On the 27th of July, a diocesan synod at Palma, in the Canaries, by bishop Didacus de Muros 59. At Breslau, bishop John von Roth renewed in 1497 his synod of the previous year, which he completed by issuing certain statutes 60. Franciscus Ximenez, archbishop of Toledo, celebrated in Alcala his first diocesan synod during the same year. In 1498 he held his second, at which many of his clergy assisted, in the city of Talavera. At both a number of statutes were published for the reform of the secular clergymen 61. The synod of Badajoz was held, also in 1498, by bishop John Rodriguez Fonseca 62. In the year 1499, another provincial synod took place in Badajoz, under its new bishop, Alfons Manrique 63; So also that of Pamplona, under the administration of cardinal Antoniotto Pallavicini 64 ; There was also the one of Mainz, celebrated by its archbishop, Berthold von Henneberg 65. The year 1500 saw the diocesan synod of Kammin, in Pomerania, held by bishop Martin Carith 66. And oné is mentioned, for that year, as held in Cujavia, then in Poland, in Prussia to-day; So is also the synod of Wilna, in Lithuania, celebrated by bishop Albert 67. About the same time, bishop Didacus Deza celebrated a diocesan synod in Palencia, and On the 12th of May, 1500, bishop Peter Vaz Gaviaõ held one at Guardia, in Portugal 68. 59. Hefele, s. 370; Gams, p. 22. 60. Hefele, s. 368. 61. Wadding, Annal. Min. t. XV, p. 158; Hefele, s. 370. 62. Gams, p. 11; Hefele, ibid. 63. Gams, p. 11; Hefele, s. 370. 64. Gams, p. 11; Hefele, s. 370. 68. Gams, p. 61, 101; Hefele, s. 372. In 1501 a synod was held at Arras, in France, by the vicar of the cathedral chapter, James Millon, together with the abbots of Arrouais d'Eaucourt and Marchiane 69. A council of the province of Canterbury was commenced in St. Paul's cathedral of London on the 14th of February, 1501, transferred to Canterbury on the 21st and prolonged till the 15th of October 1502. Its main object was the concession of a tithe and of other subsidies to the Supreme Pontiff, against the Turks 70. Bishop Kaspar von zu Rhein held also, in the year 1502, his synod in Basel, as he was used to do every year 11. The foregoing list, although very incomplete, of clerical assemblies mainly intended for the correction of local abuses, may suggest an idea of the improvements made in ecclesiastical discipline during the reign of pope Alexander VI. Neither did similar gatherings of the regular clergy, their provincial and their general chapters, remain without salutary results. A second means of reform, more direct and immediate, used by the Pontiff, was the appointment of his legates and envoys, as papal agents, provided with full power to discover, punish and prevent all misbehavior and wrongdoing within the territories of their jurisdiction. He had, in the beginning of his reign, established Hadrian Castellesi, his nuncio in England, to act as such an official, In the year 1500, he chose cardinal Raymund Pérault, to be his legate in Germany and Denmark, and, likewise, gave him the faculty and charge of reforming the clergy and especially the religious houses of those countries. In a proclamation of the 25th of March, 1503, cardinal Pérault declares that pope Alexander VI had 69. Hefele, s. 372. 70. Wilkins, Concil. Magnae Britan. et Hibern., vol III, p. 646, 647. 71 Hefele, s. 372. confided to him the general revision of the monasteries of his legation 72. In fact, the legate ordered, in the year 1502, the reform of the monastery of Nuys, below Cologne, to be made by the archbishop of the province and the abbots of Lara of the Benedictine, and of Zons of the Premonstratensian Order 73. He made the visitation of many more communities, and greatly favored those that he found to observe their rules, but severely punished the vices of clergymen and concubinage in particular. At the same time he was defending the rights of the Church and restoring peace among princes and cities 74. What Raymund Pérault did for Germany, George d'Amboise accomplished for France. This cardinal was made a papal legate to the latter country on the 5th of April, 1501 75. On the same day he received a pontifical brief, by which he was empowered and commissioned to visit, by himself or by another, within the duration and limits of his legation, each one of the universities and their colleges, the cathedral chapters, the religious communities, exempt and not exempt, and each one of the persons belonging to them; to correct them according to his discretion; to reform or to annul, to amend or to change their constitution, rites and customs, no matter by what authority they might have been granted or confirmed, and to establish other salutary regulations and statutes, as it might seem advantageous to him, taking into consideration the circumstances of persons and times; to further ordain in all such matters whatever was necessary or useful; to have these ordinances observed under pain of ecclesiastical penalties, and to restrain all contradictors with the censures of the Church and other legal measures 76. 72. Pastor, Gesch. der Päpste, Bd. III, s. 484, footn. 6. 73. Wadding, Annal. Min., t. XV, p. 260. 74. Ciaconius, Vitae Pontiff., Roman., t. III, col. 172; von He fele and Hergenroether, Conci- 76. See Document 105. The cardinal d'Amboise was particularly well chosen for the difficult task of monastic reform in France, because of the high consideration which he enjoyed with king Louis XII, who, on account of his virtuous life, his prudence and experience, allowed him the administration of every important concern in his kingdom ". This authority served him well in meeting the opposition which he encountered from the various monasteries of the city of Paris, that were sheltering the numerous younger monks and novices of their Orders, who frequented the famous university. He deputed two bishops to visit the communities, but when these presented themselves at the Dominican house of the Rue St. Jacques 78, its four hundred students raised such an uproar, that the whole city was brought into commotion, and that the authority of King and parliament was needed to reduce them to order. They were afterwards dispersed among the Dominican houses of France, and the best monks of the Teutonic province were called to replace those of St. James of Paris. The Minors Conventual exposed the Blessed Sacrament on the day and hour set for the opening of the visitation and protracted their devotions for four consecutive hours; but were forced, after all, to yield to the inquest and correction by the threat of losing their monastery in favor of the Observantines. Their humble begging averted this latter measure, and they were allowed to be reformed by two dozen of their own most respectable Fathers, summoned from their communities of Amboise, Blois, Bourges and Autun. The reform was also extended to the monastery of the Benedictines and gave rise to the model Congregation of Chesal Benoît, replaced by the one, yet more renowned, of St. Maur 79. 77. Dion. Samarthanus, Gallia Christiana, t. XI, p. 94. 78. Hence their name of Jaco bins Anquetil, Hist. de France, vol. 6, p. 34. 79. Becchetti, Ultimi Quattro Secoli, t. VI, p. 321. The cardinal d'Amboise used a strong hand in the correction of many relaxed communities, while he fostered those that had kept their ancient rules, and he encouraged the religious families that were commencing at the time 8o. He did, in particular, confirm the reform of the renowned female convent of Chelles, which John Simon, bishop of Paris, had, with great pains, succeeded in improving through the introduction into it of religieuses from Fontevrault 81. He also appointed as his deputy for the correction of churches, colleges, monasteries and convents of the provinces of Bourges, Narbonne and Toulouse, his brother, Louis d'Amboise, bishop of Albi, to whom king Louis XII gave, on the 22d of March, 1502, special letters, to insure the success of his odious, but important charge 82. In countries where he had no nuncio or legate charged with the duties of a general reformer, pope Alexander VI named other ecclesiastical dignitaries to perform the work of correction. During the first year of his reign, on the 27th of July, 1493, he appointed Martin Ponce, archbishop of Messina ; Peter Ximenez de Prexamo, bishop of Coria, and the bishop of Catania, Francis Garcias, as universal reformers in the kingdoms of Spain and Aragon, and gave them full power of going, either together or separately, as often as it might seem useful, in company with the Ordinary or his vicar general and with some religious and good men, to each monastery and religious house of either sex, and investigate each one, in its head and in its members, in matters spiritual and temporal; and, if they should find anything needing reform or correction, they were to correct and amend it according to the canonical sanctions and the rules of the respective Orders. He granted them authority to command their inmates, under pain of sus 80. Ciaconius, Vitae Pontiff., Roman., t. III, col. 188. 81. Samarthanus, ubi supra, t. VII. 82. Ibid., t. I, p. 35. |