A letter from Innocent IV (11/13/1243)

Translated letter:

To his beloved daughters in Christ, the abbess and convent of enclosed nuns of the monastery of St. Francis of Prague of the order of St. Damian, greetings and apostolic blessing. We willingly consider the pious wishes of all, especially those who are fervently vigilant in divine praise, and sweat without intermission with the zeal of the holy life; and we promote those things with benevolent favor; having before our eyes the one who disposing all things with kindness, offers different remedies to the universality of his faithful, for which it is delighted to persist devout in his praises. But from the cold nature of your fatherland in which you live, because you do not have a supply of oil and lenten foods, it happens, as we take it, that though it is your desire continuously to merit the rewards of the blessed through assiduous affliction of the flesh, yet for the fragility of nature, you furnish the spirit of restraining readiness almost without discrimination, so that you are able to continue the rigor of your life in all aspects of the Formula. Truly, since it is known to be pious that the yoke of the lord be softly born by you from the provision of the apostolic see, we grant by the apostolic authority of the presents to your universality that notwithstanding that according to the Formula you should always fast with Lenten food, it is permitted to you to use wine and pottage, at all times whether healthy or otherwise, also eggs and milk products, except in general fasts established by the church. Also on every Easter and their octaves, unless a solemn fast occurs in them; on the nativity and circumcision of the lord, on the solemn feasts of the glorious virgin, and of the blessed Michael the Archangel, St. John the Baptist, the holy apostles, and the holy cross, on the feast of St. Luke, of the blessed martyrs, Stephen, Lawrence, and Innocent, and the martyrs Agnes, and Agatha, and saints Mary Magdalene, and Elisabeth; also on the feast of all saints and especially the feast of the monastery and your order and the kingdom of Bohemia and on Tuesday and Thursday, except in major and minor Lent, you are not bound to fast. Those, however, who are infirm of body or weak it is little permitted to observe the austerities of fast and the law of abstinence, but according to their infirmity or weakness, the abbess or major sister should dispense to them mercifully in provisioning or fasts. Moreover infirm or weak sisters and those serving them should have the power of speaking, saying what is necessary and useful at the time of their infirmity and in the infirmary. We also impart license to you to have two tunics or more, if necessity demands, or it seems expeditious to the abbess, a scapulary and cloak with fur, or shoes with slippers, and mattresses filled with hay or straw, and pillows. Moreover it is permitted to your confessor, who is there at the time, to hear your confession about their transgressions in what you should observe according to the aforesaid formula or your order, or provisions made by the holy see for you, and to impose salutary penance on you, except punishments whose imposition is in the purview of the abbess according to your custom or the observance of the Rule. To no man is it permitted to violate this page of our concession, etc. Dated at the Lateran, on the ides of November, in the first year of our pontificate.

Original letter:

Dilectis in Christo filiabus Abbatissae, & Conventui Monialium inclusarum Monasterii Sancti Francisci Pragensis Ordinis Sancti Damiani Salutem, & Apostolicam Benedictionem. Piis votis omnium, scilicet eorum praecipue, qui Divinis laudibus ferventer invigilant, ac sacrae vitae studio sine intermissione desudant, libenter intendimus; & ipsa favore benevolo promovemus; illum habendo prae oculis, qui cuncta cum suavitate disponens, suorum universitati Fidelium diversa remedia protulit, per quae in ipsius laudibus devota persistere delectetur. Ex frigida siquidem dispositione Patriae, in qua degitis; ac ex eo, quod olei & ciborum Quadragesimalium copiam, non habeatis, provenit, sicut accepimus, quod licet sit in desiderio vestro continuo per afflictionum carnis assiduam, mereri proemia Beatorum; tamen fragilitate naturae spiritum promptitudinis retundentis vix absque discriminis incursu sussicitis, ut in omnibus Formulae vitae vestrae rigorem perpeti valeatis. Verum quia pium esse dignoscitur, ut ex provisione Sedis Apostolicae a vobis jugum Domini cum suavitate feratur; Universitati vestrae praesentium, auctoritate Apostolica concedimus, ut non obstante, quod secundum ipsam, Formulam semper in cibo quadragesimali jejunare debetis, vino & pulmentis omni tempore tam sanis, quam aliis; necnon ovis, & lactiniis, praeterquam in generalibus jejuniis ab Ecclesia constitutis liceat vobis uti. In omni etiam Pascha, & infra octavas earumdem, nisi solemne jejunium occurrat in illis; Nativitate, & Circumcisione Domini, solemnitatibus Gloriosae Virginis, & Beatei Michaelis Arcangeli, Beati Joanis Baptistae, Sanctorum Apostolorum, & Sanctae Crucis, in festo Sanai Lucae, Beatorum Martyrum Stephani, Laurentii, & Innocentium, & Martyrum Agnetis, & Agathae, ac Beatae Mariae Magdalenae, & Sanctae Elisabethae; nec non in festo Sanctorum omnium, & praecipuis feftivitatibus Monasterii, ac Ordinis vestri, & Regni Bohemiae, ac in tertia, & quinta feria, praeterquam in majori, & minori Quadragesima, non teneamini jejunare. Illae autem, quae sunt corpore imbecilles, aut debiles, servare austeritates jejunii, & abstinentiae legem minime permittatur; sed juxta infirmitatem, vel debilitatem ipsarum cum eis tam in cibariis, quam jejuniis ab Abbatissa, seu majori Sorore misericorditer dispensetur. Insuper hujusmodi Sorores imbecilles, seu debiles, ac servientes eisdem infirmitatis suae tempore loquendi, quae, necessaria, & utilia fuerint) habeant in Infirmatorio potestatem. Duas etiam habendi tunicas, aut plures, si necessitas exegerit, vel Abbatissa viderit expedire; Scapularia & Mantellum cum pellibus, aut subtilares cum pedulibus, utendi fisconibus foeno , vel palea plenis, & cervicalibus vobis licentiam impartimur. Ceterum Confessario vestro, qui pro tempore fuerit, liceat de illorum transgressionibus, quae secundum praedictam formulam, vel Ordinem vestrum, aut factas circa vos provisiones Sedis Apostolicae servare debetis, confessionem vestram audire, & poenitentiam vobis injungere salutarem, salvis poenis, quarum impositio competit Abbatissae secundum vestram consuetudinem, vel observantiam Regularem. Nulli ergo omnino hominum liceat hanc paginam Nostrae concessionis infringere , vel ei ausu &c. Datum Laterani Idibus Novembris, Pontificatus Nostri Anno Primo.

Historical context:

Yet another pope tries to relax the austerity of the rule Agnes wants to follow.

Printed source:

Bullarium Franciscanum Romanorum Pontificum, ed. J. H. Sbaralea, 1 (Rome: Sacrae Congregationis de Propaganda Fide, 1759, repr. Santa Maria degli Angeli: Proziuncola, 1983), 314-15, ep.16.

Date:

11/13/1243