SCONGIURO. – In the broad sense, this means the interposition of any higher moral authority, in order to move a person to perform or omit a given action. Thus appeal is made to maternal love, patriotism, honor, etc., in order to induce someone more effectively to act in a particular way (cf. Cant. 2, 7; 3, 5; 5, 8-9; 8, 4). Understood as an act of religion, s. consists in the di-
By means of s. a twofold effect is intended: to induce the person adjured to render what is commanded or requested, and to move God to induce that person to the desired result. S., however, is not in itself directed toward creating an obligation, but only toward arousing a feeling of love or fear toward God, by virtue of which the person adjured is moved to render what is intended. S. oath (v.), in which divine authority is invoked in order to «confirm» what is said or promised, prayer (v.), by which something is «asked» of God.
S. may be deprecative or imperative, according as it is made by prayer or by command. The person who adjures sometimes begs and sometimes commands, according to whether the person adjured is superior or inferior in condition. The s. is deprecative, for example, when used by the demon himself: I adjure you, do not torment me (Mc. 5, 7; cf. Lc. 8, 28). It is imperative, for example, when addressed by Caiaphas to Jesus: I adjure you by the living God, tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God (Mt. 26, 63). For the imperative s. to be lawful, the person who adjures must have the authority and the right to command, and must not exceed the limits of his power (cf. I Thess. 5, 27).
Strictly speaking, God cannot be adjured, because one cannot have recourse to a perfection or power superior to his. This is possible only by analogy, whether the s. is made by God himself or by his attributes, his son, etc. Thus the formulas of s. are to be understood: Per Dominum Nostrum I. C.; Per natiuitatem... per crucem et passionem tuam, ecc., libera nos, Domine. In any case, an imperative s. evidently cannot be addressed to God. To adjure God is more properly called obsecration. It is not lawful to adjure the demon deprecatively or imperatively in order to learn or obtain something from him, because no friendship can be established with him and no submission can be shown toward him (cf. I Cor. 10, 20); it is lawful, however, to adjure him imperatively, in the name of God, not to cause any spiritual or temporal harm (cf. Mc. 16, 17; Lc. 9, 1; 10, 19; Act. 19, 13). This s. exorcism (v.). S. can be addressed only to intelligent beings, who alone are capable of undergoing the moral influence of the invocation expressed. To adjure irrational creatures directly (the sun, clouds, hail, the storm, water, etc.) is therefore meaningless, unless the s. is addressed indirectly to the higher powers (God, the angels, the saints, the demon), upon which their beneficial or harmful action toward us may depend.
S. is private or solemn, according as it is made by a person in an individual capacity or by a minister of the Church invested with special power.
S., in the strict sense, is an act of religion, because it is suited to express both the superiority of God and our submission to him. S. is lawful, as is evident from its nature, from the use of Sacred Scripture, and from liturgical practice. It is required, however, that it be used with honesty (iustitia) and discretion (iudicium). Justice demands that not only the thing one wishes to obtain by command or prayer be honest, but also the command and the prayer themselves. Discretion (iudicium) requires a sufficient motive, although its absence constitutes only a slight fault. In addition to these conditions, a legitimate mandate or license is required for solemn s. (can. 1151). Commonly, a third condition for the lawfulness of s. is also listed: truth (veritas), in the sense that in s. one must have recourse to the true God, that the person who adjures must genuinely intend to obtain the thing, and that the motivating cause must be true and not fraudulent (cf., on the contrary, B. H. Merkelbach, Summa theol. moralis, II, Parigi 1931, n. 762). For s. in the sense of an act intended to drive away the evil eye, V. VANA OSSERVANZA.