Canon 1299. §1 Those who by the natural law and by canon law can freely dispose of their goods may leave them to pious causes either by an act inter vivos or by an act mortis causa.

§2 In arrangements mortis causa in favour of the Church, the formalities of the civil law are as far as possible to be observed. If these formalities have been omitted, the heirs must be advised of their obligation to fulfil the intention of the testator.

§1. Qui ex iure naturae et canonico libere valet de suis bonis statuere, potest ad causas pias, sive per actum inter vivos sive per actum mortis causa, bona relinquere.

§2. In dispositionibus mortis causa in bonum Ecclesiae serventur, si fieri possit, sollemnitates iuris civilis; quae si omissae fuerint, heredes moneri debent de obligatione, qua tenentur, adimplendi testatoris voluntatem.

Canon 1300. The intentions of the faithful who give or leave goods to pious causes, whether by an act inter vivos or by an act mortis causa, once lawfully accepted, are to be most carefully observed, even in the manner of the administration and the expending of the goods, without prejudice to the provisions of can. 1301 §3.

Voluntates fidelium facultates suas in pias causas donantium vel relinquentium, sive per actum inter vivos sive per actum mortis causa, legitime acceptatae, diligentissime impleantur etiam circa modum administrationis et erogationis bonorum, firmo praescripto can. 1301, §3.

Canon 1301. §1 The Ordinary is the executor of all pious dispositions whether made mortis causa or inter vivos.

§2 By this right the Ordinary can and must ensure, even by making a visitation, that pious dispositions are fulfilled. Other executors are to render him an account when they have finished their task.

§3 Any clause contrary to this right of the Ordinary which is added to a last will, is to be regarded as non-existent.

§1. Ordinarius omnium piarum voluntatum tam mortis causa quam inter vivos exsecutor est.

§2. Hoc ex iure Ordinarius vigilare potest ac debet, etiam per visitationem, ut piae voluntates impleantur, eique ceteri exsecutores, perfuncti munere, reddere rationem tenentur.

§3. Clausulae huic Ordinarii iuri contrariae, ultimis voluntatibus adiectae, tamquam non appositae habeantur.

Canon 1302. §1 Anyone who receives goods in trust for pious causes, whether by an act inter vivos or by last will, must inform the Ordinary about the trust, as well as about the goods in question, both movable and immovable, and about any obligations attached to them. If the donor has expressly and totally forbidden this, the trust is not to be accepted.

§2 The Ordinary must demand that goods left in trust be safely preserved and, in accordance with can. 1301, he must ensure that the pious disposition is executed.

§3 When goods given in trust to a member of a religious institute or society of apostolic life, are destined for a particular place or diocese or their inhabitants, or for pious causes, the Ordinary mentioned in §§1 and 2 is the local Ordinary. Otherwise, when the person is a member of a pontifical clerical institute or of a pontifical clerical society of apostolic life, it is the major Superior; when of other religious institutes, it is the member’s proper Ordinary.

§1. Qui bona ad pias causas sive per actum inter vivos sive ex testamento fiduciarie accepit, debet de sua fiducia Ordinarium certiorem reddere, eique omnia istiusmodi bona mobilia vel immobilia cum oneribus adiunctis indicare; quod si donator id expresse et omnino prohibuerit, fiduciam ne acceptet.

§2. Ordinarius debet exigere ut bona fiduciaria in tuto collocentur, itemque vigilare pro exsecutione piae voluntatis ad normam can. 1301.

§3. Bonis fiduciariis alicui sodali instituti religiosi aut societatis vitae apostolicae commissis, si quidem bona sint attributa loco seu dioecesi eorumve incolis aut piis causis iuvandis, Ordinarius, de quo in §§1 et 2, est loci Ordinarius; secus est Superior maior in instituto clericali iuris pontificii et in clericalibus societatibus vitae apostolicae iuris pontificii, aut Ordinarius eiusdem sodalis proprius in aliis institutis religiosis.

Canon 1303. §1 In law the term pious foundation comprises:

1° autonomous pious foundations, that is, aggregates of things destined for the purposes described in can. 114 §2, and established as juridical persons by the competent ecclesiastical authority.

2° non-autonomous pious foundations, that is, temporal goods given in any way to a public juridical person and carrying with them a long-term obligation, such period to be determined by particular law. The obligation is for the juridical person, from the annual income, to celebrate Masses, or to perform other determined ecclesiastical functions, or in some other way to fulfil the purposes mentioned in can. 114 §2.

§2 If the goods of a non-autonomous pious foundation are entrusted to a juridical person subject to the diocesan Bishop, they are, on the expiry of the time, to be sent to the fund mentioned in can. 1274 §1, unless some other intention was expressly manifested by the donor. Otherwise, the goods fall to the juridical person itself.

§1. Nomine piarum fundationum in iure veniunt:

1° piae fundationes autonomae, scilicet universitates rerum ad fines de quibus in can. 114, §2 destinatae et a competenti auctoritate ecclesiastica in personam iuridicam erectae;

2° piae fundationes non autonomae, scilicet bona temporalia alicui personae iuridicae publicae quoquo modo data cum onere in diuturnum tempus, iure particulari determinandum, ex reditibus annuis Missas celebrandi aliasque praefinitas functiones ecclesiasticas peragendi, aut fines de quibus in can. 114, §2 aliter persequendi.

§2. Bona piae fundationis non autonomae, si concredita fuerint personae iuridicae Episcopo dioecesano subiectae, expleto tempore, ad institutum de quo in can. 1274, §1 destinari debent, nisi alia fuerit fundatoris voluntas expresse manifestata; secus ipsi personae iuridicae cedunt.

Canon 1304. §1 For the valid acceptance of a pious foundation by a juridical person, the written permission of the Ordinary is required. He is not to give this permission until he has lawfully established that the juridical person can satisfy not only the new obligations to be undertaken, but also any already undertaken. The Ordinary is to take special care that the revenue fully corresponds to the obligations laid down, taking into account the customs of the region or place.

§2 Other conditions for the establishment or acceptance of a pious foundation are to be determined by particular law.

§1. Ut fundatio a persona iuridica valide acceptari possit, requiritur licentia Ordinarii in scriptis data; qui eam ne praebeat, antequam legitime compererit personam iuridicam tum novo oneri suscipiendo, tum iam susceptis satisfacere posse; maximeque caveat ut reditus omnino respondeant oneribus adiunctis, secundum cuiusque loci vel regionis morem.

§2. Ulteriores condiciones ad constitutionem et acceptationem fundationum quod attinet, iure particulari definiantur.

Canon 1305. Money and movable goods which are assigned as a dowry are immediately to be put in a safe place approved by the Ordinary, so that the money or the value of the movable goods is safeguarded; as soon as possible, they are to be carefully and profitably invested for the good of the foundation, with an express and individual mention of the obligation undertaken, in accordance with the prudent judgement of the Ordinary when he has consulted those concerned and his own finance committee.

Pecunia et bona mobilia, dotationis nomine assignata, statim in loco tuto ab Ordinario approbando deponantur eum in finem, ut eadem pecunia vel bonorum mobilium pretium custodiantur et quam primum caute et utiliter secundum prudens eiusdem Ordinarii iudicium, auditis et iis quorum interest et proprio a rebus oeconomicis consilio, collocentur in commodum eiusdem fundationis cum expressa et individua mentione oneris.

Canon 1306. §1 All foundations, even if made orally, are to be recorded in writing.

§2 One copy of the document is to be carefully preserved in the curial archive and another copy in the archive of the juridical person to which the foundation pertains.

§1. Fundationes, etiam viva voce factae, scripto consignentur.

§2. Alterum tabularum exemplar in curiae archivo, alterum in archivo personae iuridicae ad quam fundatio spectat, tuto asserventur.

Canon 1307. §1 When the provisions of cann. 1300-1302 and 1287 have been observed, a document showing the obligations arising from the pious foundations is to be drawn up. This is to be displayed in a conspicuous place, so that the obligations to be fulfilled are not forgotten.

§2 Apart from the book mentioned in can. 958 §1, another book is to be kept by the parish priest or rector, in which each of the obligations, their fulfilment and the offering given, is to be recorded.

§1. Servatis praescriptis can. 1300-1302 et 1287, onerum ex piis fundationibus incumbentium tabella conficiatur, quae in loco patenti exponatur, ne obligationes adimplendae in oblivionem cadant.

§2. Praeter librum de quo in can. 958, §1, alter liber retineatur et apud parochum vel rectorem servetur, in quo singula onera eorumque adimpletio et eleemosynae adnotentur.

Canon 1308. §1 A reduction of the obligations of Masses, to be made only for a just and necessary cause, is reserved to the diocesan bishop and to the supreme moderator of a clerical institute of consecrated life or a society of apostolic life.

§2 With regard to Masses independently founded in legacies, the diocesan bishop has the power, because of diminished revenues and for as long as the cause exists, to reduce the obligations to the level of offering legitimately established in the diocese, provided that there is no one obliged to increase the offering who can effectively be made to do so.

§3 The diocesan bishop also has the power to reduce the obligations or legacies of
Masses binding an ecclesiastical institute if the revenue has become insufficient to pursue appropriately the proper purpose of the institute.

§4 The supreme moderator of a clerical institute of consecrated life or a society of apostolic life possesses the same powers mentioned in §§2 and 3.
[revised wording according to m.p. Competentias quasdam decernere, 11.II.2022]

§1. Reductio onerum Missarum, ex iusta tantum et necessaria causa facienda, reservatur Episcopo dioecesano et supremo Moderatori instituti vitae consecratae vel societatis vitae apostolicae clericalium.

§2. Episcopo dioecesano competit facultas reducendi ob deminutionem redituum, quamdiu causa perduret ad rationem eleemosynae in dioecesi legitime vigentis, Missas legatorum, quae sint per se stantia, dummodo nemo sit qui obligatione teneatur et utiliter cogi possit ad eleemosynae augmentum faciendum.

§3. Eidem competit facultas reducendi onera seu legata Missarum gravantia institutum ecclesiasticum, si reditus insufficientes evaserint ad finem proprium eiusdem instituti congruenter consequendum.

§4. Iisdem facultatibus, de quibus in §§ 2 et 3, gaudet supremus Moderator instituti vitae consecratae vel societatis vitae apostolicae clericalium.

Canon 1309. Where a fitting reason exists, the authorities mentioned in can. 1308 have the power to transfer Mass obligations to days, churches or altars other than those determined in the foundation.

Iisdem auctoritatibus, de quibus in can. 1308, potestas insuper competit transferendi, congrua de causa, onera Missarum in dies, ecclesias vel altaria diversa ab illis, quae in fundationibus sunt statuta.

Canon 1310. §1 The ordinary, only for a just and necessary cause, can reduce, moderate or commute the wills of the faithful for pious causes, after having heard those concerned and his own finance council and with the intention of the founder preserved as much as possible.

§2 In other cases, recourse is to be made to the Apostolic See.
[revised wording according to m.p. Competentias quasdam decernere, 11.II.2022]

[The whole of Book VI has been revised by the m.p. Passcite gregm Dei, 23.v.2021]

§1. Fidelium voluntatum pro piis causis reductio, moderatio et commutatio possunt ab Ordinario fieri ex iusta tantum et necessaria causa, auditis iis, quorum interest, et proprio consilio a rebus oeconomicis atque servata, meliore quo fieri potest modo, fundatoris voluntate.

§2. In ceteris casibus recurrendum est ad Sedem Apostolicam.