VI. heresy, or in any cases wherein the faith is concerned; all SESSION which do belong to the court of the Holy Office of Inquisition, or to such as are commissioned by them, or to the bishop who by himself may absolve in the form of the holy council of Trent; and according to the ordinations of the holy fathers : neither can ordinary confessors dispense with or change the vows of penitents, because that belongs to the prelate, or such as are deputed by him, or that have obtained apostolical privileges to that effect. Only at the point of death, not only approved confessors, but also all simple priests, there being no other to be had, are obliged to hear confessions, and may also absolve in all cases and from all censures to whomsoever reserved. Though as to the censures with this obligation, that if the sick person shall recover, they shall return to the persons again to whom they were before reserved, from whom they shall receive such healthful Penance as shall be thought meet. DECREE X. THAT CONFESSORS MAY NOT GIVE ABSOLUTION IN ALL CASES HERE ENUMERATED. That confessors may the better know in what cases they may, and in what cases they may not absolve their penitents, having no authority to do it, the Synod doth command the Bulla Canæ Domini, and all the cases reserved in this bishopric to be pasted on a board, and set up in all sacristies, and where there are no sacristies, in the chief chapel in every church, in the Malabar tongue, for the direction of the confessors, and doth furthermore in its regulation of the reserved cases in this diocese, declare, That wilful murder, publicly committed with violence on the person of an ecclesiastic, the voluntary firing of houses, or of any goods belonging to Christians, formal simony both in the givers and receivers, marrying without the vicar and two witnesses, schism and disobedience against the prelate, in all that are guilty thereof, or that favour such as are, the having of any of the books condemned by this Synod in their houses, or the reading of any of them, the performing of the public ceremonies called Taliconum Coliconu, the having of pagods or idols in their houses, and the giving them any veneration, have all the censure of excommunication annexed to them, of which though some are reserved by law, yet that they might be the better known, it was thought fit to have them expressed here. SESSION DECREE XI. REGULATES THE SENTENCE OF EXCOMMUNICATION. The Sentence of Excommunication being the last and most rigorous punishment of the church, and which for that reason ought not to be inflicted but with great caution and consideration, the Synod doth therefore condemn the facility wherewith it has been used in this diocese upon very slight and impertinent occasions, commanding it not to be inflicted hereafter, but for weighty causes, and with great consideration, and never by word of mouth, but always in writing. The Synod doth likewise condemn what has been formerly commanded in this bishopric, which was, that in certain cases penitents were not to be absolved, but at the hour of death, and in some not then either, which is contrary to Christian charity, and the rules of the church, who as a pious mother at all times receives true penitents, and never shuts the gates of salvation against any of her children: so that let their crimes be never so enormous, yet upon their doing penance, and expressing a deep sorrow for their sins, and yielding the satisfaction that is imposed upon them, they are graciously received, and made free at least in the internal or sacramental court but being there is no other punishment in this church, by reason of its being under kings that are infidels, beyond that of excommunication or exclusion from the church, some who are absolved in the internal court may still continue excommunicate in the external, so as not to be permitted to enter the church; and though the priests may go to their houses, they shall not give them the casture, until such time as the prelate shall order it to be done, having a regard to the heinousness of their crimes, and the length of time from the commission of them, that by this means the facility wherewith the Christians of this diocese commit several crimes, namely murder, and the ceremonies of the Taliconum may be removed. DECREE XII. NO PRIEST TO HEAR CONFESSION WITHOUT HAVING A WRITTEN LICENCE. Forasmuch as the ignorance of confessors is the destruction of penitents, and through the error of the key, there is nothing done, and it being known to the Synod that in this diocese VI. there are many confessors that are such idiots, as not to know SESSION what they do in confession, all the priests exercising themselves therein without ever having been examined as to their sufficiency; it doth therefore command, that from henceforward no priest shall presume to hear Confessions without being licensed thereunto in writing by the prelate, which license shall not be granted to any, but what have been first examined by learned persons, as to their sufficiency for such an employment, and until such time as this church is provided of prelates to regulate all such matters to the best of their understanding, the Synod doth commit the examination and approbation to the fathers of the Society of Jesus, of the college of Vaipicotta, upon whose examination and approbation, and a license granted by the governor whom the most illustrious Metropolitan will leave in this bishopric, the priests may hear confessions with the limitations expressed in the said licences, and all such as are at present confessors, shall be examined by order of the lord Metropolitan at his next visitation, and such of the clergy as shall be made parish priests, or vicars, shall be first examined, and approved of in the same form to be confessors, that so such as are not qualified to be confessors, may not be admitted vicars, whose precise obligation it is to confess their sheep and all confessors that are not approved of by the said lord Metropolitan in the form aforesaid, this Synod doth suspend from the office of confessor till such time as they shall be effectually examined and allowed of, and if any priest, which God forbid, shall be found hearing confessions without such a license, except in the case of danger of death, and where no confessor is to be had, he shall be suspended from his office and benefice for a year, and be further punished according to the degree of his contumacy, and the penitents shall be admonished to confess themselves again to some approved confessor. DECREE XIII. : CONFESSORS SPEAKING MALABAR TO BE EMPLOYED. 1 By reason of the great want there is of knowing and able confessors in this bishopric, the Synod for the sake of the sheep thereof doth approve of all such confessors as understand the Malabar tongue, and are licensed confessors in any other diocese, of whom also the prelate may make use for the assistance of the parish priests in Lent, where it shall be judged necessary, and especially of the priests of this diocese residing at Cochin. SESSION DECREE XIV. THOSE ONLY WHO TOOK THE CONFESSION CAN GIVE ABSOLU- The Synod doth grievously condemn the sacrilegious ignorance of those priests, who when they have confessed any at the command of the prelate, or of any other by whom they are authorized, after having heard the sins of their penitents, do carry them to the said prelate, to be absolved by him in the Sacramental Court; which was what happened to the most illustrious Metropolitan in these parts; the Synod doth therefore teach and declare, That none can absolve the penitent in the sacramental court, but the priest only that heard his sins; for whereas he is the Judge, it is he that ought to pass sentence and absolve, in conformity to what he has heard confessed, the contrary being a gross and manifest error. THE SACRAMENTAL DECREE XV. FORM OF ABSOLUTION ΤΟ BE USED ONLY Forasmuch as there are some ignorant clergymen, who being desired by Christians to read the Gospels and prayers to them, or to give them the blessing on their heads, do ignorantly use the form of sacramental absolution, saying, 'I absolve thee from thy sins in the name of the Father,' &c. wherefore the Synod doth advertise and admonish them not to commit such an error, it being a most grievous sacrilege to apply the sacramental form, where it ought not to be, wherefore they shall only read the Gospels and prayers allowed, ending with the blessing, In the name of the Father,' &c. The Doctrine of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction. The fifth sacrament of Extreme Unction has for its matter, the oil of olive blessed by a bishop, it is called extreme unction, because it is the last of all the holy unctions, instituted by our Lord Christ in his church, and the last that is received by a Christian; this sacrament is to be administered to an adult person that is sick, when apprehended to be in probable danger of death, who is to be anointed by the priest, the only VI. minister of this sacrament, on those parts wherewith he hath SESSION offended God chiefly; that is to say, on the eyes, because of sins committed by the sight; on both the ears, because of sins committed by hearing; on the mouth, because of sins committed by tasting and speaking; on both the hands, for the sins committed in feeling and touching; on both the feet, for the sins committed in walking; on the loins and reins, for being the chief seat of carnal pleasure; every one of which parts must be anointed by the priest, making the sign of the cross upon them with his thumb dipped in holy oil, and at the same time repeating the words of the form, which are, By this Holy Unction, and his most tender mercy may our Lord forgive thee all the sins thou hast committed by thy sight;' and so on, naming every part or sense as it is anointed the effect of this sacrament, is the health of the soul, and of the body also, so far as it is convenient and necessary to the soul, which is the chief; moreover, it washeth away the relics of sin, if there are any remaining in the soul, comforting the soul of the sick withal, and confirming and exciting in it a great confidence in the Divine mercy, by virtue of which consolation it suffers the troubles of sickness with the more patience, and with the greater ease resists the temptations of Satan, whose custom it is to assault the soul with extraordinary violence in its last hour: it likewise cherishes and succours the body, so far as it is convenient for the salvation of the soul, as St. James teacheth us in his canonical Epistle, saying, "Is any one sick, let him call for the priests of the church, and they shall pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall give him ease, and if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him :" the Apostle in saying they shall be pardoned,' demonstrates it to be a sacrament, whose virtue and nature is to confer grace, that pardoneth sins; and in saying, 'If any are sick among you,' he declares the time when this sacrament is to be received, that is in time of dangerous sickness; and in saying, they shall call the priests of the church,' he sheweth that the priests are the only ministers of this sacrament; and in saying, they shall be anointed with oil in the name of the Lord,' he sheweth, that holy oil is the matter of this sacrament; and in saying, 'they shall pray over the sick, anointing,' he sheweth, that the form of this sacrament is to be pronounced by way of deprecation, or prayer; and in saying, the Lord shall give him ease,' he sheweth also, that the effect of this sacrament is to give health to the body, so far as it is convenient and necessary to the health of the soul. And whereas this sacrament was instituted for the use of the sick, none but |