Introduction

PIUS, BISHOP

SERVANT OF THE SERVANTS OF GOD

FOR A PERPETUAL REMEMBRANCE

THE CONDITION OF THINGS, especially in Italy, was, at the close of the twelfth century and for a little while so serious, that, although society stood firm universally in the Christian Faith, exceedingly many men, nevertheless, distracted by cupidity for fleeting things and elated by the pride of life, rushed forth into every moral depravity [morum pravitatem]; and, with the charity of Christ already growing weak, they fostered hatreds at all times and impelled city-states to calamitous internal wars.  Nothing therefore could be more wished at that time than that a singular man be raised up by God, who, distinguished by the praise of all virtues, both brought opportune remedies to these evils and called the peoples back to a Christian spirit.  Now, indeed, no one is ignorant that the duty of emending the society of those times had been divinely committed to Francis of Assisi, who countering [opponens] unbridled vices with the study of Christian humility and poverty, strove to conjoin all in mutual charity.  And sop when very many disciples flowed together from all sides towards such a man, there grew up an indeed immense Franciscan Family, since from the members [sodalibus] of the three Orders which Francis himself established, then successively from those tertiaries who, desirous of a more perfect life, (and) observing [agents] a common life, were named members of the Third Order Regular. Therefore deservedly [merito] these also have celebrated the memory of the Seraphic Father throughout this year, in the seventh centenary [septimo exeunte saeculo] of his most holy death [obiti], not only with the holding of pious supplications and sacred solemnities in public, but also with more active resolutions of piety in a glad spirit [animo]. For indeed all know how diligently, from the beginning of their institute, the tertiaries regular contended to put on the holy spirit of Francis, and accustomed themselves to the same (spirit) in displaying [traducere] many works of religion and charity.  Wherefore it happened that Our Predecessor Pope Leo X, after having promulgated [data] the Constitution Inter cetera, fully approved their Rule. But in fact, as it happens in human affairs, very many things indeed, with the passing of time [decursu temporum], which had been decreed by Pope Leo X, either entirely became obsolete [prorsus obsolevere] or did not agree entirely [omnino] with the certain prescriptions of the Code of canon law.  For which reason it was necessary that that law of Leo X be accommodated to these Our times and likewise to the more recent decrees of the Church, so that the Tertiaries Regular, and the many other religious families of simple vows which, since they have put on the spirit of Francis in the establishment of the same and use the franciscan name, have Francis as (their) Father in a certain manner, seizing from this [inde] a new increment, may proceed with alacrity or even better [maiore optime] to merit it from the Christian and civil republic. And since the task [munus] of emending this kind of law, having been placed before the business of the Sacred Congregation of Religious, had resulted in [confecisset] (a law) more fully imbued and congruent with the law of the Church today, it submitted the same to be approved by Us pro officio; of which Law indeed are these chapters which are here reported: