1. Cum quaestio Signaturae Apostolicae a Summo Pontifice committatur (cf. art. 107 Constitutionis Apostolicae Regimini Ecclesiae universae), de merito causae sine dubio iudicandum est.
2. Iuxta explicitum praescriptum Constitutionum, Congregatio ius habet retinendi «redditus et fructus omnes, qui ex exercitio ministeriorum ecclesiasticorum Sodalibus proveniunt».
3. Sodalis, qui institutum seu Congregationem deserit, immo et statum clericalem amittit, ius non habet ad restitutionem summarum ab ipso solutarum in «Fundum Sodalium Congregationis» ad auxilium aegrotis et senibus Sociis praestandum, quique insuper adsistentiam a Congregatione praetendere nequit, eo magis quod, de facto, nec aegrotus nec senex sit (in casu Congregatio est quaedam Societas sacerdotum in dioecesi incardinatorum).
4. Si ratio caritatis attendatur, ordo quoque caritatis servandus est, nec convenit ut fructus ministerii sacerdotalis tribuantur ei, qui sacerdotium deseruit ut aliam vitam matrimonio componeret. Aliter grave damnum Congregationi integrisque sacertdotibus inferretur. Proinde oportet illi reditus pro debita adsistentia fidelibus sacerdotibus, ceteroquin ad normam iuris, serventur atque impendantur.
| 1. Since the question is committed to the Apostolic Signatura by the Supreme Pontiff (cf. art. 107 of the Apostolic Constitution Regimini Ecclesiae universae), the merits of the case must without doubt be judged.
2. According to the explicit prescript of the Constitutions, the Congregation has the right to retain «all the revenues and fruits which accrue to the members from the exercise of ecclesiastical ministries».
3. A member who deserts the institute or Congregation, and indeed even loses the clerical state, has no right to the restitution of the sums he paid into the «Fund of the Members of the Congregation», established to provide help to sick and elderly members; moreover, he cannot claim assistance from the Congregation, all the more so since in fact he is neither sick nor elderly (in the case at hand the Congregation is a Society of priests incardinated in a diocese).
4. If regard is had to charity, the order of charity must also be observed, and so it is not fitting that the fruits of the priestly ministry be given to one who has deserted the priesthood to build another life in marriage. Otherwise grave harm would be inflicted on the Congregation and on the priests who have remained faithful. Consequently, those revenues must be kept and expended, in any case in accordance with the norm of law, for the due assistance of faithful priests. |
