Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts
Encyclopedia
The Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts is part of the Roman Curia
Roman Curia
The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...

. Its work "consists mainly in interpreting the laws of the Church". (Pastor Bonus
Pastor Bonus
Pastor Bonus is an Apostolic Constitution promulgated by Pope John Paul II on 28 June 1988. It instituted a number of reforms in the process of running the central government of the Roman Catholic Church, as article 1 states "The Roman Curia is the complex of dicasteries and institutes which help...

, 154).

The current President of the Pontifical Council is Archbishop Francesco Coccopalmerio
Francesco Coccopalmerio
Francesco Coccopalmerio is the current President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 15 February 2007.-Early life:...

, the current Secretary is Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta Ochoa de Chinchetru
Juan Ignacio Arrieta Ochoa de Chinchetru
Juan Ignacio Arrieta Ochoa de Chinchetru is secretary of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts since 15 February 2007....

, and the current Undersecretary is José Gonçalves de Almeida.

History and field of competence

The Pontifical Commission for Authentic Interpretation of the Code of Canon Law that Pope Benedict XV
Pope Benedict XV
Pope Benedict XV , born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, reigned as Pope from 3 September 1914 to 22 January 1922...

 established on 5 September 1917 continued in existence until replaced on 18 March 1963 by Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...

's Pontifical Commission for the Revision of the Code of Canon Law, a revision called for by the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...

. Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...

 established on 11 July 1967 the Pontifical Commission for Interpretation of the Decrees of the Second Vatican Council and, two years later, extended its mandate to the interpretation also of the documents issued by the Holy See to implement those decrees.

On 2 January 1984, Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...

 set up the Pontifical Commission for Authentic Interpretation of the Code of Canon Law, with competence regarding the new Code of Canon Law promulgated the year before and the universal laws for the Latin Rite. This Commission replaced those mentioned in the previous paragraph. On 28 June 1988, it was given its present name.

On 18 October 1990, its competence was extended to interpreting the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches
Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches
The Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches is the title of the 1990 codification of the common portions of the Canon Law for the 22 of the 23 sui iuris Churches in the Catholic Church. The Roman or Latin rite Church is guided by its own particular Canons...

 and the laws shared in common by the Eastern Catholic Churches.

Presidents of the Pontifical Council and its predecessors

  • Pietro Gasparri
    Pietro Gasparri
    Pietro Gasparri was a Roman Catholic archbishop, diplomat and politician in the Roman Curia and signatory of the Lateran Pacts.- Biography :...

     (18 Oct 1917 - 7 Feb 1930)
  • Giulio Serafini
    Giulio Serafini
    Giulio Serafini, J.U.D. was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as President of the Pontifical Commission for the Authentic Interpretation of Code of Canon Law and Prefect of the Congregation of the Council....

     (30 Jun 1930 - 16 Jul 1938)
  • Luigi Sincero
    Luigi Sincero
    Luigi Sincero was a Roman Catholic Cardinal and President of the Pontifical Commission for the Authentic Interpretation of the Code of Canon Law and Secretary of Sacred Congregation for the Oriental Churches, the title of Prefect held by the Popes from 1917 until 1967.He was born in Trino...

     (12 Dec 1934 - 7 Feb 1936)
  • Massimo Massimi
    Massimo Massimi
    Massimo Massimi was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura in the Roman Curia from 1946 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1935.-Biography:...

     (14 Mar 1939 - 29 May 1946)
  • Pietro Ciriaci
    Pietro Ciriaci
    Pietro Ciriaci was an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as prefect of the Sacred Congregation of the Council in the Roman Curia from 1954 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1953 by Pope Pius XII.-Biography:Ciriaci was born in Rome to Giuseppe Ciriaci and his...

     (31 May 1955 - 30 Dec 1966)
  • Pericle Felici (1967 - 22 Mar 1982 )
  • Rosalio José Castillo Lara
    Rosalio José Castillo Lara
    Rosalio José Castillo Lara JCD was a Venezuelan Roman Catholic cardinal.-Early life and ordination:Castillo Lara was born in San Casimiro, diocese of Maracay, in Venezuela's Aragua State, on 4 September 1922...

     (18 Jan 1984 - 6 Dec 1989)
  • Vincenzo Fagiolo
    Vincenzo Fagiolo
    Vincenzo Fagiolo S.T.D. J.C.D. was an Italian righteous among the nations, a Cardinal, and from 1990 until 1994 President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts....

     (15 Dec 1990 - 19 Dec 1994)
  • Julián Herranz Casado
    Julián Herranz Casado
    Julián Herranz Casado is a Spanish Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as President of the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts in the Roman Curia from 1994 to 2007, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 2003.One of only two cardinals—along with Juan Luis...

     (19 December 1994–2 April 2005; 21 April 2005–15 February 2007)
  • Francesco Coccopalmerio
    Francesco Coccopalmerio
    Francesco Coccopalmerio is the current President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 15 February 2007.-Early life:...

     (15 February 2007 - present)

Secretaries of the Pontifical Council and its predecessors

  • Luigi Sincero
    Luigi Sincero
    Luigi Sincero was a Roman Catholic Cardinal and President of the Pontifical Commission for the Authentic Interpretation of the Code of Canon Law and Secretary of Sacred Congregation for the Oriental Churches, the title of Prefect held by the Popes from 1917 until 1967.He was born in Trino...

     (18 Oct 1917 – 23 May 1923)
  • Giuseppe Bruno
    Giuseppe Bruno
    Giuseppe Bruno was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Secretary of the Sacred Congregation of the Council and as Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura. He was born in Sezzadio, Italy.-Education:...

     (14 Feb 1924 – 16 Feb 1946)
  • Gabriel Acacius Coussa
    Gabriel Acacius Coussa
    Gabriel Acacius Coussa was a Syrian Melkite Catholic archbishop, expert in canon law and cardinal. He served as secretary of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches and was the first Eastern Catholic to hold this position....

    , B.A.
    Bachelor of Arts
    A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

     (3 Mar 1946 – 19 Mar 1962)
  • Giacomo Violardo
    Giacomo Violardo
    Giacomo Violardo was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Secretary of the Sacred Congregation for the Discipline of the Sacraments in the Roman Curia from 1965 to 1969, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1969.-Biography:Giacomo Violardo was born in Govone, and...

     (1962 – 26 Gen 1965)
  • Raimondo Bidagor, S.J.
    Society of Jesus
    The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...

     (1965 – 1973)
  • Rosalio José Castillo Lara
    Rosalio José Castillo Lara
    Rosalio José Castillo Lara JCD was a Venezuelan Roman Catholic cardinal.-Early life and ordination:Castillo Lara was born in San Casimiro, diocese of Maracay, in Venezuela's Aragua State, on 4 September 1922...

    , S.D.B. (12 Feb 1975 – 22 May 1982)
  • Julián Herranz Casado
    Julián Herranz Casado
    Julián Herranz Casado is a Spanish Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as President of the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts in the Roman Curia from 1994 to 2007, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 2003.One of only two cardinals—along with Juan Luis...

     (1983 – 19 Dec 1994)
  • Bruno Bertagna (1994 – 15 Feb 2007)
  • Juan Ignacio Arrieta Ochoa de Chinchetru
    Juan Ignacio Arrieta Ochoa de Chinchetru
    Juan Ignacio Arrieta Ochoa de Chinchetru is secretary of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts since 15 February 2007....

    (15 Feb 2007 - )

External links

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