CATHEDRAL
441
CATHEDRATICUM
poral possessions of the cathedral. According to the
letter of the law, provision should be made for the
personal support of the bishop at the same time that
it is made for the revenue of the cathedral; this en-
dowment of the episcopal office {mensa episcopalis)
should be totally distinct from the endowment oi the
cathedral; in tins event, the bishop should come to
the assistance of his cathedral rather than take from
its income. Like the cathedral clergy, however, the
bishop can with all propriety claim the adventitious
revenues of foundations in proportion as he discharges
the duties involved. But there are many countries
in which the system of ecclesiastical benefices does
not exist. In such countries the Apostolic Letters
that create the diocese assign the bishop a suitable
support (cathedral icum) instead of the canonical reve-
nue. In the collection of this cathedraticum the
bishop may assess the cathedral for as much as (even
more than) he asks from the other churches of the
diocese. He may even consider himself the real
pastor of his cathedral church and apply to himself
the diocesan rule whereby a pastor is assigned an ap-
propriate salary out of the income of his church.
Finally, as regards the temporal administration of the cathedral, local customs. <|iiite variable as a rule, are to be duly considered. It will suffice if we men- tion here the common ecclesiastical law according to which the administration of the cathedral belongs conjointly to the bishop and the chapter. It is not only the bishop's right and duty to control the ad- ministration of the cathedral by exacting financial re- ports, as in the case of all the churches and ecclesias- tical institutions of the diocese; in the administration of the cathedral he participates personally and inter- venes directly. He assists either in person or by his vicar-general at the deliberations of the chapter or administrative council, whatever its name and com- position, being rightfully its first member and presi- dent , and he alone is qualified to sanction meas- ures for the use of the funds and revenues of all kinds belonging to the cathedral. See: Bishop; Dio- cese; Cathedraticum; Buildings, Ecclesiastical; Canon.
Mien. A\t. Frances, D> eccfestu cathedralibu* eorunujue privilegiis et prwrogativis (Lyons, 166S); The Canonists, in tit.. '. us wdificandis vel reparandis, lib. III. tit. 4S; Deereta authenticn 8. C. Riluum (Rome, 1901), s. vv. Eaiesia, <••■ thedralia Bedesia, Episcopus; Taunton, The Law of the Church (London, 190(5), 134; E. W. Benson (Anglican), The Cathe- dral, (London, 1878).
A. Boudinhon.
Cathedral Chapter. See Chapter.
Cathedraticum (Lat., cathedra, episcopal seat or
throne), a certain sum of money to be contributed annually for the support of the bishop, as a mark of honour and in sign of subjection to the cathedral church, hence its name. In the early ages of the Church, contributions for the support of the bishop were tendered rather through custom than by law. The earliest legislation on the subject seems to be a canon of the Second Council of Braga (572). Accord- ing to the decree of this council, only parish churches and chapters wen- obliged to pay the cathedraticum (Can. Plactlit. 10, qu. 3). The reason given for this limitation is that at the time of the Council of Braga the sacraments were administered to the faithful in
parochial churches only. When in the course of time,
many other ecclesiastical edifices wen- built and en- dowed, it was judged pro]>er that these also should pay the cathedraticum. Hence Pope Honorius III made a universal law (cap. Conquerente. de ( )1T. Ordin.) that not only chapters and parish churches. but also endowed chapels and benefices should be
subject to the same i, . (Rota coram Tan. decis, 228).
This sum was to be paid to the bishop on the occasion of his annual visitation of his diocese. Tic amount of the cathedraticum was fixed in ancient times at two soliili: asolidus was one seventy second part of a
pound of gold. According to canonists, this remains
the obligatory amount of the tax. unless custom estab-
lishes a different sum. If a smaller amount than the
original tax becomes customary in a diocese, the
bishop must be content with this reduced pension,
nor can lie command a return to the higher sum
(S. C. C. inAmalph., 1705). In general it is presumed
that the quantity of the cathedraticum will be deter-
mined by reasonable custom according to the exigen-
cies of various dioceses and countries. Where custom
has not fixed the sum. the S. Congregation of the
Council declared that either the amount paid by a
neighbouring diocese or the equivalent of the original
two solidi must be taken as the proper tax (In Albin.,
1644).
The regular clergy are not obliged to pay the cath- edraticum for their monasteries and conventual churches, as is i xpressly stated in the "Corpus Juris" (cap. Inter ca'tera. viii. cans. Itli. The reason is found in tic very idea of the cathedraticum, which is given by a church or benefice in sign of subjection to the jurisdiction of the bishop. As exempt regulars are immediately subject to the Holy See. there is no ob- ligation on them to pay the cathedraticum. In the case, however, that regulars administer parish churches or secular benefices, they are subject to the tax. inasmuch as such institutions fall under diocesan law. It has also been declared that confraternities which have no churches in the strict sense of the word, but only chapels, are exempt from this episcopal tax ("In Finnan... Cathedr."). As the cathedraticum pertains to episcopal rights, it is privileged and conse- quently no prescription can totally abrogate it. This is expressly declared by the S. Congregation of the Council (In Amalph., 17(17), when it decrees that no contrary custom, even of immemorial antiquity, can exempt from the payment of this tax. It is also to be noted that, according to the common law, the cath- edraticum is to be uniform for all institutions in a diocese, without regard to the opulence or poverty of the benefices.
Owing to the phraseology of the Council of Trent (Sess. XXIV, cap. ii). a controversy arose as to whether this council had abrogated tic cathedraticum. The S. Congregation of the Council gave the following interpretation: "The Council did not abolish the cathedraticum; but desired that it be paid, not at the time of the episcopal visitation, but rather at the diocesan synod." It is owing to the custom of pay- ing this tax at the synod that the name synodaticum has been given to it. By law, however, there is, strictly speaking, no fixed time for making this pay- ment. For although as a rule it is customary to do so in the synod, yet custom or agreement can place it at another time. In fact the S. Congregation of the Council has declared that the cathedraticum must be paid, even in those years in which no diocesan synod
is celebrated (In Perus., Cathedr., 1735). As the cath- edraticum is a mark of .subjection to the cathedral church, the bishop cannot exempt any benefice from this tax. On tic other hand he cannot demand it from clerics or priests who have no benefices, even though he plead ancient custom to the contrary (S. C. Ep. In Compsan,. 1694). Be can require it, however,
from the diocesan seminary if benefices have been in- corporated with it. In like manlier he can demand the cathedraticum from monasteries with which secu- lar churches and benefices have been united. An ex- ception to this law was made, however, for the Order of St. John of Jerusalem in L6 : >
All this concerns the laws on the cathedraticum where the Church is canoiiically established. < >b- viously, in so-called missionary countries, where beii- efici are practically unknown, such laws cannot apply. As, however, it is only equitable that the diocese should support its bishop, especially as he has no episcopal benefice, a pension which retains
