Certain peculiarities of canon law of the Catholic Church on the territory of Crimea in the XIII – early XIV centuries according to the data from papal bulls

Abstract

This article examines the norms of canon law, which regulated the actions of the Catholic missionaries in Crimea since the emergence of first missions in the XIII century until the creation of eparchies in the early XIV century. Comprehension of the legal framework of Catholic missions is necessary for further research of social history of the region. The bulls Cum hora undecimal alongside Vos igitur and Gratias agimus, establish preferential legal regime on private matters that differs from the Western European canon law. Each question raised in the pontifical document is compared with the canonical norms of Western Europe and isolated cases on the territory of Crimea. Although papal bulls have always been used by the researchers of medieval Crimea, the legal content of these documents was usually outside the focus of attention. The author analyzes the content of the papal bulls through the prism of canon law of the Catholic Church, theological and legal discussions of the XIII – XIV centuries. Legal regime in the missionary territory was established in form of privileges and right to dispensation. The papal bull Cum hora undecima of 1245, repeatedly has been reissued repeatedly without significant amendments, is of particular importance for the researchers . In the questions of dispensation, consecration of churches and sacred objects, and granting of indulgences, the missionaries received the authority equal to the bishops and legates of the apostolic see. The converted to Catholicism local residents assumed a derogation in terms of closely related marriages, while clerics of the Eastern churches retained their rank and the right to stay married.