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Aachen. See COLOGNE.
Abbess (cf. C. E., I-7b).—A nun is ineligible for the office of abbess unless she is of legitimate birth, and is at least forty years old; ten years, moreover, must have elapsed since her profession in the order. These are the only requirements laid down by the Code, which, however, confirms, whatever more rigid qualifications are prescribed Constitutions of the various orders. The Council of Trent was less rigorous, as it fixed the years of profession at eight, and authorised lowering the age to thirty the period of profession to five years, when no suitable candidate possesing the stricter qualifications could be found.
Abbir, » titular see in Proconsular Africa, formerly Abbir-Cella or Abbir Majus, to distinguish it from Abbir Minus in the same locality. It was a suffragan of Carthage. One of its Bishops, Felix, is mentioned in the lists of African prelates as having taken the Catholic side in the great Carthaginian conference of 411 between Catholics and Donatists. Its ruins exist to-day at Henchir-en-Naam, about forty miles southwest of Tunis.
Abbot (cf. C. E., I-15d).—An abbot is the superior of an autonomous community of monks comprising as a rule at least twelve religious. There are two chief classes of abbots: regular abbots de regimine, that is, superiors having jurisdiction only over the persons lay or ecclesiastical, attached to their abbey, and abbots nullius (i. e. of a territory belonging to no diocese) whose jurisdiction extends also over the faithful and churches of a district around the abbey entirely separated from any diocese. The territory thus ruled is called an abbey nullius and has its own clergy, who are not necessarily members of the monastic institute and its own parishes. If it has less than three parishes it is governed by special laws, just as the religious chapter of the abbey is governed by its own laws and constitutions. The erection, circumscription, division, union and suppresion of abbeys nullius are reserved to the Holy See. An abbot nullius must have the qualifications required for the episcopacy. He is nominated and instituted by the pope, unless the right of election or presentation has been granted to a particular organization or person, in which case he must be confirmed or instituted by the pope. At the election he is chosen by an absolute majority of the valid votes cast, unless there is a special law requiring a greater percentage. If the canons or the constitutions of his order require him to be blessed, he must receive the abbatial blessing, from a bishop, whom he is free to select, within months after receiving his Apostolic letters, unless he is legitimately prevented; otherwise he is by the very fact suspended from
Abbots nullius are included under the term ordinary when it is in canon law, unless they are expressly excluded; they are also included under the term bishop when the circumstances or the context do not show a different intent on the part of the lawgiver. After their appointment they may not interfere for any reason in their abbey personally or through another before taking canonical possession of it; if they interfere they incur a canonical disability, and persons who admit them before they have shown their Apostolic letters are by the very fact suspended from the right of electing during the pleasure of the Holy See.
Abbots nullius have the same ordinary powers and obligations as a residential bishop in his own diocese. Even though they have not been consecrated, they can, if have received the abbatial blessing, consecrate churches and fixed altars when necessary, and within their own territory and during their term of office they may impart all the blessings reserved to bishops, except the pontifical blessing; they can consecrate chalices, patens, and portable altars, with holy oil blessed by a bishop; grant indulgences of fifty days; administer confirmation, and confer first tonsure and minor orders on their own subjects, even secular, and on others who have the requisite dimissorial letters, but orders conferred by them in any other case would be invalid.
As long as they possess local jurisdiction abbots nullius can give dimissorial letters to seculars, even for the reception of major orders. They can impart the papal blessing with a plenary indulgence while within their own territory, but only one of the more solemn feasts each year (bishops on the other hand may grant it on two days, one Easter Sunday); they can designate and declare a daily privileged altar in any church of their territories if there is none there already, but they cannot do so in public or semi-public oratories, unless these are united to a parochial church or subsidiary to it, nor in a private oratory. Abbots nullius in their own territory, even when they are not bishops, use the pontifical insignia with throne and canopy, and may lawfully hold Divine services there according to the pontifical rite; they may wear the pectoral cross, the ring, and the violet zucchetto, even when they are outside their territory.
Abbots nullius, the abbot primate and abbots superior of monastic congregations have a right to assist at œcumenical councils and the right to a decisive, not merely to a consultive vote. Abbots nullius, furthermore, must attend the quinquennial meeting of the local ordinaries of their province. On being promoted they must make a profession of faith according to the formula approved by the Holy See, in presence of an Apostolic delegate; if they fail to do so without a just cause, they are to be warned, and if the warning is fruitless they are to be punished, even by deprivation of office and dignity, and of the enjoyment of its fruits for the time being. On the death of an abbot nullius, the religious chapter succeeds to the government, unless the constitutions of the abbey provide otherwise; within eight days it must designate a vicar capitular to rule the abbey until the new abbot is elected; if it fails to do so the metropolitan is to appoint one, unless other provision is made in the constitutions.
A regular abbot de regimine lawfully elected is to receive the blessing of the bishop of the diocese where his monastery is situated within three months after his election. Abbots who are not exempt are blessed by the authority of their own bishoy whereas for the benediction of exempt abbots consent of the pope is required. Since the Benedictines are exempt, being engaged in many distant
