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

In medieval canonical consideration, rescript meant an answer from the pope and - after the establishment of the congregations - from the congregations, which was addressed to the submitter of a question or petition. Today, rescript is used to grant privilege, dispensation or other favours according to CIC can. 59 § l.58 Originally, however, granting a favour was only one kind of rescript; other rescripts were used as the determined form of the administration of justice by the Holy See, and in this meaning, it was very close to the original meaning in Roman Law.

Title 3 of book I of Liber Extra (1234) dedicates 43 canons to the theme of rescripts with the title De rescriptis. Beyond these canons of general bearing, we find further connected canons in De officio et potestate iudi- cis delegati (X 1. 29. 15, 32, 40),59 and in De appellationibus, recusationibus et relationibus (X 2. 28. 44, 57),60 even though these were originally created for various individual cases. Description of the attributes of privileges is bound to concrete individual cases in De privilegiis et excessibus privilegiatorum. We can distil a number of additional principles from texts of acts found in many other places in the canonical collections linked to Pope Gregory IX under the following titles: De officio iudicis ordnarii (X 1. 31. 9) ;61 De foro competenti (X 2. 2. 13);62 De prae58 Marzoa, A. - Miras, J. - Rodrîguez-Ocana, R. (ed.), Comentario exegético al Côdigo de Derecho Canonico, I-V. Pamplona 1996.1. 593-594 (Canosa, J.). Canosa, J., La concessione di grazié attraverso i rescritti, in Ius Ecclesiae 6 (1994) 237-257.

59 X 1. 29. 42: Uno delegatorum vel arbitrorum, sicut proponis, rebus humanis exempto, eorum officium exspiravit, nisi aliud in delegatione aut compromisso fuisset expressum. Friedberg II. 182.

60 X 2. 28. 44: (...) Quicquid autem contra citationem peremptoriam posset ab absente proponi, adversus appellationem huiusmodi valeat allegari. Si quis autem terminum appellationis praeveniens tacita veritate literas impetravit, et careat impetratis, et poenam contumaciae non evadat. Hoc autem in litibus sive iudiciis exercendis volumus observari. Friedberg II. 426.

61 X 1. 31. 9: (...) ut secundum Nicaenas regulas sua privilegia serventur ecclesiis, praeterquam si apostolica sedes aliquam ecclesiam vel rectorem ipsius quolibet speciali privilegio decreverit honorare, de fratrum nostrorum consilio respondemus, quod, quamdiu clerici tui coram te voluerint stare iuri, compelli non debent iudicium eiusdem patriarchae subire, nisi causa forsitan per appellationem ad eius audientiam perferatur, aut, quod non credimus, ei aliquid super hoc a sede apostolica sit indultum. Friedberg II. 189.

62 X 2. 2.13: (...) Super quo fraternitati tuae taliter respondemus, quod ad te, utpote ordinarium iudicem, de talibus debent conquerentes habere recur-