What carena, quadragena , and septena mean.
What carena, quadragena, and septena mean.
Moreover, Bellarmine was pleased to remain here in this generality, but others argue about the quadragena [“of forty”], septena [“of seven”], and carena [“deprivation”]. You can understand what these are or were from the book which contains the reasons for rejecting the Council of Trent [Caus. recusati concilii Tridentini] (p. 103) and the Apolog. Confess. Wirtenb. (p. 556), where this is written (quoting from Rosarius, part 3, title De indulgentiis):
It must be noted that indulgences are granted in various ways and are expressed with different words. You have received carina or carena (according to the gloss on [Ius canonicum,] De sponsa duarum, c. Accepisti). This is vernacular Italian and is called carina from carentia [“deprivations”] of people or even deprivations of provisions. For during the forty days people are closed up in some secret place close to the church where they do not have the company of other people. Consequently, (in the above-mentioned c. Accepisti) the following was enjoined upon a man who had taken as wife some woman to whom another man was engaged: “Let him do the carina”; that is, let him repent on bread and water for forty days with the seven consecutive years. For as we gather from the histories of the popes, there is a difference between septena (or septenarium) and quadragena and carena, which is also sometimes called carentina.
Pope Clement was the first to institute quadragena [“of forty”], through which he designated a penance of forty days with the seven consecutive years. He would impose this punishment due to a mortal sin in such a way that during those forty days the penitent would be shut off from the church and would walk about with bared head and unkempt hair. After those days there would be imposed upon them a penance for seven years, namely, that through those seven years on Mondays they would have milkfood, and on Wednesdays, a one-course meal related to fasting. But on Fridays they would have three pieces of dry bread dipped in ashes, and within the periods during those seven years they would have no meat, no wine, would not sleep on a bed nor take a bath. They would instead sleep on the hard ground or even on a stone. When those years were completed, they were first permitted to commune in the Lord’s body.
Pope Innocent used to enjoin septena [“of seven”] first for a mortal sin so that on Sunday they would eat milkfood twice that day; on Monday they would fast with a single-course meal related to fasting; on Tuesday they would have a milk-and-eggs dish or eggs twice. On Wednesday they would have bread and something to drink one time; on Thursday, likewise milkfood and eggs; on Friday, only bread and water together. But on the Sabbath they would make a pilgrimage through the churches, visiting the dwellings of the saints when they could instead have milkfood once. Once these were finished and absolution had been given, they were permitted to commune in the Lord’s body. Penance of this kind they used to call septenaria [“of seven”], or the septena of Innocent. But carena or carentina was a punishment which included the penance of quadragena and septena, since the penitent would thus abstain from foods and association with people and would fast on bread and water for forty days. Also, following this, the seven-year penance was imposed upon them in accord with the priest’s judgment so that they fasted and prayed certain prayers or did some good works one day in any week. This penance used to be imposed for any mortal sin according to the canons, despite the fact that the penitential canons are uncertain. Now, in letters of indulgences as the pope gives quadragena or septena or carena, he pretends to absolve those who use indulgences because of their debt, or he pretends to grant as much grace of forgiveness as they have earned through these penances. In this way, during a penitential year, he confers as much grace of forgiveness as a person has earned by himself by doing penance throughout the year.