618 



KOMAST CATHOLIC CHUECH. 



Ootobris, 1732), in which, among many other things 

 there prescribed in order that a matter of so great 

 moment should be performed in the most suitable 

 manner, it is declared and decreed that, without any 

 exception whatever, the election of the Sovereign 

 Pontiff is the affair of the College of Cardinals alone. 



Turning these things over in Our mind, now that 

 the (Ecumenical and General Vatican Council con- 

 voked by the Apostolical Letters, beginning with 

 the words ^Eterni Patris, of the 29th June, 1868, is 

 on the point of being solemnly inaugurated, it ap- 

 peared to Us Our Apostolic duty to prevent and cut 

 off from henceforth all occasion of discord and dis- 

 cussion concerning the election of the Sovereign Pon- 

 tiff, if that it should be pleasing to the Divine Will to 

 call Us out of this life during the said Council. 



Moved further by the examples of Julius II., Our 

 predecessor who, as is known in history (Kaynald, 

 Annal.Ecdes., ad annum 1513, No. VII.), being strick- 

 en by fatal illness at the time that the Vth Council 

 of Lateran was sitting, called the Cardinals around 

 him, and, solicitous for the legitimate election of his 

 successor, in their presence ordered that this should 

 be done, not by the said Council, but by their Col- 

 lege alone, as in effect was the case at the death of 

 the aforesaid Julius ; and also by the examples of 

 Our other predecessors, Paul III. and Pius IV., the 

 former of whom by Letters Apostolic of the 19th of 

 November, 1544, the latter by similar letters of the 

 22d September, 1561, providing for the case of their 

 death during the celebration or the Council of Trent, 

 decreed that, in case of the election of a new Pontiff 

 becoming necessary, it should be done by the Car- 

 dinals of the Holy t Eoman Church alone, entirely ex- 

 cluding all participation whatever of the Council. 

 And, further, after mature deliberation and diligent 

 scrutiny concerning this matter, made together with 

 not a few of our V enerable Brethren the Cardinals 

 of the same Holy Koman Church, of Our certain 

 knowledge, by Our own will, and in the fulness of 

 Our Apostolic power, we declare, decree, and estab- 

 lish that, if it should please God to put an end to 

 Our mortal exile during the aforesaid General Coun- 

 cil of the Vatican, the election of the new Sovereign 

 Pontiff, in whatever state or position the Council 

 may be at the time, is only to be made by the Car- 

 dinals of the Holy Koman Church, and not by the 

 said Council, all other persons being equally exclud- 

 ed from participating in the said election in the char- 

 acter of deputy for any one whomsoever, even under 

 authority of the Council itself. 



Further^ in order that this election by the afore- 

 said Cardinals, being relieved of all impediments, 

 and of all occasion of perturbation and dissension, 

 may proceed more freely and expeditiously, with the 

 same knowledge and fulness of Apostolical powers, 

 "We also decree and establish that, if We should die 

 during the aforesaid Vatican Council, the said Coun- 

 cil, in whatever state or position it may be found, 

 should understand that it is at once and immediately 

 suspended and prorogued, as with these Our letters 

 We intend now to suspend the same unto a period 

 to be hereafter fixed upon 5 in other words, that with- 

 out any delay it should immediately cease to hold 

 any Assembly, Congregation, or Session, to make 

 any decree or canon, nor for any reason or cause, 

 even though it should appear of great importance, 

 can it proceed in any matter until the new Pontiff, 

 canonically elected by the Sacred College of Cardi- 

 nals, shall believe it due time to, and of his Sov- 

 ereign Authority intimate the reopening and conti- 

 nuation of, the same Council. 



Deeming it, moreover, opportune that the things 

 which We have ordained on occasion of the aforesaid 

 Vatican Council, whether with regard to the election 

 of the Sovereign Pontiff, or with regard to the sus- 

 pension of the said Council, should rurnish a certain 

 and stable norma to serve in perpetuity on all similar 

 occasions, with equal knowledge and power as above, 

 We decree and establish that, in the future, when- 



ever the death of the Eoman Pontiff occurs during 

 the celebration of whatever Oecumenical Council, 

 whether held in Eome, or in whatever other place in 

 the world, the election of the new Pontiff should be 

 made always exclusively by the College of Cardinals 

 alone, according to the manner above denned : and 

 that the same Council, as soon as it shall receive 

 certain news of the death of the Pontiff, should 

 understand that it is ipso facto suspended and pro- 

 rogued until the new Pontiff, canonically elected, 

 shall ordain and renew that it continue its sessions. 



We also decree that these presents should remain 

 and be always valid and in force, and never at any 

 time, under whatsoever title or cause of nullity, or 

 defect of Our intention, or under any plea of law 

 whatsoever, should be invalidated or called in ques- 

 tion in any manner ; and we decree that henceforth 

 all attempts whatever to set aside the above deposi- 

 tions, made by what authority soever, the Apostolic 

 See being vacant, shall be null and void, even though 

 by the said Vatican Council itself, as by any future 

 CEcumenical Council, and that, even though if with 

 the unanimous consent of the Cardinals of the Holy 

 Eoman Church. 



Nevertheless, whenever it shall be necessary to 

 refer to the Constitution of Our predecessor, Alex- 

 ander III., published in the Council of Lateran, and 

 commencing Licet de Vitanda, or any other Constitu- 

 tion Apostolic, special or general, and published in 

 the General Councils, and even though included in 

 the body of the laws, and under whatever term or 

 form, and howsoever binding it shall be, as if they 

 were inserted word by word in the present Constitu- 

 tion, except in those parts which are contrary to 

 these presents, which, in that case, shall remain in 

 their full vigor. 



To no one, then, is it permitted to violate this page 

 of declarations, ordinances, statutes and decrees, and 

 of Our will, nor presume to contradict them, which, 

 if any one should attempt it, let him know that he 

 will incur the displeasure of Almighty God, and of 

 His Holy Apostles, Peter and Paul. 



Given at St. Peter's in Eome, 4th December, 1869, 

 and the twenty-fourth of Our Pontificate. 



(Signed) CARDINAL MATTEL pro-datario. 



CARDINAL PAEACCIN-CLAEELLI. 



The second was a bull revoking and annul- 

 ling many of the censures and penalties enacted 

 in times past by the canon law against various 

 offences. It is dated October 12, and is as fol- 

 lows: 



Pius, Bishop, Servant of the Servants of God, ad 

 perpetuam memoriam. 



It behooves the moderation of the Apostolic See 

 to retain that which has been salutarily constituted 

 in the Canons of old, so that, if sacred dispensations 

 are rendered necessary by the altered circumstances 

 of the times, the said Apostolic See should provide 

 and apply a remedy in accordance with its supreme 

 power. 



We have hence observed,' in the course of late 

 years, that the number of eclesiastical censures in- 

 curred ipso facto, which have been holity inflicted 

 and promulgated in maintenance of the discipline and 

 integrity of the Church, and in order to curb and 

 correct the unbridled license of evil-doers, have lit" 

 tie by little increased in number and volume ; that 

 some causes of infliction of some can no longer 

 arise, through the changes of times and manners, 

 and thus they no longer possess their original use 

 and opportuneness, and that hence they give rise to 

 various doubts, anxieties, and scruples of conscience, 

 both to the faithful and to those who have the charge 

 of their souls. 



We, therefore, desiring to repair these incon- 

 veniences, have ordained that a list should be drawn 

 up of such cases, and be presented to Us, in order that, 

 after diligent examination, we might establish which 



