Letter XLI. To a Superioress of the Visitation (Mother de Chantal .?)

It is best for nuns to be subject to the Ordinaries.

MY VERY DEAR MOTHER — I find persons of consideration who strongly think and judge that convents should be under the Ordinaries, according to the old way restored throughout all Italy, or under the authority of religious men, according to the usage intro duced four or five hundred years ago, observed throughout almost the whole of France. As for me, my dear mother, I frankly own to you that I cannot at present follow the opinion of those who would have the monasteries of women subject to religious men, in particular if of the same Order, as I follow in this the instinct of the Holy See, which when it can well do so hinders this subjection. Not that it has not laudably been so or still is so in some places; but that it would be still more laudably done otherwise; on this, however, there would be many things to say.

Further, it seems to me that it is no more unsuit able for the Pope to exempt the sisters of an Institute from the jurisdiction of the Fathers of the same Institute, than it was to exempt the monasteries from the ordinary jurisdiction, which had so excellent an origin and so long a possession.

And in the last place, I think that as a matter of fact it is the Pope who has subjected those good Eeligious women of France to the government of religious; but it seems to me that these good sisters of yours do not know what they are wanting when they would in the same way bring upon themselves the authority of the religious men. These are indeed excellent servants of God, but it is always a hard thing for sisters to be governed by Orders, which usually take from them holy liberty of spirit. My dear mother, I salute your heart, which is precious to me as my own. Vim Jesus /

LET. XLII.] Later Letters to Visitation. 247