mayrequire. They shall also take care, that the same be done, as soon aspossible, in those cities and places where there are no parish churches:any privileges aind customs, even though immemorial, to the contrarynotwithstanding.

In many churches, as well cathedral as collegiate and parochial, it isunderstood to be the practice, derived either from the constitutionsthereof, or from an evil custom, that upon any election, presentation,institution, confirmation, collation, or other provision, or upon admissionto the possession of any cathedral church, benefice, canonries, orprebends, or to a participation in the revenues, or the dailydistributions, there are introduced certain conditions, or deductions fromthe fruits, certain payments, promises, unlawful compensations, as also theprofits which are in some churches called Turnorum lucra; and[Page 222] whereas theholy Synod detests these practices, It enjoins on bishops, that they suffernot anything of the kind to be done, unless the proceeds be converted topious uses, nor permit any of those modes of entering (on benefices) whichcarry with them a suspicion of a simoniacal taint, or of sordid avarice;and they shall themselves carefully take cognizance of their constitutions,or customs in the above regards; and, those only being retained which theyshall approve of as laudable, the rest they shall reject and abolish ascorrupt and scandalous. And It decrees that those, who act in any waycontrary to the things comprised in this present decree, incur thepenalties set forth against simoniacs by the sacred canons, and diversconstitutions of the Sovereign Pontiffs, all of which this Synod renews;any statutes, constitutions, customs, even though immemorial, even thoughconfirmed by apostolic authority, to the contrary notwithstanding; thebishop, as the delegate of the Apostolic See, having power to takecognizance of any surreption, obreption, or defect of intention, in regardthereof.

In cathedral, and eminent collegiate, churches, where the prebends arenumerous, and so small, that, even with the daily distributions, they arenot sufficient for the decent maintenance of the rank of the canons,according to the character of the place, and of the persons, it shall belawful for the bishop, with the consent of the Chapter, either to unitethereunto certain simple benefices, not however such as belong to Regulars,or, if a provision cannot be made in this way, they may reduce thoseprebends to a less number, by suppressing some of them,-with the consent ofthe patron, if the right of patronage belong to laymen,-the fruits andproceeds of which shall be applied towards the daily distributions of theremaining prebends; yet so, however, that such a number shall be left asmay conveniently serve for the celebration of divine worship,[Page 223] and besuitable to the dignity of the church; any constitutions and privilegeswhatsoever, or any reservation whether general or special, or anyapplication whatever, to the contrary notwithstanding: nor shall theaforesaid unions or suppressions be set aside or hindered by any manner ofprovision whatsoever, not even by virtue of any resignation, or by anyother derogations, or suspensions whatever.

When a See is vacant, the Chapter, in those places where the duty ofreceiving the fruits devolves upon it, shall appoint one or more faithfuland diligent stewards to take care of the property and revenues of thechurch, of which they shall afterwards give an account to him whom it mayregard. It shall also be absolutely bound, within eight days after thedecease of the bishop, to appoint an official, or vicar, or to confirm theone who fills that office; who shall at least be a doctor, or a licentiate,of canon law, or otherwise as competent a person as can be procured: ifanything be done contrary hereto, the appointment aforesaid shall devolveon the metropolitan. And if the church be itself the metropolitan, orexempted, and the Chapter shall be, as has been said above, negligent, thenshall the oldest of the suffragan bishops in that metropolitan church, andthe nearest bishop in regard of that church that is exempted, have power toappoint a competent steward and vicar. And the bishop, who is promoted tothe said vacant church, shall demand, from the said steward, vicar, and allother officers and administrators, who, during the vacancy of the See,were, by the Chapter, or others, appointed in his room,-even though theyshould belong to the Chapter itself,-an account of those things whichconcern him, of their functions, jurisdiction, administration, or of anyother their charge whatsoever; and shall have[Page 224] power to punish those whohave been guilty of any delinquency in their office or administration, eventhough the officers aforesaid, having given in their accounts, may haveobtained a quittance or discharge from the Chapter, or those deputedthereby. The Chapter shall also be bound to render an account to the saidbishop of any papers belonging to the church, if any such have come intothe possession thereof.

Whereas ecclesiastical order is perverted when one cleric fills the officesof several, the sacred canons have holily provided that no one ought to beenrolled in two churches. But, seeing that many, through the passion ofungodly covetousness deceiving themselves, not God, are not ashamed toelude, by various artifices, what has been so excellently ordained, and tohold several benefices at the same time; the holy Synod, desiring torestore the discipline required for the government of the church, doth bythis present decree,-which It orders to be observed in regard of allpersons whatsoever, by whatsoever title distinguished, even though it be bythe dignity of the Cardinalate,-ordain, that, for the future, oneecclesiastical benefice only shall be conferred on one and the same person. If indeed that benefice be not sufficient to afford a decent livelihood tothe person on whom it is conferred, it shall then be lawful to bestow onhim some other simple benefice that may be sufficient; provided that bothdo not require personal residence. And the above shall apply not only tocathedral churches, but also to all other benefices whatsoever, whetherSecular or Regular, even to those held in commendam, of whatsoever titleand quality they may be. But they who at present hold several parochialchurches, or one cathedral and one parochial church, shall be absolutelyobliged,-all dispensations and unions for life whatsoever to the contrarynotwithstanding,-retaining one parochial church only, or the cathedralchurch alone, to resign the other parochial[Page 225] churches within the space ofsix months; otherwise as well the parish churches, as also all thebenefices which they hold, shall be accounted ipso jure void, and as voidshall be freely conferred on other competent persons; nor shall they whopreviously held them be able to retain the fruits thereof, with a safeconscience, after the said time. But the holy Synod desires that aprovision be made in some suitable manner, as may seem fit to the SovereignPontiff, for the necessities of those who resign.

It is most highly expedient for the salvation of souls, that they begoverned by worthy and competent parish priests. To the end that this maywith greater care and effect be accomplished, the holy Synod ordains, thatwhen a vacancy occurs in a parish church, whether by death, or byresignation, even in the Roman Court, or in any other manner whatsoever,though it may be alleged that the charge thereof devolves on the church(itself), or on the bishop, and though it may be served by one or morepriests,-and this not excepting even those churches called patrimonial, orreceptive, wherein the bishop has been accustomed to assign the cure ofsouls to one or more (priests), all of whom, as this Synod ordains, must besubjected to the examination herein prescribed later,-even though,moreover, the said parish church may be reserved, or appropriated, whethergenerally or specially, by virtue even of an indult, or privilege grantedin favour of cardinals of the holy Roman Church, or of certain abbots, orchapters; it shall be the duty of the bishop, at once, upon obtaininginformation of the vacancy of the church,[Page 226] to appoint, if need be, acompetent vicar to the same--with a suitable assignment, at his owndiscretion, of a portion of the fruits thereof--to support the duties of thesaid church, until it shall be provided with a rector. Moreover, thebishop, and he who has the right of patronage, shall, within ten days, orsuch other term as the bishop shall prescribe, nominate, in the presence ofthose who shall be deputed as examiners, certain clerics as capable ofgoverning the said church. It shall nevertheless be free for others also,who may know any that are fit for the office, to give in their names, thata diligent scrutiny may be afterwards made as to the age, morals, andsufficiency of each. And even,--if the bishop, or the provincial Synodshall, considering the custom of the country, judge this moreexpedient,--those who may wish to be examined may be summoned by a publicnotice. When the time appointed has transpired, all those whose names havebeen entered shall be examined by the bishop, or, if he be hindered, by hisVicar-general, and by the other examiners, who shall not be fewer thanthree; to whose votes, if they should be equal, or given to distinctindividuals, the bishop, or his vicar, may add theirs, in favour ofwhomsoever they shall think most fit.

And as regards the examiners, six at least shall be annually proposed bythe bishop, or by his vicar, in the diocesan Synod; who shall be such asshall satisfy, and shall be approved of by, the said Synod. And upon anyvacancy occurring in any church, the bishop shall select three out of thatnumber to make the examination with him; and afterwards, upon anothervacancy following, he shall select, out of the six aforesaid, the same, orthree others, whom he may prefer. But the said examiners shall be masters,or doctors, or licentiates in theology, or in canon law, or such otherclerics, whether Regulars,-even of the order of mendicants,-or Seculars, asshall seem best adapted thereunto; and they shall all swear on the holyGospels of God, that they will, setting aside every human affection,faithfully perform their duty. And they shall beware of receiving anythingwhatever, either before or after, on account of this examination;otherwise, both the receivers and the givers will incur the guilt ofsimony, from which they shall not be capable of[Page 227] being absolved, until afterthey have resigned the benefices which they were possessed of in any mannerwhatsoever, even before this act; and they shall be rendered incapable ofany others for the time to come. And in regard of all these matters, theyshall be bound to render an account, not only to God, but also, if need be,to the provincial Synod, which shall have power to punish them severely, atIts discretion, if it be ascertained that they have done anything contraryto their duty.

Then, after the examination is completed, a report shall be made of allthose who shall have been judged, by the said examiners, fit by age,morals, learning, prudence, and other suitable qualifications, to governthe vacant church; and out of these the bishop shall select him whom heshall judge the most fit of all; and to him, and to none other, shall thechurch be collated by him unto whom it belongs to collate thereunto. But,if the church be under ecclesiastical patronage, and the institutionthereunto belongs to the bishop, and to none else, whomsoever the patronshall judge the most worthy from amongst those who have been approved of bythe examiners, him he shall be bound to present to the bishop, that he mayreceive institution from him: but when the institution is to proceed fromany other than the bishop, then the bishop alone shall select the worthiestfrom amongst the worthy, and him the patron shall present to him unto whomthe institution belongs.

But if it be under lay patronage, the individual who shall be presented bythe patron, must be examined, as above, by those deputed thereunto, and notbe admitted, unless he be found fit. And, in all the above-mentioned cases,to none other but to one of those who have been examined as aforesaid, andhave been approved of by the examiners, according to the rule prescribedabove, shall the church be committed, nor shall any devolution, or appeal,interposed even before the Apostolic See, or the legates, vice-legates, ornuncios of that see, or before any bishops, or metropolitans, primates, orpatriarchs, hinder or suspend the report of the aforesaid examiners frombeing carried into execution: for the rest, the vicar whom the bishop has,at his own discretion, already deputed for the time being to the vacantchurch, or whom he may afterwards happen to depute[Page 228] thereunto, shall not beremoved from the charge and administration of the said church, until it beprovided for, either by the appointment of the vicar himself, or of someother person, who has been approved of and elected as above: and allprovisions and institutions made otherwise than according to theabove-named form, shall be accounted surreptitious: any exemptions,indults, privileges, preventions, appropriations, new provisions, indultsgranted to any university whatsoever, even for a certain sum, and any otherimpediments whatsoever, in opposition to this decree, notwithstanding.

If, however, the said parish churches should possess so slight a revenue,as not to allow of the trouble of all this examination; or should no oneseek to undergo this examination; or if, by reason of the open factions, ordissensions, which are met with in some places, more grievous quarrels andtumults may easily be excited thereby; the Ordinary may, omitting thisformality, have recourse to a private examination, if, in his conscience,with the advice of the (examiners) deputed, he shall judge this expedient;observing however the other things as prescribed above. It shall also belawful for the provincial Synod, if It shall judge that there are anyparticulars which ought to be added to, or retrenched from, the aboveregulations concerning the form of examination, to provide accordingly.

The holy Synod ordains, that mandates for contingent promotions, and thosegraces which are called expectant, shall not any more be granted to anyone, not even to colleges, universities, senates, or to any individualswhatsoever, even[Page 220] though under the name of an indult, or up to a certainsum, or under any other colourable title; nor shall it be lawful for anyone to make use of such as have been heretofore granted. So, neither shallany mental reservations, nor any other graces whatsoever in regard offuture vacancies in benefices, nor indults which apply to churchesbelonging to others, or to monasteries, be granted to any, not evencardinals of the holy Roman Church; and those hitherto granted shall belooked upon as abrogated.

All causes belonging in any way whatever to the ecclesiastical court, eventhough they may relate to benefices, shall be taken cognizance of, in thefirst instance, before the Ordinaries of the places only; and shall becompletely terminated within two years at the latest from the time that thesuit was instituted: otherwise, at the expiration of that period, it shallbe free for the parties, or for either of them, to have recourse tosuperior, but otherwise competent, judges, who shall take up the cause asit shall then stand, and shall take care that it be terminated with allpossible despatch; nor, before that period, shall the causes be committedto any others (than the Ordinaries), nor be transferred therefrom; norshall any appeals interposed by those parties be received by any superiorjudges whatsoever; nor shall any commission, or inhibition be issued bythem, except upon a definitive sentence, or one that has the force thereof,and the grievance arising from which cannot be redressed by an appeal fromthat definitive sentence. From the above are to be excepted those causes,which, pursuant to the appointments of the canons, are to be tried beforethe Apostolic See, or those which the Sovereign Roman Pontiff shall, for anurgent and[Page 221] reasonable cause, judge fit to appoint, or to avocate, for hisown hearing, by a special rescript under the signature of his Holinesssigned with his own hand.

Furthermore, matrimonial and criminal causes shall not be left to thejudgment of deans, archdeacons, and other inferiors, even when on theircourse of visitation, but shall be reserved for the examination andjurisdiction of the bishop only; even though there should be, at thispresent moment, a suit pending, in whatsoever stage of the proceedings itmay be, between any bishop, and the dean, or archdeacon, touching thecognizance of this class of causes: and if, in any said matrimonial cause,one of the parties shall truly prove his property in the presence of thebishop, he shall not be compelled to plead out of the province, either inthe second or third stage of the suit, unless the other party will providefor his maintenance, and also bear the expenses of the suit.

Legates also, even though de latere, nuncios, ecclesiastical governors, orothers, shall not only not presume, by virtue of any powers whatsoever, toimpede bishops in the causes aforesaid, or in any wise to take from them,or to disturb their jurisdiction, but they shall not even proceed againstclerics, or other ecclesiastical persons, until the bishop has been firstapplied to, and has shown himself negligent; otherwise their proceedingsand ordinances shall be of no force, and they shall be bound to makesatisfaction to the parties for the damages which they have sustained.

Furthermore, should any individual appeal in those cases allowed of by law,or lodge a complaint touching any grievance, or have recourse, asaforesaid, to a judge, on account of two years having elapsed, he shall bebound to transfer, at his own expense, to the judge of appeal, all the actsof the proceedings that have taken place before the bishop, having given,however, notice thereof previously to the said bishop; that so, if it seemfit to him to communicate any information on the suit, he may acquaint thejudge of appeal therewith. But if the appellee[Page 231] shall appear, then shall he also be bound to bear his proportion of thecosts of transferring those acts, provided that he wishes to make usethereof; unless it be the custom of the place to act otherwise, to wit,that the entire costs have to be borne by the appellant.

Moreover, the notary shall be bound to furnish the appellant, upon paymentof the suitable fee, with a copy of the proceedings as soon as may be, andwithin a month at the furthest. And should that notary be guilty of anyfraud in delaying the giving such copy, he shall be suspended from theexercise of his office, at the discretion of the Ordinary, and be condemnedto pay double the costs of the suit, which shall be divided between theappellant and the poor of the place. But if the judge also should himselfbe cognizant of, and an accomplice in, this delay, or if he shall in anyother way raise obstacles against the entire proceedings being deliveredover to the appellant within the term aforesaid, he shall be subjected tothe same penalty of paying double the costs, as above; notwithstanding, asregards all the aforesaid matters, any privileges, indults, covenants,which only bind the authors thereof, and any other customs whatsoever tothe contrary.

The holy Synod,-being desirous that no occasion of doubting may, at anyfuture period, arise out of the decrees which It has published,-inexplanation of the words contained in a decree published in the firstSession under our most blessed lord, Pius IV., to wit, "which, the legatesand presidents proposing, shall to the said holy Synod appear suitable andproper for assuaging the calamities of these times, terminating thecontroversies concerning religion, restraining deceitful tongues,correcting the abuses of depraved manners, and procuring for the church atrue and Christian peace," declares that it was not Its[Page 232] intention, that, bythe foregoing words, the usual manner of treating matters in generalCouncils should be in any respect changed; or that anything new, besidesthat which has been heretofore established by the sacred canons, or by theform of general Councils, should be added to, or taken from, any one.

Moreover, the same sacred and holy Synod ordains and decrees, that the nextensuing Session be held on the Thursday after the Conception of the BlessedVirgin Mary, which will be the ninth day of December next, with the poweralso of abridging that term. In which Session there will be treated of thesixth chapter which is now deferred till then, and the remaining chapterson Reformation which have been already set forth, and other matters whichrelate thereunto. And if it shall seem advisable, and the time will allowthereof, certain dogmas may also be treated of, as in their proper seasonthey shall be proposed in the congregations.

The term fixed for the Session was abridged.

Begun on the third, and terminated on the fourth, day of December,MDLXIII., being the ninth and last under the Sovereign Pontiff, Pius IV.

Whereas the Catholic Church, instructed by the Holy Ghost, has, from thesacred writings and the ancient tradition of the Fathers, taught, in sacredcouncils, and very recently in this oecumenical Synod, that there is aPurgatory, and that the souls there detained are helped by the suffrages ofthe faithful,[Page 233] but principally by the acceptable sacrifice of the altar; theholy Synod enjoins on bishops that they diligently endeavour that the sounddoctrine concerning Purgatory, transmitted by the holy Fathers and sacredcouncils, be believed, maintained, taught, and every where proclaimed bythe faithful of Christ. But let the more difficult and subtle questions,and which tend not to edification, and from which for the most part thereis no increase of piety, be excluded from popular discourses before theuneducated multitude. In like manner, such things as are uncertain, orwhich labour under an appearance of error, let them not allow to be madepublic and treated of. While those things which tend to a certain kind ofcuriosity or superstition, or which savour of filthy lucre, let themprohibit as scandals and stumbling-blocks of the faithful. But let thebishops take care, that the suffrages of the faithful who are living, towit the sacrifices of masses, prayers, alms, and other works of piety,which have been wont to be performed by the faithful for the other faithfuldeparted, be piously and devoutly performed, in accordance with theinstitutes of the church; and that whatsoever is due on their behalf, fromthe endowments of testators, or in other way, be discharged, not in aperfunctory manner, but diligently and accurately, by the priests andministers of the church, and others who are bound to render this (service).

The holy Synod enjoins on all bishops, and others who sustain the officeand charge of teaching, that, agreeably to the usage of the Catholic andApostolic Church, received from the primitive times of the Christianreligion, and agreeably to the consent of the holy Fathers, and to thedecrees of sacred Councils, they especially instruct the faithfuldiligently concerning the intercession and invocation of saints; the honour(paid) to[Page 234] relics; and the legitimate use of images: teaching them, that thesaints, who reign together with Christ, offer up their own prayers to Godfor men; that it is good and useful suppliantly to invoke them, and to haverecourse to their prayers, aid, (and) help for obtaining benefits from God,through His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who is our alone Redeemer andSaviour; but that they think impiously, who deny that the saints, who enjoyeternal happiness in heaven, are to be invocated; or who assert either thatthey do not pray for men; or, that the invocation of them to pray for eachof us even in particular, is idolatry; or, that it is repugnant to the wordof God; and is opposed to the honour of the one mediator of God and men, Christ Jesus; or, that it is foolish to supplicate, vocally, or mentally, those who reign in heaven. Also, that the holy bodies of holy martyrs, and of others now living with Christ,-which bodies were the living members of Christ, and the temple of the Holy Ghost, and which are by Him to be raised unto eternal life, and tobe glorified,--are to be venerated by the faithful; through which (bodies)many benefits are bestowed by God on men; so that they who affirm thatveneration and honour are not due to the relics of saints; or, that these,and other sacred monuments, are uselessly honoured by the faithful; andthat the places dedicated to the memories of the saints are in vain visitedwith the view of obtaining their aid; are wholly to be condemned, as theChurch has already long since condemned, and now also condemns them.

Moreover, that the images of Christ, of the Virgin Mother of God, and ofthe other saints, are to be had and retained particularly in temples, andthat due honour and veneration are to be given them; not that any divinity,or virtue, is believed to be in them, on account of which they are to beworshipped; or that anything is to be asked of them; or, that trust is tobe reposed in images, as was of old done by the Gentiles who placed[Page 235] theirhope in idols; but because the honour which is shown them is referred tothe prototypes which those images represent; in such wise that by theimages which we kiss, and before which we uncover the head, and prostrateourselves, we adore Christ; and we venerate the saints, whose similitudethey bear: as, by the decrees of Councils, and especially of the secondSynod of Nicaea, has been defined against the opponents of images.

And the bishops shall carefully teach this,-that, by means of the historiesof the mysteries of our Redemption, portrayed by paintings or otherrepresentations, the people is instructed, and confirmed in (the habit of)remembering, and continually revolving in mind the articles of faith; asalso that great profit is derived from all sacred images, not only becausethe people are thereby admonished of the benefits and gifts bestowed uponthem by Christ, but also because the miracles which God has performed bymeans of the saints, and their salutary examples, are set before the eyesof the faithful; that so they may give God thanks for those things; mayorder their own lives and manners in imitation of the saints; and may beexcited to adore and love God, and to cultivate piety. But if any oneshall teach, or entertain sentiments, contrary to these decrees; let him beanathema.

And if any abuses have crept in amongst these holy and salutaryobservances, the holy Synod ardently desires that they be utterlyabolished; in such wise that no images, (suggestive) of false doctrine, andfurnishing occasion of dangerous error to the uneducated, be set up. Andif at times, when expedient for the unlettered people; it happen that thefacts and narratives of sacred Scripture are portrayed and represented; thepeople shall be taught, that not thereby is the Divinity represented, asthough it could be seen by the eyes of the body, or be portrayed by coloursor figures.

Moreover, in the invocation of saints, the veneration of relics, and thesacred use of images, every superstition shall be removed, all filthy lucrebe abolished; finally, all lasciviousness be[Page 236] avoided; in such wise that figures shall not be painted or adorned with abeauty exciting to lust; nor the celebration of the saints, and thevisitation of relics be by any perverted into revellings and drunkenness;as if festivals are celebrated to the honour of the saints by luxury andwantonness.

In fine, let so great care and diligence be used herein by bishops, as thatthere be nothing seen that is disorderly, or that is unbecomingly orconfusedly arranged, nothing that is profane, nothing indecorous, seeingthat holiness becometh the house of God.

And that these things may be the more faithfully observed, the holy Synodordains, that no one be allowed to place, or cause to be placed, anyunusual image, in any place, or church, howsoever exempted, except thatimage have been approved of by the bishop: also, that no new miracles areto be acknowledged, or new relics recognised, unless the said bishop hastaken cognizance and approved thereof; who, as soon as he has obtained somecertain information in regard to these matters, shall, after having takenthe advice of theologians, and of other pious men, act therein as he shalljudge to be consonant with truth and piety. But if any doubtful, ordifficult abuse has to be extirpated; or, in fine, if any more gravequestion shall arise touching these matters, the bishop, before decidingthe controversy, shall await the sentence of the metropolitan and of thebishops of the province, in a provincial Council; yet so, that nothing new,or that previously has not been usual in the Church, shall be resolved on,without having first consulted the most holy Roman Pontiff.

The same sacred and holy Synod, prosecuting the subject of reformation, hasthought fit that the things following be ordained.

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Forasmuch as the holy Synod is not ignorant how much splendour and utilityaccrue to the Church of God, from monasteries piously instituted andrightly administered; It has,--to the end that the ancient and regulardiscipline may be the more easily and promptly restored, where it hasfallen away, and may be the more firmly maintained, where it has beenpreserved,--thought it necessary to enjoin, as by this decree It dothenjoin, that all Regulars, as well men, as women, shall order and regulatetheir lives in accordance with the requirements of the rule which they haveprofessed; and above all that they shall faithfully observe whatsoeverbelongs to the perfection of their profession, such as the vows ofobedience, poverty, and chastity, as also all other vows and precepts thatmay be peculiar to any rule or order, respectively appertaining to theessential character of each, and which regard the observance of a commonmode of living, food, and dress. And all care and diligence shall be usedby the Superiors, both in the general and in the provincial Chapters, andin their visitations, which they shall not omit to make in their properseasons, that these things be not departed from; it being certain, thatthose things which belong to the substance of a regular life cannot be bythem relaxed. For if those things which are the basis and the foundationof all regular discipline be not strictly preserved, the whole edifice mustneeds fall.

For no Regular, therefore, whether man, or woman, shall it be lawful topossess, or hold as his own, or even in the name of[Page 238] the convent, anyproperty moveable or immoveable, of what nature soever it may be, or inwhat way soever acquired; but the same shall be immediately delivered up tothe Superior, and be incorporated with the convent. Nor shall ithenceforth be lawful for Superiors to allow any real property to anyRegular, not even by way of having the interest, or the use, theadministration thereof, or in commendam. But the administration of theproperty of monasteries, or of convents, shall belong to the officersthereof only, removable at the will of their Superiors.

The Superiors shall allow the use of moveables, in such manner as that thefurniture of their body shall be suitable to the state of poverty whichthey have professed; and there shall be nothing therein superfluous, but atthe same time nothing shall be refused which is necessary for them. Butshould any one be discovered, or be proved, to possess anything in anyother manner, he shall be deprived during two years of his active andpassive voice, and also be punished in accordance with the constitutions ofhis own rule and order.

CHAPTER III.
All Monasteries save those herein excepted, shall be able to possess realproperty: the number of persons therein to be determined by the amount ofIncome, or of Alms. No Monasteries, to be erected without the Bishop'sleave.

The holy Synod permits that henceforth real property may be possessed byall monasteries and houses, both of men and women, and of mendicants, evenby those who were forbidden by their constitutions to possess it, or whohad not received permission to that effect by apostolic privilege,-with theexception, however, of the houses of the brethren of St. Francis (called)Capuchins, and those called Minor Observants: and if any of the aforesaidplaces, to which it has been granted by apostolic[Page 239] authority to possess suchproperty, have been stripped thereof, It ordains that the same shall bewholly restored unto them. But, in the aforesaid monasteries amid houses,as well of men as of women, whether they possess, or do not possess, realproperty, such a number of inmates only shall be fixed upon and be for thefuture retained, as can be conveniently supported, either out of the properrevenues of those monasteries, or out of the customary alms; nor shall anysuch places be henceforth erected, without the permission of the bishop, inwhose diocese they are to be erected, being first obtained.

The holy Synod forbids, that any Regular, under the pretext of preaching,or lecturing, or of any other pious work, place himself at the service ofany prelate, prince, university, community, or of any other person, orplace, whatsoever, without permission from his own Superior; nor shall anyprivilege or faculty, obtained from others in regard hereof avail himanything. But should any one act contrary hereto, he shall be punished asdisobedient, at the discretion of his Superior. Nor shall it be lawful forRegulars to withdraw from their own convents, even under the pretext ofrepairing to their own Superiors; unless they have been sent, or summoned,by them. And whoever shall be found to be without the order aforesaid inwriting, shall be punished as a deserter from his Institute by theOrdinaries of the places. As to those who are sent to the universities forthe sake of their studies, they shall dwell in convents only; otherwisethey shall be proceeded against by the Ordinaries.

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The holy Synod, renewing the constitution of Boniface VIII., which beginsPericuloso, enjoins on all bishops, by the judgment of God to which Itappeals, and under pain of eternal malediction, that, by their ordinaryauthority, in all monasteries subject to them, and in others, by theauthority of the Apostolic See, they make it their especial care, that theenclosure of nuns be carefully restored, wheresoever it has been violated,and that it be preserved, wheresoever it has not been violated; repressing,by ecclesiastical censures and other penalties, without regarding anyappeal whatsoever, the disobedient and gainsayers, and calling in for thisend, if need be, the aid of the Secular arm. The holy Synod exhortsChristian princes to furnish this aid, and enjoins, under pain ofexcommunication, to be ipso facto incurred, that it be rendered by allcivil magistrates. But for no nun, after her profession, shall it belawful to go out of her convent, even for a brief period, under any pretextwhatever, except for some lawful cause, which is to be approved of by thebishop; any indults and privileges whatsoever notwithstanding.

And it shall not be lawful for any one, of whatsoever birth, or condition,sex, or age, to enter within the enclosure of a nunnery, without thepermission of the bishop, or of the Superior, obtained in writing, underthe pain of excommunication to be ipso facto incurred. But the bishop,or the Superior ought to grant this permission in necessary cases only; norshall any other person be able by any means to grant it, even by virtue ofany faculty, or indult, already granted, or that may hereafter be granted. And forasmuch as those convents of nuns which are established outside thewalls of a city or town, are exposed, often without any protection, to therobberies and other crimes of wicked men, the bishops and other Superiorsshall, if they think it expedient, make it their care that the nuns beremoved from those places to new or old convents within cities or popu-[Page 241]loustowns, calling in even, if need be, the aid of the Secular arm. As tothose who hinder them or disobey, they shall by ecclesiastical censurescompel them to submit.

In order that everything may be conducted uprightly and without fraud, inthe election of all manner of superiors, temporary abbots, and otherofficers, and generals, and abbesses, and other superioresses, the holySynod above all things strictly enjoins, that all the aforesaid ought to bechosen by secret voting, in such wise as that the names of the respectivevoters shall never be made known. Neither shall it, for the future, belawful to appoint provincials, abbots, priors, or any other titularieswhatsoever, for the purposes of an election that is to takeplace; nor to supply the place of the voices and suffrages of those who areabsent. But should any one be elected contrary to the appointment of thisdecree, such election shall be invalid; and he who shall have allowedhimself, for this object, to be created provincial, abbot, or prior, shallbe from that time forth incapable of holding any offices whatsoever in thatorder; and any faculties that have been granted in this matter shall belooked upon as hereby abrogated; and should any others be granted for thetime to come, they shall be regarded as surreptitious.

No one shall be elected as abbess, or prioress,--or by whatsoever other nameshe who is appointed and placed over the[Page 242] rest, may be called,--who is lessthan forty years of age, and who has not passed eight of those years in apraiseworthy manner, after having made her profession. But should no onebe found in the same convent with these qualifications, one may be electedout of another convent of the same order. But if the superior who presidesover the election shall deem even this an inconvenience; with the consentof the bishop, or other superior, there may be one chosen from amongstthose, in the same convent, who are beyond their thirtieth year, and whohave, since their profession, passed at least five of those years in anupright manner. But no individual shall be set over two convents; and ifany one is, in any way, in possession of two or more, she shall, retainingone, be compelled to resign the rest, within six months: but after thatperiod, if she have not resigned, they shall be all ipso jure vacant. Andhe who presides at the election, whether it be the bishop, or othersuperior, shall not enter the enclosure of the monastery, but shall listento, or receive the votes of each, at the little window in the gates. Inother particulars, the constitution of each order, or convent, shall beobserved.

All monasteries which are not subject to general Chapters, or to bishops,and which have not their own ordinary Regular visitors, but have beenaccustomed to be governed under the immediate protection and direction ofthe Apostolic See, shall be bound, within a year from the end of thepresent Council, and thenceforth every third year, to form themselves intocongregations, according to the form of the constitution of Innocent III.,beginning In singulis, published in a general Council;[Page 243] and shall theredepute certain Regulars to deliberate and ordain as to the mode and orderof establishing the congregations aforesaid, and touching the statutes tobe therein observed. But should they be negligent in these matters, itshall be lawful for the metropolitan, in whose province the aforesaidmonasteries are situated, to convoke them for the above named purposes, asthe delegate of the Apostolic See. But if there be not a sufficient numberof monasteries, within the limits of one province, for the establishing ofsuch congregation, the monasteries of two or three provinces may form onecongregation. And when the said congregations have been established, thegeneral Chapters thereof, and the presidents and visitors elected thereby,shall have the same authority over the monasteries of their owncongregation, and over the Regulars dwelling therein, as other presidentsand visitors have in other orders; and they shall be bound to visitfrequently the monasteries of their own congregation, and to applythemselves to the reformation thereof; and to observe whatsoever thingshave been decreed in the sacred canons, and in this sacred Council. Also,if, at the instance of the metropolitan, they shall not take measures toexecute the above, they shall be subjected to the bishops, in whosedioceses the places aforesaid are situated, as the delegates of theApostolic See.

CHAPTER IX.
Convents of Nuns immediately subject to the Apostolic See shall be governedby the Bishops; but others, by those deputed in the General Chapters, or byother Regulars.

Those convents of nuns which are immediately subject to the Apostolic See,even those which are called by the name of Chapters of St. Peter, or of St.John, or by whatsoever other name they may be designated, shall be governedby the bishops, as the delegates of the Apostolic See; anything to thecontrary notwithstanding. But those which are governed, by persons deputedin general Chapters, or by other Regulars, shall be left under their careand conduct.

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Bishops and other Superiors of convents of nuns, shall take particular carethat the nuns be admonished, in their constitutions, to confess their sins,and to receive the most holy Eucharist, at least once a month, that so theymay fortify themselves, by that salutary safeguard, resolutely to overcomeall the assaults of the devil. But besides the ordinary confessor, thebishop and other superiors shall, twice or thrice a year, offer them anextraordinary one, whose duty it shall be to hear the confessions of allthe nuns. But that the most holy body of Christ be kept within the choir,or the enclosure of the convent, and not in the public church, the holySynod forbids it; any privilege or indult whatsoever notwithstanding.

In monasteries, or houses whether of men, or of women, which are chargedwith the cure of souls of other Secular persons besides those who belong tothe household of those monasteries, or places; the individuals, whetherRegulars or Seculars, who exercise that cure, shall be immediately subject,in what-[Page 245]soever pertains to the said cure and the administration of thesacraments, to the jurisdiction, visitation, and correction of the bishopin whose diocese those places are situated; nor shall any, not even such asare removable at pleasure, be deputed thereunto, save with the consent ofthe said bishop, and after having been previously examined by him, or byhis vicar; the monastery of Cluny with its limits being excepted; andexcepting also monasteries, or places, in which abbots, generals, or theheads of orders, have their usual principal residence; as also the othermonasteries, or houses, in which the abbots, or other Superiors orRegulars, exercise episcopal and temporary jurisdiction over the parishpriests and their parishioners; saving, however, the right of those bishopswho exercise a greater jurisdiction over the places, or personsabove-named.

Censures and interdicts,-not only those emanating from the Apostolic See,but also those promulgated by the Ordinaries,-shall, upon the bishop'smandate, be published and observed by Regulars in their churches. Thefestival days also which the said bishop shall order to be observed in hisown diocese, shall be kept by all exempted persons, even though Regulars.

All disputes about precedence, which very often, with very great scandal,arise between ecclesiastics, both Secular and Regular, as well at publicprocessions, as at those which take[Page 246] place in burying the dead, or carrying the canopy, and on other suchoccasions, the bishop shall settle, without regarding any appeal; anythingto the contrary notwithstanding. And all exempted persons whatsoever, aswell Secular as Regular clerics, and even monks, on being summoned topublic processions, shall be obliged to attend; those only being exceptedwho always live in more strict enclosure.

A Regular who, not being subject to the bishop, and residing within theenclosure of a monastery, has out of that enclosure, transgressed sonotoriously as to be a scandal to the people, shall, at the instance of thebishop, be severely punished by his own Superior, within such time as thebishop shall appoint; and the Superior shall certify to the bishop that thepunishment has been inflicted: otherwise he shall be himself deprived ofhis office by his own Superior, and the delinquent may be punished by thebishop.

In no religious order whatever, shall the profession, whether of men orwomen, be made before the age of sixteen years is completed; nor shall anyone be admitted to profession, who has been less than a year underprobation from the time of taking the habit. And any profession madesooner than this shall be null; and shall not superinduce any obligation tothe observance of any rule, or of any religious body, or order; or entailany other effects whatsoever.

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Further, no renunciation made, or obligation entered into, sooner thanthis, even though upon oath, or in favour of any pious object whatsoever,shall be valid, unless it be made with permission of the bishop, or of hisvicar, within the two months immediately preceding profession; and it shallnot otherwise be understood as obtaining effect, unless the profession havefollowed thereupon: but if made in any other manner, even though with theexpress renunciation, even upon oath, of this privilege, it shall beinvalid and of no effect. When the period of the noviciate is ended, theSuperiors shall admit those novices, whom they have found qualified, toprofession; or they shall dismiss them from the monastery.

By these things, however, the Synod does not intend to make any innovation,or prohibition, so as to hinder the Religious Order of Clerks of theSociety of Jesus from being able to serve God and His church, in accordancewith their pious institute, approved of by the holy Apostolic See.

Also, before the profession of a novice, whether male, or female, nothingshall be given to the monastery out of the property of the same, either byparents, relatives, or guardians under any pretext whatever, except forfood and clothing, for[Page 248] the time that they are under probation; lest thesaid novice may be unable to leave on this account,--that the monastery isin possession of the whole, or of the greater part of his substance; and hemay not easily be able to recover it, if he should leave. Yea rather theholy Synod enjoins, under the pain of anathema on the givers and receivers,that this be nowise done; and that, to those who leave before theirprofession, every thing that was theirs be restored to them. And thebishop shall, if need be, enforce by ecclesiastical censures that this beperformed in a proper manner.

The holy Synod, having in view the freedom of the profession on the part ofvirgins who are to be dedicated to God, ordains and decrees, that if agirl, being more than twelve years of age, desire to take the religioushabit, she shall not take that habit, neither shall she, nor any other, ata later period, make her profession, until the bishop,--or, if he be absent,or hindered, his vicar, or some one deputed thereunto by them, and at theirexpense,--has carefully examined into the inclination of the virgin,whether she has been compelled or enticed thereunto, or knows what she isdoing; and if her will be found to be pious and free, and she have thequalifications required by the rule of that convent and order; and if alsothe convent be a suitable one; it shall be free for her to make herprofession. And that the bishop may not be in ignorance as to the time ofprofession, the Superioress of the convent shall be bound to give himnotice thereof a month beforehand ; but if she do not acquaint himtherewith, she shall be suspended from her office, for as long a period asthe bishop shall think fit.

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The holy Synod places under anathema all and singular those persons, ofwhat quality or condition soever they may be, whether clerics or laymen,Seculars or Regulars, or with whatsoever dignity invested, who shall, inany way whatever, force any virgin, or widow, or any other womanwhatsoever,--except in the cases provided for by law,--to enter a conventagainst her will, or to take the habit of any religious order, or to makeher profession; as also all those who lend their counsel, aid, orcountenance thereunto ; and those also who, knowing that she does not enterinto the convent voluntarily, or voluntarily take the habit, or make herprofession, shall, in any way, interfere in that act, by their presence, orconsent, or authority.

It also subjects to a like anathema those who shall, in any way, without ajust cause, hinder the holy wish of virgins, or other women, to take theveil, or make their vows. And all and singular those things which ought tobe done before profession, or at the profession itself, shall be observednot only in convents subject to the bishop, but also in all otherswhatsoever. From the above, however, are excepted those women who arecalled penitents, or convertites; in whose regard their constitutionsshall be observed.

No Regular soever, who shall pretend that he entered into a religious orderthrough compulsion and fear ; or shall even allege[Page 250] that he made hisprofession before the proper age; or the like; and would fain lay aside hishabit, be the cause what it may; or would even withdraw with his habitwithout the permission of his superior; shall be listened to, unless it bewithin five years only from the day of his profession, and not then either,unless he has produced before his own superior, and the Ordinary, thereasons which he alleges. But if, before doing this, he has of his ownaccord laid aside his habit; he shall in no wise be admitted to allege anycause whatever; but shall be compelled to return to his monastery, and bepunished as an apostate; and meanwhile he shall not have the benefit of anyprivilege of his order.

Also, no Regular shall, by virtue of any manner of faculty, be transferredto an order less rigid; nor shall permission be granted to any Regular towear in secret the habit of his order.

Abbots, who are heads of orders, and the other Superiors of the aforesaidorders, who are not subject to bishops, but have a lawful jurisdiction overother inferior monasteries, or priories, shall, each in his own place andorder, visit officially the said monasteries and priories that are subjectto them, even though held in commendam: which, for as much as they aresubject to the heads of their own orders, the holy Synod declares that theyare not to be included in what has been elsewhere decreed relative to thevisitation of monasteries held in commendam ; and those who preside overmonasteries of the orders aforesaid shall be bound to receive theabove-named visitors, and to execute their orders.

Also, those monasteries themselves which are the heads of orders, shall bevisited conformably to the constitutions of the holy Apostolic See, and ofeach several order. And so long as the said commendatary monasteries shallcontinue, there shall be appointed, by the general Chapters, or by thevisitors of the[Page 251] said orders, priors claustral, or sub-prior in those priories that areconventual, who shall exercise spiritual authority, and correction. Inall other things the privileges and faculties of the above-named orders, asregards the persons, places, and rights thereof, shall remain firm andinviolate.

Whereas very many monasteries, even abbeys, priories, and provostries, havesuffered no slight injury, both in spirituals and temporals, through themal-administration of those to whom they have been entrusted, the holySynod would fain by every means restore them to a discipline suitable to amonastic life. But the present state of the times is so fraught withhindrances and difficulties that a remedy can neither be applied at once toall, nor common to all places, as It could desire; nevertheless, that Itmay not omit anything which may in time be used in wholesomely providingagainst the evils aforesaid, It trusts in the first place, that the mostholy Roman Pontiff will, of his piety and prudence, make it his care,-asfar as he sees that the times will permit,--that over those monasterieswhich are at present held in commendam, and which are conventual, there beappointed Regulars, expressly professed of the same order, and capable ofguiding and of governing the flock. And as to such as shall become vacanthereafter, they shall be conferred solely on Regulars of distinguishedvirtue and holiness. But as regards those monasteries which are the headsand chiefs of orders, be the filiations thereof called abbeys or priories,those who hold them at present in commendam shall be bound,-unlessprovision be made for a Regular successor thereunto,--[Page 252] either to make, withinsix months, a solemn profession of the religious life which is peculiar tothe said orders, or to resign; otherwise the places aforesaid held incommendam shall be accounted ipso jure vacant. But, lest any fraud may beused as regards all and singular the aforesaid matters, the holy Synodordains, that in the appointments to the said monasteries, the quality ofeach individual be specifically expressed; and any appointment madeotherwise shall be accounted surreptitious, and shall not be rendered validby any subsequent possession, even though extending over three years.

The holy Synod enjoins, that all and singular the matters contained in theforegoing decrees be observed in all convents and monasteries, colleges,and houses of all monks and religious whatsoever, as also of all religiousvirgins and widows soever, even though living under the conduct of themilitary orders, of the order even (of St. John) of Jerusalem, and by whatname soever they may be designated, under whatsoever rule or constitutionsthey may be, or under the care or government of, or in subjection to, unionwith, or dependence on, any order whatsoever, whether of mendicants, or notmendicants, or of other Regular monks, or canons of whatsoever kind : anyprivileges whatsoever of all and each of the above-named, under whatsoeverform of words expressed, even those called mare magnum, even those obtainedat their foundation, as also any constitutions and rules whatsoever, eventhough sworn to, and any customs, or prescriptions whatsoever, even thoughimmemorial, to the contrary notwithstanding. But, if there be any Regulars,whether men or women, who are living under stricter rule or statutes, theholy Synod does not intend to withdraw them from their institute andobservance, except as to the power of possessing real property in common. And forasmuch as the holy[Page 253] Synod desires that all and singular the thingsaforesaid be put in execution as soon as possible, It enjoins on allbishops that, in the monasteries which are subject to them, as also in allthe rest specially committed to them in the preceding decrees; and on allabbots, and generals, and other Superiors of the above-named orders ; thatthey forthwith put in execution the matters aforesaid, and if there beanything which is not carried into execution, the provincial Councils shallremedy, and punish the negligence of the bishops ; and that of Regulars,their provincial and general Chapters ; and, in default of generalChapters, the provincial Councils shall, by deputing certain personsbelonging to the same order, provide herein.

The holy Synod also exhorts all kings, princes, republics, and magistrates, and by virtue of holy obedience commands them, to vouchsafe to interpose,as often as requested, their help and authority in support of the aforesaidbishops, abbots, generals, and other superiors in the execution of thethings comprised above, that so they may, without any hindrance, rightlyexecute the preceding matters to the praise of Almighty God.

It is to be wished, that those who undertake the office of a bishop shouldunderstand what their portion is; and comprehend that they are called, notto their own convenience, not to riches or luxury, but to labours and caresfor the glory of God. For it is not to be doubted, that the rest of thefaithful[Page 254] also will be more easily excited to religion and innocence, ifthey shall see those who are set over them, not fixing their thoughts onthe things of this world, but on the salvation of souls, and on theirheavenly country. Wherefore the holy Synod, being minded that these thingsare of the greatest importance towards restoring ecclesiastical discipline,admonishes all bishops, that, often meditating thereon, they showthemselves conformable to their office, by their actual deeds, and theactions of their lives; which is a kind of perpetual sermon; but above allthat they so order their whole conversation, as that others may thence beable to derive examples of frugality, modesty, continency, and of that holyhumility which so much recom mends us to God.

Wherefore, after the example of our fathers in the Council of Carthage, Itnot only orders that bishops be content with modest furniture, and a frugaltable and diet, but that they also give heed that in the rest of theirmanner of living, and in their whole house, there be nothing seen that isalien from this holy institution, and which does not manifest simplicity,zeal towards God, and a contempt of vanities. Also, It wholly forbids themto strive to enrich their own kindred or domestics out of the revenues ofthe church: seeing that even the canons of the Apostles forbid them to giveto their kindred the property of the church, which belongs to God; but iftheir kindred be poor, let them distribute to them thereof as poor, but notmisapply, or waste, it for their sakes : yea, the holy Synod, with theutmost earnestness, admonishes them completely to lay aside all this humanand carnal affection towards brothers, nephews and kindred, which is theseed-plot of many evils in the church. And what has been said of bishops,the same is not only to be observed by all who hold ecclesiasticalbenefices, whether Secular or Regular, each according to the nature of hisrank, but the Synod decrees that it also regards the cardinals of the holyRoman Church ; for whereas, upon their advice to the most holy RomanPontiff, the administration of the universal Church depends, it would seemto be a shame, if they did not at the same time shine so pre-eminent invirtue and in the discipline of their lives, as deservedly to draw uponthemselves the eyes of all men.

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The calamitousness of the times, and the malignity of the increasingheresies demand, that nothing be left undone which may seem in any wisecapable of tending to the edification of the people, and to the defence ofthe Catholic faith. Wherefore the holy Synod enjoins on patriarchs,primates, archbishops, bishops, and all others, who, of right or custom,ought to be present at the provincial Council, that, in the very firstprovincial Synod that shall be held after the close of this Council, theypublicly receive all and singular the things that have been defined andordained by this holy Synod; as also that they promise and profess trueobedience to the Sovereign Roman Pontiff; and at the same time publiclyexpress their detestation of and anathematize all the heresies that havebeen condemned by the sacred canons and general councils, and especially bythis same Synod. And henceforth, all those who shall be promoted to bepatriarchs, primates, archbishops, and bishops, shall strictly observe thesame in the first provincial Synod at which they shall be present. Andshould any one of all the aforesaid refuse, which God forbid, the bishopsof the sameprovince shall be bound, under pain of the divine indignation, at once togive notice thereof to the Sovereign Roman Pontiff, and shall meanwhileabstain from communion with that person. And all others, who now hold, orshall hereafter hold, ecclesiastical benefices, and whose duty it is to bepresent at the diocesan Synod, shall do and observe the same, as above setdown, on the very first occasion that the synod shall be held, otherwisethey shall be punished according to the form of the sacred canons.Moreover, all those to whom belong the charge, visitation, and reformationof universities and of (places of) general studies, shall diligently takecare that the canons and decrees of this holy Synod be, by the saiduniversities, wholly[Page 256] received; and that the masters, doctors, and others,in the said universities, interpret and teach those things which are ofCatholic faith, in conformity therewith; and that at the beginning of eachyear they bind themselves by solemn oath to this procedure. And also ifthere be any other things that need correction and reformation in theuniversities aforesaid, they shall be reformed and regulated by those whomit regards, for the advancement of religion and of ecclesiasticaldiscipline. But as regards those universities which are immediately underthe protection of the Sovereign Pontiff, and are subject to his visitation,his Blessedness will take care that they be, by his delegates, wholesomelyvisited and reformed in the manner aforesaid, and as shall seem to him mostadvantageous.

Although the sword of excommunication is the very sinews of ecclesiasticaldiscipline, and very salutary for keeping the people in their duty, yet itis to be used with sobriety and great circumspection; seeing thatexperience teaches, that if it be rashly or for slight causes wielded, itis more despised than feared, and produces ruin rather than safety.Wherefore, those excommunications, which, after certain admonitions, arewont to be issued with the view as it is termed, of causing a revelation,or on account of things that have been lost or stolen, shall be issued byno one whomsoever, but the bishop; and not then, otherwise than on accountof some circumstance of no common kind which moves the mind of the bishopthereunto, after the cause has been by him diligently and very maturelyweighed ; nor shall he be induced to grant the said excommunications by theauthority of any Secular person whatever, even though amagistrate; but the whole shall be left to his own judgment and[Page 257] conscience,when, considering the circumstances, the place, the person, or the time, heshall himself judge that such are to be resolved on.

As regards judicial causes, it is enjoined on all ecclesiastical judges, ofwhatsoever dignity they may be, that, both during the proceedings, and ingiving judgment, they abstain from ecclesiastical censures, or interdict,as often as an execution on the person or property can, in each stage ofthe process, be effected by them of their own proper authority ; but incivil causes, which in any way belong to the ecclesiastical court, it shallbe lawful for them, if they judge it expedient, to proceed against allpersons whatsoever, even laymen, and to terminate suits, by means ofpecuniary fines, which, by the very fact of being levied, shall be assignedto the pious places there existing; or by distress upon the goods, orarrest of the person, to be made either by their own, or other officers; oreven by deprivation of benefices, and other remedies at law. But if theexecution cannot be made in this way, either upon the person, or goods, ofthe guilty, and there be contumacy towards the judge, he may then, inaddition to the other penalties, smite them also with the sword ofanathema, if he think fit.

In like manner in criminal causes, wherein an execution can as above beeffected upon the person or goods, the judge shall abstain from censures ;but, if that execution cannot easily be made, it shall be lawful for thejudge to employ the said spiritual sword against delinquents ; providedhowever the character of the offence so require, and after two monitions atleast, and this by public notice. And it shall not be lawful for any civilmagistrate, to prohibit an ecclesiastical judge from excommunicating anyindividual; or to command that he revoke an excomnunication that has beenissued; under pretext that the things contained in the present decree havenot been observed; whereas the cognizance hereof does not appertain toSeculars, but to ecclesiastics. And every excommunicated person, who, afterthe lawful monitions, does not repent, shall not only not be received tothe sacraments, and to communion, and[Page 258] intercourse with the faithful, but,if, being bound with censures, he shall, with obdurate heart, remain for ayear in the defilement thereof, he may even be proceeded against assuspected of heresy.

It frequently happens, in divers churches, either that so great a number ofmasses is required to be celebrated on account of various legacies frompersons deceased, that it is not possible to comply therewith on theparticular days prescribed by the testators; or, that the alms left for thecelebration thereof is so slight that it is not easy to find any onewilling to undertake the duty; whereby the pious intentions of thetestators are frustrated, and occasion is given for burthening theconsciences of those who are concerned in the aforesaid obligations. Theholy Synod, being desirous that these legacies for pious uses be satisfiedin the most complete and useful manner possible, empowers bishops indiocesan Synod, and likewise abbots and generals of orders in their generalChapters, to ordain, in regard hereof, whatsoever in their consciences theyshall, upon a diligent examination of the circumstances, judge to be mostexpedient for God's honour and worship, and the good of the churches, inthose churches aforesaid which they shall find stand in need of someregulation in this matter, in such wise however that a commemoration bealways made of the departed who, for the welfare of their souls, have leftthe said legacies for pious uses.

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Reason requires, that, in regulations which have been well established, noalteration be made by any ordinances to the contrary. Whenever, therefore,by virtue of the erection or foundation of any benefices, or in consequenceof other regulations, certain qualifications are required, or certainobligations are attached thereunto, they shall not be derogated from in thecollation, or in any other arrangement whatsoever in regard of the saidbenefices. The same also shall be observed as to prebends assigned toteachers of theology, masters, doctors, priests, deacons, or subdeacons,whenever such prebends have been established in this manner, in such sortthat, in no provision whatever shall anything be altered in regard of thesaid qualifications and orders ; and any provision made otherwise shall beaccounted surreptitious.

The holy Synod ordains that the decree, made under Paul III., of happymemory, beginning Capitula Cathedralium, shall be observed in all cathedraland collegiate churches, not only when the bishop makes his visitation, butalso as often as he proceeds ex officio, or at the petition of another,against any one of those who are comprised in the said decree; yet so,however, that whenever he institutes proceedings out of visitation, all theparticulars subjoined shall have place: to wit, that the Chapter shall, atthe beginning of each year, select two individuals belong-[Page 260]ing to theChapter, with whose counsel and consent the bishop, or his vicar, shall bebound to proceed, both in instituting the process, and in all the otheracts thereof until the end of the cause inclusively,-in the presence,nevertheless, of the notary of the said bishop, and in the bishop's house,or his ordinary court of justice. The two deputies shall, however, have butone vote ; but either of them may give his vote in unison with that of thebishop. But if, as regards any proceeding, or as regards any interlocutoryor definitive sentence, they shall both differ from the bishop, they shallin this case choose, in conjunction with the bishop, a third person, withinthe term of six days: and should they also not agree in the election ofthat third person, the choice shall devolve on the nearest bishop ; and thepoint whereon they differed shall be decided, in accordance with theopinion which that third person sides with; otherwise, the proceedings,and what follows thereupon, shall be null, and of no effect in law.Nevertheless, in crimes arising from incontinency, whereof mention has beenmade in the decree concerning concubinaries, as also in the more heinouscrimes which require deposition or degradation; where flight isapprehended, and where, that judgment may not be eluded, it is necessary tosecure the person, the bishop may at first proceed singly to a summaryinformation, and to the necessary detention of the person; observing,however, in the rest of the proceedings, the order named above. But in allcases regard is to be paid to this, that the delinquents be kept in custodyin a suitable place, according to the quality of the crime and of thepersons. Moreover, there shall everywhere be rendered to bishops thathonour which comports with their dignity; and in choir, in the chapter, inprocessions, and other public functions, they shall have the first seat,and the place which they shall themselves make choice of, and theirs shallbe the chief authority in everything that is to be done.

If the bishops shall propose anything to the canons to be deliberated on,and the matter treated of be not one which[Page 261] regards any benefit to them ortheirs, they shall themselves convoke the Chapter, take the votes, anddecide according to them. But, in the absence of the bishop, this shall bewholly done by those of the Chapter, to whom of right or custom itappertains, nor shall the bishop's vicar be allowed to do it. But in allother things, the jurisdiction and power of the Chapter, if any there bebelonging thereunto, as also the administration of their property, shall beleft wholly unimpaired and untouched. As regards those who do not possessany dignities, and are not of the Chapter, they shall all be subject to thebishop in causes ecclesiastical; notwithstanding, as regards thethings aforesaid, any privileges accruing even from any foundation; asalso any customs, even though immemorial; any sentences, oaths,concordates, which bind the authors thereof only; saving, however, in allthings those privileges which have been granted to universities for generalstudies, or to the persons who belong thereunto. But all and singularthese things shall not have effect in those churches wherein the bishops,or their vicars, by virtue of constitutions, privileges, customs,concordates, or by any other right whatsoever, have a power, authority, andjurisdiction greater than that which is included in the present decree;from which (powers) the holy Synod does not intend to derogate.

Whereas, as regards ecclesiastical benefices, whatsoever carries with itthe appearance of hereditary succession is a thing odious to the sacredconstitutions, and contrary to the decrees of the Fathers; no Access orRegress, in regard of any ecclesiastical benefice of whatsoever quality,shall, even though by con-[Page 262]sent, be henceforth granted to any individual; norshall those already granted be suspended, extended, or transferred. Andthis decree shall have effect in regard of all ecclesiastical beneficeswhatsoever, and even in cathedral churches, and as regards all manner ofpersons soever, even though distinguished with the honour of thecardinalate.

In like manner, as regards coadjutorships with future succession, the sameshall henceforth be observed; (to wit) that they shall not be permitted toany one in regard of any ecclesiastical benefices whatsoever. But if at anytime the urgent necessity, or the evident advantage of a cathedral church,or of a monastery, demands that a coajutor be granted to a prelate, suchcoadjutor with (the right of) future succession shall not otherwise begranted but after the said cause has been first diligently taken cognizanceof by the most holy Roman Pontiff; and it is certain, that all thosequalifications which, by law, and by the decrees of this holy Synod, arerequired in bishops and prelates, are reunited in his person; otherwise,the concessions made herein, shall be accounted surreptitious.

The holy Synod admonishes all who hold any ecclesiastical benefices,whether Secular or Regular, to accustom themselves, as far as theirrevenues will allow, to exercise with alacrity and kindliness the office ofhospitality, so frequently commended by the holy Fathers; being mindfulthat those who cherish hospitality receive Christ in (the person of) theirguests. But as regards those who hold in commendam, or by way ofadministration, or under any other title whatsoever, or have even united totheir own churches, the places commonly called hospitals, or other piousplaces instituted especially for the use of pilgrims, of the infirm, theaged or the poor; or, if the parish churches should happen to be united tohospitals, or have been turned[Page 263] into hospitals, and have been granted to the patrons thereof to be by themadministered, the Synod strictly commands, that they execute the charge andduty imposed upon them, and that they actually exercise that hospitality,which is due at their hands, out of the fruits devoted to that purpose,pursuant to the constitution of the Council of Vienne, renewed elsewhere bythis same holy Synod under Paul III., of happy memory, and which begins,Quia contingit. But if these hospitals were instituted to receive acertain class of pilgrims, or of infirm persons, or of others; and in theplace where the said hospitals are situated, there are no such persons, orvery few, to be found, It doth further command, that the fruits thereof beconverted to some other pious use, the nearest that may be to theiroriginal destination, and the most useful for that time and place, as shallseem to be the most expedient to the Ordinary, aided by two of the Chapter,experienced in matters of business, to be chosen by him; unless it be thatthe contrary happen to be expressed, to meet even this case, in thefoundation, or institution thereof; in which event, the bishop shall takecare that what is ordained be observed, or, if that be not possible, heshall, as above, regulate the matter in a useful manner.

Wherefore, if all and singular the persons aforesaid, of whatsoever order,and religious body, and dignity they may be, be they even laymen, who havethe administration of hospitals,--provided, however, they be not subject toRegulars where regular observance is in force,--shall, after having beenadmonished be the Ordinary, have ceased really to discharge the duty ofhospitality, complying with all the necessary conditions to which they arebound, they may be compelled thereunto not only by ecclesiastical censures,and other remedies at law, but may also even be deprived for ever of theadministration and care of the hospital itself; and others shall besubstituted in their place, by those to whom this may belong. And thepersons aforesaid shall, this notwithstanding, be bound in conscience tomake restitution of the fruits which they have received contrary to theinstitution of the said hospitals; which restitution shall not be pardonedthem by any remission or composition: nor shall the administration orgovernment of such places be henceforth en-[Page 264]trusted to one and the sameperson longer than for three years, unless it be otherwise provided in thefoundation thereof; notwithstanding, as regards all the above-namedparticulars, any union, exemption, and custom, even from time immemorial,to the contrary, or any privileges, or indults of whatever kind.

Even as it is not just to take away the legitimate rights of patronage, andto violate the pious intentions of the faithful in the institution thereof,so also neither is it to be suffered, that, under this pretext,ecclesiastical benefices be reduced to a state of servitude, as by many isimpudently done. In order, therefore, that what reason requires may beobserved in all things, the holy Synod ordains, that the title to the rightof patronage shall be (derived) from a foundation, or an endowment ; which(title) shall be shown from an authentic document, and the other (proofs)required by law; or, also, by repeated presentations during a period oftime so remote that it exceeds the memory of man; or, otherwise, accordingas the law directs. But as regards those persons, or communities, oruniversities, which that right is for the most part presumed to havebeen obtained by usurpation rather than otherwise, a more full and exactproof shall be required to establish a true title; nor shall the proofderived from time immemorial be otherwise of avail in their regard,unless-besides other things necessary for that proof--presentations, evencontinuous, during the space of not less than fifty years, at the least,all of which presentations have been carried into effect, shall be provedfrom authentic writings. All other rights of patronage, in regard tobenefices, as well Secular as Regular, or parochial, or in regard ofdignities, or any other benefices whatsoever, in a cathedral or col-[Page 265]legiatechurch; as also all faculties and privileges, whether granted so as tohave the force of patronage, or, by virtue of any other right whatsoever,to nominate, elect, present to the said benefices when they become vacant,excepting the rights of patronage belong to cathedral churches, andexcepting such other (rights of patronage) as belong to the emperor, tokings. or to those who possess kingdoms, and to other high and supremeprinces who have the rights of sovereignty within their own dominions, asalso those (rights of patronage) which have been bestowed in favour of(places of) general studies, shall be understood to wholly abrogated andmade void, together with the quasi-possession which has followed thereupon.And benefices of this kind shall be conferred, as being free, by those whocollate thereunto; and such appointment shall have full effect.

Furthermore, it shall be lawful for the bishop to reject the persons whomthe patrons have presented, if they be not fit. But if the institutionbelong to inferior (ecclesiastics), they (the presentees) shallnevertheless be examined by the bishop, pursuant to what has been elsewhereordained by this holy Synod; otherwise the institution made by thoseinferiors shall be null and void.

But the patrons of benefices, of whatsoever order and dignity they may be,be they (the patrons) even communities, universities, or any collegeswhatsoever whether of clerics or laymen, shall not in any way, nor for anymanner of cause or occasion, meddle with the receiving of the fruits,rents, or revenues of any benefices whatsoever, even though those beneficesbe truly, by foundation or endowment, under their right of patronage; butshall leave them to the free disposal of the rector, or of the beneficiary,any custom whatever to the contrary notwithstanding. Nor shall they presumeto transfer to others, contrary to the decrees of the canons, the saidright of patronage, by sale, or under any other title whatsoever: if theyact otherwise, they shall be subjected to the penalties of excommunicationand interdict, and shall be ipso jure deprived of the aforesaid rightitself of patronage. Moreover, those accessions made[Page 266] by way of union offree benefices with churches that are subject to the right of patronage,even of laymen, whether those churches be parochial, or benefices of anyother kind whatsoever, even such as are simple, or are dignities, orhospitals, in such wise that the free benefices aforesaid are made to be ofthe same nature as those unto which they are united, and are placed underthe (same) right of patronage; such (accessions), if they have not as yetbeen carried into full effect, as also such as shall henceforth be made, atthe instance of any person whatsoever, by whatsoever authority, be it evenapostolic, shall, together with the said unions themselves, be regarded ashaving been obtained surreptitiously; notwithstanding any form of wordstherein employed, or any derogation which may be held as equivalent tobeing expressed; nor shall such unions be any more carried into execution,but the benefices themselves so united shall, when vacant, be freelyconferred as previously.

As regards those augmentations, which, having been made within the lastforty years, have obtained their effect and a complete incorporation; suchshall nevertheless be reviewed and examined by the Ordinaries, as thedelegates of the Apostolic See; and those which shall be found to have beenobtained by surreption, or obreption, shall, together with the unions, bedeclared invalid, and the benefices themselves shall be separated, and beconferred upon other persons.

In like manner also whatsoever rights of patronage,-over churches, and anyother benefices of whatsoever kind, even dignities which were previouslyfree,-which have been acquired within the last forty years, or that mayhenceforth be acquired, whether through an increase of the endowment, or inconsequence of erecting the building afresh, or from some other like cause,even though with the authority of the Apostolic See, shall be carefullytaken cognizance of by the said Ordinaries, as delegates as aforesaid; andthey shall not be hindered by the faculties, or privileges of anyindividual in regard thereof; but they shall wholly revoke such rights ofpatronage as they[Page 267] shall find not to have been legitimately established onaccount of some most evident necessity of the church, or benefice, ordignity; and they shall restore benefices of this kind to their formerstate of liberty; without injury however to the incumbents thereof, andafter having restored to the patrons whatsoever they may have given on thisscore; any privileges, constitutions, and customs, even though immemorial,notwithstanding.

Forasmuch as on account of the malicious suggestions of suitors, and attimes also by reason of the distance of places, a knowledge of the personsto whom causes are committed cannot be perfectly obtained; and hence causesare sometimes referred to judges on the spot who are not altogether fit;the holy Synod ordains, that, in each provincial, or diocesan, Synod, thereshall be designated certain persons who have the qualifications required bythe constitution of Boniface VIII., which begins, Statutum, and who areotherwise suited thereunto; that, to them also, besides the Ordinaries ofthe places, may henceforth be committed those ecclesiastical and spiritualcauses, belonging to the ecclesiastical court, which may have to bedelegated to their districts. And if one of these so designated shallhappen to die in the interim, the Ordinary of the place, with the advice ofthe Chapter, shall substitute another in his stead, until the nextprovincial or diocesan Synod; in such sort that each diocese shall have atleast four, or even more, persons approved of and qualified as above, towhom causes of this nature may be committed by any legate, or nuncio, andeven by the Apostolic See: otherwise, after the said designation has beenmade, which the bishops shall forthwith transmit to the Sovereign RomanPontiff, any delegations whatsoever of other[Page 268] judges, made to any others butthe above, shall be regarded as surreptitious.

The holy Synod furthermore admonishes both the Ordinaries and all otherjudges whatsoever to endeavour to terminate causes in as brief a period aspossible; and to meet in every way, either by prescribing a given term, orby some other available method, the artifices of lawyers, whether indelaying the trial of the suit, or any other part of the judicial process.

It ordinarily brings great ruin upon churches, when the property thereofis, to the prejudice of those who succeed, leased out to others upon thepresent payment of a sum of money. Wherefore, all leases of this kind, ifmade for payments in advance, shall be in no wise considered valid to theprejudice of those who succeed; any indult or privelege whatsoevernotwithstanding; nor shall such leases be confirmed in the Roman court, orelsewhere.Neither shall it be lawful, to farm out ecclesiastical jurisdictions, orthe faculties of nominating, or of deputing vicars in spirituals ; nor forthe lessees to exercise the above in person or by others; and any grants tothe contrary, even though made by the Apostolic See, shall be esteemedsurreptitious. As to leases of ecclesiastiscal things, even thoughconfirmed by apostolical authority, the holy Synod declares those to beinvalid, which, having been made within the last thirty years, for a longterm, or as they are designated in some districts, for twenty-nine, or fortwice twenty-nine years, shall be judged by the provincial Synod, or by thedeputies thereof, to have been contracted to the injury of the church, andcontrary to the ordinances of the canons.

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Those are not to be borne who, by various artifices, endeavour to withholdthe tithes accruing to the churches ; nor those who rashly take possessionof, and apply to their own use, the tithes which have to be paid by others; whereas the payment of tithes is due to God; and they who refuse to paythem, or hinder those who give them, usurp the property of another.Wherefore, the holy Synod enjoins on all, of whatsoever rank and conditionthey be, to whom it belongs to pay tithes, that they henceforth pay in fullthe tithes, to which they are bound in law, to the cathedral church, or towhatsoever other churches, or persons, they are lawfully due. And they whoeither withhold them, or hinder them (from being paid), shall beexcommunicated; nor be absolved from this crime, until after fullrestitution has been made. It further exhorts all and each, that, of theirChristian charity, and the duty which they owe to their own pastors, theygrudge not, out of the good things that are given them by God, to assistbountifully those bishops and parish priests who preside over the poorerchurches; to the praise of God, and to maintain the dignity of their ownpastors who watch for them.

The holy Synod ordains, that in whatsoever places, forty years ago, afourth, as it is called, of funerals, was accustomed[Page 270] to be paid to thecathedral, or parish, church, but has subsequently, by virtue of whatsoeverprivilege, been granted to other monasteries, hospitals, or to any otherkind of pious places; the same shall henceforth, with all its rights, andin the same proportion as was formerly usual, be paid to the cathedral orparish church; all grants, graces, privileges, even those called maremagnum, or any others whatsoever, to the contrary notwithstanding.

How shameful a thing, and how unworthy it is of the name of clerics whohave devoted themselves to the service of God, to live in the filth ofimpurity, and unclean bondage, the thing itself doth testify, in the commonscandal of all the faithful, and the extreme disgrace entailed on theclerical order. To the end, therefore, that the ministers of the Churchmay be recalled to that continency and integrity of life which becomes them; and that the people may hence learn to reverence them the more, that theyknow them to be more pure of life: the holy Synod forbids all clericswhatsoever to dare to keep concubines, or any other woman of whom anysuspicion can exist, either in their own houses, or elsewhere, or topresume to have any intercourse with them : otherwise they shall bepunished with the penalties imposed by the sacred canons, or by thestatutes of the (several) churches, But if, after being admonished bytheir superiors, they shall not abstain from these women, they shall beipso facto deprived of the third part of the fruits, rents, and proceeds ofall their benefices whatsoever, and pensions; which third part shall beapplied to the fabric of the church, or to some other pious place, at thediscretion of the bishop. If, however, persisting in the same crime, withthe same or some[Page 271] other woman, they shall not even yet have obeyed upon a second admonition, not only shall they thereupon forfeit all the fruits and proceeds of their benefices and pensions, which shall be applied to the places aforesaid, but they shall also be suspended from the administration of the benefices themselves, for as long a period as shall seem fit to the Ordinary, even as the delegate of the Apostolic See. And if, having been thus suspended, theynevertheless shall not put away those women, or, even if they shall haveintercourse with them, then shall they be for ever deprived of theirecclesiastical benefices, portions, offices, and pensions of whatsoeverkind, and be rendered thenceforth incapable and unworthy of any manner ofhonours, dignities, benefices and offices, until, after a manifestamendment of life, it shall seem good to their superiors, for a cause, togrant them a dispensation. But if, after having once put them away, theyshall have dared to renew the interrupted connexion, or to take tothemselves other scandalous women of this sort, they shall, in addition tothe penalties aforesaid, be smitten with the sword of excommunication. Norshall any appeal, or exemption, hinder or suspend the execution of theaforesaid; and the cognizance of all the matters above-named shall notbelong to archdeacons, or deans, or other inferiors, but to the bishopsthemselves, who may proceed without the noise and the formalities ofjustice, and by the sole investigation of the truth of the fact.

As regards clerics who have not ecclesiastical benefices or pensions, theyshall, according to the quality of their crime and contumacy, and theirpersistance therein, be punished, by the bishop himself, with imprisonment,suspension from their order, inability to obtain benefices, or in otherways, conformably with the sacred canons.

Bishops also, if, which God forbid, they abstain not from crime of thisnature, and, upon being admonished by the provincial Synod, they do notamend, shall be ipso facto suspended; and, if they persist therein, theyshall be reported by the said Synod to the most holy Roman Pontiff, whoshall punish them according to the nature of their guilt, even withdeprivation if need be.

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That the memory of paternal incontinency may be banished as far as possiblefrom places consecrated to God, where purity and holiness are mostespecially beseeming; it shall not be lawful for the sons of clerics, notborn in lawful wedlock, to hold, in those churches wherein their fathershave, or had, an ecclesiastical benefice, any benefice whatsoever, eventhough a different one; nor to minister in any way in the said churches;nor to have pensions out of the revenues of benefices which their fathershold, or have aforetime held. And if a father and son shall be found, atthis present time, to hold benefices in the same church; the son shall becompelled to resign his benefice, or to exchange it for another out of thatchurch, within the space of three months, otherwise he shall be ipso juredeprived thereof; and any dispensation in regard of the aforesaid shall beaccounted surreptitious. Moreover, any reciprocal resignations which shallfrom this time forth be made by fathers who are clerics in favour of theirsons, that one may obtain the benefice of the other, shall be whollyregarded as made in fraudulent evasion of this decree, and of theordinances of the canons; nor shall the collations that may have followed,by virtue of resignations of this kind, or of any other whatsoever madefraudulently, be of avail to the said sons of clerics.

The holy Synod ordains, that those Secular ecclesiastical benefices, bywhatsoever name they may be called, which, by[Page 273] their original institution,or in any other way whatever, have the cure of souls, shall not henceforthbe converted into a simple benefice, even though a suitable portion beassigned to a perpetual vicar; notwithstanding any graces whatsoever whichhave not obtained their full effect. But, as regards those beneficeswherein, contrary to the institution or foundation thereof, the cure ofsouls has been transferred to a perpetual vicar, even though they be foundto have been in this state from time immemorial, if a suitable portion ofthe fruits have not been assigned to the vicar of the church, by what namesoever he may be designated, the same shall be assigned as soon aspossible, and within a year at the furthest from the end of the presentCouncil, at the discretion of the Ordinary; pursuant to the form of thedecree made under Paul III., of happy memory. But if this cannotconveniently be done, or if it be not done, within the said term, as soonas the benefice shall be vacant, either by the resignation or death of thevicar, or rector, or in whatsoever way either of the above shall vacate it,it shall receive again the cure of souls; the name of vicarage cease; andit shall be restored to its ancient state.

The holy Synod cannot but sorely grieve at hearing that certain bishops,forgetful of their own estate, do in no slight manner disgrace thepontifical dignity; comporting themselves with an unseemly kind ofservility, both in church and out of it, before the ministers of kings,nobles, and barons; and, as if they were inferior ministers of the altar,not only most unworthily give them place; but even serve them in person.Wherefore, the holy Synod, detesting this and the like behaviour, doth, byrenewing all the sacred canons, the General Councils, and[Page 274] other apostolicalordinances, which relate to the decorum and authority of the episcopaldignity, enjoin, that henceforth bishops abstain from the like; chargingthem that, both in church and out of it, having before their eyes their ownrank and order, they every where bear in mind that they are fathers andpastors; charging also others, as well princes, as all persons whatsoever,to pay them paternal honour and due reverence.

As it is expedient for the public good, to relax at times the restraint oflaw, thereby more completely to meet, for the common advantage, the casesand necessities which arise; even so, to dispense too often with the law,and to yield to petitioners on account of precedent, rather than upon anycertain discrimination in regard of persons and circumstances, is nothingelse but to open a way for each one to transgress the laws. Wherefore, beit known to all men, that the most sacred canons are to be exactly observedby all, and, as far as this is possible, without distinction. But if anyurgent and just reason, and at times a greater good, shall require thatsome be dispensed with; this shall be granted, after the cause has beentaken cognizance of, and after the most mature deliberation, andgratuitously, by all those soever to whom that dispensation appertains; andany dispensation granted otherwise shall be esteemed surreptitious.

The detestable custom of duelling, introduced by the contrivance of thedevil, that by the bloody death of the body, he[Page 275] may accomplish the ruin ofthe soul, shall be utterly exterminated from the Christian world. Anyemperor, kings, dukes, princes, marquises, counts, and temporal lords bywhatsoever other name entitled, who shall grant a place within theirterritories for single combat between Christians, shall be thereuponexcommunicated, and shall be understood to be deprived of jurisdiction anddominion over any city, castle, or place, in or at which they havepermitted the duel to take place, which they hold of the church ; and ifthose places be held asa fief they shall forthwith escheat to their direct lords.

As to the persons who have fought, and those who are called their seconds(sponsors), they shall incur the penalty of excommunication, and theconfiscation of all their property, and of perpetual infamy, and are to bepunished as homicides, according to the sacred canons; and if they haveperished in the conflict itself, they shall be for ever deprived ofecclesiastical sepulture. Those also who have given counsel in the ease ofa duel, whether for the question of right, or fact, or have in any otherway whatever persuaded any one thereunto, as also the spectators thereof,shall be subjected to the bond of excommunication, and of a perpetualmalediction ; any privilege soever, or evil custom, though immemorial,notwithstanding.

The holy Synod being desirous that ecclesiastical discipline may not onlybe restored amongst the Christian people, but that it also may be for everpreserved sound and safe from all manner of adverse attempts; besidesthose things which It has ordained touching ecclesiastical persons, hasthought fit, that Secular princes also be admonished of their duty;trusting that they,--as Catholics, whom God hath willed to be the protectors[Page 276] of holy faith and church,--will not only grant that to the church her ownright be restored, but will also recall all their own subjects to duereverence towards the clergy, parish priests, and the superior orders; norpermit that their officers, or inferior magistrates, through any spirit ofcovetousness, or any heedlessness, violate that immunity of the church andof ecclesiastical persons, which, by the ordinance of God, and by theappointments of the canons has been established; but (see) that theyrender, conjointly with the princes themselves, due observance to thesacred constitutions of Sovereign Pontiffs and of Councils.

It ordains, therefore, and enjoins, that the sacred canons, and all theGeneral Councils, as also all other apostolic ordinances, published infavour of ecclesiastical persons, of the liberty of the Church, and againstthe violators thereof,--all which It also renews by this present decree,--beexactly observed by all men. And for this cause It admonishes the emperor,kings, republics, princes, and all and each of whatsoever state and dignitythey be, that, the more bountifully they are adorned with temporal goods,and with power over others, the more religiously should they respectwhatsoever is of ecclesiastical right, as belonging especially to God, andas being under the cover of His protection; and that they suffer not suchto be injured by any barons, nobles, governors, or other temporal lords,and above all by their own immediate officers; but punish those severely,who obstruct her liberty, immunity, and jurisdiction; being themselves anexample to them in regard of piety, religion, and the protection of thechurches, in imitation of those most excellent and religious princes theirpredecessors, who not only defended from all injury from others, but, bytheir authority and munificence, in a special manner advanced the interestsof their own church. Wherefore let each one herein discharge his dutycarefully ; that so the divine worship may be devoutly celebrated, andprelates and other clerics remain, quietly and without hindrances, in theirown residences and in the discharge of their duties, to the profit andedification of the people.

[Page 277]

Lastly, the holy Synod declares, that all and singular the things which,under whatsoever clauses and words, have been ordained in this sacredCouncil, in the matter of reformation of morals, and ecclesiasticaldiscipline, as well under the Sovereign Pontiffs, Paul III., and JuliusIII., of happy memory, as under the most blessed Pius IV., have been sodecreed, as that the authority of the Apostolic See both is, and isunderstood to be, untouched thereby

Whereas all those things which had to be treated of in the present Sessioncannot, because of the lateness of the hour, be conveniently despatched;therefore, according as was resolved on by the Fathers in generalcongregation, the things which remain are deferred till tomorrow, incontinuation of this same Session.

On the fourth day of December.

Whereas the power of conferring Indulgences was granted by Christ to theChurch; and she has, even in the most ancient times, used the said power,delivered unto her of God; the sacred holy Synod teaches, and enjoins, thatthe use of Indulgences, for the Christian people most salutary, andapproved of[Page 278] by the authority of sacred Councils, is to be retained in theChurch; and It condemns with anathema those who either assert, that theyare useless; or who deny that there is in the Church the power of grantingthem. In granting them, however, It desires that, in accordance with theancient and approved custom in the Church, moderation be observed; lest, byexcessive facility, ecclesastical discipline be enervated. And beingdesirous that the abuses which have crept therein, and by occasion of whichthis honourable name of Indulgences is blasphemed by heretics, be amendedand corrected, It ordains generally by this decree, that all evil gains forthe obtaining thereof,--whence a most prolific cause of abuses amongst theChristian people has been derived,--be wholly abolished. But as regards theother abuses which have proceeded from superstition, ignorance,irreverence, or from what soever other source, since, by reason of themanifold corruptions in the places and provinces where the said abuses arecommitted, they cannot conveniently be specially prohibited; It commandsall bishops, diligently to collect, each in his own church, all abuses ofthis nature, and to report them in the first provincial Synod; that, afterhaving been reviewed by the opinions of the other bishops also, they mayforthwith be referred to the Sovereign Roman Pontiff, by whose authorityand prudence that which may be expedient for the universal Church will beordained; that this the gift of holy Indulgences may be dispensed to allthe faithful, piously, holily, and incorruptly.

The holy Synod furthermore exhorts, and, by the most holy advent of ourLord and Saviour, conjures all pastors, that, like good soldiers, theysedulously recommend to all the faithful all those things which the holyRoman Church, the mother and[Page 279] mistress of all churches, has ordained, asalso those things which, as well in this Council, as in the otheroecumenical Councils, have been ordained, and to use all diligence thatthey be observant of all thereof, and especially of those which tend tomortify the flesh, such as the choice of meats, and fasts ; as also thosewhich serve to promote piety, such as the devout and religious celebrationof festival days; often admonishing the people to obey those set over them (Heb. xiii. 17), whom they who hear, shall hear God as a rewarder, whereasthey who contemn them, shall feel God himself as an avenger.

The sacred and holy Synod, in the second Session celebrated under our mostholy lord, Pius IV., commissioned certain chosen Fathers to consider whatought to be done touching various censures, and books either suspected orpernicious, and to report thereon to the said holy Synod; hearing now thatthe finishing hand has been put to that labour by those Fathers,which, however, by reason of the variety and multitude of books cannot bedistinctly and conveniently judged of by the holy Synod; It enjoins thatwhatsoever has been by them done shall be laid before the most holy RomanPontiff, that it may be by his judgment and authority terminated and madepublic. And it commands that the same be done in regard of the Catechism,by the Fathers to whom that work was consigned, and as regards the missaland breviary.

The holy Synod declares, that, by the place assigned to ambassadors, as well Ecclesiastics as Seculars, whether in Session, procession, or in any other acts whatsoever, no prejudice has been created in regard of any amongst them; but that all their[Page 280] own rights and prerogatives, and those of their own emperor, kings, republics, and princes are uninjured and untouched, and continue in the same state as they were before the present Council.

So great has been the calamitousness of these times, and such theinveterate malice of the heretics, that there has been nothing ever soclear in our statement of faith, nothing so surely settled, which they, atthe instigation of the enemy of the human race, have not defiled by somesort of error. For which cause the holy Synod hath made it Its especialcare to condemn and anathematize the principal errors of the heretics ofour time, and to deliver and teach the true and Catholic doctrine; even asIt has condemned, and anathematized, and decreed.

And whereas so many bishops, summoned from the various provinces of theChristian world, cannot be absent for so long a time without great loss tothe flock entrusted to them, and without universal danger ; and whereas nohope remains that the heretics, after being so often invited, even with thepublic faith which they desired, and after being so long expected, willcome hither later; and it is therefore necessary to put an end at length tothe sacred Council: it now remains for It to admonish in the Lord allprinces, as It hereby does, so to afford their assistance as not to permitthe things which it has decreed to be corrupted or violated by heretics;but that they be by them and all others devoutly received, and faithfullyobserved. And should any difficulty arise in regard of receiving thosedecrees, or should anything be met with, which it does not believe,requiring explanation or definition, the holy Synod trusts that, besidesthe other remedies appointed in this Council, the most blessed RomanPontiff will make it his care that, for the glory of God and thetranquillity of the Church, the necessities of the provinces be providedfor, either by summoning particularly out of the provinces where thedifficulties shall have arisen, those[Page 281] persons whom he shall deem itexpedient (to employ) in treating of the said matters; or even by thecelebration of a general Council, if he judge it necessary; or in suchother way as shall seem to him most suitable.

Forasmuch as, at divers times, as well under Paul III., as under JuliusIII., of happy memory, many things have, in this sacred Council, beenordained and defined touching dogmas and reformation of manners; the holySynod wills that they be now recited and read.

They were recited.

Most illustrious lords and most reverend Fathers, doth it please you, that,to the praise of Almighty God, an end be put to this sacred oecumenicalSynod? and that the confirmation of all and singular the things which havetherein been decreed and defined, as well under the Roman Pontiffs, PaulIII., and Julius III., of happy memory, as under our most holy lord PiusIV., be requested, in the name of this holy Synod, by the presidents, andthe Legates of the Apostolic See, from the most blessed Roman Pontiff?

They answered: It pleaseth us.

Afterwards, the most illustrious and most reverend Cardinal Morone, thefirst Legate and President, blessing the holy Synod said: After havinggiven thanks to God, most reverend Fathers, go in peace.

They answered: Amen.

The Cardinal of Lorraine. To the most blessed Pius, Pope, and our lord,pontiff of the holy and universal Church, many years and eternal memory.

Answer of the Fathers. O Lord God, do Thou very long preserve the mostholy Father to thy church: for many years.

The Cardinal. To the souls of the most blessed Soveriegn Pontiffs, PaulIII., and Julius III., by whose authority this sacred general Council wasbegun, peace from the Lord, and eternal glory, and happiness in the lightof the saints.

Answer. Be their memory in benediction.

The Cardinal. Of the Emperor Charles the Fifth, and of the most serenekings, who have promoted and protected this universal Council, be thememory in benediction.

Answer. Amen, Amen.

The Cardinal. To the most serene Emperor Ferdinand, ever august, orthodox,and pacific, and to all our kings, republics, and princes, many years.

Answer. Preserve, O Lord, the pious and Christian emperor: Oh, HeavenlyEmperor, protect earthly kings, the preservers of the right faith.

The Cardinal. To the Legates of the Apostolic Roman See, and presidents ofthis Synod, many thanks and many years.

Answer. Many thanks: the Lord reward them.

The Cardinal. To the most reverend cardinals, and most illustrious ambassadors.

Answer. Many thanks; many years.

The Cardinal. To the most holy bishops, life, and a happy return to theirown churches.

Answer. To the heralds of truth perpetual memory; to the orthodox senatemany years.

The Cardinal. The sacred and holy oecumenical Synod of Trent: let usconfess the faith thereof; let us ever keep the decrees thereof.

Answer. Ever let us confess, ever keep.

[Page 283] The Cardinal. We all thus believe; we all think the very same ; we all,consenting and embracing (them), subscribe. This is the faith of blessedPeter, and of the apostles: this is the faith of the Fathers: This is thefaith of the Orthodox.

Answer. Thus we believe; thus we think; thus we subscribe.

The Cardinal. To these decrees adhering may we be made worthy of themercies and grace of the first and great supreme priest, Jesus Christ God;our inviolate Lady, the holy mother of God, also interceding, and all thesaints.

Answer. So be it: so be it. Amen, Amen.

Cardinal. Anathema to all heretics.

Answer Anathema, anathema.

After this, it was enjoined on all the Fathers, by the Legates andpresidents, under pain of excommunication, that, before departing from thecity of Trent, they should subscribe with their own hand the decrees of theCouncil, or approve thereof by some public instrument; all of whomsubsequently subscribed, and they were in number CCLV; to wit, fourlegates, two cardinals, three patriarchs, twenty-five archbishops, onehundred and sixty-eight bishops, seven abbots, thirty-nine proctors ofabsent (prelates) with lawful commission, seven generals.

It agrees with the original: in faith whereof we have subscribed:

I, Angelus MASSARELLI, bishop of Telesia, secretary of the sacred Councilof Trent.
I, Marcus Antonius PEREGRINUS, of Como, notary of the said Council.
I, Cynthius PAMPHILUS, clerk of the diocese of Camerino, notary of the saidCouncil.

We, Alexander di Farnese, cardinal-deacon of Saint Lawrence in Damaso,vice-chancellor of the holy Roman Church,[Page 284] do certify and attest, that, onthis day, being Wednesday, the twenty-sixth of January, MDLXIV, in thefifth year of the pontificate of our most holy lord Pius IV., by theprovidence of God, Pope, the most reverend my lords, the cardinals Moroneand Simonetta, lately returned from the sacred Council of Trent, whereatthey had presided as Legates of the Apostolic See, did, in a secretconsistory, held at St. Peter's, petition our said most holy lord asfollows:

Most blessed Father; in a decree, concerning the closing of the oecumenicalCouncil of Trent, published the day before the nones of December last, itwas ordained, that, through the presidents and Legates of your Holiness,and of the holy Apostolic See, confirmation should be requested from yourHoliness, in the name of the said Council, of all and singular the thingswhich were therein decreed and defined, as well under Paul III., and JuliusIII., of happy memory, as under your Holiness. Wherefore, we, John,Cardinal Morone, and Louis, Cardinal Simonetta, who were then Legates andpresidents, wishing to execute what was appointed in that decree, do humblypetition in the name of the said oecumenical Council of Trent, that yourHoliness would vouchsafe to confirm all and singular the things which havetherein been decreed and defined, as well under Paul III., and Julius III.,of happy memory, as under your Holiness.

Upon hearing which, his Holiness, having looked at and read the tenour ofthe said decree, and having takein the advice of the most reverend lords,the cardinals, replied in these words : Acceding to the petition made tous, by the Legates aforesaid, in the name of the oecumenical Council ofTrent, touching the confirmation thereof, We, with apostolic authority, andwith the advice and assent of our venerable brethren the cardinals, havingpreviously had a mature deliberation with them, do confirm all and singularthe things which have been decreed and defined in the said Council, as wellunder Paul III., and Julius III., of happy memory, as during the time ofour pontificate; and we[Page 285] command that the same be received and inviolablyobserved by all the faithful of Christ; In the name of the Father, and ofthe Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
So it is.

A. Cardinal FARNESE,
Vice-Chancellor

Pius, bishop, servant of the servants of God, for the perpetual memory hereof.

Blessed be the God, and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father ofmercies, and the God of all comfort, who hath vouchsafed to look down uponHis holy Church, agitated and tossed by so many storms and tempests, and,whilst it was day by day more sorely distressed, hath at length broughtrelief thereunto by a suitable and wished-for remedy. To extirpate verymany and most pernicious heresies, to correct manners, and to restoreecclesiastical discipline, to procure time peace and concord of theChristiain people, an oecumenical and general Council had been, a long timepreviously, indicted by our predecessor, Paul III., of pious memory, andhad been begun by holding several Sessions. Having been, by his successor,recalled to the same city, the Council, after several Sessions had beencelebrated, could not, on account of various impediments and difficultieswhich supervened, be even then brought to a conclusion: it was, therefore,for a long time interrupted, not without the greatest grief on the part ofall persons of piety, whilst the Church daily more and more implored thatremedy. But we, upon having entered upon the government of the ApostolicSee, undertook to accomplish so necessary and salutary a work, even as ourpastoral solicitude admonished us;[Page 286] trusting in the Divine Mercy, and aidedby the pious zeal of our most beloved son in Christ, Ferdinand, Emperorelect of the Romans, and by that of other Christian kings, republics, andprinces, we have at length attained to that which we have not ceased tolabour after by daily and nightly watchfulness, and which we haveassiduously besought of the Father of lights. For whereas a most numerousassembly of bishops and of other distinguished prelates, and one worthy ofan oecumenical Council, had, upon being convoked by our letters, andimpelled also by their own piety, been gathered together from all sides outof the nations of Christendom, at the said city; together with whom werevery many other persons of piety, pre-eminent for skill in sacred letters,and knowledge of divine and human law; the Legates of the Apostolic Seepresiding in the said Synod; ourselves so favourable to the liberty of theCouncil, as even to have, by letters written to our Legates, voluntarilyleft the said Council free to determine concerning matters properlyreserved to the Apostolic See; such things as remained to be treated of,defined, and ordained, touching the sacraments and other matters, whichseemed to be necessary for confuting heresies, removing abuses, andamending morals, were by the sacred and holy Synod with the most perfectliberty and diligence, treated of, and accurately and most deliberatelydefined, explained, and ordained, which being completed, the Council wasbrought to a close with so great unanimity on the part of all who assistedthereat, that it was plain that such agreement was the Lord's doing, and itwas very wonderful in our eyes, and those of all. For which so singular abounty, We at once appointed solemn processions in this good city, whichwere assisted at with great piety by the clergy and people; and We made itour care that the thanksgivings so justly due should be paid to the divinemajesty; forasmuch as the issue of that Council has brought with it a greatand well nigh assured hope that greater fruits will day by day be derivedunto the Church from the decrees and constitutions thereof.

[Page 287] And whereas the said holy Synod, in its reverence towards the ApostolicSee, and following also in the traces of the ancient Councils, has, in adecree made thereon in public Session, requested of us the confirmation ofall Its decrees, passed in our time and that of our predecessors; We, beingmade acquainted with the request of the said Synod, first by the letters ofour Legates, then, upon their return, by what they diligently reported inthe name of the Synod; after mature deliberation had thereon with ourvenerable brethren the cardinals of the holy Roman Church, and, above all,having invoked the assistance of the Holy Spirit; after that we hadascertained that all those decrees were Catholic, and useful and salutaryto the Christian people, We, to the praise of Almighty God, with the adviceand assent of our brethren aforesaid, have this day, in our secretconsistory, confirmed by Apostolic authority all and singular thosedecrees, and have ordained that the same be received and observed by allthe faithful of Christ; as also, for the clearer information of all men,We do, by the tenour of this letter, confirm them, and ordain that they bereceived and observed.

And, in virtue of holy obedience, and under the penalties by the sacredcanons appointed, and others more grievous, even those of deprivaiton, tobe inflicted at our discretion, We do also command all and each of ourvenerable brethren, the patriarchs, archbishops, bishops, and all otherprelates whatsoever of the churches, of what estate, grade, order anddignity soever, they may be, even though distinguished with the honour ofthe cardinalate, diligently to observe the said decrees and statutes intheir own churches, cities, and dioceses, both in their courts of justiceand elsewhere, and to cause the same to be inviolably observed, each by hisown subjects, in so far as they are in any way concerned therein; silencinggainsayers, and the refractory, by means of judicial sentences, and by thecensures also and ecclesiastical penalties contained in the said decrees;calling in also, if need be, the help of the secular arm. And, by thebowels of the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, We admonish and conjure oursaid most beloved son the emperor elect, and the Christian kings,republics, and princes, with that piety with which they assisted, by their ambassadors, at the Council, with[Page 288] the samepiety and equal zeal, for the sake of God's honour, and the salvation oftheir people, in reverence also towards the Apostolic See, and the sacredSynod, to support, when needful, with their assistance and countenance, theprelates in executing and observing the decrees of the said Council ; andnot to permit opinions adverse to the sound and salutary doctrine of theCouncil to be received by the people who are under their sway, but utterlyto interdict such.

Furthermore, in order to avoid the perversion and confusion which mightarise, if each one were allowed, as he might think fit, to publish his owncommentaries and interpretations on the decrees of the Council ; We, byapostolic authority, forbid all men, as well ecclesiastics, of whatsoeverorder, condition, and rank they may be, as also laymen, with whatsoeverhonor and power invested ; prelates, to wit, under pain of beinginterdicted from entering the church, and all others whomsoever they be,under pain of excommunication incurred by the fact, to presume, without ourauthority to publish, in any form, any commentaries, glosses, annotations,scholia, or any kind of interpretation whatsoever of the decrees of thesaid Council ; or to settle anything in regard thereof, under any pleawhatsoever, even under pretext of greater corroboration of the decrees, orthe more perfect execution thereof, or under any other colour whatsoever. But if anything therein shall seem to any one to have been expressed andordained in an obscure manner, and it shall appear to stand in need on thataccount of an interpretation or decision, let him Go up to the place whichthe Lord hath chosen; to wit, to the Apostolic See, the mistress of all thefaithful, whose authority the holy Synod also has so reverentlyacknowledged. For, if any difficulties and controversies shall arise inregard of the said decrees, We reserve them to be by Us cleared up anddecided, even as the holy Synod has Itself in like manner decreed ; beingprepared, as that Synod has justly expressed Its confidence in regard toUs, to provide for the necessities of all the provinces, in such manner asshall[Page 289] seem to Us most suitable; declaring that whatsoever may be attemptedto the contrary in this matter, whether wittingly or unwittingly, by anyone, by what authority soever, is, notwithstanding, null and void. Andthat these things may come to the knowledge of all men, and that no one mayuse the excuse of ignorance; We will and ordain, that, in the VaticanBasilica of the prince of the apostles, and in the Lateran church, at thetime when the people is wont to assemble there to be present at thesolemnization of masses, this letter be publicly read in a loud voice bycertain officers of our court; and that, after having been read, it beaffixed to the doors of those churches, and also to the gates of theApostolic Chancery, and to the usual place in the Campo di Fiore; and bethere left for some time, to be read by and to come to the knowledge of allmen. And when removed thence, copies being, according to custom, left inthose same places, it shall be committed to the press in our good city,that so it may be more conveniently made known throughout the provinces andkingdoms of the Christian name. And we ordain and decree, that, withoutany doubt, faith be given to copies thereof written or subscribed by thehand of a public notary, and guaranteed by the seal and signature of someperson constituted in ecclesiastical dignity. Let no one, therefore,infringe this our letter of confirmation, monition, inhibition,reservation, will, mandate, and decree, or with rash daring go contrarythereunto. But if any one shall presume to attempt this, let him know thathe will incur the indignation of Almighty God, and of His blessed Apostles,Peter and Paul. Given at Rome, at Saint Peter's, in the year of the Lord'sIncarnation One thousand five hundred and sixty-four, on the seventh of thecalends of February, in the fifth year of our pontificate.