Question — Decretum of Gratian
Question V
GRATIAN. But it is lawful for no one to leave his own bishop or withdraw from his office and flee to a secular judge. Hence it is read in the Council of Agde, [c. 8]:
GRATIANUS. Suum uero episcopum relinquere, uel ab offitio suo discedere, atque ad secularem iudicem confugere nulli licet. Unde in Agatensi Concilio [c. 8.] legitur:
Friedberg, col. 859/860
C. I.
It pleased us that if a cleric, after leaving his office on account of strictness, should perhaps flee to a secular judge, and the one to whom he has recourse should furnish him the assistance of defense, let him be expelled from the communion of the church together with that cleric.
C. I.
Placuit, ut clericus, si relicto offitio suo propter districtionem ad secularem iudicem fortasse confugerit, et is, ad quem recurrit, solatium ei defensionis inpenderit, cum eodem de ecclesiae communione pellatur.
Friedberg, col. 859/860
C. II. Let a priest or deacon deposed by his bishop not approach the emperor.
Likewise from the Council of Antioch, [c. 12]. If any priest or deacon has been deposed by his own bishop, or even if any bishop has been deprived of authority by a synod, let him not presume to bring trouble to the imperial ears, but let him turn to a synod of greater bishops, and let him allege in their council the just claims that he thinks he has, and await from them the sentence that shall have been pronounced concerning him. But if, failing through faintheartedness, he is unwilling to do this, but shall have been importunate to the emperor, let such a one have no pardon, no place for any assertion of his, and no hope of receiving his rank in the future.
C. II. Presbiter uel diaconus ab episcopo depositus inperatorem non adeat.
Item ex Concilio Antioceno. [c. 12.] Si quis a proprio episcopo depositus presbiter uel diaconus, aut etiam si a sinodo quilibet episcopus fuerit exauctoratus, molestiam inperialibus auribus inferre non presumat, sed ad maiorum episcoporum sinodum sese conuertat, et que se putat habere iusta in eorum concilio alleget, atque ab his de se expectet que fuerit deprompta sentencia. Quod si deficiens pusillanimitate hoc noluerit facere, sed inportunus fuerit inperatori, huiusmodi nullam ueniam habere, neque locum ullius assertionis suae, nec spem recipiendi gradus habeat in futurum.
Friedberg, col. 859/860
C. III. Let no one defend a person who is condemned by the judgment of bishops.
Likewise from the Fifth Council of Carthage, [c. 2]. If any cleric of any honor shall have been condemned for any crime by the judgment of bishops, it is not lawful for him to be defended either by the churches over which he presided or by any person; a penalty of loss of money and honor is imposed, from which we command that neither age nor sex is to be excused.
C. III. Non defensetur ab aliquo qui episcoporum iudicio dampnatur.
Item ex Concilio Cartaginensi V. [c. 2.] Si quis cuiuslibet honoris clericus iudicio episcoporum quocumque crimine fuerit dampnatus, non liceat eum siue ab ecclesiis, quibus prefuit, siue a quolibet homine defensari; interposita pena dampni pecuniae atque honoris, quo nec etatem, nec sexum excusandum esse precipimus.
Friedberg, col. 859/860
C. IV. Let one who presumes to defend a fugitive from the rule of ecclesiastical discipline be deprived of communion.
Likewise from the Third Council of Arles. If perhaps any of the clerics, evading the rule of ecclesiastical discipline, shall have wandered away, whoever shall have received him and shall not have reconciled him to his own bishop but rather shall have presumed to defend him is to be deprived of the communion of the church.
C. IV. Communione priuetur qui ecclesiasticae disciplinae regulam fugientem defensare presumit.
Item ex Concilio Arelatensi III. Si forte aliquis clericorum regulam disciplinae ecclesiasticae subterfugiens fuerit euagatus, quicumque eum susceperit, et illum pontifici suo non reconciliauerit, sed magis defensare presumpserit, ecclesiae communione priuetur.
Friedberg, col. 859/860
C. V. Let one who, after being condemned by bishops, approaches the emperor lack hope of reconciliation.
Likewise from the Council of Pope Martin, [c. 35]. If any bishop, priest, or deacon who has been excommunicated complains that he was unjustly condemned in a council, let him return to a council of greater bishops so that, awaiting their inquiry and judgment, he may set forth before them whatever just causes he thinks he has. But if he shall have scorned this and, thrusting himself importunately into the palace, shall have wished to trouble the ears of the princes, he will be able to attain no pardon, nor will he have hope of future reconciliation.
C. V. Spe reconciliationis careat qui ab episcopis condempnatus inperatorem adierit.
Item ex Concilio Martini Papae. [c. 35.] Si quis episcopus, presbiter aut diaconus excommunicatus in concilio iniuste se queritur condempnatum, ad maiorum episcoporum concilium reuertatur, ut eorum inquisitionem et iudicium expectans, si quas se iustas causas habere putat, illis exponat. Si autem contempserit, et inportans se palatio aures principum inquietare uoluerit, hic ad nullam ueniam poterit peruenire, neque spem futurae reconciliationis habebit.
Friedberg, col. 859/860
C. VI. The causes of bishops ought not to be examined before princes.
Likewise Gregory to the Empress Constantina, [book IV, letter 34]. If the causes of bishops entrusted to me are disposed of before our most pious lords through the patronage of others, what am I, unhappy man, doing in this church? But that my bishops despise me and have recourse against me to secular judges, I give thanks to almighty God and ascribe it to my sins. Yet I suggest this briefly: I shall wait a little, and if they delay coming to me, I shall in no way cease to exercise canonical strictness against them.
C. VI. Episcoporum causae coram principibus examinari non debent.
Item Gregorius Constantinae Augustae. [lib. IV. epist. 34.] Si episcoporum causae michi conmissorum apud piissimos dominos aliorum patrocinio disponuntur, infelix ego in ecclesia ista quid facio? Sed ut episcopi mei me despiciant, et contra me refugium ad seculares iudices habeant, omnipotenti Deo gratias ago, peccatis meis deputo. Hoc tamen breuiter suggero, quia aliquantulum expecto, et si ad me uenire distulerint, exercere in eos districtionem canonicam nullo modo cessabo.
Friedberg, col. 859/860