596 



PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 



some days in advance, to each of the Fathers, in 

 order that the latter, during that interval of time, 

 may examine them with care in all their parts and 

 reflect maturely upon the decision to be rendered. 

 If one of the Fathers should wish to speak in the 

 congregation upon the article proposed, it will be 

 necessary, in order to preserve among the speakers 

 the proper order with regard to the dignity of each 

 one, that he shall make it known to the president, 

 one day at least previous to the session in which he 

 intends to speak. After hearing the remarks of the 

 Fathers, if others wish still to discuss the question in 

 the same session, they will be free to do so after hav- 

 ing first obtained the authorization of the president^ 

 and observing the order claimed by the dignity oi 

 the speakers. 



If the proposition brought before the congregation 

 should present no difficulty, or only slight difficul- 

 ties, easily solved, during the session, then there will 

 be nothing to prevent that, the doubts being eluci- 

 dated, the form of decree or canon of the Council in 

 question should be adopted by taking the votes of 

 the Fathers. If, on the contrary, the said proposition 

 should give rise to difficulties of such a nature that, 

 contradictory opinions having been expressed, it 

 should be found impossible to come to an agreement 

 during the session, then recourse must be had to the 

 mode herein above established by us for the settle- 

 ment of this sort of matters in a permanent and 

 proper manner. "We prescribe that, from the very 

 beginning of the Council, there shall be instituted 

 four special and distinct congregations or delegations 

 of Fathers, the first of which will occupy itself with, 

 and treat, during the whole duration of the Council, 

 matters concerning faith; the second, questions of 

 ecclesiastical discipline; the third, questions inter- 

 esting the religious orders; the fourth, finally, the 

 matters of the Eastern rite. Each of these congre- 

 gations will be composed of twenty-five Fathers, 

 elected by the Fathers of the Council, by secret 

 ballot. 



Each of these congregations or delegations shall 

 have < at its head one of our venerable brothers the 

 cardinals of the holy Koman Church, appointed by 

 us, who will call, for the wants of the congregation, 

 one or more of the theologians or canonists of the 

 Council, and, from among these, will designate one 

 who shall perform the functions of secretary of the 

 said congregation. If, therefore, it should happen, 

 as we have said before, that a question raised in the 

 general congregation about some proposed decision 

 cannot be settled, then the cardinals, presidents of 

 this general congregation, will see that the proposi- 

 tion in question, together with the difficulties to 

 which it has given rise, be submitted to the exami- 

 nation of such of these especial congregations, to 

 whose competence it may appertain, according to the 

 matters assigned to each of them. After the ques- 

 tion shall have been deliberated in this congregation, 

 the printed report thereof will be distributed to the 

 Fathers of the Council, according to the order pre- 

 scribed above by us, in order that in the next gen- 

 eral congregation, if no new obstacle presents itself, 

 the form of the decree or canon of the Council may 

 be adopted after taking the votes of the Fathers. But 

 the votes of the Fathers will be expressed verbally, 

 in such a way that they may have full liberty to pro- 

 nounce them even by reading them aloud. 



VIII. 



OF PUBLIC SESSIONS. 



The celebration of public sessions requires that we 

 should see to regulate in a proper and methodical 

 manner their operations and acts. Therefore, in 

 every public session, the Fathers being seated, each 

 in his rank and place ; and the ceremonies contained 

 in the ritual instructions which have been handed 

 them by our order being ended, the text of the prop- 

 ositions of decrees and canons adopted in the gen- 

 eral congregations hereinabove designated shall be 



read by our order, in a loud and intelligible voice, in 

 the following order : The canons on dogmas of faith 

 will be announced first, then the disciplinary de- 

 crees, making use of the solemn formula which it 

 has been customary with our predecessors to use, to 

 wit : " Pius, bishop, servant of the servants of God, 

 with the approbation of the Council, for the perpetual 

 memory of the matter." The Fathers wilt then be 

 asked whether the canons and decrees that have been 

 read meet with their assent, and immediately the 

 scrutators of votes will come forward and will note 

 exactly those votes, which must be collected one at a 

 time, according to the manner prescribed above. We 

 declare that these votes must be expressed by these 

 words : placet or non placet. We decree at the same 

 t time, that it will not be permitted to the Fathers who 

 may be absent from the session, for any cause what- 

 soever, to send in their vote in writing. The votes 

 having been collected, the secretary of the Council, 

 with the scrutators hereinbefore designated, will 

 commence classing and counting the votes before our 

 pontifical chair, and will report the result to us. We 

 will then render our supreme sentence, and will order 

 that it be promulgated and published in this solemn 

 form : " These decrees have been approved by all 

 the Fathers, unanimously (or, if there have been any 

 opponents}, with the exception of so many votes ; 

 and we, with the approbation of the holy Council, 

 order, decree 2 and sanction that the same be read." 

 These formalities being accomplished, the promoters 

 of the Council will require the prothonotaries present 

 to draw up one or more proces-verbals of all and 

 every thing accomplished during the session. Final- 

 ly, the day of the next session having been announced 

 by our order, the assembly will be adjourned. 



IX. 



THAT NO ONE SHOULD WITHDRAW FROM THE COUNCIL. 



Under the penalties prescribed by the holy canons, 

 we forbid all the Fathers of the Council and all other 

 persons who are obliged to attend it to withdraw 

 therefrom, before this holy, general, and (Ecumenical 

 Council of the Vatican shall be duly and regularly 

 closed and dismissed by us, unless a just cause of 

 departure shall have been presented and proved con- 

 formably to the rule hereinbefore established, >nd 

 the permission to depart obtained from us. 



X. 



APOSTOLIC INDULT ON THE NON-SESIDENCE OF THOSE 

 WHO ATTEND THE COUNCIL. 



As all those who are obliged to assist at the acts 

 of the Council are in the service of the universal 

 Church, following the example of our predecessors,* 

 we order, by virtue of the apostolic goodness 2 that all 

 the prelates and other dignitaries having right to a 

 vote in the Council, and all other persons who take 

 part in it. by whatever title, may receive the fruits, 

 income, daily production and distributions of their 

 livings, excepting only the distributions made, as it 

 is styled, between presents ; and we make this con- 

 cession for all the time of the Council, in so far as the 

 persons above designated shall remain or take part 

 in it. 



We prescribe and order that our present Letters, 

 and all the prescriptions therein contained, be invio- 

 lably observed in this coming and very holy (Ecu- 

 menical Council by all and each of those they may 

 concern ; notwithstanding the opposition of any 

 one, even of those who should be especially and in- 

 dividually designated. 



Given in Eome, at St. Peter's, under the seal of the 

 fisherman, the 27th of November, 1809, in the twenty- 

 fourth year of our pontificate. 



N CAED. PAEACCIANI CLAEELLI. 



* Paul TIL, Brief of January 1, 1546. Pius IV., Brief of 

 November 25, 1561. 



