The Dicastery for Legislative Texts, formerly named Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, is a

dicastery A dicastery (from gr, δικαστήριον, dikastērion, law-court, from Dikastes, δικαστής, 'judge, juror') is the name of some departments of the Roman Curia. ''Pastor bonus'' ''Pastor bonus'' (1988), includes this definition: ...

of the Roman Curia. It is distinct from the highest tribunal or court in the Church, which is the

Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura () is the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church (apart from the pope himself, who as supreme ecclesiastical judge is the final point of appeal for any ecclesiastical judgment). In additio ...

, and does not have law-making authority to the degree the Pope and the Holy See's tribunals do. Its charge is the interpretation of existing canon laws, and it works closely with the Signatura and the other Tribunals and the Pope. Like the Signatura and the other two final appellate Tribunals, the Roman Rota and the Apostolic Penitentiary, it is led by a prefect who is a bishop or archbishop. The current President of the Pontifical Council is Archbishop

Filippo Iannone Filippo Iannone (born 13 December 1957) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who has been president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts since April 2018. He has been a bishop since 2001 and an archbishop since 2012. He is a me ...

, the current Secretary is Bishop

Juan Ignacio Arrieta Ochoa de Chinchetru Juan Ignacio Arrieta Ochoa de Chinchetru (born 10 April 1951) is a Spanish prelate of the Catholic Church who has been secretary of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts since 15 February 2007. A bishop since 2008, he has held several oth ...

History and field of competence

On 14 May 1904,

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...

created the Commission for the Codification of Canon Law. It produced the

1917 Code of Canon Law The 1917 ''Code of Canon Law'' (abbreviated 1917 CIC, from its Latin title ), also referred to as the Pio-Benedictine Code,Dr. Edward Peters accessed June-9-2013 was the first official comprehensive codification of Latin canon law. Ordered ...

, promulgated by

Pope Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (Latin: ''Benedictus XV''; it, Benedetto XV), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, name=, group= (; 21 November 185422 January 1922), was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His ...

on 27 May 1917 to take effect on 19 May 1918. Pope Benedict then established the Pontifical Commission for Authentic Interpretation of the Code of Canon Law on 5 September 1917. On 28 March 1963,

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...

replaced it with the Pontifical Commission for the Revision of the Code of Canon Law, a revision called for by the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...

. On 11 July 1967,

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

established the Pontifical Commission for Interpretation of the Decrees of the Second Vatican Council and, two years later, extended its mandate to the interpretation of the documents issued by the Holy See to implement those decrees. After promulgating a new version of the Code of Canon Law in January 1983,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

erected the Pontifical Commission for Authentic Interpretation of the Code of Canon Law once again on 2 January 1984. Its competence included with the universal laws for the

Latin Rite Latin liturgical rites, or Western liturgical rites, are Catholic rites of public worship employed by the Latin Church, the largest particular church ''sui iuris'' of the Catholic Church, that originated in Europe where the Latin language once ...

within its purview. This Commission replaced those set up by his two predecessors. On 28 June 1988, the body was given its present name and its jurisdiction in the apostolic constitution ''

Pastor Bonus ''Pastor bonus'' (Latin: "The Good Shepherd") 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 Catholic Church. The docume ...

''. On 18 October 1990, its competence was extended to interpreting the

Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches The ''Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches'' (CCEC; la, Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium, abbreviated CCEO) is the title of the 1990 codification of the common portions of the canon law for the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches in the Catholic ...

and the laws shared in common by the

Eastern Catholic Churches The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also called the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous (''sui iuris'') particular churches of th ...

. ''

Pastor bonus ''Pastor bonus'' (Latin: "The Good Shepherd") 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 Catholic Church. The docume ...

'' states that the dicastery's work "consists mainly in interpreting the laws of the Church". (''

'', 154).

Presidents

; Pontifical Commission for Authentic Interpretation of the Code of Canon Law *

Pietro Gasparri Pietro Gasparri, GCTE (5 May 1852 – 18 November 1934) was a Roman Catholic cardinal, diplomat and politician in the Roman Curia and the signatory of the Lateran Pacts. He served also as Cardinal Secretary of State under Popes Benedict XV an ...

(15 September 1917 – 18 November 1934) *

Luigi Sincero Luigi Sincero (26 March 1870 – 7 February 1936) 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 Church ...

(12 December 1934 – 7 February 1936) *

Giulio Serafini Giulio Serafini (12 October 1867 – 16 July 1938) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who was made a Cardinal in 1930. He served as Prefect of the Congregation of the Council from 1930 until his death in 1938, after serving as th ...

(1936? – 16 July 1938) *

Massimo Massimi Massimo Massimi (10 April 1877 – 6 March 1954) 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. ...

(14 March 1939 – 29 May 1946) *

Pietro Ciriaci Pietro Ciriaci (2 December 1885 – 30 December 1966) 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 card ...

(31 May 1955 – 6 April 1963) ; Pontifical Commission for the Revision of the Code of Canon Law *

(6 April 1963 – 30 December 1966) *

Pericle Felici Pericle Felici (1 August 1911 – 22 March 1982) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church. From 1947 until his death he held various offices in the Roman Curia, including Secretary General of the Second Vatican Council, head of the Pon ...

(21 February 1967 – 22 March 1982) *

Rosalio José Castillo Lara Rosalio José Castillo Lara (4 September 1922 – 16 October 2007) was a Venezuelan prelate of the Catholic Church. He worked in the Roman Curia for almost all of his career, first with responsibility for rewriting the code of canon law and th ...

, SDB (17 May 1982 – 18 January 1984) ; Pontifical Commission for Authentic Interpretation of the Code of Canon Law *

, SDB (18 January 1984 – 6 December 1989) ;Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts *

Vincenzo Fagiolo Vincenzo Fagiolo (5 February 1918 in Segni – 22 September 2000) was an Italian cardinal and President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts from 1990 until 1994. Biography Fagiolo was educated at the Seminary of Segni, the Se ...

(15 December 1990 – 19 December 1994) *

Julián Herranz Casado Julián Herranz Casado (born 31 March 1930) 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 ...

(19 December 1994 – 15 February 2007) *

Francesco Coccopalmerio Francesco Coccopalmerio (6 March 1938) is an Italian cardinal. He was president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts from his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 15 February 2007 until his resignation was accepted by Pope Francis on 7 ...

(15 February 2007 – 7 April 2018) *

(7 April 2018 – present)

Secretaries

;Pontifical Commission for Authentic Interpretation of the Code of Canon Law *

(15 September 1917 – 23 May 1923) * Giuseppe Bruno (14 February 1924 – 16 February 1946) *

Gabriel Acacius Coussa Gabriel Acacius Coussa, Basilian Aleppian Order, BA (3 August 1897 – 29 July 1962) was a Syrian Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Melkite Catholic archbishop, expert in canon law and Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal. He served as secretary of the C ...

, BA (3 March 1946 – 13 August 1961) *

Giacomo Violardo Giacomo Violardo (10 May 1898 – 17 March 1978) 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 elevate ...

(2 April 1962 – 6 April 1963) ;Pontifical Commission for the Revision of the Code of Canon Law *

(6 April 1963 – 26 January 1965) * Raimondo Bidagor, S.J. (24 February 1965 – 1973) *

, S.D.B. (20 February 1975 – 17 May 1982) ; Pontifical Commission for Authentic Interpretation of the Code of Canon Law *

(19 January 1984 – 19 December 1994) ;Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts * Bruno Bertagna (19 December 1994 – 15 February 2007) *

(15 February 2007 – present)

Notes

References

External links