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A History of the So-Called Jansenist
Church of Holland By the Rev. J.M. Neale, M.A. Oxford: John Henry and James Parker,
1858 Appendix III. That The Vicariate Instituted By
Rovenius Was And Is The True Metropolitical Chapter Of Utrecht.
In 1622, when, of the 285 Canons and
Vicars who composed the Five Chapters, of which the Metropolitical Chapter
was composed, forty-five only were Catholics, the States of Utrecht enacted
that none but Protestants should thereafter be nominated Canons. Rovenius, to prevent the annihilation
of his Church, chose seven of the existing Canons, added four priests whom he
had intended to appoint in the months[1] when he had the nomination,
and constituted them a Vicariate, or Ecclesiastical Chapter of
Utrecht. Ultramontane writers have urged
various objections against this constitution, and the point is a vital one.
At the same time, that the arguments urged against the Vicariate are simply
used as a convenient weapon, is clear from this. The Chapter of Haarlem
existed and exists unchanged, yet Rome equally impugns its existence. Had the
Vicariate never been formed, the Chapter of Utrecht would have been equally
ignored. It is said that Rovenius had no right
arbitrarily to choose seven ecclesiastics out of forty-five, and call them a
Chapter. But, 1. The greater part of the
Catholic Canons were not in orders[2]. They were appointed by the
States, when, of course, the question of orders was not taken into
consideration. 2. Of the Canons in orders, the
greater part had voluntarily resigned their charges, and left the country to
avoid persecution. 3. Of those who remained several were
old men, who wished to spend their few remaining years in quiet, and would
not incur the danger of a nomination to the Vicariate. 4. When Bovenius, by act[3] of
Nov. 9, 1633, established the Vicariate as the Metropolitical Chapter, the
whole existing body of Canons gave a tacit consent; not one voice was raised
in protest, and thus the strongest evidence was given of their agreement to
the step. The identity of this Vicariate with
the Chapter is proved, — 1. By the acceptation of its
nominees, either absolutely, or the acknowledgment of its right to nominate,
by the Court of Rome down to the death of Codde. 2. By repeated and express acts of
the Papal Nuncios. The greater part of the first Tractatus
Historicus, and its Monumenta, a masterpiece of laborious
research, is occupied by such testimonies. The last, as we have seen, is that of
Bussi, June 21, 1702: “Indelebilis nota vestris tam praeclaris capitulis
inuretur.” Broedersen amuses himself with
collecting Hoynck’s various epochs for the destruction of the Chapter. He
says, in different places, that it perished in 1580, in 1583, in 1589, in
1603, in 1625, and in 1680! [1] That is, the Papal months, collations during which
had been given to himself. [2] In 1656, of eleven living Catholic Canons, one only
was a priest. [3] This act is given at length in
Tract. Hist. i. 328. |
John Mason Neale, 1818-1866 |
