The Monarchia Controversy: An Historical Study with Accompanying Translations of Dante Alighieri's Monarchia, Guido Vernani's Refutation of the "Monarchia" Composed by Dante, and Pope John XXII's Bull Si fratrum Monarchia controversy: an historical study with accompanying translations of Dante Alighieri's Monarchia, Guido Vernani's Refutation of the Monarchia composed by Dante and Pope John XXII's bull, Si fratrum

JOHN XXII’S Si fratrum

POPE JOHN XXII’S BULL, i fratrum  Warning Lest Anyone Dare to Assume theTitle of ImperialVicar When the Empire Is LeftVacant1 {} If we desire to preserve the rights of our Brothers and fellow Bishops, and our own, and the rights of any person whatsoever, to be inviolate and free from any danger of abridgment, and if we apply most freely our careful concern to this—more vigorously, indeed, for the conservation of the rights and honors of Our Bride the Roman Church—we are obliged to discharge the functions of the apostolic provision according to the obligation of our office imposed upon us, lest in our times these rights may suffer the violation of usurpation or incur the harm of any kind of disparagement. {} It has been brought fully to our notice and to that of our Brothers via widespread report, that, notwithstanding the fact that it has been upheld de jure, unbrokenly, and without interruption through the ages, that when the empire is left vacant (as it is thus now recognized to have been left vacant through the death of the late Henry, emperor of the Romans), since in this matter it is impossible to have recourse to secular judgment, the jurisdiction, government, and disposition2 of the aforesaid empire devolve to the Supreme Pontiff—to whom, in the person of the Blessed Peter, God Himself committed the rights both of the Earthly and the Heavenly Empire, and this jurisdiction itself during the said vacancy of the empire is known to be exercised either by God himself, by another, or by others, as long as the empire can be  QR remembered, {} in spite of this, in parts of Italy, several of those of the highest level of power and dignity, unlawfully doing their utmost to cause harm to us and to our Mother, the Holy Roman Church, and to abridge honor and right, have presumed in their daring temerity, after the emperor’s death and without seeking or obtaining our permission or that of the Apostolic See, to retain for themselves the title of vicar or of some other office that they used to hold in certain lands, territories and areas, from the emperor himself by personal appointment when he was alive; {} and, several [have presumed] again to assume something which they did not hold, or had not held before, or to resume what they had held after dismissal; they have not so far feared to abuse this or those titles, and, not shrinking from being involved in various crimes and not dreading to offend Divine Majesty, under the pretext of this or those titles, they are known to be perpetrating and to have perpetrated many actions which have clearly redounded to our harm and that of the aforesaid Church. {} Inasmuch, therefore, as this error, which is meeting with no resistance, is spreading widely and is seen to be approved by those who are abandoning the Bosom [of the Church] who offers no resistance to their wicked efforts, since we wish in this case to protect our own rights and honors and those of Our Bride the Church, and to oppose at once the evils and scandals that have so far arisen from the retention, assumption, or resumption of such titles, and those which might perilously arise in their wake hereafter, and since we desire also to resist and remedy the perils to the soul posed by such retention, assumption , and resumption of such titles and from their abuses, {} as we have set forth, by the authority of those present, we warn under penalty of excommunication all those singly and severally of whatever rank of preeminent dignity or status they may be—even if they glitter with patriarchal or whatever other superior or pontifical or royal dignity, or other whatsoever—who, after the empire is left vacant, and without our permission or that of the aforesaid See, have retained, have assumed, or have resumed and retain—and who, assume or resume, perchance, as imposters—the title of such vicariate or whatever other office, wherever, and, under cloak of such entitlement, have abused, are abusing, or even might abuse any power and jurisdiction whatsoever or its public or private exercise, {} so that, as for the rest, they may also utterly abstain and totally desist from such entitlements or the assumption, resumption , and retention of the aforesaid titles, and also from the use of the power and from the exercise of the aforesaid; we moreover...