b. About Movable Place or Vessels

219. About movable place or vessels [n.211] I draw the distinction that the altar is a remote vessel, and must also be made of stone, Decretum p.3 d.1 ch.31, “If altars are not made of stone, let them not be consecrated with the oil of chrism.” Proximate vessels are the cup and the paten, which should be made of gold or silver or, where poverty compels, at least of tin, as is contained ibid., “let the chalice of the Lord, along with the paten, be made, if not of gold, then of silver. But if someone is so poor, at least let him have a tin chalice; but let it not be made of bronze or brass, for this causes, because of the power of the wine, rust (or mildew) and equally vomit. But let none presume to sing masses with a wooden or glass chalice.” Not of glass, reasonably, because of its fragility, lest the Lord’s blood be exposed to danger; not of wood because it absorbs the moisture.

220. Again, all vessels should be consecrated. Discussion about the altar is contained in Decretum p.3 d.1 chs.18, 30-32. Now whether the altar is fixed, as it commonly is in churches, or portable, makes no great difference, because it is fitting on a portable altar or on the fixed one to celebrate masses, as is contained in Decretals V tit.33 ch.30, “We have judged that the Friars Minor and the Order of Preachers should be so indulged that, wherever they might be, they may be able, without prejudice to the parish, to celebrate with a traveling altar; some, interpreting our indulgence too strictly, try to say that the aforesaid Brothers cannot do this without the assent of the prelates.” And a little later, “But since the mentioned indulgence confers nothing on them (without it the same thing would be permitted to them if the prelates approved), we decree, having thus far rejected this sort of interpretation, that, provided however they altogether abstain from things that come from parochial right, they not defer to make public the license of celebrating given to them also by our authority, so that the aforesaid Brothers may be seen to have in this obtained grace from our indulgence,” says Pope Honorius III.

221. If an objection be drawn from this article that it is not licit to use a traveling altar save by privilege, I reply that this is true as regard its use in any consecrated or nonconsecrated place indifferently; but as to its use in a consecrated place, common right seems enough, because, before the dedication of the altar in any church whatever, celebration commonly occurred on the little altar, which is called the ‘super-altar’.

222. And this altar, whether fixed or movable and portable, must not have huge fractures, Decretals III tit.40 chs.1, 3, where it is said that “if a blessed stone has been moved, it must be blessed again.”

223. The chalice too and paten must be consecrated, Decretum p.3 d.1 ch.2.

224. These vessels must also be decorated, the altar indeed with two panels and, where it is the custom of the church, consecrated and, which is more precise, with a corporal of clean muslin. And it is necessary that the corporal cover at least the place of the chalice and the host, which must be placed on top of the consecrated altar, if the whole altar is immovable and consecrated, or upon a movable altar, when the use of this is required.