The history of the popes, from the close of the middle ages : drawn ...

THE PENITENTIARIA. I77
action was taken. The Penitentiaria in its existing form was
entirely suppressed with all its powers/ in order to come into
being again in an entirely new form, in virtue of the bull of
May i8th, 1569.2 Except in a few cases, the new Peniten-
tiaria only had powers of absolution and dispensation in the
internal forum, ^ everything else being in the hands of the
Dataria and Cancelleria. There was also a considerable
the clerks and
change in the office of the Grand Penitentiary ;
procurators, who had previously numbered 27 and 24 respect-
ively, were reduced to two, in each case, while the offices of
referendaries, correctors and revisors, were aboHshed,'* the
superfluous clerks and procurators being employed in the
Apostolic Cancelleria.^ The Grand Penitentiary and all his
subordinates were to exercise their office in person ;^ the
procurators were to be priests, or at least subdeacons,' and
no fees were to be demanded for the issue of documents.^
The sale of offices was entirely done away with.^
1 *" Pubblicata la Bulla della penitentieria," and by this it is
abolished, and there is no more business ; everything now goes
to the Cancelleria and Dataria (*Avviso di Roma of March 5,
1569, V.Tb. 1041, p. 34, Vatican Library). Bull of April 23, 1569,
in GoLLER, II., 2, 98. As early as February 14, 1569 (Urb. 1041,
p. 14) an *Avviso declares that the matrimonial dispensations
of the Penitentiaria were suspended, because a dispensation had
been granted, but that the Pope had refused it.
^ Bull. Rom., VII., 746 sfqq., 750 seqq.
^ Ibid., 750 §2. In GoLLER, II., 2, 15 seqq. there is a list of the
faculties granted to the Grand Penitentiary by Pius V., and later
on by Gregory XIII.
*Bull. Rom., VII., 747 § 3.
'^ Bull of May 19, 1569, ibid. 752.
^ Ibid. 747, § 6 and 12.
' Ibid. § 10.
* Ibid. 749, 5 17.
* " lUorumque omnium officiorum in ipso Poenitentiariae
officio constltutorum venditionem, aut quamvis al am voluntariam
tacitam vel expressam ea dimittentium dispositionem expresse
prohibemus," and this under pain of invalidity.
VOL. XVII. IZ