The King. Inasmuch as I have been informed that--notwithstanding that
it has been ruled and decreed, in virtue of the prerogative of my royal
patronage, that the provincials of the orders in my Western Indias,
whenever they have to propose any religious for the instruction or for
the administration of sacraments, or to remove him who should have
been appointed, shall give notice thereof to my viceroy, president,
Audiencia, or governor, who should have charge of the superior
government of the province, and to the bishop; and that he who may
have been already appointed be not removed until another has been
appointed in his place--for some time past, the said provincials have
been introducing the custom of dismissing and removing the religious
teacher who is stationed at any mission, and appointing another in his
place, solely on their own authority, without giving notice to the said
viceroy, or the persons above mentioned, as they have done on various
occasions. They also claim that if a religious is once approved by the
bishop for a mission, he needs no further approbation for any other
mission to which his provincial may transfer him. If the archbishops
or bishops of the diocese where such a thing occurs try to hinder it,
the provincials base various lawsuits upon that point, whence follow
many injurious and troublesome results. In order to obviate these,
the matter having been discussed and considered by the members of
my Council of the Indias, with their assent and advice I have deemed
it advisable to ordain and order--as by the present I do ordain and
order--that now and henceforth, in regard to the said provincials
removing and appointing the religious of the said missions, they shall
observe and obey what is ordained on that head by the said my royal
patronage, according to what is mentioned in this my decree. They
shall not violate or disobey it in any way; and in addition to it,
whenever they shall have to appoint any religious to the said missions