The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-08-04
TEXT OF THE PAPAL BULL PRO-
MITIGATING THE NEW LAW.

The following is a translation OF
the Bull of Pope Benedict XIV pro.
mitigating the new Code of Canon
Law:
To Our Venerable Brothers and Be-
loved Sons the Patriarchs, Primates,
dinaries, and also to the Professors
and Students of the Catholic Universe
ties and Seminaries
BENEDICT, BISHOP,
Servant of the Servants of God,
For a Perpetual Remembrance of
the Matter.
The most proyident of mothers, the
Church, enriched by her Divine
Founder with all those things that go
towards constituting perfect society
from the very beginning of her exist
ence, when she commenced to direct
and govern all nations, was assiduous
in regulating and safeguarding the
discipline of the clergy and the
Christian people by definite laws AS
time passed. particularly when she
asserted her freedom and grew great
er daily, she never ceased to develop
and prove her title to send forth laws,
as is her right-a right which belongs
to her from her very constitution.
This she did by the PRONUNCIATION of
numerous DEGREES emanating from
the Roman Pontiffs and the Oecu-
menical Councils, and of such a kind
as events and times suggested. By
means of these laws she not only
made wise provision for the govern
ment of the clergy and people, but,
as history bears witness, promoted in
q most efficacious way the develop
ment of civilization. For the Church
was at pains not only to abrogate the
laws of barbarous nations and reduce
to some civilized form their rude GUS
toms, but, with Gods help, Roman
law itself, that wonderful monument
of ancient wisdom which is deserved
ly called written wisdom succeed
ed in mitigating them, and after cor
recting and perfecting them in a
Christian manner up to the point of
gradually preparing (according as the
ways of public and private life were
tending towards perfection), abundant
material for the constitution of laws
for the Middle Ages and recent times.
However, owing to the changes in
the circumstances of the times and
the necessities of men, it became
clear as Plus X declared in the Motu
Proprio "Arduum Sane" Canon Law
no longer achieved it's end with suffi-
cient speed Indeed, in the passing of
centuries, a great many laws were is
sued, some of which were abrogated
by the supreme authority of the
Church or fell into dessuetude. 9th
ers it was too difficult to enforce, or
they appeared, where there was ques-
ton of the common veal, neither useful
nor opportune for the times. Along
with these objections we must add
that the laws had so increased in
number, and were SO separated and
scattered, that many of them were
unknown not only to the people, but
TO the most learned.
Led by these reasons, our predeces-
sor of happy memory at the begin
ming of his Pontifcate, thinking over
what should prove most useful in re-
storing and strengthening ecclesias-
tical discipline and in remedying the
objections mentioned above, decided
to put together with order and clear
ness all the laws of the Church issued
down to our own day, removing all
that should be reorganized as abrogat-
ed or obsolete, adapting others to the
necessities of the times, and making
new ones according as need and op-
portunity should direct.
When putting his hand to this
weighty enterprise after mature de-
liberation, he deemed it necessary to
know the minds of the Bishops,