The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1857-04-22
From the Evening Post.
Process of Degrading a Priest.

| AONOoo VI OSG bSthh q l. ACobs
The case of Verger, who assassinated
the late Archbishop of Paris, calls to
mind the ceremony of degradation with
which priest was formerly visited be.
fore capital punishment could be infict-
ed on him. A French ordinance in 1871
was the last which prescribed this terri.
BILE formality. In the eighteenth centu-
ry, on the refusal Of the Archbishop of
AK to degrade a priest who had been
condemned to death, the parliament of
AK decreeo that for the future peculiar
justice could dispense with the degrade
tion. The following are the principal
incidents OF the ceremony, which accor-
ding to ancient authors, never failed to
produce an immense effect on the spec.
tators: On the scaffold bishop took
his seat, on throne surmouuted by
canopy, with his assistants seated near
him, and opposite to them was lay of.
ficer of justice. Near the preIate was
table, Oh which were placed several of
the sacred vessels used in the church
service, together with vases of wine aud
water, the Gospels, the Epistlcs, can.
delebra, with an extinguishcd taper, the
Book Of Exorcisms, the Book of Les
sons, keys, a pair of scissors, piece Of
glass, and the vestments aud ornaments
which a priest wears at the alter' The
priest to be degraded was brought for
ward dressed as a layman, and with his
hands bound. His bonds were FIRST of
all removed, and on q sign from the
bishop he was decked with tho ecclcslas-
tical costume by the attendant priests.
The bishop then rose, and holding his
crczicr in his left hand, explained to
tho people the cause of the degra daiion
The cul prit afterwards knelt at the bsh.
ops feet, aud all tho persons present bent
in prayer The bishop then pronounced
the sentence Of degradation in these
terms
In the name of the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Ghost--Amen. We,
having ascertaiued that the crime impu-
ted to thee--, priest, has been real
ly committed, aud is to be justly punish
ed ; and finding that this crime is great,
damnable, and enormous, and has not
only offended Divine Majesty, but agita.
ted the whole country-we declare that,
in consequences thou hast rendered thy
self unworthy Of ecclesiastical functions
and ecclesiastical benefits Therefore,
we, by the authority of Omnipotsnt God
and by our own power, deprive thee. now
and forever, of thy functions and bene
Fl Is, and we pronounce thy dcgradatio
according to the traditions cfthc canons"
This sentence being pronounced, tho
bishop receiving the criminal from the
hands Of the lay officer, scrapod the
palms of the criminals hands with tho
piece of glass but without any effusion
of blood, in order to remove from him
the JUNCTION received at ordination: The
tonsure was also scrapcd away in sim
liar manner. The priest present then
placed in the hands Of the culprit water,
wine, the consecratod wafer, etc.; but the
bishop snatched them from him, saying,
"We take from thee, or rather we show
to the people that we have already taken
from thee, the power of offering the holy
sacrifice to Cod aud Of celebrating mass
either for the living or the dead" Next
the bishop scraped with knife or piece
of glass the thumb and fingers of each
hand of the culprit, and said, by this
scraping wo take away the power Of sac.
rifciug aud blessing which thou hadst
received by the unetion of thy hands and
thumbs" Next the bishop dragged off
the chasuble from behind and said "We
justly deprive thee of this sacred vest
ment, which signifies charity, because
thou hast deprived thyscif of innocence.
Then the bishop removed the stole, and
said, Thou hast disgracefully rejected
the sign of God, which is this stole; and
this is why We take it from thee, and
render it unfit for any sacerdotal pur-
pose" The ceremony here concluded,
and the bishop and his attendants with
drew, with great pomp and in procession,
the spectators bending to the ground be-
I fora him, ha passo1