A letter from Honorius III, pope (4/10/1218)

Translated letter:

Honorius, etc., to his dearest daughter in Christ, Berengaria, formerly illustrious queen of the English. On your part it was put forth before us that several men of letters of your land, who had put aside clerical habit and tonsure, publicly took wives, and are sollicitous to do what might please their wives. Who, though they are involved in commerce and other secular business, yet defraud you of the accustomed rights and owed services; they resume the rejected tonsure as a pretext to be excused as clerics though they do not serve in the army of the Lord, but rather in the world like other married men. Some, having accepted the first tonsure, similarly take on and wear that tonsure so that they can be excused on the same pretext from the aforesaid and our venerable brother bishop and beloved sons the dean, archdeacon, and chapter of Le Mans strive to cherish those clerics in their withdrawal from your services to your injury and burden. Since therefore the things which are of Caesar should be rendered to Caesar and those which are of God to God, and men publicly married are not ecclesiastics, while they involve themselves in secular business we say it should be accepted with equanimity that you exact and receive the owed rights and accustomed services as from other married men when they are seen to have resumed or accepted the tonsure not with intent of religion but in fraud to withhold services. Protection should not be given to them. Dated at the Lateran, 5th ides of April, in the second year of our pontificate.

Original letter:

Honorius, etc., carissimae in Christo filiae Berengariae, quondam reginae Anglorum illustri. Ex parte tua fuit propositum coram nobis, quod nonnulli litterati terrae tuae, habitu et tonsura clericali relictis, publice ducunt uxores, de his qui sunt hujusmodi solliciti, quomodo uxoribus placeant existentes. Qui licet negotiationibus, et aliis saecularibus insistant negotiis, ut tamen consuetis justiiis et debitis obsequiis te defraudent, tonsuram resumunt abjectam, quatenus ipsius praetextu ab hujusmodi, ut clerici, excusentur, quamquam non militent Domino, sed potius mundo ut caeteri uxorati. Quidam etiam accepta prima tonsura similiter contrahunt et eamdem tonsuram deferunt, ut eodem praetextu excusari valeant a praedictis, et venerabilis frater noster episcopus et dilecti filii decanus, archidiaconus, et capitulum Cenomanen. ipsos tamquam clericos in substractionem servitiorum tuorum fovere nituntur in tuum praejudicium et gravamen. Cum igitur reddenda sint quae sunt Caesaris Caesari, et quae sunt Dei Deo, et publice uxorati viri ecclesiastici non existant, dum se sic negotiis saecularibus implicant, aequanimiter ducimus tolerandum, si justitias debitas, et servitiis consueta velut ab aliis uxoratis exigas et recipias ab eisdem, cum tonsura, quam non obtentu religionis, sed in fraudem subtrahendi servitia resumpsisse vel accepisse videntur, in iis sibi non debeat patrocinium impertiri. Datum Laterani quinto idus aprilis pontificatus nostri anno secundo.

Historical context:

The letter deals with jurisdictional disputes in Le Mans between churchmen and the queen. One point of dispute was revenues, including the claims of married former clergy or those falsely claiming to be clergy to be exempt from secular service or payments (see Trindade, Berengaria, 164ff). Honorius affirms the queen's right to treat them as laymen. There is a note at the end of the letter saying the same was sent to the bishop, dean, archdeacon and chapter of Le Mans with an additional passage expressing the pope's surprise that they encourage a practice so shameful to the church, prohibiting its continuance and confirming the queen's right to exact her dues from such men. That letter is dated the next day, April 11.

Printed source:

Horoy, Honorii III Opera, Epistolae, 2.193; a summary is given in RHP III, #1224.

Date:

4/10/1218