Pope Paul VI's reform of the Roman Curia
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Pope Paul VI
's reform of the Roman Curia
, in response to the altered needs of the Holy See
and the Catholic Church as a whole, was achieved principally, but not solely, by his general reorganization of the Curia with the apostolic constitution
Regimini Ecclesiae universae of 15 August 1967.
The Pope's aim, in effecting these changes, was to implement the desire expressed by the Second Vatican Council
that the departments of the Roman Curia "be reorganized and better adapted to the needs of the times, regions, and rites especially as regards their number, name, competence and peculiar method of procedure, as well as the coordination of work among them."
Implementation of this desire led to numerous alterations in each of the fields that the Council indicated, as indicated in the following examples.
, the three Secretariats (that for Christian Unity
, that for non-Christians
and that for Dialogue with Non-Believers, the last of which has since been fused with the more recently founded Pontifical Council for Culture
) and the Central Statistics Office.
New bodies (largely taking over functions previously carried out, sometimes in less coordinated form, by earlier bodies) were founded by the same apostolic constitution. They included two offices to manage and oversee financial affairs, the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See and the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See
.
Pope Paul had already created on 6 January 1967 the Pontifical Commission Iustitia et Pax
, to which he added on 15 July 1971 the Pontifical Council Cor Unum
under the same President.
, clearly indicating its field of competence. With Regimini Ecclesiae universae, the Sacred Consistorial Congregation became the Sacred Congregation for Bishops
(a less obscure indication of its field of competence), the Sacred Congregation for the Oriental Church became the Sacred Congregation for the Oriental Churches
(recognizing the existence of several Eastern Catholic Churches, not just one – it was also raised in rank ahead of the Congregation for Bishops), the Sacred Congregation of the Council (i.e., the Council of Trent) became the Congregation for the Clergy (its field of competence), the Sacred Congregation of Religious became the Sacred Congregation for the Religious and Secular Institutes
(making explicit its competence for institutes other than religious institutes in the strict sense), the Sacred Congregation of the Propagation of the Faith became the Sacred Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
(considered to be a better indication of its purpose), and the Sacred Congregation of Seminaries and Universities became the Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education
(reflecting a wider competence than indicated by its previous name).
The pre-existing Sacred Congregation of Rites was divided into two on 8 May1969 in accordance with its two distinct fields of competence. One part became the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of Saints
, competent to deal with causes of beatification
and canonization
. The other became the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship, which was later united with the existing Sacred Congregation for the Discipline of the Sacraments to form the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
.
The competence of some offices had already been reduced to next to nothing. As a result, the Sacred Ceremonial Congregation and the Apostolic Datary were simply abolished with Regimini Ecclesiae universae. The functions of the Apostolic Chancery, reduced by Pope Pius X
in 1908 to little more than signing papal bull
s were transferred in 1973 to the Cardinal Secretary of State
.
The competence of the Sacred Roman Rota and the Apostolic Signatura
was extended.
New departments for new fields of competence were established. They have been indicated above under the heading, "Number".
The permanent staff is to be of international provenance, chosen from people with suitable preparation and with pastoral experience. These have no claim on promotion to the highest positions.
Each congregation is to have consultors, who are appointed for five-year (renewable) periods.
Account must be taken of the wishes of the episcopal conference
s.
The most widely known languages may be used, as well as Latin
.Regimini Ecclesiae universae, 10
Pope Paul also laid down that on the death of a pope the posts of heads of departments would become vacant, with the exception of the posts of Cardinal Vicar for Rome, Camerlengo
and Major Penitentiary. A new pope would thus be free to make his own choice of heads of departments.
Other meetings between officials of more than one departments are also held in accordance with needs. Meetings involving the Congregations for Bishops, for the Clergy, for Religious, and for Catholic Education are to held at fixed times to deal with questions concerning the clergy in general.
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...
's reform 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...
, in response to the altered needs of the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
and the Catholic Church as a whole, was achieved principally, but not solely, by his general reorganization of the Curia with the apostolic constitution
Apostolic constitution
An apostolic constitution is the highest level of decree issued by the Pope. The use of the term constitution comes from Latin constitutio, which referred to any important law issued by the Roman emperor, and is retained in church documents because of the inheritance that the canon law of the...
Regimini Ecclesiae universae of 15 August 1967.
The Pope's aim, in effecting these changes, was to implement the desire expressed 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...
that the departments of the Roman Curia "be reorganized and better adapted to the needs of the times, regions, and rites especially as regards their number, name, competence and peculiar method of procedure, as well as the coordination of work among them."
Implementation of this desire led to numerous alterations in each of the fields that the Council indicated, as indicated in the following examples.
Number
Some departments were suppressed, but the total number was increased , even before Regimini Ecclesiae universae, by the creation of the Council of the LaityPontifical Council for the Laity
The Pontifical Council for the Laity has the responsibility of assisting the Pope in his dealings with the laity in lay ecclesial movements or individually, and their contributions to the Church. The Cardinal President of the Council is Cardinal Stanisław Ryłko. The Secretary is Bishop Josef...
, the three Secretariats (that for Christian Unity
Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity origins are associated with the Second Vatican Council which met intermittently from 1962–1965.Pope John XXIII wanted the Catholic Church to engage in the contemporary ecumenical movement...
, that for non-Christians
Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue
The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue is a dicastery of the Roman Curia, erected by Pope Paul VI on 19 May 1964 as the Secretariat for Non-Christians, and renamed by Pope John Paul II on 28 June 1988....
and that for Dialogue with Non-Believers, the last of which has since been fused with the more recently founded Pontifical Council for Culture
Pontifical Council for Culture
The Pontifical Council for Culture is a department of the Roman Curia charged with fostering the relationship of the Catholic Church with different cultures. Pope John Paul II founded it on 20 May 1982...
) and the Central Statistics Office.
New bodies (largely taking over functions previously carried out, sometimes in less coordinated form, by earlier bodies) were founded by the same apostolic constitution. They included two offices to manage and oversee financial affairs, the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See and the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See
Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See
The Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See is an office of the Roman Curia, erected on 15 August 1967, and entrusted with overseeing all the offices of the Holy See that manage finances, regardless of their degree of autonomy....
.
Pope Paul had already created on 6 January 1967 the Pontifical Commission Iustitia et Pax
Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace is a part of the Roman Curia dedicated to "action-oriented studies" for the international promotion of justice, peace, and human rights from the perspective of the Roman Catholic Church...
, to which he added on 15 July 1971 the Pontifical Council Cor Unum
Pontifical Council Cor Unum
The Pontifical Council Cor Unum for Human and Christian Development is a part of the Curia of the Catholic Church. It was established by Pope Paul VI on 15 July 1971 and is based in the Palazzo San Callisto, in Piazza San Callisto, Rome....
under the same President.
Name
The department formerly known as the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office became on 7 December 1965 the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the FaithCongregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , previously known as the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition , and after 1904 called the Supreme...
, clearly indicating its field of competence. With Regimini Ecclesiae universae, the Sacred Consistorial Congregation became the Sacred Congregation for Bishops
Congregation for Bishops
The Congregation for Bishops is the congregation of the Roman Curia which oversees the selection of new bishops that are not in mission territories or those areas that come under the jurisdiction of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches who deal with the Eastern Catholics, pending papal...
(a less obscure indication of its field of competence), the Sacred Congregation for the Oriental Church became the Sacred Congregation for the Oriental Churches
Congregation for the Oriental Churches
The Congregation for the Oriental Churches is the dicastery of the Roman Curia responsible for contact with the Eastern Catholic Churches for the sake of assisting their development, protecting their rights and also maintaining whole and entire in the one Catholic Church, alongside the liturgical,...
(recognizing the existence of several Eastern Catholic Churches, not just one – it was also raised in rank ahead of the Congregation for Bishops), the Sacred Congregation of the Council (i.e., the Council of Trent) became the Congregation for the Clergy (its field of competence), the Sacred Congregation of Religious became the Sacred Congregation for the Religious and Secular Institutes
Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life is the congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for everything which concerns institutes of consecrated life and Society of Apostolic Life regarding their government, discipline, studies, goods, rights, and...
(making explicit its competence for institutes other than religious institutes in the strict sense), the Sacred Congregation of the Propagation of the Faith became the Sacred Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in Rome is the congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for missionary work and related activities...
(considered to be a better indication of its purpose), and the Sacred Congregation of Seminaries and Universities became the Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education
Congregation for Catholic Education
The Congregation for Catholic Education is the Pontifical congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for: seminaries and houses of formation of...
(reflecting a wider competence than indicated by its previous name).
Competence
The altered names of departments indicated in some cases a change of competence.The pre-existing Sacred Congregation of Rites was divided into two on 8 May1969 in accordance with its two distinct fields of competence. One part became the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of Saints
Congregation for the Causes of Saints
The Congregation for the Causes of Saints is the congregation of the Roman Curia which oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, passing through the steps of a declaration of "heroic virtues" and beatification...
, competent to deal with causes of beatification
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
and canonization
Canonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
. The other became the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship, which was later united with the existing Sacred Congregation for the Discipline of the Sacraments to form the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments is the congregation of the Roman Curia that handles most affairs relating to liturgical practices of the Latin Catholic Church as distinct from the Eastern Catholic Churches and also some technical matters relating to the...
.
The competence of some offices had already been reduced to next to nothing. As a result, the Sacred Ceremonial Congregation and the Apostolic Datary were simply abolished with Regimini Ecclesiae universae. The functions of the Apostolic Chancery, reduced by Pope Pius X
Pope Pius X
Pope Saint Pius X , born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, was the 257th Pope of the Catholic Church, serving from 1903 to 1914. He was the first pope since Pope Pius V to be canonized. Pius X rejected modernist interpretations of Catholic doctrine, promoting traditional devotional practices and orthodox...
in 1908 to little more than signing papal bull
Papal bull
A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....
s were transferred in 1973 to the Cardinal Secretary of State
Cardinal Secretary of State
The Cardinal Secretary of State—officially Secretary of State of His Holiness The Pope—presides over the Holy See, usually known as the "Vatican", Secretariat of State, which is the oldest and most important dicastery of the Roman Curia...
.
The competence of the Sacred Roman Rota and the Apostolic Signatura
Apostolic Signatura
The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura is the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church...
was extended.
New departments for new fields of competence were established. They have been indicated above under the heading, "Number".
Procedure
Originally, only cardinals were members of the congregations of the Curia. Pope Paul VI decreed that the members should be chosen also among bishops who were not cardinals. With Regimini Ecclesiae universae he laid down also that appointments whether of cardinals or of bishops to membership of congregations and even appointments to head departments would be for five-year periods only, but that renewed appointment for a further five-year period would also be possible. As before, the members of a congregation do not intervene in the day-to-day running of the congregation, which is in the hands of the Prefect and of the permanent staff, headed generally by the Secretary and the Undersecretary. Membership is thus open to bishops who rule distant dioceses, since normally they come together to discuss more general problems and to determine guidelines no more than once a year.The permanent staff is to be of international provenance, chosen from people with suitable preparation and with pastoral experience. These have no claim on promotion to the highest positions.
Each congregation is to have consultors, who are appointed for five-year (renewable) periods.
Account must be taken of the wishes of the episcopal conference
Episcopal Conference
In the Roman Catholic Church, an Episcopal Conference, Conference of Bishops, or National Conference of Bishops is an official assembly of all the bishops of a given territory...
s.
The most widely known languages may be used, as well as Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
.Regimini Ecclesiae universae, 10
Pope Paul also laid down that on the death of a pope the posts of heads of departments would become vacant, with the exception of the posts of Cardinal Vicar for Rome, Camerlengo
Camerlengo
The Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church The Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church (pl. Camerlenghi) The Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church (pl. Camerlenghi) (Italian for "Chamberlain", when referred to the Holy See; when referred to secular courts the word is "Ciambellano", pl...
and Major Penitentiary. A new pope would thus be free to make his own choice of heads of departments.
Coordination
Periodical meetings of the heads of departments can be called by the Cardinal Secretary of State with a view to coordinating activities, providing information and gathering suggestions.Other meetings between officials of more than one departments are also held in accordance with needs. Meetings involving the Congregations for Bishops, for the Clergy, for Religious, and for Catholic Education are to held at fixed times to deal with questions concerning the clergy in general.