Page:Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent Buckley.djvu/60

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SESSION V.

person to discharge that office, until the principal himself, coming to his right senses, shall fulfil his own duty. But should there be found to be any parochial churches, subject to monasteries which are in no diocese, if the abbots and regular prelates be negligent in the matters aforesaid, let them be compelled thereto by the metropolitans, in whose provinces the said dioceses are situated, as the delegates to that end of the Apostolic See; nor let custom, or exemption, or appeal, or reclamation, or action of recovery, have power to impede the execution of his decree; until by a competent judge, who shall proceed summarily, and by examining only into the truth of the fact, the case shall have been taken cognizance of, and decided. But regulars, of what order soever, may not preach even in the churches of their own order, unless they have been examined and approved of concerning their life, manners, and knowledge, by their own superiors, and with their license; with which license they shall be bound to present themselves personally before the bishops, and crave a blessing from them, before they begin to preach. But, in churches which are not those of their own orders, besides the license of their own superiors, they shall be obliged to have also the license of the bishop, without which they may not on any account preach in the said churches which belong not to their own orders. But the said license the bishops shall grant gratuitously. But if, which heaven avert, a preacher should spread errors, or scandals, amongst the people, even though he preach in a monastery of his own, or of another order, let the bishop interdict his preaching. But if he preach heresies, let him proceed against him according to the appointment of the law, or the custom of the place, even though the said preacher should plead that he is exempted by a general or special privilege: in which case the bishop shall proceed by apostolic authority, and as the delegate of the Apostolic See. But let bishops be careful, that no preacher be harassed, either by false accusations, or in any other way calumniously; or have any just cause of complaint against them. Furthermore, let bishops be on their guard not to permit any one, whether of those, who, being regulars in name, live nevertheless out of their cloisters, and the obedience of their religious rules, or secular priests,