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Monsignor
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Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord". In English, it is abbreviated Msgr, Mgr, or Mons.
As a form of address, "Monsignor" is not itself an appointment (properly speaking, one cannot be "made a monsignor" nor can one be "the monsignor of a parish").
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Encyclopedia
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord". In English, it is abbreviated Msgr, Mgr, or Mons.
As a form of address, "Monsignor" is not itself an appointment (properly speaking, one cannot be "made a monsignor" nor can one be "the monsignor of a parish"). It is a title associated with honorary awards, as "Sir" or "Chevalier" is associated with a knighthood. The three awards or offices most often associated with the style "monsignor" are Protonotary Apostolic, Honorary Prelate, and Chaplain of His Holiness. These awards are granted by the Pope, usually at the request of the local bishop.
Title and forms of address
In some countries, Monsignor (or its foreign language equivalent) is the usual style of address for all higher prelates of the Catholic Church below the rank of cardinal or patriarch, including bishops and archbishops. In other countries, particularly English-speaking ones, it is not used for bishops, but only for priests who have received certain specific honorary awards or who hold certain offices.
The written form of address for a priest-monsignor is: "the Reverend Monsignor (last name)", and the spoken form of address is: "Monsignor (last name)".
"Most Reverend Monsignor" (in Italian, Reverendissimo Monsignore) is used for bishops and also for Prelates without episcopal rank who head offices of the Roman Curia, for judges of the Rota, for the Promotor General of Justice and the Defender of the Bond of the Apostolic Signatura, for the Apostolic Protonotaries "de numero", and for the four Clerics of the Camera.
Before the simplification of ecclesiastical titles in 1969, those of the lowest class were addressed in English as "Very Reverend Monsignor" (in Latin, Reverendissimus Dominus; in Italian, Reverendissimo Monsignore) and those belonging to the higher classes were addressed as "Right Reverend Monsignor" (in Latin, Illustrissimus et Reverendissimus Dominus; in Italian, Illustrissimo e Reverendissimo Monsignore)
Classes of monsignori
Pope Paul VI's motu proprio Pontificalis Domus of 28 March 1968 simplified the classification of monsignori or lesser prelates. Previously they were divided into at least 14 different grades, including domestic prelates, four kinds of protonotaries apostolic, four kinds of papal chamberlains, and at least five types of papal chaplains.
Since 1968, Apostolic Protonotaries are classified either de numere or supernumerary. Most of the former classes of Chamberlains and Chaplains have been abolished, leaving only a single class of "Chaplains of His Holiness", a specifically priestly-sounding category.
As a result monsignori are now classed into the following three ranks, in descending order of precedence:
- Apostolic Protonotary, of which two types are retained:
- de numero (the highest and least common form, customarily only seven)
- supernumerary (the highest grade of monsignor found outside Rome)
- Honorary Prelate of His Holiness (formerly "Domestic Prelate")
[Annuario Pontificio 2008, p. 1915] - Chaplain of His Holiness (formerly "Supernumerary Privy Chamberlain")
For the history of each of these classes of monsignori, see the article on each.
Before 1968, the appointment of a Privy Chamberlain expired at the death of the Pope who granted it. This no longer holds. Those listed in the index of the Annuario Pontificio as Chaplains of His Holiness continue to be listed in the edition that follow the death of the Pope, as after the deaths of Popes Paul VI and John Paul I in 1978 and after that of Pope John Paul II in 2005.
Ecclesiastical dress
The 1969 Instruction of the Secretariat of State also simplified the dress of monsignori.
- Chaplains of His Holiness use a purple-trimmed black cassock with purple sash for all occasions.
- Honorary Prelates use a red-trimmed black cassock with purple sash for all occasions. The red is the same shade as that used by bishops. They may use a purple cassock as their choir dress for liturgical events of special solemnity.
- Supernumerary Apostolic Protonotaries dress the same as Honorary Prelates. As an additional privilege, they have the option of also using a purple ferraiuolo, a silk cape worn with the red-trimmed black cassock for non-liturgical events of special solemnity (for instance, graduations and commencements).
- Apostolic Protonotaries de numero (and other superior prelates of the offices of the Roman curia who are not bishops and who, as indicated above, may be addressed as Most Reverend Monsignor) have the same dress as other Apostolic Protonotaries, but wear the mantelletta in choir and a black biretta with a red tuft. They are thus called prelati di mantelletta (prelates of the mantelletta) because of this distinctive item of dress.
Other monsignori
Under legislation of Pope Pius X, vicars general and vicars capitular (the latter are now called diocesan administrators) are titular (not actual) Protonotaries durante munere, i.e. as long as they held those offices, and so are entitled to be addressed as Monsignor.
The only privileges of dress that Pope Pius X granted them were a black silk fringed sash, black piping on the biretta with a black tuft, and a black mantelletta. As a result of this they were in some countries referred to as "black protonotaries." However, "Pontificalis domus" of Paul VI removed this position from the Pontifical Household, even though the title of "monsignor", which is to be distinguished from a prelatial rank, has not been withdrawn from vicars general, as can be seen, for instance, from the placing of the abbreviated title "Mons." before the name of every member of the secular (diocesan) clergy listed as a vicar general in the Annuario Pontificio. (Honorary titles such as that of "Monsignor" are not considered appropriate for religious.)
The Secretariat of State has set minimum qualifications of age and priesthood for the appointment of Chaplains of His Holiness (35 years of age and 10 of priesthood), Honorary Prelates (45 of age and 15 of priesthood) and Protonotaries Apostolic Supernumerary (55 of age and 20 of priesthood). However, it waives the minimum age limit for vicars general and judicial vicars proposed for appointment as Honorary Prelates, in view of the fact that, as long as they hold the office of vicar general or judicial vicar, they also hold the still higher rank of Protonotary Apostolic Supernumerary. For the same reason, the Secretariat of State does not consider it appropriate that someone who is already a vicar general or judicial vicar be appointed only a Chaplain of His Holiness.
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