Title — Liber Sextus
Title IV: On Homicide
Chapter I
One who causes or merely orders someone to be killed through assassins, as one renounced by all, incurs by the fact itself, without pronouncement of any sentence, sentences of excommunication and deposition from office and benefice. This states the point according to Zenzelinus.
Innocent IV, in the Council of Lyon.
Descending for the redemption of the human race from the heights of heaven to the lowest parts of the world, and at last undergoing temporal death, Jesus Christ the Son of God, so that, when about to ascend after the resurrection to the Father, he might not leave without a shepherd the flock redeemed by the price of his glorious blood, committed its care to blessed Peter the Apostle, so that by the stability of his faith he might confirm the others in the Christian religion and kindle their minds to works of salvation with the ardor of his devotion. Whence we, having been made by the Lord’s disposition, although unworthy, successors of the same Apostle, and holding, however unworthily, the place of the Redeemer himself on earth, aroused by solicitous vigils concerning the guardianship of the same flock, ought with the unceasing attention of thought to devote ourselves to the salvation of souls, removing harmful things and doing profitable ones, so that, having shaken from ourselves the sleep of negligence, and with the eyes of our heart watching through assiduous diligence, we may be able to gain souls for God, with his grace cooperating with us.
§ 1. Since, therefore, those who thirst for the death of others with such horrendous inhumanity and detestable savagery that they cause them to be killed through assassins procure not only the death of bodies but also of souls—unless overflowing divine grace anticipates them so that they are fortified with spiritual arms—and since every power is bestowed by the Lord for the exercise of justice and right judgment, we, wishing to meet so great a peril of souls and to strike such wicked presumptions with the sword of ecclesiastical correction, so that fear of punishment may be the boundary of presumption of this kind, especially since certain magnates, fearing to be destroyed in this manner, have been compelled to obtain security from the lord of those assassins and thus, not without reproach to Christian dignity, in a certain way to redeem their lives from him:
§ 2. With the approval of the sacred council we establish that whatever prince, prelate, or other ecclesiastical or secular person causes or even commands any Christian to be killed through the said assassins—even though death perhaps does not follow from this—or receives, defends, or conceals them, shall by the fact itself incur sentences of excommunication and deposition from dignity, honor, order, office, and benefice, and let these be freely conferred upon others by those to whom their collation pertains. He shall also, together with all his worldly goods, be perpetually renounced as an enemy by the entire Christian people, as a rival of the Christian religion; and after it is established by probable arguments that someone has committed so execrable a crime, no other sentence of excommunication, deposition, or renunciation against him shall in any way be required.
DE HOMICIDIO.
Per assassinos faciens vel tantum mandans aliquem interfici, tanquam ab omnibus diffidatus absque alicuius prolatione sententias incurrit excommunicationis et depositionis ab officio et beneficio. H. d. secundum Zenz.
Innocentius IV. in concilio Lugdunensi .
Pro humani redemptione generis de summis coelorum ad ima mundi descendens, et mortem tandem subiens temporalem Dei Filius Iesus Christus, ne gregem sui pretio sanguinis gloriosi redemptum, adscensurus post resurrectionem ad Patrem, absque pastore desereret, ipsius curam B. Petro Apostolo, ut suae stabilitate fidei ceteros in Christiana religione firmaret eorumque mentes ad salutis opera suae accenderet devotionis ardore, commisit. Unde nos, eiusdem Apostoli effecti disponente Domino, licet immeriti, successores, et ipsius redemptoris locum in terris, quanquam indigne, tenentes, circa gregis eiusdem custodiam sollicitis excitati vigiliis et animarum saluti iugis attentione cogitationis intendere submovendo noxia et agendo profutura debemus, ut, excusso a nobis negligentiae somno, nostrique cordis oculis diligentia sedula vigilantibus, animas Deo lucrifacere sua nobis cooperante gratia valeamus. §. 1. Quum igitur illi, qui sic horrenda inhumanitate detestandaque saevitia mortem sitiunt aliorum, ut ipsos faciant per assassinos occidi, non solum corporum, sed mortem procurent etiam animarum, nisi eos exuberans gratia divina praevenerit , ut sint armis spiritualibus praemuniti, ac omnis potestas tribuatur a Domino ad iustitiam rectumque iudicium exercendum: nos, tanto periculo volentes occurrere animarum, et tam nefarias praesumptiones ecclesiasticae animadversionis mucrone ferire, ut metus poenae meta huiusmodi praesumptionis exsistat, praesertim quum nonnulli magnates, taliter perimi formidantes, coacti fuerint securitatem ab eorundem assassinorum domino impetrare, sicque ab eo non absque Christianae dignitatis opprobrio redimere quodammodo vitam suam: §. 2. Sacri approbatione concilii statuimus, ut, quicunque princeps, praelatus seu quaevis alia ecclesiastica saecularisve persona quempiam Christianorum per dictos assassinos interfici fecerit vel etiam mandaverit, (quanquam mors ex hoc forsitan non sequatur,) aut eos receptaverit vel defenderit seu occultaverit, excommunicationis et depositionis a dignitate, honore, ordine, officio et beneficio incurrat sententias ipso facto, et illas libere aliis per illos, ad quos eorum pollatio pertinet, conferantur. Sit etiam cum suis bonis mundanis omnibus tanquam Christianae religionis aemulus a toto Christiano populo perpetuo diffidatus, et, postquam probabilibus constiterit argumentis , aliquem scelus tam exsecrabile commisisse, nullatenus alia excommunicationis vel depositionis seu diffidationis adversus eum sententia requiratur.
Chapter II
Without the penalty of irregularity, clerics can complain concerning their malefactors before a secular judge, even concerning crimes for which a punishment of blood is due, by expressly protesting that they do not intend a punishment of blood. This states the point. Johannes Andreae.
Boniface VIII.
It ought not to be imputed to any prelates or clerics who, lodging a complaint before a secular judge against laypersons who have wronged them, petition that amends be made to them and provision be made lest such things be presumed against them thereafter, while expressly protesting that they do not intend vengeance or a punishment of blood, if the judge, with justice requiring it, inflicts death upon those persons, although otherwise in such a case a punishment of blood ought by law to be imposed. Otherwise, if prelates or clerics, on account of fear of this kind, because the judge could proceed to a punishment of blood, did not dare to complain in this manner concerning their malefactors, material would be given to very many persons to slaughter them and freely plunder their goods.
Sine poena irregularitatis possunt clerici de suis malefactoribus conqueri coram iudice saeculari, etiam de criminibus, ex quibus debetur poena sanguinis, expresse protestando, quod ad poenam sanguinis non intendunt.
H. d. Ioann. Andr.
Bonifacius VIII.
Praelatis vel clericis quibuscunque, qui, de laicis suis malefactoribus querelam penes saecularem iudicem deponentes, petunt emendam sibi fieri, et provideri, ne contra eos talia de cetero praesumantur, protestando expresse, quod ad vindictam seu poenam sanguinis non intendunt, imputari non debet, quamvis alias in tali casu de iure debeat poena sanguinis irrogari, si iudex mortem illis inferat iustitia exigente. Alioquin si praelati aut clerici propter metum huiusmodi, quia iudex ad poenam sanguinis posset procedere, de suis malefactoribus taliter conqueri non auderent: daretur plerisque materia trucidandi eosdem, et ipsorum bona libere depraedandi.
Chapter III
The resulting death is imputed to one ordering another to be beaten. This states the point according to Zenzelinus.
The same.
One who orders someone to be beaten, although he expressly prohibits that the person be killed in any way or mutilated in any member, becomes irregular if the mandatary, exceeding the limits of the mandate, mutilates or kills him, since he was at fault in giving the mandate and ought to have considered that this could happen.
Mandanti aliquem verberari secuta mors imputatur. H. d. secundum Zenz.
Idem.
Is, qui mandat aliquem verberari, licet expresse inhibeat, ne occidatur ullatenus vel membro aliquo mutiletur, irregularis efficitur, si mandatarius, fines mandati excedens, mutilet vel occidat, quum mandando in culpa fuerit, et, hoc evenire posse, debuerit cogitare.