Folia Theologica 22. (2011)

Szuromi Szabolcs Anzelm O.Praem.: Medieval Canonical Sources and Categories of Singular Administrative Acts

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Anzelm Sz. SZUROMI

the legislator, or the modification of the operation of the obtainers of the favour, or, generally, the loss of the document.80 The most familiar examples for these are the privilege-letters issued for universities or monasteries. Regarding all this, the Liber Extra X 2. 30.1-9 speaks abundantly.81 According to X 5. 33. 30, the interpretation of a privilege had to happen always according to the narrow meaning of the words, but in a way that designated a favour for the obtainers.82

Obviously, the competent ecclesiastical authority that granted a privilege always had the right to withdraw it, but this had to happen in an explicit form. There were further categories of cessation such as renuntiatio, resolutio iure concedentis, extinctione personae, praescriptione libertativa, and expleto numero.

V. Dispensation (Dispensatio)

During the middle, ages to give a dispensation - the detailed explication of which occupies many columns in, e.g., the Summa Pisana - was only in the power of the legislator, and only in such case that the law concerned did not contain divine law. Thus, the Pope of Rome is empowered to validly give a dispensation from each purely ecclesiastical law - tam particulari quam universali - as it is explained in X 1.11.15 of

80 Theologische Realenzyklopädie, Hrsg, von G. Krause - G. Müller, Berlin - New York I-XXXVI. 1977-2004. XXVII. 454-456.

81 X 2. 30. 7: Examinata causa, quae vertitur inter te et milites Campanicos super ecclesia sancti Angeli de Casaperota, auditis, confessionibus et attestationibus intellectis, inspectis etiam instrumentis et allegationibus indagatis, perpendimus evidenter, arbitrum, quod vicedominus Sabinensis dicebatur super eodem negotio promulgasse, contra formam iuris et compromissi fuisse dictatum. (...). Friedberg II. 447.

82 X 5. 33. 30: (...) Quum autem, si res taliter se haberet, nihil eis conferret memorata indulgentia, sine qua id episcopis et aliis praelatis annuentibus liceret eisdem: fraternitati tuae mandamus, quatenus interpretationehuius- modi reprobata, dum tamen ab aliis, quae iure parochiali proveniunt se prorsus abstineant, datam eis sic licentiam celebrandi auctoritate nostra non differas publicare, ita, quod dicti fratres aliquam ex indulgentia nostra videantur in hoc gratiam consecuti. Friedberg II. 868-869.