Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 14.djvu/23

 THE CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA

Simony (from Simon Magus; Acts, viii, 18-24) is usually ilofined "a deliberate intention of buying or selling for a temporal price such things as are spirit- ual or annexed unto spirituals". While this defi- nition only speaks of pui-chase and sale, anj' ex- change of spiritual for temporal things is simoniacal. Nor is the giving of the temporal as the price ol the spiritual required for the existence of simony; ac- cording to a proposition condemned by Innocent XI (Denzinger-Bannwart, no. 1195) it suffices that the determining moti\-e of the action of one party be the obtaining of compensation from the other. The various temporal advantages which may be offered for a spiritual favour are, after Gregory the Great, usually divided into thi-ee classes. These ai-e:

(1) the munus a Ttmnu (material advantage), which comprises monej', all movable and immovable prop- erty, and all rights appreciable in pecuniar}- value;

(2) the muntis a lingua (oral advantage) which in- cludes oral commendation, pubhc expressions of ap- pro\-al, moral support in high places; (3) the munus ab obsequio (homage) which consists in subserviency, the rendering of undue services, etc. The spiritual ob- ject includes whatever is conducive to the eternal welfare of the soul, i. e. all supernatural things: sanctifying grace, the sacraments, sacramentals, etc. \\'liilc according to the natural and Divine laws the term simony is applicable only to the exchange of supernatural treasures for temporal advantages, its meaning has been further extended through ec- clesiastical legislation. In order to preclude all dan- ger of simony the Church has forbidden certain deaUngs which did not fall under Divine prohibition. It is thus unlawful to exchange ecclesiastical benefices by private authority, to accept any payment what- ever for holy oils, to seU blessed rosaries or crucifixes. Such objects lose, if sold, all the indulgences pre- viously attached to them (S. Cong, of Indulg., 12 July, 1.S47). Simony of ecclesiastical law is, of course, a variable element, since the prohibitions of the Church may be abrogated or fall into disuse. Simony whether it be of ecclesiastical or Divine law, may be divided into mental, conventional, and real {sinwnia menlalis, cmwcntionalis, etrealis). In mental simony there is lacking the outward manifestation, or, ac- cording to others, the approval on the part of the per- son to whom a proposal is made. In conventional simony an expressed or tacit agreement is entered upon. It is subdivided into merely conventional, when neither party has fulfilled any of the terms of the agreement, and mixed con\entional, when one of the parties has at least partly complied with the as- sumed obligations. To the latter subdivision may be referred what has been aptly termed "'confidential simony", in which an ecclesiastical benefice is pro- cure<l for a certain person with the understanding that later he will either resign in favour of the one through whom he obtained the position or divide with him the revenues. Simony is called real when

XIV— 1

the stipulations of the mutual agreement have been either partly or completely carried out by both parties.

To estimate accurately the gravity of simony, which some medieval ecclesiastical writers denounced as the most abominable of crimes, a distinction must be made between the violations of the Divine law, and the dealings contrary to ecclesiastical legislation. Any transgression of the law of God in this matter is, objectively considered, grievous in every instance (nwrtalis ex ioto genere sno). For this kind of simony places on a par things supernatural and things nat- ural, things eternal and things temporal, and con- stitutes a sacrilegious depreciation of Divine treas- ures. The sin can become venial only through the absence of the subjective dispositions required for the commission of a grievous offense. The merely ec- clesiastical prohibitions, however, do not all and under all circumstances impose a grave obligation. The presumption is that the church authority, which, in this connexion, sometimes prohibits actions in themselves indifferent, did not intend the law to be grievously binding in minor details. As he who preaches the gospel "should Uve by the gospel" (I Cor., ix, 14) but should also avoid even the ap- pearance of receiving temporal payment for spiritual services, difficulties may arise concerning the pro- priety or sinfulness of remuneration in certain cir- cumstances. The ecclesiastic may certainly re- ceive what is offered to him on the occasion of spiritual ministrations, but he cannot accept any payment for the same. The celebration of Mass for money would, consequently, be sinful; but it is perfectly legitimate to accept a stipend offered on such occasion for the support of the celebrant. The amount of the sti- pend, varying for different times and countries, is usually fixed by ecclesiastical authority (see Stipend). It is allowed to accept it even should the ijriest be otherwise well-to-do ; for he has a right to live from the altar and should avoid becoming obnoxious to other members of the clergy. It is simoniacal to ac- cept payment for the exercise of ecclesiastical juris- diction, e. g., the granting of dispensations; but there is nothing improper in demanding from the apjilicants for matrimonial dispensations a contribution intended partly as a chancery fee and partly as a salutary fine calculated to prevent the too frequent recurrence of such requests. It is likewise simony to accept tem- poral compensation for admission into a religious or- der; but contributions made by candidates to defray the expenses of their novitiate as well as the dowry required by some female orders arc not included in this prohibition.

In regard to the parish clergy, the poorer the church, the more urgent is the obligation incumbent upon the faithful to support them. In the fulfilment of this duty local law and custom ought to be ob- served. The Second Plenary Council of Baltimore has framed the following <lecrees for the United

1