Summa de Ecclesia

IT is gathered plainly enough from what has already been explained above, both concerning the summit of the apostolic principate and concerning the dependence and derivation of all other ecclesiastical powers from the apostolic see, that all prelates of the Church, both greater and lesser, are subjected to the Roman pontiff, both as to obedience to precepts and as to correction of abuse, and as to the furnishing of subsidies in necessities. As to obedience to precepts it is plain, both from what was said above in chs. 48 and 50, and from that which St Calixtus the Pope, writing to all bishops, says in the chapter It Is Not Fitting, dist. 12: It is not fitting for the members to depart from the head, but according to the testimony of scripture all members follow the head. But to none is it doubtful that the apostolic Church is the mother of all churches, from whose rules it in no way befits you to deviate — thus far. That obedience is due to the Roman pontiff, the emperor Justinian, understanding it, says in a letter written to Pope John, which is had in C., On the Sum of the Trinity and Faith, ch. Among the Illustrious: All priests of the eastern region, we hasten both to submit and to unite ourselves to the see of your holiness, for this reason, that it is the head of all holy churches. And he adds: In all things we hasten, as has been said, that the honour and authority of your see may grow, says he. Wherefore Pope John, writing above to Justinian in the letter Among the Illustrious, says thus: Among the illustrious praises of your wisdom and meekness, most Christian of princes, there shines as it were a star with purer light that, taught by love of the eternal faith and by zeal of charity for ecclesiastical disciplines, you preserve reverence for the Roman see, and subject all things to it, and bring them to its unity, to whose author and prince — that is, the first of the apostles, with the Lord saying — the precept is: Feed my sheep; whom the rules of the fathers and the statutes of princes declare to be truly the head and pastor of all churches, and the utterances of your most reverend piety testify, says he. But as to correction of abuse it is indeed plain. First because to the supreme judge, with whom the supreme power resides, and most of all from whom all authority of all inferior judges depends, belongs the correction of abuse committed by inferior powers; this is plain; but the Pope is the supreme judge in the Church, from whose power as from a root every other power takes its origin, as we have made known in what is above; therefore all inferior powers, as regards the correction of abuse of power, are subjected to the Roman pontiff; the consequence is good. Hence in ch. "Sola," 9, q. 3, the text says: The Roman Church by its authority avails to judge of all; and in ch. "Cuncta," in that cause, q., the text says: The Church knows, in all respects throughout the world, that the Roman Church has the right to judge concerning all. Whence blessed Bernard, writing to Eugenius, confirming this, says thus: According to thy canons others are called into a share of solicitude; thou into the fullness of power; the power of others is straitened by fixed limits, thine is extended; and over those very ones who have received power over others, if cause should arise, canst thou not thyself close heaven, depose a bishop from the episcopate, and even hand him over, says he. But that as to the furnishing of aid and subsidy in cases of necessity the rest are subjected to the Roman apostolic see is easy to show. For since the republic, and any power whatever in it, is held to the conservation of that power on which the good of the whole republic depends, and the good of the Christian republic depends most of all on the power of the Roman pontiff by which he has to order, rule, and govern the universal Church. Wherefore St Boniface the martyr in the chapter If the Pope says: That for the perpetual state of the Pope the whole body of the faithful prays so much the more insistently as he perceives on careful consideration his salvation after God to depend on his safety. Therefore it seems that all other churches are bound to support the protection and defence of the Roman Church. Whence Pope Symmachus in the chapter Of Others, assigning the reason of this, says to bishops: If she is humbled, to whose aid will you flee, and where will you leave your glory? This also St Thomas in 2, 2, q. 82, art. 4, shows, both by the example of the old law and by natural reason, saying thus: In the old law firstfruits were owed to the priests, but the tithe to the Levites. And because the Levites were under the priests, God commanded that they in place of firstfruits should pay to the supreme priest the tithe of the tithe. Whence now by the same reasoning clerics are held to give tithes to the supreme pontiff if he should exact them; for natural reason dictates that provision be made for him who has care of the common state of the multitude, that he may execute those things which pertain to the common salvation, says St Thomas. To the same effect is John Andreae in the Novella on ch. 1, in the Extra, On Tithes, where inquiring whether tithes are to be paid by clerics to the supreme pontiff, he answers that yes, because since the inferior is held to pay to his superior ministering spiritual things, but the Pope is understood to minister spiritual things to anyone, since every soul is immediately subjected to him; and also because he is himself the supreme priest, yet he perhaps does not use this right, because there is the note of 9, q. 3, "Cuncta," and ch. "Per principalem", whence whenever it pleases him, he exacts the tenth or twentieth of all revenues of churches, or another quota, for subsidy of the holy land or for his own or another's necessities, as we daily experience, says he. Moreover by another reason the aforesaid conclusion is proved. According to the law of nature the members owe subsidy to the head, and sons to parents in necessities; but all the faithful are members of the body of the Church whose head is the Roman pontiff himself, and are also his spiritual sons; whence he is called father of fathers: therefore not only clerics but also all the faithful are bound to furnish aid to the Roman pontiff in necessities, and each to lend support according to his means when called upon, as will be said more fully at the end of this second book. By these is openly refuted the diabolical presumption of those who presume rashly in any way whatever toward the Roman pontiff, father and prince of all the faithful, not only to shrink from lending support in necessities, but to violate, usurp or diminish his rights and privileges, accustomed revenues and emoluments, whom that sentence seems to involve, Deut. 27: Cursed be he who honors not his father and mother; and all the people shall say Amen.