Pope Honorius III - Other Work

Other Work

Honorius III gave papal sanction to the Dominican order in 1216, and to the Franciscan in 1223. He approved the Rule of St. Dominic in his Bull Religiosam vitam, dated 22 December 1216, and that of St. Francis in his Bull Solet annuere, dated 29 November 1223.

In 1219 Pope Honorius III invited Saint Dominic and his companions to taken up residence at the ancient Roman basilica of Santa Sabina, which they did by early 1220. Before that time the friars had only a temporary residence in Rome at the convent of San Sisto Vecchio which Honorius III had given to Dominic circa 1218 intending it to become a convent for a reformation of nuns at Rome under Dominic's guidance. The studium conventuale at Santa Sabina was the forerunner of the Dominican studium generale at Santa Maria sopra Minerva, which would be transformed in the 16th century into the College of Saint Thomas (Latin: Collegium Divi Thomæ), and then in the 20th century into the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Angelicum sited at the convent of Saints Dominic and Sixtus.

In 1217 he gave the title of King of Serbia to Stefan Prvovenčani, whose name "Prvovenčani" means “First-Crowned”.

During the pontificate of Honorius, many of the tertiary orders first came into existence. He approved in the Franciscan Brothers and Sisters of Penance Rule in 1221 with the Bull Memoriale Propositi. On 30 January 1226, he approved the Carmelite Order in his Bull Ut vivendi normam. He also approved the religious congregation "Val des Ecoliers" (Valley of scholars), which had been founded by four pious professors of theology at the University of Paris.

Being a man of learning, Honorius III insisted that the clergy should receive thorough educational training, especially in theology. In the case of a certain Hugh whom the chapter of Chartres had elected bishop, he withheld his approbation because the bishop-elect did not possess sufficient knowledge, quum pateretur in litteratura defectum, as the Pope stated in a letter dated 8 January 1219. Another bishop he even deprived of his office on account of illiteracy.

Honorius bestowed various privileges upon the universities of Paris and Bologna, the two greatest seats of learning during those times. In order to facilitate the study of theology in dioceses that were distant from the great centres of learning, he ordered in his Bull Super specula Domini that some talented young men should be sent to a recognized theological school to study theology with the purpose of teaching it afterwards in their own dioceses.