On 13 August 1587, Pope Sixtus V issued a decree prohibiting monasteries and religious orders from «accepting thieves, assassins, swindlers and similar persons as brothers.» The Catholic clergy raised concern regarding the Pope’s decree. It was not recognized by many monasteries. In 1590, after the death of Sixtus V, the Dominican Order appealed against the prohibition of accepting criminals. Its cancellation as a violation of the right of asylum was obtained. The Order’s code of regulations stated: «It is a great injustice for a holy place if secular judges have the right to extract asylum seekers by force. Therefore such desecration of a shrine is unacceptable. Although Sixtus V issued such a decree for the Kingdom of Naples in the fight against robbers, Gregory XIV published a new one for the joy of all right-thinking people.» This decree strictly forbade the secular authorities to encroach on a person who found shelter behind the monastery walls.
Igor Dzhokhadze. The criminal chronicle of mankind
Translated by Elizaveta Ovchinnikova
