Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

CHOICE OF CONFESSOR. 340
century, after the death of Edward IV. There is
no similar record of Fair Eosamund. The walking
barefooted and lightly clad was a feature in the
processes for heresy during the fifteenth century.
The Twenty-first Decree of the Fourth Lateral!
Council with reference to Paschal duties obliges the
faithful to confess their sins at least once a year to-
their own priests, viz., their parish priests (sawnto*
proprius). If any one had a good reason for wishing
to confess to another priest, the leave of his parish
priest had to be obtained.1 The rise of the Friars
changed the spirit, though not the letter, of the law.
Twelve years after this Decree the Dominicans
obtained from the Holy See a Bull, enabling them
to hear confessions in England. In 1265 a similar
privilege was conferred upon the Franciscans.2 It
is needless to say that the measure was never popular
with parish priests, although so largely productive
of good for souls. The Lateran Decree was maintained
for the Paschal Duties, and during the rest
of the year liberty as to the choice of a confessor
was allowed. The Friars were the Jesuits of the
Middle Ages, and we ourselves could as ill afford to
lose the wisdom of St. Ignatius, as those times to
be deprived of a spiritual ministry, which clearly
supplied a positive need. Members of the nobility
and of the weaker sex specially favoured the Friars.
Old wills contain many remembrances of the
" Freres," both collectively and individually.
1 HdVle, v. 793. a Cluuxlon, pp. 4:>7, 430.