Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On the Church That Is in Purgatory · Book II: On the Circumstances of Purgatory
Chapter 16: How many kinds of suffrages there are
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. II, De Ecclesia quae est in Purgatorio, Book II, the third general controversy. 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).
As to the second, there are three kinds of suffrages: the sacrifice of the Mass, prayer, and any penal and satisfactory works, such as alms, fasts, pilgrimages and the like. Further, we distinguish prayer from satisfactory works, although it too is satisfactory, because prayer helps the souls of the dead in two ways: in one way, as a certain penal and laborious work, and in this way it could be included under satisfactory work; in another way it helps as it is impetratory, which is proper to prayer itself; in which way also the prayers of the blessed profit us and the souls of purgatory, although they are not satisfactory. Besides these, the dead are also helped by indulgences; but these do not therefore make a fourth kind of suffrage, because an indulgence is nothing else than the application to the dead of the satisfactions, or penal works, of Christ and the saints. For this is why indulgences are said to be granted to the dead by way of suffrage, not by way of absolution; for the pontiff cannot absolve the dead from punishments as he absolves the living, because those are not subject to him, these are. Yet he can, as the supreme dispenser of the treasury of the Church, communicate to them the good penal works which are in the treasury. But of this matter we must speak elsewhere; see meanwhile Cajetan, volume 1 of the little works, tract 16, questions 5 and 6. That these things are so is plain from the testimonies of the Fathers. Ambrose speaks thus of sacrifice and prayer for the dead, book 2, epistle 8, to Faustinus on the death of his sister: “I think she is not so much to be lamented as to be followed with prayers, nor to be saddened by your tears, but her soul to be commended to the Lord with prayers.” Of alms he treats in book 2 on the death of his brother Satyrus, which is entitled On the faith of the resurrection; for he exhorts parents to send to the spirits of their dead sons, through alms to the poor, the portion of the inheritance which belonged to them. Augustine, sermon 32 on the words of the Apostle: “By the prayers,” he says, “of holy Church, and the saving sacrifice, and alms, it is not doubtful that the dead are helped.” Chrysostom, homily 69 to the people: “Not rashly were these things ordained by the apostles, that in the dread mysteries a commemoration of the dead be made; for they know that much benefit comes to them.” The same, homily 41 on 1 Corinthians: “Let the dead man be helped not by tears, but by prayers, supplications, alms.” To these I add the testimony of the angel in Bede, book 5 of the history, chapter 13: “Many,” he says, “the prayers of the living, and alms, and fasts, and above all the celebration of Masses help, so that they are freed even before the day of judgment.”
One thing only is doubtful here: whether the restitution of another's property does not also profit the dead, and accordingly is a fourth kind of suffrage. For souls are often said to appear and to ask that restitution be made for them of those things which they themselves either carried off or could not restore; and Saint Bridget, book 6 of the Revelations, chapter 66, affirms that a soul is tormented so long as what was unjustly taken is not restored. Dominic Soto answers, on the fourth book, distinction 45, question 2, article 3, that restitution of this kind does not help if it is made, nor hurt the dead man if it is not; for God does not punish except for one's own fault contracted in this life; either, then, the dead man sinned by not restoring, or he did not sin; if he did not sin, because perhaps he could not, or possessed in good faith, he ought not to be punished either; but if he sinned, he will be punished for the fault of that negligence in purgatory; but after he has paid the punishments owed he will be saved, whether that thing is restored or not; for he has now been made simply unable to restore, nor ought his salvation to depend on another's will; otherwise a soul could remain in purgatory for ever, if namely the heir never restored; wherefore if restitution can be made, and is not made through the negligence of the heir, the heir will indeed sin, but that will not hurt the soul; but if it is made, it will profit the soul nothing, because restitution is not satisfaction for fault; for satisfaction is a penal good work, but it is penal to give one's own, not to restore another's. To those apparitions I answer that perhaps the souls do not ask restitution as restitution, but as alms; for although it does not profit the soul if he restores another's property who is bound to restore, yet it will profit well if another restores who is not bound; for that is a kind of alms, and accordingly satisfactory.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPIT .\VI. ',^i(o/ sint (jonora su(fra<jioTum. (hKintiiiii ad sccundiim , Iria siinl giMicr;! .MilTr;i- giortiiii. Siicrilicium inissiic, (»r;itio ol (»|ior;i (pinc- iibct pocn;ili;i rl s;itislacloria , iit clccmosyna , jo- juiii;i. p(M'cgrin;ilioiies cl similia. l*orro (lislin^'ui- imis or;itioii(Mn ;il» operibus s:itisr;ictoriis , cum t;i miMi otiiiin ipsa sil s;ilisfactoria , quia ()r;ilio dtio- biis iiiodis juvat (lofunclorum aniinas ; uno modo. ul opus (juoddiim poenale ct laboriosum , ct Iioc modo polcrat comprcbendi sub o|)crc satisfaclorio; alio inodo juvat, ul csl impclratoria, quod cst ipsi orationi proprium ; quomodo cli;im bcatorum ora- lioncs prosunt nobis, cl animabus purgatorii,liccl satisfactoriae non sint. Ad hacc juvanlur cliam dcfuncli indulgentiis,scd idco non faciunt illae quarlum gcnus suirragiorum. quia indulgenlia niliil csl aliud , qu;im applicati(j satisfaclionuin , scu pocnalium operum Chrisli el sanclorum. defunclis.Nam idcirco dicunlur indul- gcntiac conccdi dcfunctis per raodum suflragii.noii per modum absolutionis;non enira potest pontife.x absolverc defanclos a pocnis.quomodo absolvil vi- vcntcs, quia illi non sunt ci subjecti, isti sunl.Po- tesl tamen tamquam summus dispcnsator thesauri Ecclcsiae coramunicare illis bona opera pocnalia, quae in thesauro sunt. Sed de hac re alibi diccn- dum est ; vide interira Cajetanum tom. 1. opuscu- lor. Iract. 16. quaesl. o. ct 6. Quod haec ita sint, palet cx lestimoniis Patrura. Ambrosius de sacrif. ct orat. pro defunctis, sic lo- quilur lib. 2. epist. 8. ad Fauslinum de obilu so- roris : iVoJi tam dcplorandam , quamprosequen- damoralionibusreor.nccmoesiijicandamlacfiry- mis tuis . sed orationibus animam cjus Domino commendandam.\)e, eleemosyna aulein agitin lib. 2. de excessu Satyri fratris, qui inscribitur.De fide resurrectionis: hortatur enim parentes . ut portio- nem haereditatis . quae ad filios morluos perline- bat,spirilibus ipsorura per eleemosynas pauperum Iransmiltant. Augustinus serra. 32. de verbis aposloli : Ora- m DE PURC.ATORIO lioiiibu^ . in(|uil . sanctae Ecclciiiae, el sacriticiu iiiilulari.cl clccnwsynis non cst dubiuni murliios adjuvari. Olirysoslomus liomil. G9. ;k1 popul. .\o/i tcmerc ab apuslolis hacc sancita fucrunt. ul in tremca- dis miislcriis mortuorum lieret commcmoraliu , sciuni cnim multam illis cunlingcre utiiilatem. Idoin iiomil, U. iri 1. ;ui C.or\\\[\\. Juvelur mur- luus nun taclinjmis, sed prccibus,supplicatiuni- bus. eleemosynis. llis addo ;ingeli tcslimonium apml r.oelam lib.o. lustor. ciip. 13. Multos, iuciuil, preces vivenlium, et cteemusijnae, ctjejunia,et maximc celebraliu inissarum , lU antc dicmjudicii liberenlur ,ju- cant. Uiium hic solum cst dubium , An non eliani ro- slilutio rei alienoe prosil dofunclis, ac proinde sil (piarluui ijcnus suiTragii. Nam siiopc dicunlur ani- inae appiirero, ac polero,ut restilulio pro ipsislial earum rerum, quas ipsi auloblili simt,autuon po- lueruut reslituero , et s. Birgilla lib. (>. rcvelalio- num. c;ip. GO. anirmat , animiun lam diu cruciari, donec restilualur quod injusle abhitum est. Rcspoudet Dominicus a Soto iu 4. dist. 45. qu. 2. art. li.ejusmodi restilulionem non juvare,si fial; nec obesse derunclo,si non fiiil;uam Deus non pu- nit , uisi pro culpa propria in hac vita conlracta ; vel eri^-o defunc'us peccavit non restituondo , vel non peccavit. si nou peccavil,quia forlc iion polu- II, aut bona fide possedil, non dobetetiam puniri; si aulem poccavil,punietur pro ciilpa ncgligenliae illius in purgalorio; sed poslcaquam poenas debi- las dedeiit salvabilur, sivc res illa restituatur.sivc iiou; ille cnim jam est laclus impolcns simplicilcr .1(1 rcsliluendum, iieque dobct pendere salus ejus ab idlerius voluutale, alioqui possct anima in pur- galorio manere in aeternura , si nimirum haercs numquarn reslitueret;quarcsi reslitutio possit fieri, ot iiou liiit negligentia haeredis , pcccabil quidem hiicres, non tamcn id noceoil animae: si vero lial, uiliil iiniuiac ilii prodcrit . quia rcslilulio non esl Siilisfaclio pro culpa; Siilislaclio enim esl opus bo- num poeiiale . poenalc ;iulem est dare suuni , non resliluore alietuim. Ad illas apparitioncs, respondeo : Fortc animas iion pelere roslilutiuueui ut reslitutiouom , sed ut eleemosynam; licetenira non prosit animae, si re- sliluat rem alieiiam is, qui tenotur restiluerc. ta- men bone proderit , si reslituat alius , qui noii lc- nelur; illa cniin eleemosyna quacdiim esl,et proin- dc salisfacloria.