Question I: On the essence of this vow

We have seen the SANCTITY of this Vow, and its antiquity, disp. 2. quaest. 3.

Religious POVERTY is a voluntary renunciation of temporal goods, as to dominion at least, and ownership independent of the will of superiors. So Suarez tract. 3. de Rel. lib. 8. cap. 7. and Valencia disp. 10. quaest. 4. puncto 9.

One must perceive well, however, what you promise by this vow, so that from it you may know in what way it can be violated.

A LORD, or proprietor, first has the free faculty of using a thing at his own discretion without injury to another, which would be against commutative justice, and by this faculty someone is constituted a lord, as it were in first act, as is clear from the definition of dominion given, Tract. de Iust. disp. 27. quaest. 1.

SECOND he uses the thing independently of the will of another, whereby he is lord of the thing, as it were in second act. Now Religious renounce both by the vow of Poverty: For they promise that they will neither have nor receive that free faculty over any thing, nor even use anything independently of the will of a superior. So Valencia loco cit. and Sylvester V. Religio 6. num. 2.

Hence it will easily be judged in which cases Poverty is violated, of which I shall treat. For a religious is forbidden to have direct or useful dominion, or possession in money, or a thing worth money, whether movable or immovable, or independent use. Rodriquez tract. 3. qq. quaest. 19. art. 3. et 4. Lessius lib. 2. cap. 41. num. 78. Sanchez lib. 7. moral. cap. 18. num. 25. Miranda tract. 1. quaest. 18. art. 1. Faust. in thesauro lib. 8. quaest. 12. Basseus V. Pauper. num. 1. adding meanwhile that a religious retains dominion, or the right of honor, of fame, the right of electing, presenting, and consenting; likewise to hold a regular benefice, and spiritual jurisdiction, and to be able to act in his own name for acquiring, retaining, recovering such rights.