Article — Vermeersch, Theologia Moralis
Appendix: On Societies Which Lead Life in Common Without Vows
— 1. The societies of which there is question here, in Title XVII, Part 2, Book 2 of the Code, are constituted by four notes: a) life in common; b) governance of Superiors; c) approved Constitutions; d) study of imitating religious. In what manner? Unless we are mistaken, insofar as they too pursue perfection.
The Code does not treat under this title of Societies which lack any one of these notes; rather, these are governed by the titles concerning associations of laymen.
2. The dispositions of the Code come back to this: that it subjects those societies to several canons concerning Religious and besides to their own constitutions. But they participate in the law of religious in the erection and suppression of the society, provinces, and houses; in governance; in the administration of goods; in impediments of entrance; in obligations; in passage; in dismissal; and in penalties.
Summary
— These privileges seem to be alleged:
I. Communication of privileges, which nuns enjoy with respect to the regular Order, but not, at least for the future, various religions among themselves.
II. Privileges of clerics, which laymen themselves and novices enjoy.
III. Exemption from the jurisdiction of the Ordinary, which regulars with their houses and churches enjoy of themselves.
IV. Use of indults by which the local Ordinary takes away or tempers the obligation of common law for the territory.
V. Questing permitted to truly mendicant regulars, by the license alone of Superiors in the diocese where they have a house.
VI. Use of Pontificals and conferral of tonsure and minor orders conceded to abbots blessed for governance, and various faculties of dispensing conceded to Superiors by common law or peculiar indults.
Appendix. Societies which, without the customary public vows, lead common life so that they may imitate religious, participate in the law of religious in several matters, as in the erection and suppression of the society, provinces, and houses, in governance, in the administration of goods, in impediments of entrance, in obligations, in passage, in dismissal, and in penalties.