Legal Definitions - letters of absolution

In a historical context, letters of absolution referred to a formal document issued by the head of a monastic community, such as an abbot or abbess. These letters served to officially release a monk or nun from their solemn vows of obedience and commitment to their current religious order. The primary purpose of obtaining such letters was to grant permission for that individual to join a different monastic order or community.

Here are some examples to illustrate this historical term:

• Imagine a monk named Brother Thomas, who had dedicated years to a Benedictine monastery known for its scholarly pursuits. Over time, Brother Thomas felt a stronger calling towards a life of extreme asceticism and manual labor, which was characteristic of a different, more austere Cistercian order. To pursue this new path, Brother Thomas would need his abbot to issue letters of absolution, formally releasing him from his vows to the Benedictine community. This document would then allow him to be accepted into the Cistercian order and take new vows there.

• Consider Sister Agnes, a nun in a contemplative Carmelite convent, who discovered a deep passion for caring for the sick during a local plague. She felt her true vocation lay in active service rather than cloistered prayer. To transition to a nursing order, such as the Sisters of Charity, Sister Agnes would have required her abbess to provide letters of absolution. These letters would signify her official release from her Carmelite vows, clearing the way for her to join the new order and dedicate herself to healthcare.

• Picture a friar, Father Michael, who was part of a Franciscan community. After several years, the leadership of his particular monastery shifted its focus in a way that Father Michael found incompatible with his personal interpretation of the Franciscan charism. He identified another Franciscan community in a different region that he believed adhered more closely to the original ideals he sought. For Father Michael to transfer his allegiance and join this new community, his current abbot would have needed to issue letters of absolution, formally severing his ties to the first monastery and enabling his entry into the second.