Title — Liber Sextus
Title V: On an Ailing or Disabled Cleric
Chapter I
The appointment of coadjutors for bishops and their superiors is among the greater causes and belongs to the Pope alone. A bishop impeded by old age or perpetual infirmity can nevertheless, with the consent of his chapter or its greater part, assume by apostolic authority one or two coadjutors for himself; and if he is mentally incapacitated, the chapter or two thirds of it do this. But if the bishop contradicts, the chapter shall then innovate nothing, but shall notify the Pope of the condition of the bishop and church as quickly as it can. Those coadjutors shall have moderate expenses from the revenues of those prelates. John Andrew.
Boniface VIII.
Executing the duty of the pastoral office, we declare and establish that the appointment of coadjutors for bishops and superior prelates is to be understood as among the greater causes, is to be referred to the Apostolic See, and, notwithstanding any contrary custom, is to be requested from it alone. But lest under this pretext churches, especially those situated in remote places, suffer losses, we, wishing to guard against harm to them in this regard, decree by this general constitution that a bishop burdened by old age or bodily ill health, or otherwise so perpetually impeded that he cannot exercise his office, can, with the counsel and consent of his chapter or its greater part, assume by apostolic authority one or two coadjutors to execute the said office. But if the bishop is mentally incapacitated and does not know or cannot express what he wishes or does not wish, then his chapter or two thirds of it shall by the same authority assume one or two suitable coadjutors to execute his office.
But if a bishop, burdened by old age or an incurable disease, or detained by a perpetual impediment, is rendered incapable of executing his office and is unwilling to assume or have a coadjutor, although requested by his own chapter, perhaps asserting that he does not need the coadjutor's assistance, then nothing shall be innovated by the chapter; but in this case and also the immediately preceding one, that chapter shall, as quickly as it can, faithfully and explicitly report to the knowledge of the said See the condition and state of its bishop and church and all the circumstances of the fact, humbly to receive and effectually to fulfill whatever the See itself happens to ordain concerning this.
We also add to the present enactment that coadjutors of this kind shall receive moderate expenses from the revenues of the prelates to whose assistance they are assumed, entirely abstaining from making any alienation whatsoever of the ecclesiastical goods of those prelates or their churches, and that they shall render a full account not only in a strict examination, but also to the same prelates, if they are of sound mind, and to their chapters, or even to the successors of those prelates if they have not done this previously. Moreover, we wish and understand that what is premised concerning bishops is also to be referred to superior prelates.
DE CLERICO AEGROTANTE VEL DEBILITATO.
Datio coadiutorum episcoporum et suorum superiorum est de maioribus causis, et spectat ad solum Papam. Potest tamen episcopus, senio vel infirmitate perpetua impeditus, de consensu capituli sui vel maioris partis sibi auctoritate apostolica unum vel duos coadiutores assumere, et, si demens fuerit, capitulum aut duae partes ipsius hoc faciunt. Sed si episcopus contradicit, tunc nil innovabit capitulum, sed episcopi et ecclesiae conditionem, quam cito poterit, intimabit Papae. Et coadiutores illi sumptus moderatos habebunt de proventibus praelatorum ipsorum, Ioann. Andr.
Bonifacius VIII.
Pastoralis officii debitum exsequentes declaramus atque statuimus, coadiutorum episcoporum et superiorum praelatorum dationem intelligendam esse de causis maioribus, et referendam ad sedem apostolicam, ac ab ea, consuetudine non obstante contraria, tantummodo postulandam. Verum ne hoc praetextu ecclesiae exsistentes praecipue in remotis dispendia patiantur: nos, earum in hac parte indemnitatibus praecavere volentes, hac generali constitutione sancimus, ut episcopus, senio aut valetudine corporali gravatus, vel etiam * alias adeo impeditus perpetuo, ut officium suum nequeat exercere, possit de sui consilio et assensu capituli, vel maioris partis ipsius, unum vel duos auctoritate apostolica coadiutores assumere ad dictum officium exsequendum. Si vero episcopus demens fuerit, et quid velit aut nolit exprimere nesciat vel non possit: tunc eius capitulum vel duae ipsius partes eadem auctoritate unum aut duos coadiutores assumant idoneos, qui eius officium exsequantur. Si autem episcopus, senio aut incurabili morbo gravatus, vel perpetuo impedimento detentus, ad sui exsecutionem officii reddatur inutilis, et coadiutorem assumere vel habere noluerit, licet a capitulo requisitus proprio, se illius non indigere suffragio forsitan asserendo: tunc nil per capitulum, innovetur, sed hoc casu et etiam proximo idem capitulum episcopi et ecclesiae suae conditionem et statum, ac facti circumstantias universas, quam cito poterit, fideliter et expli-cite referat * ad notitiam dictae sedis, recepturi humiliter et efficaciter impleturi quod super hoc per sedem ipsam contigerit ordinari. Praesenti quoque adiicimus sanctioni, ut coadiutores huiusmodi de proventibus praelatorum, in quorum assumentur auxilium, sumptus recipiant moderatos, ab alienatione qualibet de bonis ecclesiasticis praelatorum ipsorum vel ecclesiarum suarum quomodolibet facienda penitus abstinentes, rationem non solum in districto examine, sed et praelatis eisdem, si sanae mentis exstiterint, ac capitulis eorundem, seu etiam ipsorum praelatorum successoribus, si hoc antea non fecerint, plenariam reddituri. Ceterum quod de episcopis praemittitur ad superiores etiam praelatos esse volumus et intelligimus referendum.