Letter XXV. To a Religious of the Visitation

On the obligation of her voivs, and on expulsion from religious Orders.

About 1618.*

YOUK vows, my dear daughter, are as strong as the vows of all Orders of religion in the obligation by which they bind the conscience of the sisters to their observance. It is true, however, that a sister who desires to lose her soul and her honour can marry after the vows, and so could the most- strictly professed one in France if she wanted to be lost, and to make use of the Edict of pacification. The formulary of your vows is made according to those of like congregations in Italy, and much more expresses the force of the obligation than do most of the formularies of the Rule of St. Benedict.

The vow of chastity is fundamental, according to the ancient Fathers, in monasteries of women, and the others are not less essential.

It is true, one can be dispensed from simple vows, and from the others also — though more easily from

• The French has no date. [Tr.].

LET. xxx.] Earlier Letters to Visitation. 153 those than from these — but not without grave occasion, and when it is expedient. Here the Jesuit Fathers are in an extremely good position, and maintain the lustre of their most illustrious Company by this means, which the world does not approve, but God and the Church do highly: and all religious Orders in ancient times were of that kind, solemnity of vows having been established but a few hundreds of years.

Expulsion has always existed among the ancient religious; it is a necessary rigour. To expel a sister because she would not observe silence would not be done for not observing silence, but for an obstinate will of troubling and overthrowing the order of the Congregation, and contemning the Holy Spirit, who has ordained silence in religious houses. And if one expel not for obstinate disobedience and conscious contempt of the Order, I do not know what one will expel for. In a word, religious, even those most solemnly so, expel; at any rate, we see religious expelled from the Order of St. Francis, even from the Capuchins; and the Jesuit Fathers, who are so cautious and prudent, expel for disobediences, if these are even a little cherished and clung to.

The extension of the novitiate for a good reason is not contrary to the Council [of Trent], as those have declared who have the office.of explaining it; and theologians also so understand the case. In fact the Carmelites do it as seems expedient.

If these good gentlemen had studied and thought as much before censuring as we have in establishing, we should not have so many objections. Well, God be praised; I hope that everybody will soon be pacified, through the conclusion that will be made at Rome.

My dear daughter, for God's sake have good courage; it is for him also that you live and labour. May he be ever blessed and glorified. Amen. If those who make this objection are persons of study, they can read Leonard Lessius, Jesuit, where they will find what is wanted.