Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On the Members of the Church · On the Clergy (Book I)
Chapter 10: The Eighth 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).
“If no pontifical constitution existed about the election of the supreme Pontiff, or if in some case all the electors designated by law — that is, all the cardinals — perished together, the right of election would pertain to the neighboring bishops and the Roman clergy, yet with some dependence on a general Council of bishops.”
On this proposition not all seem to agree. For some hold that, positive right being set aside, the right of electing devolves to a Council of bishops — as Cajetan treats (On the Power of the Pope and a Council, chapters 13 and 21) and Francisco de Vitoria (relection 2, question 2, On the Power of the Church). Others, as Sylvester relates (under the word Excommunication, 9, section 3), teach that in that case the right of electing pertains to the Roman clergy. But these two opinions can be reconciled. For to a Council of bishops without doubt pertains the primary authority of electing in that case; since, the Pontiff being dead, there is in the Church no greater authority than that of a general Council. And if the Pontiff were not the bishop of Rome, nor of any particular place, but only the general pastor of the whole Church, it would pertain to the bishops either to elect his successor or to designate the electors. Yet after the pontificate of the world was united to the episcopate of the city, the immediate authority of electing in that case ought to be permitted by the bishops of the whole world to the neighboring bishops and clerics of the Roman Church — which is proved in two ways.
First, because the right of electing was transferred from all the neighboring bishops and the Roman clerics to the cardinals, who are a certain part of the bishops and clerics of the Roman Church; therefore, the cardinals failing, the right of electing ought to return to all the bishops and clerics of the Roman Church.
Secondly, because this is a most ancient custom, as we showed above from Cyprian, that a bishop — the Roman as well as others — be elected by the neighboring bishops, the clergy being present. Nor was it ever heard that the bishops or archbishops of the whole world came together for the election of the supreme Pontiff, except in the case where it is doubted who are the lawful electors. For this doubt ought to be resolved by a general Council, as was done in the Council of Constance.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT X. Octava Propositio. « Si nulla exstaret pontificia constitutio de electione summi Pontificis ; vel casu ali¬ quo omnes electores a jure designati, id est, omnes Cardinales simul perirent, jus elec¬ tionis ad Episcopos vicinos et Clerum Romanum pertineret, cum dependentia ta¬ men aliqua a Concilio generali Episcopo¬ rum. » In bac propositione non videntur omnes convenire. Quidam enim existimant, secluso jure positivo, jus eligendi devolvi ad Conci¬ lium Episcoporum, ut Cajetanus tractat, de potestate Papae et Concilii, cap. 13 et 21 . et Franciscus Victoria relect. 2. qusest. 2. de potestate Ecclesiae. Alii, ut refert Sylvester verbo Excommunicatio, 9. §. 3. docet, ad Clerum Romanum pertinere jus eligendi in illo casu. Sed conciliari possunt hae duae opiniones. Nam ad Episcoporum Concilium pertinet sine dubio primaria auctoritas eli¬ gendi in illo casu; siquidem mortuo Pontifi¬ ce, non est in Ecclesia ulla major auctoritas quam generalis Concilii : et si Pontifex non esset Episcopus Romanus, nec alicujus par¬ ticularis loci, sed solum generalis pastor to¬ tius Ecclesiae, ad Episcopos pertineret, vel eligere successorem, vel designare electo¬ res : tamen posteaquam unitus est Pontifi¬ catus orbis Episcopatui urbis, immediata auctoritas eligendi in illo casu deberet ab Episcopis totius orbis permitti Episcopis vi¬ cinis et Clericis Romanae Ecclesiae, quod pro- , batur dupliciter. Primo, quia ab omnibus Episcopis vicinis et Clericis Romanis translatum est jus eli¬ gendi ad Cardinales, qui sunt quaedam pars Episcoporum et Clericorum Romanae Eccle¬ siae; ergo Cardinalibus deficientibus debe¬ ret redire jus eligendi ad omnes Episcopos et Clericos Romanae Ecclesiae. Secundo, quia haec est antiquissima con¬ suetudo, ut ex Cypriano supra ostendimus, ut Episcopum tam Romanum, quam alios eligant Episcopi vicini, praesente Clero. Nec unquam est auditum, quod Episcopi aut A.r- chiepiscopi totius orbis convenirent ad elec¬ tionem summi Pontificis, nisi in casu, in quo dubitatur, qui sint legitimi electores. Hoc enim dubium a Concilio generali expli¬ cari debet, ut factum est in Concilio Cons- tantiensi.