70. No One is to Presume to Strike Another Arbitrarily

Let every opportunity for presumption be shunned, and we decree that no one is permitted to excommunicate or to strike any of his brothers unless the abbot has given him the authority. Moreover, “sinners are to be called out before all so that the others may have fear” (1 Tim 5:20).

By all means, everyone should keep safe the young up to the age of fifteen, and take care for their good order; yet this, too, should be done with all measure and good sense. If someone older, without the abbot’s direction and without discretion, flares up against the young, let him be subject to the discipline of the Rule, because it is written,

What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to another. (Tob 4:16)

 

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The Rule of Benedict by Saint Meinrad Archabbey is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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