Title — Liber Sextus
Title VII: On Renunciation
Chapter I
The Roman Pontiff can freely renounce the papacy. This is what it says, according to Zenz.
Boniface VIII. Because certain curious persons, disputing about matters that are not greatly expedient and rashly desiring, contrary to the Apostle’s teaching, to know more than they ought, seemed imprudently to bring into anxious doubt whether the Roman Pontiff—especially when he recognizes himself as insufficient for governing the universal Church and supporting the burdens of the supreme pontificate—can renounce the papacy and its burden and honor, our predecessor Pope Celestine V, while he presided over the government of that Church, wished to cut away every material for hesitation concerning this. After deliberation with his brothers, the cardinals of the Roman Church, of whose number we then were, by our and all their concordant counsel and assent, he established and decreed by apostolic authority that the Roman Pontiff can freely resign.
Therefore, lest it happen that a statute of this kind be given over to oblivion through the course of time, or that the same doubt thereafter be brought back into renewed dispute, with the counsel of our brothers we have judged that it should be placed among the other constitutions for the perpetual memory of the matter.
DE RENUNCIATIONE.
Romanus Pontifex potest libere papatui renunciare. H. d. secundum Zenz.
Bonifacius VIII.
Quoniam aliqui curiosi, disceptantes de his, quae non multum expediunt, et plura sapere quam oporteat contra doctrinam Apostoli temere appetentes, in dubitationem sollicitam, an Romanus Pontifex, maxime quum se insufficientem agnoscit ad regendam universalem ecclesiam et summi pontificatus onera supportanda, renunciare valeat papatui eiusque oneri et honori, deducere minus provide videbantur: Coelestinus Papa quintus praedecessor noster, dum eiusdem ecclesiae regimini praesidebat, volens super hoc haesitationis cuiuslibet materiam amputare, deliberatione habita cum suis fratribus ecclesiae Romanae cardinalibus, de quorum numero tunc eramus, de nostro et ipsorum omnium concordi consilio et assensu auctoritate apostolica statuit et decrevit, Romanum Pontificem posse libere resignare. Nos igitur, ne statutum huiusmodi per temporis cursum oblivioni dari, aut dubitationem eandem in recidivam disceptationem ulterius deduci contingat, ipsuminter constitutiones alias ad perpetuam rei memoriam de fratrum nostrorum consilio duximus redigendum.
Chapter II
If, in fraud of one awaiting the first vacancy, someone renounces the slender benefice that he held when it was believed that a rich one would soon become vacant, the expectant is not bound to receive the former; rather, leaving it aside, he will await another becoming vacant without fraud. And if that rich benefice is afterward conferred upon the person renouncing, by this very fact the fraud is proved and he will lack both benefices.
The same. If, while you await by apostolic authority a prebend or dignity next to become vacant in some church, someone holding a slender prebend or dignity in that church fraudulently renounces it so that, by its thus becoming vacant first, the way is consequently closed to you for obtaining another, richer prebend or dignity that, by someone’s death or otherwise, is reasonably believed soon to become vacant in that church, we will that no obstacle be placed in your way by a renunciation of this kind, provided that the aforesaid fraud appears at least through some probable conjectures—for example, because at the time of the said renunciation the person who held the richer prebend or dignity was detained by grave illness, or something else was impending on account of which his prebend or dignity was probably believed soon to become vacant.
Thus, leaving aside the aforesaid prebend or dignity so fraudulently renounced, you may by the aforesaid authority freely seek and have the said richer one as owed to you when it becomes vacant, or another if that other happens first to become vacant. Furthermore, if perhaps a prebend or dignity of this kind, the richer one, is conferred upon the aforesaid person renouncing, by that very fact the said fraud is understood to be proved, and the same person renouncing is to lack entirely both the one held and the one sought.
Si in fraudem exspectantis primam vacaturam, quum in proximo crederetur pinguis vacare, renunciet aliquis tenuem, quam habebat: non tenetur exspectans illam recipere; immo illa dimissa exspectabit aliam sine fraude vacantem. Et si illi renuncianti illa pinguis postea conferatur, hoc ipso probata sit fraus, et carebit utraque.
Idem.
Si, te praebendam vel dignitatem in aliqua ecclesia proximo vacaturam auctoritate apostolica exspectante, aliquis praebendam seu dignitatem tenuem obtinens in eadem, fraudulenter ei renunciet, ut, illa primo sic vacante raecludatur tibi via per consequens ad obtinendum praebendam vel dignitatem aliam pinguiorem, quae per mortem alicuius vel alias in ipsa ecclesia creditur verisimiliter in proximo vacatura: per renunciationem huiusmodi, dummodo de praemissa fraude appareat saltem per aliquas probabiles coniecturas, ut, quia dictae renunciationis tempore is, qui praebendam vel dignitatem pinguiorem habebat, infirmitate gravi detinebatur, vel aliquid aliud imminebat, propter quod illius praebenda seu dignitas vacare in proximo probabiliter credebatur, nullum tibi volumus obstaculum interponi, quo minus, praebenda vel dignitate praedicta sic fraudulenter renunciata omissa, possis dictam pinguiorem, quum eam vel aliam si prius ipsam vacare contigerit, auctoritate praefata libere petere veluti tibi debitam, et habere. Ceterum si praedicto renuncianti huiusmodi praebenda vel dignitas pinguior forsitan conferatur, eo ipso dicta fraus intelligatur esse probata, et idem renuncians habita omnino careat et ambita.