Franciscan Archive

Innocent III

1214 Sicut manifestum

Rescript  of Pope Innocent III granting the Privilege of Holy Poverty to St. Clare

Honorius III

1218 (June) Cum delicti

Letter of Pope Honorius III to the Bishops of the World, recommending St. Francis and the Brothers of Penance

1218 (August) Litterae tuae Nobis 

Rescript of Pope Honorius III granting the Poor Clares the patronage of the Apostolic See

1219 Formula for the Establishment of a Monastery of Poor Clares

Used by Cardinal Hugolino dei Segni during the pontificate of Honorius III, during his visitations

Personal Letter of Cardinal Hugolino dei Segni to St. Clare: unknown date

1219 (July) Sacrosancta Romana Ecclesia 

Letter of Pope Honorius III to the Poor Clares of Santa Maria di Monticelli, Florence

1220 (May)  Pio dilectis

Letter of Pope Honorius III to the Bishops and Nobles of France, recommending Order of Friars Minor

1220 (September)  Cum secundum

Bull of Pope Honorius III to the Priors and Custodes of the OFM, establishing the requirement of the observance of the Novitiate

1221 Memoriale Propositi

Original Text of Third Order Rule of 1221 to the Brothers & Sisters of Penance

1223 (November) Solet Annuere

Bull of Pope Honorius III on the confirmation of the Rule of St. Francis

1224 (December) Quia populares

Bull of Pope Honorius III granting the OFM the privilege of celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in their own convents

1225 (October) Vineae Domini custodes

Letter of Pope Honorius III to the Missionary Friars of the Order of Preachers and the OFM, sent to the Kingdom of Miramamolin, granting them Apostolic privileges

Gregory IX

1227 (April) Recolentes 

Letter of Pope Gregory IX the Bishops of the whole world, granting the OFM the privilege of erecting their own churches, wherever they may dwell

1227 (August) Inter Venerabilem 

Letter of Pope Gregory IX to the Poor Clares of San Paolo, Spoleto, confirming their Apostolic exemption

1227 (August) Magna sicut dicitur
Letter of Pope Gregory IX to the Poor Clares of Santa Maria, Siena, confirming their Apostolic exemption

1227 (December) Quoties cordis
Letter of Pope Gregory IX to the Minister General of the OFM, confirming their pastoral care for all the Poor Clare Monasteries

1228 (July) Deus Pater

Letter of Pope Gregory IX to the Poor Clares of Assisi, encouraging them in the observance of the Evangelical Life

1228 (July) Mira circa nos

Bull of Pope Gregory IX canonizing St. Francis of Assisi 

1228 (August) Matribus sororibus 

Letter of Cardinal Rainaldo dei Segni, protector of the Order of St. Clare, to the Abbesses and sisters of the Order, naming as their Apostolic Visitator, Friar Phillip, and exhorting them to receive and obey him.

1228 (September) Sicut Manifestum Est

Bull of Pope Gregory IX to St. Clare and the Poor Clares of Assisi, confirming the Privilege of Holy Poverty

1229 (April) Cum a Nobis petitur
Bull of Pope Gregory IX to St. Clare and the Poor Clares of Assisi, confirming the temporary Rule for the Poor Dames of San Damiano.

1229 (December) Religiosam vitam
Bull of Pope Gregory IX to St. Agnes and the Poor Clares of Monticelli, confirming previous Papal documents issued by pope Honorius III in their favor

1230 (September) Quo Elongati

Letter of Pope Gregory IX to the superiors of the OFM, on the interpretation of the Rule of St. Francis

1234 (December) Coelestia quaerentibus

Letter of Pope Gregory IX to St. Clare and the Poor Clares of Assisi, dispensing them in times of necessity from their strict observances.

1235 (May) Cum relicta saeculi  

Letter of Pope Gregory IX to St. Agnes of Prague, granting the concession of establishing a hospital under Papal patronage, adjacent to their Convent

1236 (November) Etsi omnium illa

Letter of Pope Gregory IX to all the faithful, excommunicating those who violate the Cloister of an established convent of Poor Clares

1237 (February) Licet velut ignis
Letter of Pope Gregory IX to all the Poor Clares establishing the practice of perpetual abstinence from meat in all their monasteries

1227 (April) Cum sicut propositum

Letter of Pope Gregory IX to the Poor Clares of the Monastery of St. Francis, Prague, conceding the power of dispensation for the sake of the cold climate to their Abbess

1237 (April) Prudentibus virginibus

Letter of William, the vice-chancellor of the Roman Church, receiving the Monastery of St. Francis, Prague, into the patronage of the Apostolic See and establishing it as a Monastery of Poor Clares

1238 (April) Pia credulitate tenentes
Bull of Pope Gregory IX to St. Agnes of Prague and her sisters in St. Clare the privilege of not receiving any other property other than that of their Hospital

Pia meditatione pensantes : May 5, 1238 A.D.

Bull of Pope Gregory IX to St. Agnes of Prague and her sisters in St. Clare granting dispensations for reasons of the cold climate of the place

De Conditoris omnium : May 9, 1238 A.D.

Bull of Pope Gregory IX to St. Agnes of Prague and her sisters in St. Clare encouraging them in their most excellent observance of Evangelical perfection

Angelis gaudium : May 11, 1238 A.D.

Bull of Pope Gregory IX to St. Agnes of Prague and her sisters in St. discussing various points of the observance of the Rule of St. Clare

Ex parte carissimae : December 18, 1238 A.D.

Bull of Pope Gregory IX to St. Agnes of Prague and her sisters in St. Clare, dispensing them from some of the fasts of the Rule of St. Clare

Statum monasterii : February 17, 1239 A.D.

Bull of Pope Gregory IX to the Poor Clares of San Paolo, Spoleto, defending their privilege of most holy poverty

Ad audientiam nostrum : February 21, 1241 A.D.

Bull of Pope Gregory IX to the Bishops of the whole world, forbidding any women from wearing the habit of the Poor Clares, who are not members of their Order

Vestris piis supplicationibus : May 31, 1241 A.D.

Bull of Pope Gregory IX to all the Abbesses of the Monastery of San Damiano, Assisi, specifying when the Friars Minor may enter their Monastery

Innocent IV

In divini timoris : November 13, 1243 A.D.

Letter of Pope Innocent IV to St. Agnes of Prague and his sisters at the Monastery of St. Francis, Prague, on the observances of their Monastery.

Vestris piis supplicationibus : October 21, 1245 A. D.

Bull of Pope Innocent IV to St. Clare and her sisters at San Damiano, Assisi, permitting priests and brothers, for specific needs and occasions, to enter their Cloister.

Solet Annuere :  November 13, 1245 A.D.

Bull of Pope Innocent IV to the Poor Clares, confirming their Rule according to the text drawn up during the Cardinalate of Hugolino dei Segni.

Licet olim quibusdam :  July 12, 1246 A.D.

Bull of Pope Innocent IV to the Minister General and Ministers Provincial of the OFM, regarding the pastoral care of the Poor Clares.

Cum omnis vera religio:  August 6, 1247 A.D.

Bull of Pope Innocent IV to the Poor Clares confirming the Rule for the Poor Dames of San Damiano

Quoties a Nobis :  August 23, 1247 A.D.

Bull of Pope Innocent IV to the Poor Clares establishing  as their rule that proposed in Cum omnis vera religio, and abrogating all prior rules imposed or observed by them.

Cum harum rector : April 20, 1250 A.D.

Mandate of Pope Innocent IV to the Bishops of Lombardy, Le Marche, Treviso and Romagna, prohibiting any monastic foundations of nuns to be called the Order of San Damiano, which are not in truth members of the Order founded by St. Clare or observing her Rule.

Inter personas alias : June 6, 1250 A.D.

Instruction of Pope Innocent IV to Cardinal Reinaldo dei Segni, protector of the Poor Clares, allowing Monasteries of their Order to continue in the observance of the prior rule, if they so desire it.

Etsi ea: June 27, 1250 A.D.

Letter of Cardinal Reinaldo dei Seigni, protector of the Order of St. Clare, to the Abbesses and sisters of the Order, regarding the recent instruction, Inter personas alias, of Pope Innocent IV.

Solet Annuere : August 9, 1263 A.D.

Bull  of Pope Innocent IV to reconfirming the text of the Rule of St. Clare, that had previously been published on September 16, 1252.

Gloriosus Deus: October 18, 1253 A.D.

Letter  of Pope Innocent IV to Bartolomeo, Bishop of Spoleto, instructing him to open a process for the Canonization of St. Clare of Assisi

Process for the Canonization of St. Clare: November 28-29, 1253 A.D.

Haberi percepimus: June 26, 1254 A.D.

Letter  of Pope Innocent IV to the Abbess and sisters of St. Clare of the Monastery of St. Elisabeth at Bressanone, Italy, regarding their observances and granting other privileges.

Alexander IV

Nec Insolitum : December 22, 1254 A.D.

Bull of Pope Alexander IV to the Bishops of the whole world, confirming the norms established by Pope Innocent IV against the usurpation of the care of souls by religious orders

Cum a nobis:  March 11, 1255 A.D.

Bull of Pope Alexander IV disapproving certain points of the agreement between the Bishop of Assisi and of the Poor Clares of the Monastery of San Damiano, regarding their request to be transferred to San Giorgio, next to the tomb of St. Clare.

Clara claris praeclara: September 26, 1255 A.D.

Bull of Pope Alexander IV canonizing St. Clare of Assisi.

Sole ille verus :  February 10, 1259 A.D.

Bull of Pope Alexander IV approving the Rule of Bl. Isabel of France, founder of the Order of the Annunciation, under the protection of the OFM.

Inducunt nos : May 10, 1259 A.D.

Bull of Pope Alexander IV to the Abbess and sisters of the Monastery of San Damiano & Santa Chiara, Assisi, confirming the translation of their Monastery to the Church of San Giorgio.

Profundi doloris :  June 3, 1260 A.D.

Letter of Pope Alexander IV to Minister Provincial of the Order of Preachers in Germany, imposing a penalty upon a friar preacher who publicly criticized the canonization of St. Clare of Assisi

Cum in vigilia :  September 9, 1260 A.D.

Mandate of Pope Alexander IV to the Bishops of Perugia, Spoleto, and Assisi, inviting them to the translation of the relics of St. Clare to the high altar of the Church of San Giorgio, Assisi, on the following October 3rd,  and granting indulgences to the faithful who attend.

Urban IV

Religionis augmentum:  July 29, 1263 A.D.

Bull of Pope Urban IV approving the second edition of the Rule of Bl. Elisabeth of France, for the Order of the Annunciation.

Beata Clara virtute clarens nomine : July 27, 1263 A.D.

Bull of Pope Urban IV uniting all the Poor Clares under the observance of the one Rule of St. Clare and establishing them officially with the name of the Order of St. Clare.

Beata Clara virtute clarens et nomine : October 18, 1263 A.D.

of Pope Urban IV confirming the Rule of St. Clare.

Clement IV

Ut Ordo Beatae Clarae : December 11, 1265 A.D.

Instruction  of Pope Clement IV to the Friar Minor, visitator of the Order of St. Clare

Nicholas III

Exiit qui seminat: August 14, 1279 A.D.

Constitution of Pope Nicholas III on the observance of the Rule

Nicholas IV

Supra montem: August 17, 1289 A.D.

Bull of Pope Nicholas IV on the Third Rule of the Third Order of St. Francis

Clement V

Exivi de paradiso: May 6, 1312 A. D.

Bull of Pope Clement V on the observance of the Rule

John XXII

Quum inter nonnullos: November 12, 1323 A. D.

Bull of Pope John XXII against the heresy of absolute poverty

Quia quorundam: November 10, 1324 A. D.

Bull of Pope John XXII against a heretical misinterpretation of Papal Authority in regards to declarations of his predecessors on the Rule

Sixtus IV

Superna Caelestis: April 14, 1482 A.D.

Bull of Pope Sixtus IV, canonizing St. Bonaventure of Bagnoregio

Leo III

Inter Cetera: Pope Leo III's Bull on the Rule of The Third Order Regular, 1521 -- English

16th Century Documents of the Capuchin Reform

Sixtus V

Triumphantis Hierusalem: March 14, 1588 A.D.

Bull of Pope Sixtus V, inscribing St. Bonaventure among the primary Doctors of the Church

St. Innocent XI

Sollicitudo Pastoralis: November 20, 1679 A. D.

Motu Proprio of Pope St. Innocent XI on the unmitigated observance of the Rule

Leo XIII

1882 (September) Auspicato Concessum

Encyclical Letter of Pope Leo XIII on the Seventh Centenary of the Birth of St. Francis of Assisi

1883 (May) Misericors Dei Filius

Consitution of Pope Leo XIII on the Revised Rule of the Third Order of St. Francis

St. Pius X

1909 (October) Septimo Iam

Apostolic Letter of Pope St. Pius X resolving certain controversies among the Orders of Friars Minor

Benedict XV

1921 (January) Sacra Propediem
Encyclical of Pope Benedict XV on the Third Order of St. Francis.

Pius XI

Rite Expiatis: April 30, 1926 A. D.

Encyclical of Pope Pius XI on Seventy Centenary of the Transitus of St. Francis of Assisi.

Rerum condicio: October 4, 1927 A.D.

Pope Pius XI's Apostolic Constitution reforming the Rule of the Third Order Regular

Paul VI

The Rule of Life for the Third Order Secular, promulgated by Pope Paul VI

Seraphicus Patriarcha: Pope Paul VI's Version of the Third Order Rule

John Paul II

The Constitutions of the Friars Minor Conventuals

The Constitutions of the Friars Minor 1982 A.D.

1928 (December) Franciscanum Vitae Propositum

Pope John Paul II's Version of the Rule of the Third Order Regular

Third Order Regular Constitutions

1990 The Constitutions of the Capuchin Friars Minor

1994 (June) On the Occasion of the Eighth Centenary of St. Anthony of Padua's Birth

Pope John Paul II's Address for the up-coming commemoration

On the Occasion of the Eighth Centenary of the St. Clare's Birth: August 11, 1993 A.D.

by Pope John Paul II, c/o vatican.va