Sacred Congregation of the Council – desertion. 1869

S.C.C. stands for Sacred Congregation of the Council. The Vatican website shows, “The history of this Congregation goes back to the Sacra Congregatio Cardinalium Concilii Tridentini interpretum, instituted by Pius IV in the Apostolic Constitution Alias Nos dated Aug. 2, 1564, to ensure a correct interpretation and the practical observance of the norms issued by the Council of Trent. Gregory XIII increased its functions and Sixtus V entrusted to it the revision of the acts of provincial councils and, in general, the task of promoting the implementation of the reforms established by the Council of Trent” (source vatican.va).

The instruction from the Sacred Congregation of the Council, given on 31 July 1869, is described in the sentence of the Roman Rota issued in 1913.

Section 4, coram Perathoner Roman Rota:

Specifically, “modern authors agree that malicious abandonment must be counted” among the many causes “of temporary separation” ([…]). The Council of Trent already hinted at this, defining that the bond of marriage cannot be dissolved because of the affected absence of a spouse (Session 24, canon 5), and it expressly acknowledged the Austrian Instruction, Par. 209: “The spouse, whom the other party maliciously abandoned can ask for a separation from bed and table, until the culprit of the desertion has sufficiently proved the ready intention to fulfill the conjugal duties” (Cf. also S.C.C., 31 July 1869 and 23 Jan. 1875, in Act. S. Sed. vol. V, p. 3 ff. and p. 12).

Excerpts from Sacred Congregation of the Council. 31 July 1869

pp. 8
Caeterum nec opus fuisse inquirere de causis divortii pro- bationesque colligere, cum notorium iamdiu esset, Ioannem uxorem suam deseruisse et decennium in ea desertione iam perseverasse: quod si de gravi animorum dissensione constare deberet, ipsam subsignatam declarationem argumentum de ea suppeditasse.

p. 9 Haec quidem graviora evadere, tum ex eo quod vir conti- nuo renuerit alimenta Luciae necessaria suppeditare; tum ex desertione pluries a viro repetita, quae denique usque ad de- cennium fuerit protracta: eaque gravissima esse argumenta ca- pitalis implacabilisque odii; et eiusmodi desertionem, quae pro- prio ingenio fiat, contra bonos mores factam censeri, I. 5. C. de Inst. et subst., Cap. Porro, de Divortiis.

pp. 12

VIII. Eo vel magis, si causae, quae talem desertionem causatae fuerint, sint iam ex sese idoneae ad suadendam canonicam separationem ac perpetuo videantur duraturae.

IX. Hisce in adiunctis, insonte coniuge separationem perpetuam postulante, eam a iudice esse decernendam (3).
(1) Videsis Appendicem I.
(2) In praesenti themate valde prohabiliter Ioannes latam sententiam novit, priusquam Lucia eam sententiam
detulisset tribunali civili ad bonorum
separationis Decretum obtinendum :
cum tamen hanc notitiam Ioannes
habuisset aliunde, quam ex aliquo
ministerio curiae, non poterat eidem
nocere: ideoque dies praescripti ad
appellandum, quos fatales dicimus, in
eum non decurrebant. Ad summum
eiusmodi dies decurrere potuissent a
die quo a Tribunali civili eam sententiam noscere debuit: sed etsi tum
incipi poterant, iisdem tamen diebus
transactis sine appellatione, potuisset
Ioannes infirmare sententiam ex capite nullitatis: quia sententia iudicialis lata erat quin. ipse fuisset vocatus et auditus in iudicio. Vocatus
quidem fuerat a Parocho, qui, forte
ex mandato curiae, Ioannem accersivit et a Parocho fuit interrogatus,
sed hi non erant iudiciales actus.
(3) Confer alteram huius generis
causam, quam