8. But We now, who, as Leo himself confirmed on his own, ⁹ « have been accustomed to admire Francis of Assisi and to foster from adolescence his chief religion, and We glory in being adopted into the Franciscan family », certainly not of the Minors, which We, as any of Our Precedessors, esteem as the great Work of the blessed Father, nor otherwise than that particular other, which we have judged worthy of Our own certain involvement. Therefore in this fame of the seculars, when We have illustrated with the words of Our Predecessors the great merits of the Order, divinely founded by Francis, for Christian society, it seems to Us, that to publically make and prove by enduring testimony the fulness of Our paternal charity, by which We embrace the three families, from which the principal Order of Franciscans is established, without any discrimination. Certainly indeed with the mobility of human genius and the various changing of times it has gradually happened, that the Franciscan members have departed one after another from a most harmonious community of life and manner of living into diverse disciplines. « The most high penury of things, which the most holy Man fell uniquely in love with through his whole life, not a few of his students prefered in a very similar manner; not a few, to whom this seemed heavier, in a moderately tempered manner. Wherefore with the secession of some from others accomplished, on this side there arose the Observants, on that side the Conventuals. Similarly the rigid innocence, and the high, magnificent virtues, with which he had shown forth as a miracle, some indeed watned to imitate courageously and severely, others more leniently and mildly. After the family of the friars Capuchine coalesced from the first of these, there resulted a tripartate division ». ¹⁰ -- But that the variety of legitimate disciplines obstructs nothing, still less that which those who had joined whichever of these, all rightly defended, (namely) that they are the genuine progeny of Francis, has been sanctioned very many times by the authority of the Apostolic See. Thus Leo X: « That the very Friars of the Observance and the Reformati, have always been the true and undoubted Friars of the Order of Blessed Francis and observers of his Rule, and, by the favor of divine grace, may always be (such), without any interruption or division, they have from the time of the publishing of the Rule by Bl. Francis even to the present also served as soldiers under the Rule of Bl. Francis, and do also serve even to the present; and in this manner We discern and mandate that they ought to be held and observed and judged ». ¹¹ And Clement VIII protected the Friars Minor of the Stricter Observance, called the Reformati, from injuries from certain persons. And the Reformati themselves, he declares to be « true sons and undoubted Friars of the Order of Saint Francis ». ¹² Moreover concerning the Capuchines, Paul V, ¹³ Urban VIII, ¹⁴ (and) Clement XIII, ¹⁵ established them « to be truly Friars Minor », and « to be really their origin and beginning and to be effectivly counted (as such) from the time of the primeval and original institution of the Seraphic Rule, the observance of which the Friars Capuchine themselves always continue without any interruption », and that the same « were and are from a true and never interrupted line, both true and undoubted Friars of the Order of Saint Francis, and observers of his Rule, and that they have served as soldiers and do aslo served at the present under the Rule of Bl. Francis himself ». -- Affirming these very things, We will (and) order, that as many are of the three disciplines of the first Franciscan Order, they are are to be regarded both among themselves and by all, as not only genuine but twin Brothers, as all having been born from the same Francis and as having been carefully cultivated by the same documents of religious life according to his one Rule. And so that for this fraternal charity, which among the sons of the most blessed Father ought to rule as one, there may be more safe and sure laws, and for the reason that the Franciscan Institutes may bear more abundant fruit for the holy Church, We concerning the common reasons of the whole Minorite nation, discern these things to be valid in perpetuity, as certain principles and sources, and We precept with the plenitude of Our Apostolic power that those things which are written below are to be observed in a holy manner by all:

I. St. Francis' first Order, whether you consider the lawgiver-Father by whom it was founded, or the Rule, which it uses, is one family of religious: but if the reckoning of its government and the Constitutions, by which it is governed from the prescript of the Apostolic See, it is divided into three families: of which one is the Friars Minor, which once used to be called of the Regular Observance, and which when it had been separated into four groups [sodalitia], that is into the Observants, the Reformati, the Alcantarines, (and) the Recollects, it was, by Leo XIII, of happy memory, recalled to unity, having been given the one name Order of Friars Minor; the other is the Friars Minor who are spoken of as Conventuals; the third the Friars Minor who are named the Cappuchines.

II. The family, or Order, of the Friars Minor, to whom formerly the name "of the Regular Observance" belonged, after it had been brought back to unity from various groups [sodalitiis] by Leo XIII, if it was named of the Leonine Union, it was rightly named. Indeed « from the concession of the Apostolic See it anteceded in place and honor » the other Franciscan familes, and of its members « retain the worthy name, Friars Minor, received from Leo X, as Our Predecessor said in the Constitution Felicitate quadam: but, however, not this name is not to be interpreted, as if it seemed that every Minoritic Order consisted in only that family. It is clear that an interpretation of this kind is far from the true one, and very injurious to the not few, remaining Minorites. Therefore as often as the appelation of Order of Friars Minor without any other determination is ambiguous, We establish and sanction that it is proper that this family of which We are speaking, and its Moderators and members, especially in public acts, be designated by a proper and peculiar term [adiecta nota], and to be (thus) called the Order of Friars Minor of the Leonine Union, (its) Moderators and members, of the Order of Friars Minor of the Leonine Union.

III. The title of Minister General of the whole Order of Minors, which the Minister General of the same family, which be have named "of the Leonine Union", uses as a title, is merely honorific, nor does it denote any jurisdiction or authority over the all the other families of Franciscans.

IV. The names Cappuchine, Conventual, of the Leonine Union distinguish Franciscans not by noting that, which pertains to their reckoning and nature as Friars Minor: for this consists in the Seraphic Rule which among all Franciscans of the first Order is one and the same: but by designating those things which accede to the nature in this genus; and these are the Constitutions, which each family follows as its proper and peculiar (norms) in observing the Rule, from the prescript of the Apostolic See.

V. The Minister General of the Friars Minor of the Leonine Union, likewise from the concession of the Apostolic See, in all sacred and public gatherings, wherever a law obtains from the superiority of a place, precedes the Minister General of the Conventuals, but the Minister General of the Cappuchines both of these. But it has been defined by very many decrees of the Apostolic See, that the families from each convent are to have a mutual [inter se] place in parades and other sacred public functions.

VI. All the Minister Generals of the three families of Franciscans are and are to be held as equals in dignity and authority, as Vicars and furthermore true successors of Saint Francis, that is each on behalf of his own family, and also on behalf of the members of the Second and Third Order, however many familes have either been subjected or aggregated to their own jurisdiction: the same all righly stand in the perpetual line of their predecessors from the Seraphic Father himself.

VII. The three families of the Minorite Order, as so many branches belong to a most noble tree, whose root and trunk is Francis. On this account the Friars Minor, both of the Leonine Union, the Conventuals, and the Cappuchines, both are and ought to be held equally and most rightfully true Franciscans and true Friars Minor. And none of the same are to be called more ancient than the others, when indeed it is true that their origin is traced back to the time of the Seraphic Rule's very institution, which all continued to observe without any interruption.

VIII.Of the temples of the Franciscans it is nearly pointless to say that that is to be held most sacred, in which the blessed lawgiver-Father himself rests: the shrine which on that account was opportunely renamed the Head and Mother of the Seraphic Order by Gregory IX, ¹⁶ and which moreover was raised by Benedict XIV by the Letter Fidelis to the dignity of a Patriarchal Basilica and Papal Chapel. -- But there is a remarkable dignity in the Shrine of St. Mary of the Angles of the Portiuncula; of which Benedict XIII (said): « Finally so that no one may extoll and praise, with words or writting, the Basilica of blessed Francis in the city of Assisi, where his sacred body lies, enriched with various privileges by Our Predecessors, the Roman Pontiffs, so above all the other churches of the same Order, as to deny the honor and reverence due the Basilica of Blessed Mary of the Portiuncula, outside the walls of the same town, in which is established, that the Seraphic Father began his Institute; We precept and mandate, that both Basilicas, though for divers reasons, indeed that of Bl. Mary on account of the primordial times of the Order, but that of Assisi on account of the sacred body of the most holy Institutor, be acknowledged and observed as as mother (churches) by all the Friars Minor » ¹⁷ But the very Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels We non long ago reckoned as Mother and Head of the Order of the Minors with the publising of the Letter Omnipotense ac misericors Dominus, and We have honored it with the title of Patriarchal Basilica and Papal Chapel. Wherefore it is proper that however many of the sons of Francis glory in that name, they guard each Basilica, as a common patrimony: let all trustingly and gladly celebrate both as their paternal home, and let them there sense themselves renewed by every office of fraternal charity, how good and how jocund that brothers dwell as one.

IX. The Minister Generals of the threefold family of the Minors are equal in authority over the Third Order. The Tertiaries on this account who serve the Minister General of one Family, enjoy the same privileges and indulgences, and those who are subject to the other two (likewise). Nor will it be licit that those who have joined the Third Order, be named Tertiariars either "of the Leonine Union", or "Conventuals", or "Cappuchines", but it will be proper that they be called Tertiaries of St. Francis or Franciscan Tertiaries, without any other discription.

X. The ornaments, with which any of the three families of the Minors shines forth; the public commendations, by which any is ornamented by the Apostolic See; the Saints, Blesseds, Venerable men by which any is brightened, although they chiefly belong to that family, rightly, however, pertain to all the others of the fraternity, as common ornaments. But the old glories of the Order, sprung from the past deeds or holy men before the canonical division of the Order itself, accomplished by Leo X, ¹⁸ are to be held by none of the three families in particular, but all indiscriminately.