Chapter III: Of Temporal Goods and Their Administration

Not only a religion, but also a province and a house are capable of acquiring and possessing temporal goods with stable or funded revenues, unless their capacity is excluded or restricted in the rules and constitutions.

§ 1. Goods both of the religion and of the province and house are to be administered according to the norm of the constitutions.

§ 2. Expenses and juridic acts of ordinary administration are validly made, besides by Superiors, also by officials who are designated for this in the constitutions, within the limits of their office.

§ 1. For the placement of money also, the prescription of can. 532, Sec. 1 is to be observed; but they are held to obtain the previous consent of the local Ordinary:

1° The Superior of nuns and of a religion of diocesan right, for the placement of any money; indeed, if a monastery of nuns is subject to a regular Superior, his consent also is necessary.

2° The Superior in a religious Congregation of pontifical right, if the money constitutes the dowry of professed women, according to the norm of can. 549.

3° The Superior or female Superior of a house of a religious Congregation, if any funds have been assigned or left by legacy to the house to be expended in that very place for the worship of God or for beneficence.

4° Any religious, even an alumnus of a regular Order, if money has been given to a parish or mission, or to religious in view of a parish or mission.

§ 2. These same things are to be observed for any change of placement.

§ 1. With the prescription of can. 1531 remaining firm, if there is question of alienating precious things or other goods whose value exceeds the sum of thirty thousand francs or lire, or of contracting debts and obligations beyond the indicated sum, the contract lacks force unless apostolic beneplacitum has preceded; otherwise, the license, given in writing, of the Superior according to the norm of the constitutions, with the consent of his Chapter or Council manifested by secret votes, is required and suffices; but if there is question of nuns or sisters of diocesan right, the consent, furnished in writing, of the local Ordinary must necessarily be added, and also of the regular Superior if the monastery of nuns is subject to him.

§ 2. In the petitions for obtaining consent to contract debts or obligations, other debts or obligations must be expressed by which the moral person itself, the religion or province or house, is burdened up to that day; otherwise the permission obtained is invalid.

§ 1. In any monastery of nuns, even an exempt one:

1° An account of administration, to be required gratuitously, is to be rendered once in the year, or even more often if this is prescribed in the constitutions, by the Superior to the local Ordinary and likewise to the regular Superior if the monastery is subject to him.

2° If the account of administration is not approved by the Ordinary, he can apply opportune remedies, even by removing, if the matter demands it, the econome and other administrators; but if the monastery is subject to a regular Superior, the Ordinary is to advise him to make provision; but if he has neglected this, the Ordinary is to make provision by himself.

§ 2. In other religions of women, an account of the administration of goods which constitute dowries is to be rendered to the local Ordinary on the occasion of visitation and also more often if the Ordinary has judged this necessary.

§ 3. Let the local Ordinary furthermore have the right of knowing:

1° Concerning the economic accounts of a religious house of diocesan right.

2° Concerning the administration of funds and legacies of which in can. 533, Sec. 1, nn. 3, 4.

§ 1. If a moral person, whether religion, province, or house, has contracted debts and obligations even with the license of Superiors, it itself is held to answer for the same.

§ 2. If a regular has contracted with the license of Superiors, the moral person whose Superior gave the license must answer; if a religious of simple vows, he himself must answer, unless by license of the Superior he has conducted the business of the religion.

§ 3. If a religious has contracted without any license of Superiors, he himself must answer, but not the religion or province or house.

§ 4. Nevertheless, let it always remain firm that an action can always be instituted against him into whose advantage something from the entered contract has turned.

§ 5. Religious Superiors are to beware lest they permit debts to be contracted, unless it is certainly established that from customary revenues the interest on the debt can be paid and the principal sum returned within a time not too long by legitimate amortization.

Gifts from the goods of a house, province, or religion are not permitted, unless by reason of alms or another just cause, by permission of the Superior and according to the norm of the constitutions.