Licet Dudum - 18 Dec 1312
For future record. Not long ago, in the general council at Vienne, we transferred,
with the approval of the sacred council, the property, rights, privileges,
indults, immunities and liberties of the former order of the Temple to the
order of the Hospital of saint John of Jerusalem. For the sake of greater
peace and concord between prelates of churches and other clergy on the one
hand, and the brothers of the order of the Hospital on the other, as also
for other justifiable reasons, we suspended, in the last session of the
council, all the privileges granted to the Hospital by the apostolic see,
and with them as a necessary consequence the privileges of the former Temple,
which should be thought of as belonging to the said Hospital and transferred
to it. We excepted the privilege of exemption, if they had any. We wished
these privileges to be suspended at our good pleasure. There are some, however,
who assert on insufficient grounds that the suspension of these privileges
of the Hospital does not extend to the privileges of the former order of
the Temple. Although there is not the faintest reason for such an assertion,
we wish to remove from their minds the slightest doubt that it was our intention,
by the said suspension of the privileges of the order of the Hospital, to
suspend the privileges of the former Temple, which have become by the transference
those of the Hospital itself. We declare therefore by our apostolic authority
and decree that these, like the other privileges of the Hospital, are and
remain suspended.
Indeed, before the suspension, it was said in general by some of our brothers
cardinals of the holy Roman church, to many of the prelates assembled at
the general council, that there would be a suspension of the Hospital's
privileges until everything that was still uncertain among the said prelates
and other clergy, with regard to concord, lawsuits and disputes, had been
completely settled. We observed, however, that if it was necessary to await
the end of all these lawsuits and disputes, one little case might generate
grave prejudice against the Hospitallers, and great loss might result from
the continuing suspension of their privileges. We reflected that this might
provide material for many misrepresentations. In the last session of the
council, therefore, wishing to obviate such greater dangers, we judged it
fitting to make known orally, clearly and openly, even for a third time,
so that each and all might clearly understand, that we wished the said suspension
of the privileges of the order of the Hospital to continue until we willed
otherwise. We intend with the Lord's help to consider what is good for both
sides and to make provision for both prelates and other clergy on the one
hand, and the Hospitallers on the other, so that neither will have reason
for complaint but both will receive due satisfaction. Let nobody therefore...
Given at Avignon on 18 December in the eighth year.