by Francesco Volpi
Instruction for Easter issued on March 18, 1735 by the Vicar General of the Diocese of Rome Giovanni Antonio Guadagni.
Although almost two centuries had passed since the Council of Trent, which, in order to deal with the rigor of the reformist doctrines, sanctioned a general reorganization of the Church towards an institutional and hierarchical rigidity (priesthood, doctrine, rite, but also administration of benefits and privileges), attention was always vigilant on respecting what was established in the ecumenical Councils; and in the Alma Urbe one could certainly not exempt oneself from the rigorous application of the dictates foreseen for the Easter period.
The care of the preparation of the clergy was the responsibility of the Diocese of Rome which answered to the Vicar General, usually a cardinal. The Vicar General was assisted in the administrative functions of the Diocese by a vicegerent, often an archbishop.
In this context we find the Instruction issued on 18 March 1735 by the Vicar General of the Diocese of Rome, Giovanni Antonio Guadagni, in which, despite the diligence of the Roman clergy, in order to avoid inconveniences in the application of the Easter precepts decreed by the Fourth Lateran Council of 1215, various provisions are listed regarding the rites, sacraments, and behaviors to be observed with the faithful.