Work of the Roman Curia: Insight and Perspectives by Roberto Regoli For the Roman Curia came into existence for this purpose, that the fruitful communion we mentioned might be strengthened and make ever more bountiful progress, rendering more effective the task of pastor of the Church which Christ entrusted to Peter and his successors, a task that has been growing and expanding from day to day. (Pastor Bonus, Introduction, n.3) The Roman Curia is the complex of dicasteries and institutes which help the Roman Pontiff in the exercise of his supreme pastoral office for the good and service of the whole Church and of the particular Churches. It thus strengthens the unity of the faith and the communion of the people of God and promotes the mission proper to the Church in the world. (Pastor Bonus, art. 1) What is the Roman Curia? • The Roman Curia is a Catholic structure of the second millenium (from XI century) o (before then we had other structures) • The term “Curia” has had many meanings over the centuries: o the Court of the Pope o the Vicariate of Rome (the administration of the Diocese of Rome) o the legacies, the prefects and apostolic administrators, and also the Pontifical Family • From 1908 (Constitution “Sapienti Consilio”) the term only indicates the central organ of the Holy See What is the goal of Roman Curia? • to assist the Pope in • - governing the Universal Church • - administrating the Papal States • From 1908 (Constitution “Sapienti Consilio”) the Curia helps the Pope only in • - governing the Universal Church o From 1929 Vatican City State, BUT this isn’t Roman Curia • Roman Curia doesn’t attend bishops’ or episcopal conferences How is the Curia structured? Various bodies help the pope in carrying out his activities: o Secretariat(s) o Congregations o (Pontificals Councils) o Tribunals o Offices o Commissions o (Committees) Some of these bodies are ordinary (e.g. permanent in time, maybe for one pontificate or more) and some extraordinary (e.g. they are created ad hoc, in order to face new or urgent situations) History of Curia • Great transformation in 1588 during the pontificate of Pope Sixtus V (Felice Peretti, pontiff 1585–1590), with the Consitution “Immensa Aeterni Dei” • He organised the Curia in: 1. Offices 2. Tribunals 3. Congregations NEW!!! 4. Secretaries • Before the reform we had: Tribunals (Penitentiary, Roman Rota), Apostolic Chamber, Chancellery, Consistory of cardinals… Why reform? • To govern better • To overcome possible opposition from cardinals in Consistory Congregation types 1. Congregation for the Holy Inquisition (founded in 1542) 2. Congregation for the Signatura of Grace 3. Congregation for the erection of Churches and consistorial provision 4. Congregation for the abundance of supplies and prosperity of the Church’s temporal dominions 5. Congregation for sacred rites and ceremonies 6. Congregation for equipping the fleet and maintaining it for the defence of the Church’s dominions 7. Congregation for an Index of forbidden books 8. Congregation for the execution and interpretation of the Council of Trent (founded in 1564) 9. Congregation for relieving the ills of the States of the Church 10. Congregation for University of the Roman study 11. Congregation for Consultations about Regulars (founded in 1586) 12. Congregation for Consultations about bishops and other prelates 13. Congregation for taking care of roads, bridges, and waters 14. Congregation for the Vatican printing-press 15. Congregation for regulations of the affairs of the Church’s temporal dominions What is Congregation? • The Roman Congregations are the great ministries of the Holy See • Their name derives from the specialized assemblies of cardinals held during the 16° century, wich were convened by the Pope to seek advice of the cardinals on questions arising in Rome • The Congregations are the regular meetings of a group of cardinals • The Congregations are decisionmaking bodies with ordinary power of governance and legal authority to exercice their competence • This power is simply a vicarial authority as it is exercised only on behalf of the pope, who is the true holder of supreme power within the Church Structure of Congregation • The head of the Congregation: a cardinal prefect (or an archibishop pro-prefect awaiting promotion to cardinal) • Secretary: a prelate (during the centuries, he will be always more a archibishop) • Undersecretary (in the contemporary era) • It was possible for a cardinal to belong to many different Congregations at the same time • Consequently, there was a certain collegiality [and so, no Council of Ministers was ever needed] • Temporary Commissions were established ad hoc (to deal with a certain issue, an urgent situation, or to resolve questions of principle) o this method of governing allowed the Pope to dismiss from Church government, those cardinals who were considered mediocre or opponents of the new papal policy XVI-XIX centuries No significant changes until XIX century o Just little reforms (new Congregations) o During the pontificate of Pius IX, the structure of the government of the Church and the government of Papal States became increasingly distinct After 1870 (end of “temporary power” of Popes) the Curia switched • from a joint mission of administration of Papal States and direction of the Church • to an exclusive “Catholic” center of government of the Universal Church • At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries the entire curial structure faced an important moment of transition o the constant bureaucratization of the Curia and of its Congregations (to the detriment of effective collegiality) • The Congregations of cardinals were reduced to a Chamber of registration and the cardinals were excluded from the build-up to the decision so that they could intervene only in the last phase o The cardinals frequently followed the guidelines of the Secretary of the Congregation and of its consultants o The Congress of Major Officials increased its role and its decisional power at the expense of the congregation of cardinals. o In a certain sense, the tradition of acting collegially in the Curia lost its raison d’être in favour of more efficiency. Curia Romana semper reformanda (Roman Curia is to be reformed continuously) Throughout 19th century, reform was a continuous agenda as: • an answer to external upheavals, such as the consequences of the French Revolution in Europe and in the world • an answer to internal needs o From the reform plan of Monsignor Sala in 1814 o è Monsignor Pecci (Leone XIII) èCardinal Mertel èCardinal Gasparri o è Monsignor Pierantozzi è Cardinal Agliardi (1903) è Cardinal De Lai ê Pio X (reform in 1908) Reform in the curial self-understanding: - as modernization of the administration - as a spiritual purification of the individual members of the Curia (in the sense of wanting to be “perfect Christians”) - as a purification of the Church from “human element” In this way it became a “reform which built up” and not only a “reform which destroyed”. Pius X (1903-1914) • Pius X moved in the wake of a curial tradition animated by a spirit of renewal • Catholic centralization process • Juridical-canonical reform of the organization of the government • Relationship of the Church with modernity o institutional modernity o modernity of the forms of governing Curia in 1903: unnecessarily complex and all too expensive • 21 Congregations o Inquisition, Consistorial, Apostolic Visitation, Over the status of Regulars, Bishops and Regulars, Council, Residence of the Bishops, Ecclesiastical immunity, Propaganda Fide, Propaganda Fide for the Eastern Rite affairs, Index, Rites, Ceremonial, Regular discipline, Indulgences and Sacred Relics, Bishops examination, “Fabbrica di S. Pietro” (Fabric of St. Peter’s), Loreto, Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs, Studi, De eligendis Italiae episcopis • 3 Tribunals o Apostolic Penitentiary, Apostolic Signatura and Roman Rota • 3 Offices o Apostolic Chancery, Dataria and Apostolic Chamber • 6 Secretariats o Secretariat of State , Apostolic Briefs , Briefs to Princes, Latin letters, “Uditorato di Sua Santità” and “Officio del Sostituto del S. Concistoro” Pius X, Constitution “Sapienti consilio” (1908) The following institutions cease to exist o Congregation for the residence of Bishops o Secretariat of Briefs (joined to Secretariat of State, as III section) o Congregation of Loreto (joined to Council Congregation) o Congregation of Apostolic Visitation (è transfer of skills to Vicariate of Rome) o “Uditorato di Sua Santità” (è transfer of skills to Consistorial Congregation) o “Ufficio del Sostituto del Concistoro” (è transfer of skills to Consistorial Congregation) With the reform of 1908 the “Inquisition” took the name of the “Holy Office” Pius X, Constitution “Sapienti consilio” (1908) • 11 Congregations o Holy Office, Consistorial, Sacraments, Council, Religious, Propaganda Fide, Index, Rites, Ceremonial, Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs, Seminaries and Universities • 3 Tribunals o Apostolic Penitentiary, Apostolic Signatura and Roman Rota • 3 Secretariats o Secretariat of State – I Section, Extraordinary Affairs, II, Ordinaries Affairs, III, Apostolic Briefs –, Briefs to Princes and Latin letters • 3 Offices o Apostolic Chancery, Dataria and Apostolic Chamber “Sapienti Consilio” • This reform - is technical and administrative (mainly addressed to the Congregations) - shakes the static situation of the Curia - improves the bureaucratic aspect (strict bureaucratic rationalization) • The guidelines of the reform of 1908 aimed