Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 3.djvu/581

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CENALIS


519


CENSORSHIP


the kingdom of God in souls, according to the spirit of the Cenacle, are employed by the Society of Our Lady of the Cenacle, for the love of Christ and the Blessed Virgin.

Cenalis, Robert (sometimes written Ceneau and Ccenalis, whence the nickname, le Soumer), bishop, historian, and controversialist, b. in Paris, 1483; d. there, 1560. In 1.513 he became doctor of the Faculty of Theology in the Sorbonne, and in 1515 was made Bishop of Vence. From here he was trans- ferred in 1530 to the See of Riez, and in 1532 to that of Avranches. He took an act ive part in the religious and polemical discussions that attended the Reforma- tion. and wrote several controversial works, the most important of which are: " Pro tuendo sacro coelibatu " (Paris, 1545); "Tractatus de utriusque gladii facul- tate. usuque legitimo" (Paris, 1546, and Leyden, 1558); "Axioma de divortio matrimonii mosaici per legem evangelieam refutato" (Paris, 1549); "Traduc- tio larvae sychophanticse petulantissima;que impie- tatis Calviniacae (Paris, 1556); "Methodus de com- pescendahoereticorum ferocia" (Paris, 1557). In the same year and place in which the last-named work was published, there appeared his "Historia Gallia", dedicated to King Henry II.' This was a folio volume, treating of the name, origin, and achievements of the Gauls, Franks, and Burgundians. It has but little critical value. Not long afterward he produced "L'bistoire ecelosiastique de Normandie". While Bishop of Riez he issued synodal statutes of that dio- cese, and wrote an erudite treatise on weights and measures under the title: "De liquidorum legu- minumque mensuris, seu vera mensurarum ponde- rumque ratione" (Paris, 1532, 1535, 1547).

GBNEBBABD, Chronographia (Cologne, 1581); JoCHER, Gelekr- ■n, s. v.; Hurtkr, Nomenclator.

John A. Ryan.

Ceneda, Diocese of (Cenetensis). The city of Ceneda is situated in the province of Treviso, in former Venetian territory, on a declivity of the Rhse- tian Alps, in a picturesque region. In ancient times it was known as Ceneta or Acedum, It was pillaged by Attila in 452. and a century later by Totila. Dur- ing the domination of the Lombards it was governed by a duke, anil afterwards became part of the mar- quisate of Treviso. Later (994) the bishop of that city was also its temporal lord, even after it was in- corporated with Venice, since in 1447 and in 1514 Bishops Francesco and Oliviero gave the republic civil investiture of the territory of Ceneda, reserving for themselves and their successors (until about 1768) authority over the city and a few villas. The Gospel, it is sail I . was preached in this region in the first cen- tury by St. Fortunatus, deacon of St. Hermagoras of Aqiiileia. The earliest known bishop is Vindemius, present in 579 at the Synod of Grado, held to con- tinue the Schism of the Three Chapters. In 680 (Jrsinus, Bishop of Ceneda, was present at the Council of Rome convened Monothelites. Other

bishops were: Azzo (1140), Sigifredo (1170), during whose time there were many conflicts between (Vim. la and the neighbouring towns; Antonio Correr (1409); Lorenzo da Ponte (1739), the last bishop to exercise temporal power. Since 1818 Ceneda has been a suffragan "f Venice; previously it was under the jurisdiction of (Jdine. The diocese has a popula- tion "f 183,000, with 118 parishes, 500 churches and chapels, 216 secular and 2.". regular priests, 5 religious houses of men and 3 of women.

Cappki.lfth. is 11), 221-320;

Ann. eccl. (Rome. 1907), 386-87.

U. Benigni.

Censer, a vessel suspended by chains, and used for burning incense at solemn Mass, \ espers, Benedict ion, processions, and other important offices of the Church. It is now commonly called a thurible. In its present


prevailing shape the censer consists of a cup, or bowl, which rests on a firm base and is provided wit h a hollow movable pan for holding ignited charcoal, a lid or covering, and four chains about three feet in length, three of which unite the bowl to a circular disc, while the fourth is used for raising the lid, to which one end is attached, the other passing through a hole in the disc and terminating in a small ring. To carry the censer i he chains are grasped in the hand just under the disc, care being taken to keep the base elevated to a height, of six or eight inches from the ground and to swing it. gently to and fro in order that, the current of air thus created may cause the fire to burn the fragrant gums or incense which is placed on it whenever the censer is being used. The censer played an important, part, in the ancient religious worship both of the Jews and Pagans. It is no wonder, then, that its employment in Christian ceremonies goes back to the very earliest times. Its primitive form, however, was quite dif- ferent, from what it. is now, being something like a vase with a perforated cover to emit the perfumed odours. Later on chains were added for greater convenience in manipulation. These vessels in the Middle Ages were often made of gold and silver and enriched with numerous details of most elaborate ornamentation. In the archives or inventories of many Continental and English cathedrals (such as St. John Lateral), Trier, Louvain, Lincoln, and York Minster) minute descriptions are given of some ancient specimens in the possession of these churches.

Bona, Dc Rebus Liturgicii (Turin, 1747), I, xxv: Dcodale, Monasticum Anglicanum (London, 1682), passim; Pugin, 0/,,.v.v„r7 of Ecclesiastical Ornament (London. 1S6S), s. v. Censer; O'Loan, Ceremonies of Ecclesiastical /'„/, .•'...,. (Dublin, 1893), 27; Levasseur, Manuel Liturgigue (Paris. 1N90), I, 275; Van der Stappen, Dc Celebralione Missw (Mechlin, 1892), X, 92.

Pathick Morrisroe.

Censorship of Books (Censura librorum). — Definition and Division. — In general, censorship of books is a supervision of the press in order to prevent any abuse of it. In this sense, every lawful authority, whose duty it is to protect its subjects from the rav- ages of a pernicious press, has the right, of exercising censorship of books. This censorship is either ecclesi- astical or civil, according as it is practised by the spiritual or secular authority, and it may be exercised in two ways, viz. : before the printing or publishing of a work, by examining it (censura prcevia) ; and after the printing or publishing, by repressing or pro- hibiting it (censura repressiva). This is the double meaning of the classical word censura, especially as used in the legislation of the Roman Church. Later on, however, particularly in civil law, censura de- noted almost exclusively censura pravia. Wherever the abolition of censorship in past centuries is re- ferred to, only the latter is meant.

The reverse of censorship is freedom of the press. In all civilized countries, however, that have abro- gated the censura prcevia, freedom of the press is by no means unlimited. Its abuse may, in the worst cases, be condemned and punished according to com- mon law, and the old censorship has nearly every- where been replaced by more or less severe press- laws. Although the censorslu'p of books (in a wider sense) did not begin precisely with the invention and spread of the art of printing, yet in our definition of it, only productions of the pr"ss are spoken of. In the first place, censorship now, as well as in centuries past, is concerned exclusively with printed works; secondly, in the narrower sense (censura pramia), it has taken that definite form, which is expressed by "censorship of books", only after the invention of the printing press. When explaining, however, the historical development of censorship, we must 1 ut;iii with an earlier period, because we are here dealing with it as exercised by the Universal Church of Rome. From the beginning and at all times in principle, the Church adhered to the censorship, although in the