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Show IN THE CLOISTER. Regulations Which Limit and Restrain Re-strain the Communication of Re- Ifgious With the Outside World. In volume VL of the Catholic Ency- dopedla, under thetitle of "Cloister," the regulations which limit and re- strain the communications of religious with the outside world arc given in detail. de-tail. The restrictions upon cloisetcred nuns are especially noteworthy. Material Clausura Those parts of the convent to which the nuns have access ac-cess are all within the eloiFter, the choir not excepted. Here the law recognizes! no neutral territory. If the convent church be public, the nuns cannot go into those parts accessible to the people. peo-ple. Further, the building should be so constructed that neither the Sisters can lok outside their enclosure nor their V' neighbors see into the courtyards or I jrardens at the disposal of the Sisters. Before establishing a women's convent with a cloister, it is the desire of the Holy See if it be not a condition of validity that the beneplactitum t Apostolicum" should be obtained. This is a certain obligation for countries like the United States, which are subject to the constitution of Leo XIII.. "Ro- manos Pontifices," 8 May, 1881. (See also the letetr of December 7, 1901, of the congregation of proprganda.) Formal Clausura; Obstacle to Egress Under no pretext may the Sisters Sis-ters go outside their cloister without a legitimate clause approved by the bishop. bish-op. Such is the legislation of the council coun-cil of Trent (Sess. XXV., De Reg. et Mon.. c. v.). St. Pius V.. restricting still more this law, recognized only three legitimate causes fire, leprosy and contagious malady. Without keeping keep-ing rigorously to this enumeration, we may say that an analogous necessity is always required in order that the bishop may accord the permission. The nuns who transgress this law incur an excommunication reserved absolutely to the Holy See ("Apost. Sedis," sec. 2, n. 6). Obstacle to the Free Entrance of Outsiders. Out-siders. The law is much more severe for female than for male houses; in fact, even women are rigorously excluded ex-cluded from the cloistered narts. The penalty for those who enter and for those who admit or introduce them is the same an excommunication absolutely abso-lutely reserved to the Holy See ("Apost. feed. " sec. 2, n. 6). The penalty affects an those, and only those, who have reached the age of reason. Hence, in spite of the general terms of the law, it seems probable that the Sisters who should introduce a child under seven would not incur the ecclesiastical censure. cen-sure. This regime, however, admits of exceptions; corporal or spiritual needs demand the physician's or the confessor confes-sor s presence, the garden must be cultivated, cul-tivated, the building kept in repair. Hence general permissions are given to doctors, confessors, workmen and others. The confessor of nuns has this permission in virtue of his office; so also the bishdp, who must make the canonical visitation, and the regular superior, if the convent be under the Jurisdiction of regulars, outsiders who need to enter the cloister probablv require re-quire only one permission, that of the regular superior, except where custom requires also the permission of the bish-requires bish-requires also the permission the bishop bish-op or his delegate (St. Alph., "Theol rnor. VIII., 224). Benedict XIV., Lehmkuhl and Piat, basing their view on the jurisprudence of the congregation congrega-tion of the council, hold that the bishop bish-op s permission is always required. This permission, whether coming from the ci ZT rom the regular superior, should be in writing, according to the wording of the law; but an oral permission per-mission is sufficient to avoid the cen-oo,? cen-oo,? Alph-' "The- nw.. VII., le may foIIow the opinion of Si ll ?nSuS (lo- cit)' who maintains main-tains that when one has an evident reason rea-son for enterting within the cloister, he avoids both the censure and the sin even though he have only an oral permission. per-mission. It should be observed that girl boarders are subject to this legislation. legis-lation. Hence the colemnly professed hVish t0 occupy themselves with the education of the young must be provided with a Dontiflci tJ,,i? X However, cloistered nuns are not "ab-fIute,yftMdden "ab-fIute,yftMdden all intercourse wUh the outside world. They may, of course visftors i? m&V alS rece int t w l the conven Parlor, provid- nrJLm y rema'n benind the gating or grille erected there. For such visits a reasonable cause and a permission from the bishop is usually needed. This permission however, is not required in the case of those who. by virtue of their the convent, viz., the ecclesiastical su-EESf' su-EESf' confessor (for spiritual affairs) af-fairs) the canonical visitor, etc Ex-'K?,yn Ex-'K?,yn Advent and Lent, relatives and children are admitted once a week The St,0nS fr a Visit b' a re! iomT Ve7 Severe' According to some authors, he can only receive permission per-mission if he Is a blod relative of the ? ?.r 8end degree, and then only nU "m" a ar- Further, although an irregular v,sit on the part of a lay person or secUlar priest doQg stitute a grave fault, any visit without Such I, th mortaI.sin the religious. Such is the severity of the prohibition nnta,?SL,n d6Cree 0f the congre"a-However, congre"a-However, the conditions eommonlv re-en re-en t0,F ,thAmortal n must be present. pres-ent. For that reason some eminent !fiB,fn d "0t thlnk tnere ,s a mortal mor-tal sin if the conversation does not last for a quarter of an hour (C. d'Annl-bale, d'Annl-bale, Summula thol., Ill n ?8) It should be noted at the same' time 'that cer ain usages have mitigated the rig?r of the laws here mentioned. In Spain for instance, the permission of the diocesan dio-cesan authority is never asked for mak- illVfts- And-0f eourse' th- itself affects only convents where the mmates pronounce solemn vows. |