APOSTOLIC LETTER

New Zealand Tablet, 15 May 1913, Page 23

APOSTOLIC LETTER

OF OUR HOLY FATHER PIUS X. ik ~ ?-'. --•-''-" . -' ' - .'■■■- '*' ■ —; ——--'..- .. "- ESTABLISHING A UNIVERSAL JUBILEE IN 'MEMORY OF THE PEACE GIVEN BY THE EMPEROR STAN TINE THE GREAT TO THE CHURCH. PIUS PP. X. -;'v To all the faithful in Christ who, shall read this Our Letter, Health and the Apostolic Benediction. \ (Magni faustique) . The commemoration of the great and happy event through which, sixteen centuries ago, Peace was finally given to the Church, while it fills all Catholics with the greatest joy*and calls them to works of piety, moves Us to open the treasures of celestial gifts that choice and copious fruits may accrue from that solemnity. Nothing indeed could be more fitting and opportune than the celebration of the Edict promulgated at Milan by the Emperor Constantine the Great, following close upon the victory of Maxentius obtained under the glorious Standard of the —the Edict which put an end to the cruel persecution of the Christians and placed them in possession of the liberty bought at the price of the Blood of the Divine Redeemer and the Martyrs. Then at last the Church Militant gained the first of those triumphs which throughout its history have invariably followed persecutions of every sort, and from that day ever increasing benefits have accrued to the human race. For men, abandoning by degrees the superstitious worship of idols, in" their laws, customs, and institutions ' followed ever more the rule of Christian life, and so it came to pass that justice and love flourished together on the earth. Therefore We think it appropriate that on this happy occasion on which such a great event is commemorated prayers should be multiplied to God, to. His Virgin Mother, and to all the Blessed, especially to the Holy Apostles, that all peoples, renewing the dignity and glory of the Church, may take refuge in the bosom of this their Mother, may root out the errors by which insensate enemies of the Church strive to shroud its splendor in darkness, may surround the Roman Pontiff with the highest homage, and, with their minds at rest in perfect trust, may see indeed in the Catholic religion the defence and safeguard of all things. Then will it be possible to hope that men, again fixing their eyes on the Cross, .the sign of salvation, will be able completely to overcome the enemies of the Christian name and the unbridled lusts of their hearts. To the purpose, then, that the humble prayers that should be offered on the occasion of this solemn commemoration throughout the Catholic world may redound to the greater spiritual good of the faithful, We ordain that they be enriched with a Plenary Indulgence in Jubilee form, urgently exhorting all the children of the Church that they unite their prayers and their works of piety to Ours, to the end that by means of the spiritual favor of Jubilee offered to them these may bear the greatest possible fruit both to the profit of souls and the advantage of religion. Relying, therefore, on the mercy of Almighty God and on the authority of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and having consulted Our Venerable Brethren, the Cardinal Inquisitors General of the Holy Roman Church, of that power of binding and loosing which to Us though unworthy has been entrusted, We by this present Letter'grant'and impart, in the form of a general Jubilee, a Plenary Indulgence of all sins to all and sundry of the faithful of both sexes, whether resident in this dear city of Ours or coming to visit it, who in this present year, from Low Sunday, when the secular celebrations intended to commemorate the Peace of the Church begin, to the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mother of God inclusive, twice visit each of the Basilicas of St. John Lateran, St. Peter Prince of the Apostles and St. Paul outside the Walls; who there, according to Our

intention, for some time pour forth their - prayers : to God for the prosperity and exaltation of the Catholic Church and of this Apostolic See, for, the extirpation of heresies and the conversion of all who are in error, for concord amongst Christian Princes and peace and unity amongst all the faithful who, having., properly confessed their sins, refresh themselves during the period indicated with the celestial banquet ; and who furthermore, each one according to his. means, give an alms to the needy or, if preferred, assign it for some pious purpose. • To those, however, who cannot visit the City, We grant the same Plenary Indulgence provided, during the same interval, they visit six times in all a church, or churches in their own locality, to be designated by the Ordinary, and perform in their integrity the other works of piety which we have above specified. Further, We permit that this Plenary Indulgence may and can be applied by way of suffrage to the souls who have passed from this life united to God by charity. 1 To sailors and those engaged in travel We grant that when they visit their homes or otherwise when they arrive at any station, they can lawfully gain the same Indulgence when they shall have performed the works above prescribed and shall have visited six , times the Cathedral or the principal or the parochial : church of their home, or of the station.

As to the religious of both sexes, including those bound to perpetual enclosure, as well as all others whomsoever, whether the laity, or ecclesiastics, secular or regular, who are detained in prison or captivity, or who labor under any bodily infirmity or under any other impediment whatsoever, and who cannot perform the works mentioned or any one of them, We likewise grant and permit that the confessor can commute those works into other works of piety, or postpone them to another not distant time, and that he can enjoin such works as his penitents can perform. For children who have not yet been admitted to first Communion, We also grant him authority to dispense from Holy Communion.

Further to all and sundry of the faithful, both the laity and ecclesiastics secular or regular, of whatsoever Order and Institute, even those that should he specially named, We grant authority to select for this purpose any priest whatever, secular or regular, who is an approved confessor ; and it is permitted also that nuns, novices, and other women living in enclosure avail of this authorisation, provided the confessor they select be approved for hearing the confessions of nuns. All who go to confession within the aforesaid appointed time, intending to gain the Jubilee and to perform the works necessary for gaining it, any such confessor can absolve and is empowered to absolve, for this occasion and in the tribunal of conscience only, from all sentences and censures of excommunication and suspension, and from other ecclesiastical sentences and censures, by the law or by man for whatever' cause enacted or inflicted, even from those reserved to Ordinaries and to Us or the Apostolic See, even cases specially reserved, no matter to whom and to the Sovereign- Pontiff and the Apostolic See, and which otherwise are not understood to be granted by any concession how ample soever. He can also absolve and is empowered to absolve from all s'ns and excesses, however grievous and enormous, even from those reserved, as has been said, to the same Ordinaries and to Us and the Apostolic See, but he is to impose a salutary penance, and to observe the other things enjoined by the law; and if there is question of heresy, he can absolve and is empowered to absolve from it, when, according to the prescriptions of the law, error has been abjured and retracted. He can also commute into other pious and salutary works vows of whatsoever kind. even those confirmed by oath and reserved to the Holy See, always excepting vows of chastity, of religion, and of an obligation which has been accepted from a third party or in which there is question of prejudice to a third party, excepting also penal vows, which are called vows preserving from sin, unless there be indicated a commutation of such a character as will in future serve to restrain from sin as much as the sub-ject-matter of the original vow. And in regard to peni-

tents of this kind who are in Holy Orders, even Regulars, he can dispense and is empowered to dispense them from an occult, irregularity contracted solely for the exercise of the Orders and for the attainment of higher Orders. • • t .<

We do not intend, however, .by Our present Letter to dispense from any other irregularity whatsoever, whether arising from crime or from defect, either public or hidden or known, nor from any other incapacity or disability in what manner soever contracted. Nor do We intend to concede any authority to dispense in the premises, or to rehabilitate or to restore to’the pristine state even in the tribunal of conscience. Nor do We intend to derogate from the Constitution, with appended declarations, published by Our predecessor of happy memory Benedict XIV., which begins Sacramentum Foenitentiae. Nor in fine do We intend that this same Letter can or should in any wise help those who by Us and the Apostolic See or by any Prelate or Ecclesiastical judge have been by name excommunicated, suspended, interdicted, or declared to have incurred other sentences or censures, unless within the aforesaid time they shall have made satisfaction, and, when necessary, come to terms with the parties. But if within the appointed time they could not, in the judgment of the confessor, make satisfaction, We grant that he can absolve them in the tribunal of conscience, only in order that they may gain the Indulgences of the Jubilee, the obligation of making satisfaction as soon as they can being imposed upon them.

Wherefore, in virtue of holy obedience We, by this present Letter, strictly order and command all Ordinaries wheresoever residing, and their Vicars and Officials, and, failing them, those who are charged with the cure of souls, that when they receive transcripts or printed copies of the present Letter, they publish it, or take care that it be published in their churches and dioceses, provinces, cities, towns,- territories, and districts, and that to the people duly prepared, as far as possible even by the preaching of the word of God, they designate, as explained above, the church or churches to be visited.

Notwithstanding Apostolic Constitutions and Ordinances, especially those by which the faculty of absolving in certain therein expressed cases is so reserved to the Roman Pontiff for the t'me being that even similar or dissimilar concessions of such indulgences and faculties cannot avail anybody unless express mention and special derogation of them be made notwithstanding also the special rule against the granting of indulgences ad instar and of the indulgences of any whatsoever Orders, Congregations, and Institutes, even when based and established on oath, Apostolic confirmation or any other guarantee, also indult, privileges, and Apostolic Letters for said Orders, Congregations, Institutes and persons thereof in whatsoever way conceded, approved and introduced; all and several of which, although of them and of their whole tenor a special, specific, express and individual mention, and not merely mention by general clauses, would have to be made or any expression whatsoever indicated,, or any other form whatsoever elaborated, for the observance of this, regarding their tenor as sufficiently expressed in this present Letter and the form prescribed for them as observed, We do for this once derogate specially, nominatim and expressly for the effect as aforesaid and all things else whatsoever to the contrary. Finally that this Our present Letter, which cannot be taken to every place, may more easily come to the knowledge of all, We will that transcripts or even printed copies, when signed by the hand of a Notary Public and sealed with the seal of an ecclesiastical dignitary, shall everywhere and for all have absolutely the same authority as would belong to this present Letter, if exhibited and shown. Given at Rome at St. Peter's, under the ring of the Fisherman, on the Bth day of March, 1913, in the tenth year of Our Pontificate. By special mandate of His Holiness, R. Card. Merry del Val, Secretary of State.