DECREE TOUCHING THE THINGS TO BE OBSERVED AND TO BE AVOIDED IN THE CELEBRATION OF THE MASS.
How great care is to be taken, that the sacred and holy sacrifice of the mass be celebrated with all religious service and veneration, each one may easily make an estimate, who considers, that, in holy writ, he is called accursed, who doth the work of God negligently.[1] And if we must needs confess, that no other work can be performed by the faithful so holy and divine as this tremendous mystery itself, wherein that life-giving victim, by which we were reconciled unto God the Father, is daily immolated on the altar by the priests; it is also sufficiently clear, that all industry and diligence is to be applied to this end, that it be performed with the greatest possible inward cleanness and purity of heart, and outward show of devotion and piety. Whereas, therefore, either through the wickedness of the times, or through the carelessness and unworthiness of men, many things already seem to have crept in, which are alien from the dignity of so great a sacrifice; to the end that the honour and worship due thereunto may be restored, unto the glory of God and the edification of the faithful people; the holy synod decrees, that the ordinary bishops of places shall diligently take care, and be bound to prohibit and abolish all those things which either covetousness, which is a serving of idols,[2] or irreverence, which can scarcely be separated from impiety; or superstition, the false imitatress of true piety, have introduced.
And that many things may be comprised in few words: first, as relates to covetousness, they shall utterly prohibit all manner of conditions and bargains for recompenses, and whatsoever is given for the celebration of new masses; also the importunate and illiberal exactions, rather than requests, for alms, and other things of the like sort, which are but little removed from simoniacal taint, or at all events, from filthy lucre[3]
Furthermore, that irreverence may be avoided, let each, in his own diocese, forbid that any wandering or unknown priest be permitted to celebrate mass. And, moreover,
