Folia Theologica 18. (2007)

Szabolcs Anzelm Szuromi: Peculiarities of the conception of 'sacred power' and its exercise between 1073 and 1303

PECULIARITIES OF THE CONCEPTION

267

tached to the text of the council. 29 The influence of the secular authorities on the elections of bishops was also a significant problem. The Pope declared that all elections carried out under duress by secular authority were invalid. This was certainly not a new principle,30 since the third canon of Nicea II (787) had already declared that elections of bishops, presbyters, or deacons by secular authorities were invalid and had mandated the removal of those so elected from their office.31 This canon found its way into several Gregorian collections of canon law.32 This surely had at least an indirect influence upon Innocent III, since he had studied canon law at the University of Bologna. We can say broadly about the Fourth Lateran Council that it treated the incompetence of secular authorities not only in the area of ecclesiastical offices, but in every spiritual activity proper to the Church. These canons form a stable foundation for the institution of the so-called priviliegium fori. From this it can be seen why secular tribunals do not have the right to begin a process in spiritual matters, even if the defendant is a layman. On the other hand, these canons made the competence of an ecclesiastical tribunal quite broad: for ecclesiastical tribunals were not only competent in penal cases regarding the clergy, but in all other conflicts in the ecclesial, spiritual, religious and moral areas. We pause to make reference to a letter written in 1206 by Pope Innocent III which mandated that, in secular cases, a layman is not to be brought before an ecclesiastical court against his wishes.33 Nevertheless, in that same

29 GARCÍA Y GARCÍA, A. (ed.), Constitutiones Concilii quarti Lateranensis una cum Commentariis glossatorum (Monumenta luris Canonici A/2), Città del Vaticano 1981. 210, 317-318 430; cf. ERDŐ P., La designazione dei vescovi nel Decreto di Graziano: I criteri della designazione, in ERDŐ, P., Kirchenrecht im mittelalterlichen Ungam. Gesammelte Studien (Aus Religion und Recht 3), Berlin 2005. 179-195, especially 184-185.

30 FEINE, H.E., Kirchliche Rechtsgeschichte I. Die Katolische Kirche, Weimar 1955. 237-238.

31 Omnis electio a principibus facta episcopi aut presbyteri aut diaconi, irrita maneat secundum regulam quae dicit: “Si quis episcopus saecularibus potestatibus usus, ecclesiam per ipsos obtineat, deponatur: et segregentur omnes qui illi communicant.” (...) COD 140.

32 Ans. 6. 6. THANER 270. SZUROMI, Sz.A., A püspökökre vonatkozó egyházfegyelmi szabályok, 114-120; cf. D. 63 cc. 1-2; D. 63 d. p. c. 25. ERDŐ, P., La designazione dei vescovi, 183.

33 POTTHAST, A. (ed.), Regesta Pontificum Romanorum inde ab a. post Christum natum MCXCVIII ad a. MCCCIV, I-II. Berlin 1875 (repr. Graz 1957) no. 2785.