Editing Benefice (section)

=== Pluralism ===
{{Catholic canon law}}
The holder of more than one benefice, later known as a pluralist, could keep the revenue to which he was entitled and pay lesser sums to deputies to carry out the corresponding duties.

By a '''Decree of the [[Fourth Council of the Lateran|Lateran Council of 1215]]''' no clerk could hold two benefices with cure of souls, and if a beneficed clerk took a second benefice with cure of souls, he vacated ''[[ipso facto]]'' his first benefice.  Dispensations could easily be obtained from Rome.

The benefice system was open to abuse.  Acquisitive [[prelate]]s occasionally held multiple major benefices. The holding of more than one benefice is termed ''pluralism'' (unrelated to the [[Pluralism (political theory)|political theory of the same name]]). An English example was [[Stigand]], Archbishop of Canterbury (1052–72).

After the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]], the new denominations generally adopted systems of ecclesiastical polity that did not entail benefices and the [[Second Vatican Council]] (1962–1965) called "for the abandonment or reform of the system of benefices".<ref name="odccben">''ODCC'' art '''Benefice'''</ref>