Summa de Ecclesia

Hearing what has been said, namely that the Roman pontiff outside the case of heresy for the sublimity of his principate has no judge on earth who should judge or punish his evil deeds, both the adversaries and also other simple faithful ask what must be done against the pope if it should happen that he be either incorrigibly deformed in morals with scandal even of the faithful, or abusing his power, and be a dilapidator of the Church, or wish to confer ecclesiastical benefices only through simony. To whom we answer that there are several remedies for this. The first is humble admonition and fraternal charitable correction, which as we have said in what is above extends itself also to superiors; but he in such a case ought both by the lord cardinal prelates and by other notable prelates and lords and religious men to be sweetly admonished, exhorted and besought that he would deign to correct and emend his life, which is to many in scandal, and so to live as he is bound, that his life be to all in example of sanctity, commemorating also for the sake of exhortation certain sayings of sacred scripture. As is that which the Lord says to the apostles, Matt. 18: But whoso shall scandalize one of these little ones who believe in me, it is expedient for him that a millstone of an ass be hanged about his neck and he be drowned in the depth of the sea. How much more is he in damnation who scandalizes the universal Church? Likewise certain things from the holy fathers and doctors, as is that of blessed Gregory which is had in ch. Praecipue, 1, q. 3: Prelates ought to know that if they ever perpetrate perverse things, they are worthy of so many deaths as they transmit examples of perdition to subjects. Whence it is necessary that they guard themselves so much the more cautiously from fault by how much through the evil things which they do they die not alone. The second remedy is, where the preceding should find no place, devout prayer. For God must be prayed in that case for the lord pope through the whole universality of the faithful, the prelates of the Church establishing this, that the Lord would either illuminate him or take him from the midst. This remedy the doctors commonly assign, which remedy must be deemed of no small virtue: since if according to holy scripture, James 5, the assiduous deprecation of one just man is said to avail much, how much more the prayer of all the just who diffused through the world adorn the spouse of Christ. Of this St. Thomas puts an example in the book of the king and the kingdom saying that if altogether human aid cannot be had against the tyrant, recourse must be had to the king of all, God, who is a helper in opportunities and in tribulation; for to His power it is subject to convert the heart of the tyrant into mildness, according to that of Solomon: The heart of the king is in the hand of God and whithersoever He will He shall turn it; He it is who turned the cruel heart of king Assuerus into mildness; because he was preparing death for the Jews, He it is who converted cruel Nebuchadnezzar into so great devotion that he was made a preacher of the divine power. These things he. By this remedy the Church was aided against Anastasius the second, who struck by the prayers of the just perished, for while he was easing himself he cast forth his bowels, concerning whom in ch. Anastasius, distinct. 19, with the Gloss. Likewise blessed Hilary used this remedy who against Pope Leo according to others Liberius prevailed by praying. The third remedy where the preceding by the occult judgment of God should not aid, this would remain namely resistance. For he must be resisted in the face by two cardinals reproaching his evil works and convincing by reasons, and also opposing themselves to the scandals and the things which the pope would wish to attempt, as Paul resisted Peter because he walked not to the truth of the gospel, of the gospel, Gal. 2. And as to a dilapidating bishop or abbot or prior of the Church subjects would resist and contravene, and so in the purpose, as if the pope as lord Peter de Palude exemplifies should wish to give the treasure of the Church to his parents or to destroy the church of St. Peter and build palaces for his parents, or to give the patrimony of St. Peter which is not licit, or anything of this sort which yet is not likely to be able to happen, it must not be permitted to him, but he must be resisted and not obeyed, without however his deposition. Similarly if he should wish generally to attempt anything against the state of the universal Church, as if he should wish to depose all bishops or like things from which the universal Church would be troubled. And in this way the Hostiensis and Innocent and the Archdeacon say that the pope must not be sustained, that is permitted to do this, but yet he must be resisted with humility and reverence.

Fourthly, it being attended that as St. Thomas says in 2, 2, q. 100, arg. 2, the pope can incur simony as also any other man, and to say the opposite is erroneous, as he says in the fourth, distinct. 25, such a remedy could be given namely not to accept the things which had been ill done by him and against the reverence and law of God, as promotions, provisions, collations of benefices manifestly simoniacally made: since when such have presumed to enter into the Church not through Christ who is the door but from elsewhere, they must be deemed not pastors of the churches but thieves and robbers, the truth itself witnessing, John 10: Amen amen I say to you that he who enters not through the door into the sheepfold but climbs up elsewhere, he is a thief and a robber. Whence Pope Gregory judges seven ordinations of such men to be false in ch. Ordinationes, 1, q. 1.

The fifth remedy is to convoke a general council, which convocation must be made through the cardinals where the pope himself should be unwilling to congregate it, or through others they being negligent, and this not to depose the pope, because according to what has been proved above it could have no such power. But to do with greater solemnity and authority the three aforesaid things, namely first to admonish and exhort the pope concerning his correction denouncing to him how by the example of his pernicious life he scandalized and troubled the universal Church, which exhortation so made by the whole Church is without doubt of great efficacy and virtue to move his mind to good. This remedy the council congregated against Marcellinus seems to have used, concerning whom it is had, distinct. 21, in ch. Nunc autem, who when he heard the fathers congregated with the charity of God inquiring whether the matter stood thus as fame had brought to them, namely that he had burned incense to idols, he with all humility confessed his guilt, adding that he was prepared to obey whatever they should wish to impose. The second thing which the council ought to do, where the first should not suffice, is to assail the ears of the divine clemency with most devout prayers and fasts and right works, that it would deign to have mercy on its Church that it would deign either to illuminate their pontiff or take him from the midst. This plainly would be a remedy of great virtue. Both because if the Lord promises, Matt. 18, that if two shall consent upon earth concerning every thing whatsoever they shall ask it shall be done to them by my Father who is in heaven; how much more where so many and so great fathers of the Church congregated with one mind and one common intent consenting should concur, and chiefly concerning a matter most necessary to the universal Church itself. For it must be believed that, unless our sins should stand in the way, God would not despise the prayers of His Church, nor suffer His spouse for whom He endured a most bitter death to be through the malice of one man utterly demolished or left in so great necessity. The third thing which the council ought to do where the former for causes occult to us should in no way succeed, even with invocation of the secular arm as for instance of the emperor or of other princes to provide concerning the mode and form of resisting the evils which the pope should attempt to do lest the Church be endangered as has been said. The sixth remedy, where by the occult judgment of God all the preceding should have no place, would be for a time patiently to tolerate what the divine justice tolerates: since it is not likely that such a one would long be tolerated by God. As the example of John the 12th of whom we have spoken above teaches us by experience. Whence psalm 36: But the enemies of the Lord as soon as they were honored in exaltation failed as smoke fails. But the cause of such patience to be had could be assigned: since as Gregory says, book 25 of the morals, for the qualities of subjects the acts of rulers are disposed, so that oftentimes for the evil of the flock even the life of a good pastor offends, because according to the merit of the peoples the hearts of rulers are disposed. Whence the same Gregory in ch. Ex merito, 7, q. 1, says: From the merit of the people sometimes bishops are depraved, and according to the merits or demerits of the peoples the life of prelates is disposed by the just judge. Whence in vengeance of the sin of the peoples sometimes the wicked are permitted to reign, according to that Hosea 13: I will give you a king in my fury. And John 34 it is said: Who makes a hypocritical man reign for the sins of the people. Likewise Jerome and it is had in ch. Audacter, 8, q. 1: Boldly perchance we say something, yet that which is written, not always is the prince of the people and the judge of the Church given through the arbitrament of God, but according as our merits demand. Deservedly therefore it must be tolerated. Both because perchance such an evil in the head of the Church happens by the merits of subjects. And because as Augustine says it is not great to tolerate him whom the Lord tolerates, nor even is there to be feared from such tolerance the threatening peril of the whole universal Church as the adversaries sometimes argue. Both because it is not likely that for the base life or morals of one supreme pontiff the Church itself with which Christ promised to be as a strong protector even to the consummation of the age ought wholly to perish. For as the most holy Pope Leo says writing to Pulcheria Augusta: The divine protection does not desert its Church, the Lord saying: Behold I am with you even to the consummation of the age. The same writing to the clergy and people of the city of Constantinople says: Think not, most beloved, that the divine protection is or will be wanting to its holy Church. And also because there must be no diffidence in a like article concerning the clemency of the Savior who although He sometimes permitted the little bark of His Church to be agitated by many storms of persecutions, yet never suffered it to endure shipwreck, the Lord assuring and saying, Matt. 16: And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Behold the remedies to which more fittingly and advisedly in the article of necessity or the aforesaid case recourse must be had than by usurping the divine judgment and involving oneself in infinite difficulties multiplying scandals upon scandals to attempt the deposition of the true and undoubted Roman pontiff, the practice of which matter would be offensive not only to the divine majesty whose judgment it would usurp, but also too difficult and introductive of schism which could be far more scandalous and damnous to the Church than the base life of one pontiff. Wherefore the holy fathers with greatest zeal prohibited lest the sheep dare reprehend their pastor unless he should have strayed from the faith. Whence St. Anacletus in the epistle which he writes to all bishops and priests of Christ so says: The doctor or pastor of the Church if he should have strayed from the faith must be corrected by the faithful, but for reprobate morals he must rather be tolerated than severely punished. The same Fabian the pope writing to all bishops. The same Pope Eusebius, as in ch. Oves, 2, q. 7. The sentence of all which fathers blessed Gregory embracing so says in the morals where above: It is certain indeed that so mutually the merits of rulers and of peoples are connected, that oftentimes from the fault of the pastor the life of the peoples is made worse, and oftentimes from the merit of the peoples the life of pastors is changed. But because rulers have their judge, it is the great caution of subjects not rashly to judge the life of rulers, nor in vain did the Lord through Himself pour forth the brass of the moneychangers and overturn the chairs of those selling doves, doubtless signifying that through ministers indeed He judges the life of peoples, but through Himself He examines the life of ministers. And below: While therefore the matter is done with faith safe, it is the merit of virtue if anything of the prior be tolerated, but yet it ought humbly to be suggested if perchance what displeases may be emended. These things Gregory. And let these suffice for now.