home church was not binding by a grave precept. A reply of the Sacred
Congregation of Rites (Nov., 1831) arranged (1) that beneficed clergy
are always bound to recite the office of their own proper church or
diocese; (2) that simple priests may read either the office as arranged
for the place they tarry in or travel in, or the office of their own
home diocese; (3) for unattached priests (_vagi_) it is the wiser order
to follow the office as laid down in their own diocese.

Must every holder of a benefice read the Divine Office?

Every holder is bound, under pain of mortal sin, to recite the Divine
Office daily, if the benefice be an ecclesiastical benefice fulfilling
the conditions named above. The omission of the recital of the Divine
Office by a beneficed person is a grave sin against the virtue of
religion and a grave sin against the virtue of justice. For the Church
imposes on the beneficiary the duty of the Office recital, on condition
that he may not take the fruits of his benefice if he do not recite
the Office.

What sin is committed by the omission of a notable part of the daily
office?

He who wilfully omits a notable part of the daily Divine Office commits
a mortal sin. A notable part of the Divine Office for any day is held by
some theologians to be the omission of one psalm in one of the small
hours, or a corresponding quantity of matter in lessons, responses, etc.
They hold that such wilful omission is a grave sin. Other theologians
hold--and their opinion is the more common and the more probable
one--that, although one psalm is a notable part of a small hour, in
relation to the whole office it is not a notable part, and its omission