Council of Constance, 1414-1418

those having possessions or of the mendicants, he is rendered unfit and unsuited for the observance of the laws of God.

602. 22. Saints, instituting private religious communities, have sinned by instituting them.

603. 23. Religious living in private religious communities are not of the Christian religion.

604. 24. Brothers are bound to acquire their food by the labor of hands and not by begging.

605. 25. All are simoniacs who oblige themselves to pray for others who assist them in temporal matters.

606. 26. The prayer for the foreknown is of avail to no one.

607. 27. All things happen from absolute necessity.

608. 28. The confirmation of youths, ordination of clerics, and consecration of places are reserved to the pope and bishops on account of their desire for temporal gain and honor.

609. 29. Universities, studies, colleges, graduations, and offices of instruction in the same have been introduced by a vain paganism; they are of as much value to the Church as the devil.

610. 30. The excommunication of the pope or of any prelate whatsoever is not to be feared, because it is the censure of the Antichrist.

611. 31. Those who found cloisters sin and those who enter (them) are diabolical men.

612. 32. To enrich the clergy is contrary to the rule of Christ.

613. 33. Sylvester, the Pope, and Constantine, the Emperor, erred in enriching the Church.

614. 34. All of the order of mendicants are heretics, and those who give alms to them are excommunicated.

615. 35. Those entering religion or any order, by that very fact are unsuited to observe divine precepts, and consequently to enter the kingdom of heaven, unless they apostatize from these.

616. 36. The pope with all his clergy who have possessions are heretics, because they have possessions; and all in agreement with these, namely all secular masters and other laity.

617. 37. The Roman Church is a synagogue of Satan, and the pope is not the next and immediate vicar of Christ and His apostles.

618. 38. The decretal letters are apocryphal and they seduce from the faith of Christ, and the clergy who study them are foolish.

619. 39. The emperor and secular masters have been seduced by the devil to enrich the Church with temporal goods.

620. 40. The election of the pope by cardinals was introduced by the devil.

621. 41. It is not necessary for salvation to believe that the Roman Church is supreme among other churches.

622. 42. It is foolish to believe in the indulgences of the pope and bishops.