Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On the Members of the Church · On the Clergy (Book I)
Chapter 8: The Sixth Proposition
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. II, De Clericis (De Membris Ecclesiae, Book I), On the Clergy (On the Members of the Church, Book I). The Latin source text is public domain; this English rendering is released with the site. Scripture quotations follow Bellarmine's Vulgate citations, rendered in Douay-Rheims wording where he quotes exactly. Click “Show the Latin” for the original (raw OCR of the scan; scanning errors remain — the scan itself is the authority).
“The election of bishops does not pertain by divine right to the clergy, but to the supreme Pontiff, so that either he himself elects, or prescribes the manner of electing.”
It is proved, first, because from the Gospel we have nothing else than that the universal Church was committed to Saint Peter (John, last chapter). And so it pertains to him to provide the Christians with those who may bear their care. Then, if election pertained to the clergy by divine right, it would pertain to the whole clergy; for the divine law did not define that these rather than those of the clergy should elect. But that election does not befit all the clergy is sufficiently proved from this, that almost the same disadvantages would occur, on account of the multitude of the clergy, which occurred in popular election. Wherefore for many ages now the chief clergy alone elect — which nevertheless could not have been done if by divine right all the clergy had been electors. Finally, Saint Peter, who certainly was not ignorant of divine right, not only chose Clement as his successor in the Roman Church, nor awaited that he be elected by the clergy, but also sent bishops to very many provinces. See Damasus in the Pontifical, Innocent I in the letter to Decentius, and John III in the letter to the Germans. See also on the whole matter Cajetan (On the Power of the Pope and a Council, chapter 13).
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT VIII. # Sexta Propositio. « Electio Episcoporum non pertinet jure divino ad Clerum , sed ad summum Pontifi¬ cem, ut vel ipse eligat , vel praescribat eli¬ gendi modum. » Probatur Primo , quoniam ex Evangelio nihil aliud habemus , nisi Ecclesiam univer¬ sam sancto Petro esse commissam, Joann. ult. Itaque ad illum pertinet , providere Christianis de iis, qui curam eorum gerant. Deinde, si ad Clerum pertineret electio jure divino, ad totum Clerum pertineret. Non enim jus divinum definivit, ut hi potius, quam illi ex Clericis eligant ; at non omnibus Cle¬ ricis convenire electionem, satis probatur ex eo, quod eadem fere incommoda acciderent ob multitudinem Clericorum , quae accide¬ bant in electione populari. Quocirca multis jam saeculis soli Clerici primarii eligunt, quod tamen fieri non potuisset, si jure divino om¬ nes Clerici electores fuissent. Denique, S. Petrus, qui jus divinum certe non ignora¬ bat, non solum in Ecclesia Romana succes¬ sorem sibi delegit Clementem, neque exspec¬ tavit, ut is a Clericis eligeretur , sed etiam ad plurimas provincias Episcopos misit. Vi¬ de Damasum in Pontificali, Innocentium I, in epist. ad Decentium , etJoannem III, in epistola ad Germanos. Vide etiam de tota re Cajetanum de potestate Papae et Concilii, cap. 13.