PROPOSAL#2

DECRETUM PONTIFICUM DE SACERDOTIBUS CREANDIS, INAUGURANDIS, CONSECRANDIS ET CLASSIFICANDIS

The collegium pontificum, in order to ensure the Pax Deorum is maintained and our res publica complies with the religious rules of the sacra publica and the sacred priesthoods of Gods Immortal and the Nova Roman People, the Quirites, issues the following decree:

Contents 1 I. PREPARATION TO PRIESTHOOD 1.1 I.A. Application 1.2 I.B. Appointment as camillus 1.2.1 I.B.2. Exception from under priesthood training 1.3 I.C. Removal of camilli 2 II. INSTALLATION 2.1 II.A. General principles 2.2 II.B. Priestly Appointment 2.2.1 II.B.3. Common priest 2.2.2 II.B.4. Named priest 2.2.2.1 II.B.4.c. High priest 2.2.3 II.B.5. Current priests applying for another priesthood 2.2.4 II.B.6. Past priests applying or re-applying for priesthood 2.3 II.C. Curiate Election 2.4 II.D. Conferral of sacred status 2.4.1 II.D.1. Inauguration 2.4.2 II.D.2. Consecration 2.4.3 II.D.3. Common rules of the inauguration and the consecration 3 III. SUSPENSION 4 IV. NATURAL LOSS OF PRIESTHOOD 5 V. RESIGNATION 6 VI. REMOVAL 6.1 VI.A. Priestly Deposition 6.1.1 VI.A.3. Deposition of acting priests 6.1.2 VI.A.4. Deposition of consecrated priests 6.2 VI.B. Curiate Abrogation 6.3 VI.C. Removal of sacred status 6.3.1 VI.C.1. Exauguration 6.3.2 VI.C.2. Resecration 6.3.3 VI.C.3. Common rules of the exauguration and the resecration 7 VII. EXCEPTIONAL STATUS OF AUGURES 8 VIII. EXPIATION 9 IX. REINSTALLATION 10 X. CLOSING INSTRUCTIONS

I. PREPARATION TO PRIESTHOOD

I.A. Application

Any priesthood or religious position may only be conferred to citizens who have submitted an application for the priesthood or religious position. Exception from under this rule shall only be made in cases regulated by separate decreta.

I.A.1. Applications for any priesthood or religious position shall be made through an e-mail sent to the the owner address of the official mailing list of the collegium pontificum (collegium_pontificum_nr-owner@yahoogroups.com).

I.A.2. There shall be a separate application submitted for every different or every new priesthood or religious position that the applicant wishes to undertake.

I.A.2.a. If a camillus or other trainee for a priesthood, after completing and absolving successfully the training and the examinations, wishes to proceed to the priesthood of his choice, he shall similarly submit a new application for the priesthood.

I.A.2.b. The content and text of a new application shall not necessarily be different from application to application submitted by the same person, the only requirement is to change the varying parts parts of the application relevant to each position he applies for.

I.A.3. The collegium pontificum shall decide about the application within two months of its receipt.

I.B. Appointment as camillus

An applicant to any position, who has not yet been a fully appointed priest, shall be first appointed camillus by the collegium pontificum, and shall go through the priestly instruction and training as described by the decretum pontificum de camillis et novis sacerdotibus instruendis.

I.B.1. An applicant to the position scriba pontificius shall be treated like an applicant to the camillus position, or, if appointed, as a camillus, in all intents and purposes of this decretum.

I.B.2. Exception from under priesthood training

I.B.2.a In case of a candidate of priesthood who knows Latin and is known to be an expert of Roman religion, the collegium pontificum may decide to except the person from under camillus training by an absolute 2/3rd supermajority of the votes of the entire membership of the collegium pontificum (if the 2/3rd supermajority of all members of the collegium with voting rights, including absent and present but not voting or abstaining members, cast affirmative votes).

I.B.2.b Such an excepted person shall still be appointed camillus first for at least a period of 6 months, and he may be appointed to the position of common sacerdos only after demonstrating dedication and ability to perform rituals in the correct way.

I.B.3. In case of a candidate of priesthood who held a priesthood in the past, or is currently holding a priesthood, the rules described in chapters II.B.5 and II.B.6. shall be followed.

I.B.4. If a camillus, who absolved the camillus training, is not appointed, for any reason, to a priesthood, and the collegium pontificum does not revoke his camillus title, may continue functioning as a camillus (as described by the ''decretum pontificum de camillis et novis sacerdotibus instruendis I.B.), and may be officially asked by citizens and magistrates to provide religious assistance. Such a camillus shall be referred to as "examined camillus" or "camillus probatus".

I.C. Removal of camilli

A camillus may be removed from camillus postion by a simple majority of the votes of the collegium pontificum cast in the session discussing the removal (with the majority of all votes cast in the session), if the collegium pontificum deems such a removal necessary.

I.C.1. The collegium pontificum shall discuss the removal of a camillus if he fails to pass examinations after repeating them more than three times, as described by the decretum pontificum de camillis et novis sacerdotibus instruendis II.E.

I.C.2. A removed camillus shall have the right to re-apply for camillus position.

II. INSTALLATION

II.A. General principles

II.A.1. The installation of a priest is a procedure of many ceremonial and legally required steps. A legally appointed priest, even if he possesses the rights and powers attendant to his priesthood, may not be considered a fully installed priest and in religious possession of his priesthood, until he hasn't completed all steps and grades of the ceremonial procedure of priestly installation.

II.A.2. Any priest who has started the process of installation, but has not yet been consecrated, shall have the title and shall be referred to as "acting priest" or "sacerdos designatus" or substituting the word "priest" or "sacerdos" with the appropriate priesthood of the appointed person (acting pontifex or pontifex designatus; acting pontifex maximus or pontifex maximus designatus; acting augur or augur designatus; acting fetialis or fetialis designatus and so on).

II.A.3. An acting priest shall have all the rights, powers and privileges granted to him by any legal source, except the wearing of the insigia of his priesthood, which is granted only to consecrated priests.

II.A.4. An augur may only inaugurate any person or object if he himself has been already inaugurated.

II.B. Priestly Appointment

II.B.1. Once the camillus has completed, absolved and passed the final examinations of the camillus training, he becomes eligible for appointment to priesthood as common sacerdos (described in II.B.3.). The camillus shall appy to the specific common priesthood he intends to hold and the collegium pontificum shall vote about the candidate.

II.B.2. Any priest appointed so by the collegium pontificum, if there is a need to distinguish an acting priest only appointed by the collegium pontificum but not yet appointed by the comitia curiata, may be referred to as "priest appointed by the pontifices" or "sacerdos a pontificibus designatus", following the principles of the use of titles described in II.A.2..

II.B.3. Common priest

II.B.3.a. Any person who has not yet held a priesthood may only be appointed to the basic position called plainly by the generic term "sacerdos", or if there is need to distinguish it, as "common priest", "common sacerdos", or "sacerdos communis". This priesthood will always be hereafter referred to as "common sacerdos" or "common priest" in this decretum to avoid confusion.

II.B.3.a.i. A common sacerdos can be priest to a specific god or gods, or a priest of all gods, a priest to a specific cultus, specific ritus, or assigned to a specific religious duty. The title of this priesthood therefore may vary from titles like "sacerdos Martis" or "sacerdos Martialis", to "sacerdos Parcarum", or to "sacerdos legionis", "sacerdos confarreationum".

II.B.3.a.ii. The various types of common priests shall be regulated in a separate decretum.

II.B.3.b. Only a person, who has completed, absolved and passed the final examinations of the camillus training, can be appointed to the position of common sacerdos.

II.B.4. Named priest

II.B.4.a. No person can be appointed, as his first priestly position, to a named priesthood which has any other name than sacerdos or sacerdos followed by a specification (examples include, but are not limited to, rex, flamen, pontifex, augur, aliquotvir [the word "vir" prefixed by any Latin number: septemvir, decemvir etc.], epulo, fetialis, salius, virgo, frater, sodalis, magister and so on). Such a priestly position, for further reference, shall be termed as "named priest" or "sacerdos denominatus".

II.B.4.b. Only a common sacerdos who spent at least one year in service of the republic as common sacerdos, can be appointed to the position of named priest.

II.B.4.c. High priest

II.B.4.c.i. A named priest of the quattuor summa collegia (four highest priestly colleges), the rex sacrorum, flamen, pontifex, virgo Vestalis, augur, the aliquotvir sacris faciundis (the word "vir" prefixed by any Latin number), and the epulo, can also be referred to as "high priest" or "sacerdos summus".

II.B.4.c.ii. Only a common sacerdos who has been a citizen of Nova Roma at least for two years, and spent at least one year in service of the republic as common sacerdos, can be appointed to a position of high priest.

II.B.5. Current priests applying for another priesthood

II.B.5.a. If a citizen was appointed to a priesthood before the enactment of this decretum, and has not yet completed and absolved a priestly training as required currently before appointment to any priesthood, that priest, unless an exception is granted, as described in section I.B.2., may only be appointed to any other priesthood in the future if he, before the appointment, passes an examination conducted by the pontifical camillus school.

II.B.5.a.i. The requirements of this examination shall be defined by a separate decree, or until a separate decree is enacted, by the camillus program leader.

II.B.5.a.ii. Such a priest applying for another priesthood shall have the right, but will not be obliged, to participate in a full camillus training, where he shall enjoy no less and no more but the same rights as any camillus.

II.B.5.a.iii. Categories. A priest studying in the camillus school, if there is need to distinguish him, shall be referred to as "learning priest" or "sacerdos discens". A priest who hasn't yet received any training in the camillus program, and is not currently a learning priest, shall be referred to as "untrained priest" or "sacerdos indoctus"; a priest who participated in the training program, but has not passed the final examinations, shall be referred ro as "unexamined trained priest" or "sacerdos doctus sed improbatus"; who passed, as "examined trained priest" or "sacerdos doctus probatus".

II.B.5.b. If a citizen was appointed to a named priesthood before the enactment of this decretum, but has not yet served previously at least one year as sacerdos, he may only be appointed to another named priesthood if he has served at least one year in his current priesthood.

II.B.5.c. The chairmen or presidents of priestly colleges, when interpreting these rules of section II.B.5., shall not be considered separate or different priesthoods from the other members of that priesthood (for example, appointment to pontifex maximus shall not be considered a new priesthood of the pontifex).

II.B.6. Past priests applying or re-applying for priesthood

If a citizen is not currently a priest, but has held priesthoods in the past, he shall be entitled to the same priesthoods what he once held, without the need to serve first as camillus, but if he applies for a priesthood other than what he held in the past, unless an exception is granted as described in section I.B.2., he shall be required, before the appointment, to pass an examination conducted by the pontifical camillus school. Other rules for re-entering the priestly order are laid down in chapter IX. REINSTALLATION.

II.C. Curiate Election

At the earliest possible date, the comitia curiata shall be convened and the acting priest appointed by the collegium pontificum shall be ceremonially elected by the comitia curiata as one of the necessary religious steps of the validation of the priest's sacred status.

II.C.1. During this ceremonial voting, the lictores curiati are witnessing the appointment made by the collegium pontificum without right of refusal individually or as a body.

II.C.2. Such an acting priest, when distinguishing is needed, may be referred to as "priest approved by the curiae" or "sacerdos curiis designatus", keeping in like with the naming principles in II.A.2..

II.D. Conferral of sacred status

II.D.1. Inauguration

An acting priest, after being ceremonially elected by the comitia curiata, shall be inaugurated by an augur.

II.D.1.a. Only a priest approved by the curiae can be inaugurated.

II.D.1.b. Such a priest, when needed to make a difference, may be referred to as "inaugurated priest" or "sacerdos inauguratus", following the naming principles in section II.A.2..

II.D.2. Consecration

An inaugurated priest, preferably at the same event and done immediately after the inauguration as part of the ritual of religious investiture, shall be consecrated by a pontifex. If the consecration can not take place together with the inauguration, the consecration shall be valid regardless of the length of time passed after the inauguration.

II.D.2.a. Only an inaugurated priest can be consecrated.

II.D.2.b. The priesthood shall be considered fully invested and conferred on the individual at the moment when the ceremony of consecration has concluded.

II.D.2.c. An acting priest, after having been properly consecrated, shall drop the label "acting" or "designatus" from his title and shall use, and be referred to, on the regular title of his priesthood.

II.D.2.c.i. Only priests appointed by the collegium pontificum, ceremonially elected by the comitia curiata, inaugurated by an augur and consecrated by a pontifex shall have the right to use their priestly title without the label "acting" or "designatus", only such priests shall be considered to be in full possession of their sacred qualities and full priestly status.

II.D.2.c.ii. Such a priest, if needed to be distinguished, may be referred to as "consecrated priest" or "sacerdos consecratus", following the naming principles in section II.A.2..

II.D.3. Common rules of the inauguration and the consecration

II.D.3.a. Both the inauguration and the consecration shall be preferred to be done in person, in the physical presence of the augur at the inauguration and of the pontifex during the consecration, but in cases when this is not possible, it shall be performed by the augur and the pontifex from distance, in a separate location, and such an inauguration or consecration from distance shall be accepted as a valid inauguration or consecration even without the physical presence of the augur or the pontifex.

II.D.3.b. If the ceremony is performed from distance, the person to be inaugurated or consecrated (hereafter referred to as "inaugurandus" or "consecrandus") shall be precisely informed about the exact date (day, hour) of the ceremony so as to make it possible for the inaugurandus or consecrandus to perform a ritual of acceptance simultaneously.

II.D.3.c. The inauguration and the consecration themselves are both obligatory, but may only be performed with the consent of the inaugurandus or consecrandus, only in the definite time and under the agreed circumstances explicitly accepted by the inaugurandus or consecrandus. The full consent of the inaugurandus or consecrandus is a required religious component of a valid inauguration or consecration.

II.D.3.d. Recognizing our limited possibilities at this stage of development of Nova Roma, an acting augur shall have the right to inaugurate himself, and an acting pontifex shall have the right to consecrate himself.

III. SUSPENSION

The collegium pontificum, by a simple majority of votes, may, at its discretion, decide to suspend a priest temporarily for the following reasons:

(1) as a disciplinary measure against the individual,
(2) lack of assiduus status of the priest,
(3) prolonged unavailability over 3 months,
(4) the priest has been sentenced by process of law.

III.A. A disappeared priest, who is a citizen who failed to register on the census and whose civic rights are therefore temporarily suspended, until does not register himself with the censores, shall be automatically considered and treated as a suspended priest, until he doesn't restore his full citizenship.

III.B. There shall be no other legitimate reason to suspend a priest, no decretum on suspension may be issued for a reason other than listed above in section III.(1)-(4).

III.C. The decretum on the suspension shall contain the exact reason of removal, and in order that it be valid, it must be one of the reason listed in section III.(1)-(4), it shall also contain the exact condition of expiration or termination, whether expiration is automatic or reversible only by a vote of the collegium on termination of suspension, or the exact length of the period of suspension.

III.D. A suspended priest, regardless to whether acting or fully consecrated, immediately loses all rights, powers and privileges attendant to his priesthood, but remains a valid priest of Nova Roma, his position shall be considered occupied and filled by him, and if the suspension is revoked, all rights, powers and privileges attendant to his priesthood shall automatically be returned to him.

III.E. Such a suspended priest shall be referred to as "suspended priest" or "sacerdos suspensus" according to the naming rules described in section II.A.2.. If suspension was part of a disciplinary measure, then the appellation "interdicted priest" or "sacerdos interdictus" shall be used, but the term "suspended priest" shall always cover the term "interdicted priest".

IV. NATURAL LOSS OF PRIESTHOOD

A priesthood shall be considered automatically lost in case of the priest's death or loss of citizenship.

IV.A. If the citizenship of the acting priest is lost, even if just temporarily under a sentence issued by a legal court, the individual remains entitled to be referred to as "former priest" or "sacerdotalis".

IV.B. If the citizenship of a consecrated priest is lost, even if just temporarily under a sentence issued by a legal court, the individual immediately loses, together with his citizen rights, all rights, powers and privileges attendant to his priesthood, but his person remains sacred, he remains in ritual possession of his priesthood, and shall be referred to as "exiled priest" or "sacerdos in exilio", or, if he renounced citizenship, as "emigrated priest" or "sacerdos emigratus", until an exauguration and resecration have taken place.

V. RESIGNATION

Resignation from priesthood shall be done in writing to the owner address of the official mailing list of the collegium pontificum (collegium_pontificum_nr-owner@yahoogroups.com).

V.A. Once informed of a resignation, the pontifex ab officiis, or the pontifex maximus, if he is in a Declared Active Period as described by the decretum pontificum de pontifice ab officiis, shall respond in writing to the resigning priest, in order to acknowledge the tendered resignation, and shall be responsible for communicating this information to the censores and the citizenry via public fora within within a nundinum (9 days, Roman inclusive).

V.A.1. If a resignation is not done in the required way, it can only be considered valid and taking effect if someone forwards to the required e-mail address the declaration of resignation written by the resigning priest, and the resigning priest confirms its authenticity either in a public forum or in writing to the collegium pontificum, or if the resigning priest does not communicate, if there are any 3 citizens confirming that the resignation letter is authentic.

V.A.2. If there are no 3 citizens confirming the authenticity of the resignation letter, or if there is no way to forward any letter of resignation written by the resigning priest, the pontifex ab officiis, or the pontifex maximus, if he is in a Declared Active Period, shall put the issue to vote in a session of the collegium pontificum, and the collegium pontificum shall decide, at its discretion, whether the resignation has happened or not.

V.B. The resignation takes effect in the moment when the resigning priest has sent his declaration of resignation.

V.C. A resigned acting priest immediately loses all rights, powers and privileges attendant to his priesthood, but remains entitled to be referred to as to as "former priest" or "sacerdotalis", following the naming rules described in section II.A.2..

V.D. A resigned consecrated priest immediately loses all rights, powers and privileges attendant to his priesthood, but his person remains sacred, he remains in ritual possession of his priesthood, and shall be referred to as "abdicated priest" or "sacerdos abdicatus" (naming rules in section II.A.2.) until an exauguration and resecration have taken place.

VI. REMOVAL

The removal of priesthood by the collegium pontificum shall follow the rules described in this chapter, but if the removal would happen in any other legal way (excepting natural loss caused by death or losing citizenship regulated in chapter IV. NATURAL LOSS OF PRIESTHOOD), the rules, terms and titles described in this chapter shall be applied.

VI.A. Priestly Deposition

The collegium pontificum may, only as a last remedy of a situation, decide to depose a priest from his priesthood. This solution shall by all means be tried to be avoided, and, once the collegium sees no other possibility, it can decide to remove a priest for the following reasons:

(1) as the most severe disciplinary measure against the individual,
(2) serious incompetence, repeated and prolonged derelictions of duty,
(3) being in suspended status for over a year,
(4) the priest has been sentenced by process of law.

VI.A.1. There shall be no other legitimate reason to remove a priest, no decretum on removal may be issued for a reason other than listed above in section VI. (1)-(4).

VI.A.2. The decree on priestly deposition must contain the reason of removal, and in order that it be valid, it must be one of the reason listed in section VI. (1)-(4).

VI.A.3. Deposition of acting priests

An acting priest may be removed by a simple majority of the votes of the collegium pontificum cast in the session discussing the removal (with the majority of all votes cast in the session).

VI.A.3.a An acting priest removed by a vote of the collegium pontificum immediately loses all rights, powers and privileges attendant to his priesthood, but remains entitled to be referred to as "former priest" or "sacerdotalis".

VI.A.3.a.i. For named priesthoods the Latin titles are the following: regius or regalis and reginalis sacrorum (former rex and regina sacrorum); flaminius, flaminalis, flaminicius and flaminicalis (former flamen or flaminica); pontificius or pontificalis (fomer pontifex); augurius or auguralis (former augur); fetialicius (former fetialis); sodalicius (former sodalis); fratricius or fratralis (former frater), Arvalicius (former Arvalis); Lupercalicius (former Lupercal); saliaris (former salius); virginia or virginalis (former virgo); Vestalicia (former Vestal) and so on.

VI.A.3.a.ii. If the acting priest was a priest approved by the pontifices, no further steps are needed, and the titles described in section VI.A.3.a.i. are applied.

VI.A.3.b. If the acting priest was a priest approved by the curiae, he shall be ceremonially abrogated by the comitia curiata, and until it hasn't happened, he shall be referred to as "former priest approved by the curiae" or "sacerdotalis a curiis designatus". Once the abrogation has happened, the titles described in section VI.A.3.a.i. are applied.

VI.A.3.c. If the acting priest was an inaugurated priest, he shall be exaugurated, and until it hasn't happened, he shall be referred to as "inaugurated former priest" or "sacerdotalis inauguratus". Once the exauguration has happened, the titles described in section VI.A.3.a.i. are applied.

VI.A.4. Deposition of consecrated priests

A consecrated priest may only be removed by an absolute majority of the votes of the entire membership of the collegium pontificum (if the majority of all members of the collegium with voting rights, including absent and present but not voting or abstaining members, cast affirmative votes).

VI.A.4.a. A consecrated priest removed by a vote of the collegium pontifum immediately loses all rights, powers and privileges attendant to his priesthood, but his person remains sacred, he remains in ritual possession of his priesthood, and shall be referred to as "inhibited priest" or "sacerdos abactus", until an exauguration and resecration have taken place. Therefore a consecrated priest may only be fully removed of his priesthood by his ritual resignation through the ceremonies of exauguration and resecration.

VI.A.4.b. The term "inhibited priest", whenever used in this document, shall cover the terms "exiled priest" and "emigrated priest".

VI.B. Curiate Abrogation

The comitia curiata shall also ceremonially revoke the priesthood from the inhibited priest, or from the former priest approved by the curiae. An inhibited priest removed by the comitia curiata can be, if needed to be distinguished, referred to as "abrogated priest" or "sacerdos abrogatus". If a former priest removed by the comitia curiata is needed to be distinguished, he can be referred to as "abrogated former priest" or "sacerdotalis abrogatus".

VI.C. Removal of sacred status

VI.C.1. Exauguration

The exauguration of the an inaugurated former priest, abdicated priest and inhibited priest shall be performed according to the rules of inauguration described in sections II.D.1. and II.D.3..

VI.C.1.a. Only an inaugurated priest or former priest, who has already been abrogated, or an abdicated priest can be exaugurated.

VI.C.1.b. The exaugurated priest, if needed to be distinguished, may be referred to as "exaugurated priest" or "sacerdos exauguratus" (for named priesthoods the rules of Latin titles are the same as given in section II.A.2.).

VI.C.2. Resecration

The resecration or deconsecration of the abdicated priest or inhibited priest shall be perfomed according to the rules of consecration described in sections II.D.2. and II.D.3..

VI.C.2.a. Only an exaugurated priest can be resecrated.

VI.C.2.b. A resecrated priest remains entitled to be referred to as "former priest" or "sacerdotalis" (for named priests see VI.A.3.a.i.) or, if needed to be distinguished, may be referred to as "resecrated priest" or "sacerdos resecratus" (for named priesthoods the rules of Latin titles are the same as given in section II.A.2.).

VI.C.3. Common rules of the exauguration and the resecration

Both the exauguration and the resecration of the person to be exaugurated (hereafter referred to as "exaugurandus") and the person to be resecrated (hereafter referred to as "resecrandus") shall follow the steps and rules of the inauguration and consecration described in chapter II.D..

VI.C.3.a. Since the full consent of the exaugurandus or resecrandus is a required religious component of a valid exauguration or resecration, the act of exauguration or resecration is a form of ritual resignation from the priesthood.

VI.C.3.b. This ritual resignation may be performed even if the exaugurandus or resecrandus did not resign but was removed from his priesthood, or lost his citizenship, however, after the removal, he decided to fix his ambivalent religious status and to avert the negative consequences of the possibility of sacrilege, religious pollution or contamination, and the violation of Pax Deorum.

VII. EXCEPTIONAL STATUS OF AUGURES

VII.A. An augur, whether acting or fully consecrated, may not be removed from the priesthood by any other means than by loss of citizenship by process of law, as described in Constitution VI.B.2. of Nova Roma.

VII.B. If an acting augur resigns from his priesthood, renounces or loses his citizenship, he shall be referred to as "former augur" or, in Latin, "augurius" or "auguralis", as described in VI.A.3.a.i..

VII.C. If a consecrated augur resigns from his priesthood, renounces or loses his citizenship, he may not be either exaugurated or resecrated, but, according to the Constitution VI.B.2., "augures who have resigned their office, resigned their citizenship, or have lost their citizenship by process of law shall remain sacri in their persons but may exercise no augural powers or functions". Such a sacred resigned augur shall be referred to as "augur emeritus".

VIII. EXPIATION

VIII.A. If a priest is removed, the collegium shall perform a piaculum for this religious violation in the name of the Nova Roman Republic, the senate and the people.

VIII.A.1. If an acting priest is removed, the pontifex maximus or the pontifex who presided over the session at which the priest was removed, shall perform the piaculum in the name of the collegium pontificum. Both the pontifex maximus and the presiding pontifex is entitled to assign the duty of performing the piaculum to a pontifex who voted in favor of the removal, and in this case, this pontifex assigned to the task is obliged to perform the piaculum in the name of the collegium.

VIII.A.2. If a consecrated priest is removed, the pontifex maximus or the pontifex who presided over the session at which the priest was removed, and all pontifices who voted in favor of the removal, shall perform the piaculum in the name of the collegium pontificum. In this case, substitution is not allowed.

VIII.B. A piaculum shall be performed by the priest who is appointed to a the place of the removed priest. If this priestly position is collegiate, consisting of more priests holding the same priesthood (like pontifices or augures), any person and all persons appointed at the first time after the removal of the priest shall perform a piaculum.

VIII.C. If a priest resigns from his priesthood, he also shall perform a piaculum.

VIII.D. If an inhibited priest has still not been exaugurated and resecrated until the Terminalia of the next year, a pontifex, assigned to this task by the collegium, shall offer a piaculum, and shall repeat the piaculum on every Terminalia until the inhibited priest is not exaugurated and resecrated, or his full priesthood isn't restored to him. Such a piaculum shall be perfomed, seperately, for every single inhibited priest, but not necessarily by the same pontifex.

VIII.D. If a priest is deprived from his priesthood by an authority other than the collegium pontificum, the magistrate, elected or appointed officer, or the presiding official of the authory which removed the priest from the priesthood, shall also perform a piaculum. If this person is not a practitioner of the Roman religion, he may ask any priest or magistrate to perform the piaculum in his name.

IX. REINSTALLATION

Reinstallation is the process of re-investing the removed priest to his previously held priesthood. A person re-appointed by the collegium pontificum, unless he is a consecrated priest, becomes an acting priest.

IX.A. An inhibited priest, who is still consecrated, may be re-appointed by the collegium pontificum to the same priesthood without any other necessary action, at any time.

IX.B. An abrogated priest, after re-appointment by the collegium, shall also be ceremonially re-elected by the comitia curiata.

IX.C. An exaugurated priest, after re-appointment by the collegium, and re-election by the comitia curiata, shall also be inaugurated again.

IX.D. An inaugurated former priest, after re-appointment by the collegium, shall only be consecrated.

IX.E. A former priest approved by the curiae, after re-appointment by the collegium, shall be inaugurated and consecrated.

IX.F. A former priest, who is neither approved by the curiae, nor inaugurated, after re-appointment by the collegium, shall go through the whole process again, and shall be ceremonially re-elected by the comitia curiata, inaugurated and consecrated.

IX.G. An abdicated priest, after re-appointment by the collegium, shall also be ceremonially re-elected by the comitia curiata, and, if he was exaugurated, shall be inaugurated again.

X. CLOSING INSTRUCTIONS

Since this area of religious law has never been properly addressed in previous years of Nova Roma, it is now the task of the collegium pontificum to determine in which religious status all former or current priests are. To this end, at its earliest convenience, the collegium shall appoint a committee (Commissio Sacris Publicis Sacerdotum Investigandis), chaired by a pontifex, but not necessarily composed of pontifices or only of pontifices, to investigate the religious status of all current and former priests of Nova Roma, and to publish this information on the official web page of the collegium.

X.A. When deciding whether a priest or former priest was or wasn't approved by the comitia curiata, inaugurated, exaugurated, consecrated, resecrated etc., if there are no official written documentations verifying these actions, the committee shall apply the following methods:

X.A.1. If the priestly person and the augur who inaugurated or exaugurated, or the pontifex who consecrated or resecrated him, testify that the inauguration or exauguration, consecration or resecration has happened, that priest shall be registered as inaugurated or exaugurated, consecrated or resecrated.

X.A.2. If the inauguration or exauguration and the consecration or resecration was performed in another way, or by other authorities, than the ones described in this decretum, then the priest shall not be considered in receipt of these sacra, and the ceremonies shall be repeated in the way described in this decretum.

X.A.2.a. For priests installed in the first year of Nova Roma (until pr. Kal. Mar. L. Equitio Dec. Iunio cos., 2752 AUC), if the inauguration or exauguration, or the consecration or resecration was performed by any patrician citizen, including oneself, or by any priest, including oneself, even if without previous curiate approval, it shall be considered valid, but a retroactive approval of the comitia curiata shall be enacted, once the researches of the Commissio Sacris Publicis Sacerdotum Investigandis have been concluded.

X.A.2.b. For patrician priests, who were patricians of the moment of priestly installation, installed in the first five years of Nova Roma (until pr. Kal. Mar. K. Buteone (I) T. Labieno cos., 2756 AUC), if the inauguration or exauguration, or the consecration or execration was performed by any priest, including oneself, that shall be considered valid.

X.A.3. If there is no satisfactory testimony, as described in X.A.1., to verify the fulfillment and testify the validity of the inauguration or exauguration, the consecration or resecration, that priest shall be categorized as of unknown sacred status, until further evidence is brought forward.

X.A.3.a. Current priests of unknown sacred status, or who are proven to be incompletely installed, shall be called to complete their installation process.

X.A.3.b. Removed or resigned priests of unknown sacred status, or who are proven to be incompletely installed, shall be called to complete their removal process.

X.B. The committee shall interview the resigned priests whether they have offered a piaculum, and if they haven't, they shall be called to perform it.

X.B.1. The committee shall investigate whether some officials and priests have performed piaculum in the name of Nova Roma for removing a priest, and for every single priest by name whose removal hasn't been expiated, the collegium shall perform the piacula required in this decree.

X.B.2. Whenever the realization of a piaculum can not be proven, the piaculum shall be recorded as of unknown status, and be considered that it did not take place, and shall be done now.

X.C. The Commissio Sacris Publicis Sacerdotum Investigandis shall make sure that all rules and instructions included in this decretum are applied to all current and past priests, historical records are made, and the Nova Roman Republic complies with the Roman religion of our ancestors and with the Pax Deorum.