Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On the Church That Is in Purgatory · Book II: On the Circumstances of Purgatory
Chapter 17: Who can help souls
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 third, he who can help souls by his suffrages is he who is just; for an unjust man cannot satisfy for himself, and much less for others. But you will object: does not the Mass of a bad priest profit the dead? And also, if a just master orders alms to be given from his goods for the dead, and they are afterwards given by an unjust servant, will not those alms nevertheless profit? I answer that they do profit, but that in these cases it is not the unjust minister who offers the suffrage, but the just master. You will say again: what if a just prelate orders his spiritual sons to pray or fast for the dead, and those sons are unjust? Paludanus answers, on the fourth book of the Sentences, distinction 45, question 1, that all these profit. Soto better denies it in the same place, question 2, article 2. For when a servant gives alms from his master's money, that work is properly the master's, not the servant's, and therefore the wickedness of the minister does not vitiate the work. But when a subject prays or fasts, the work is properly the subject's own; for he works by his own labour, not by the labour of his master. Whence blessed Jerome, in the book against Vigilantius, says that it is better to give alms to a just poor man than to an unjust, because the former, praying for his benefactor, is heard, the latter is not heard.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT XVII. Quis possil aninias juvare. Quanlum ad lerlium, qui polest suffrogiis suis juvare animiis. est is, qui est juslus ; hoino ciiim injustus non polosl pro se salisfacere,cl multo mi- nus pro aliis. Sed objicios: Nonne inissa mali sacerdolis pro- dest defuuclo? Nonne etiam si Dominus justus ju- beat dari eleomosynas de suis robus prodofunciis, et denlur poslea a minislru iiijusto , taincn elee- mosynae illac proderunl? Respondeo: Prodesse , sed non esse in his casibus ministrum injuslum . qui suffragalur, scd Dominum justum. Dices rursuin : Quid si praelalus juslus jubeal, spiriluales (ilios orare, vel jejunare pro defunclis, et iili filii siiit injusti ? Respondct Paiudauus in 4. scnt.dist. 45.quaest. 1. prodcsseillaomiiia.MoIiusid negatSolus ibidem quaest. 2. art,2.1>'am quando scrvus de pecunia do- mini sui facilcleemosynam, illud opus proprie cst doniini, non scrvi, et ideo malilia ministri non vi- tiat opus. At dum subdilus orat , vcl jejunat, opus proprie est ipsius subditi ; ipse enira suo laborc operalur, uon laboro domini sui.Undc b. llierony- inus libro conlra Vigilanlium . dicit , melius esse dare eloemosynam paupori justo , quam injusto , quia ille orans pro benefaclore , exaudilur , alter rion exaudilur.