Series 1 > Statutes of the Scottish Church, 1225-1559

GENERAL STATUTES
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. give her goods to the poor, and having repaired to a nunnery
let her serve God there until her death. A bishop or priest
ought not to have connexion with the women who have con¬
fessed their sins to them ; but if (which may God avert!) such
a case does befall, let him do penance as for [sinning] with
his spiritual daughter. Let a bishop do penance for fifteen
years, a priest for twelve years; and furthermore let him be
deposed if the thing come to the knowledge of the people.
(55) That absolution from excommunication must not be
extorted by lay persons.
Since no power of disposing of ecclesiastical things or per¬
sons is conferred on laymen, with whom rests the duty of obed¬
ience, not authority to command; we—in order to extirpate
an abuse of established usage which has lately sprung up to
the subversion of the liberty of the church, through which the
spiritual sword and the keys of the church are made subject
to the material sword—have thought it necessary to decree
that no one at the head of a j urisdiction shall henceforward
presume to relax at command of any secular power any sen¬
tence of excommunication, interdict, or suspension that has
for any reason been passed on persons subject [to that juris¬
diction]. But if the secular power, persisting in its pertina¬
city, compel any one to relax sentences by [meddling with] the
possessions movable or immovable of the church or in any
other way ; then let the diocesan of the place by authority of
canon and council punish the person who thus offends.