The ''decretum laudis'', Latin for “decree of praise”, is the official measure with which the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

grants to institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life the recognition of ecclesiastical institution of pontifical right. When the decree of praise is issued in the form of an apostolic brief, it is just short of the ''decretum laudis''.

Canon Law

To create a new religious community, it is necessary to get, in the beginning, permission from the proper department in the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church (the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, the

Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: * Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administr ...

, or the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, depending on the purpose of the institute and the coverage of its activities) and also the approval of the

Ordinary Ordinary or The Ordinary often refer to: Music * ''Ordinary'' (EP) (2015), by South Korean group Beast * ''Ordinary'' (Every Little Thing album) (2011) * "Ordinary" (Two Door Cinema Club song) (2016) * "Ordinary" (Wayne Brady song) (2008) * ...

of the diocese of origin, usually the bishop (or the archbishop). When they are obtained, the congregation is then called “ of diocesan right”. When the congregation has grown in importance and when its spiritual and apostolic maturity is observed, it can be formally approved by the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

with the ''decretum laudis'', which transforms it into a congregation of pontifical right, subject to immediate and exclusive authority of the Holy See. Generally, it is followed by the temporary approval and the final approval.

Structure

The ''decretum laudis'' contains, as a rule, a summary of the historical origins of the congregation, and a brief description of the purpose and the constitution of the same, references and letters from the bishops, and the examination made by the appropriate

Congregation A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: *Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administra ...

of the institute. It concludes with the approval and recommendation, ''amplissimis verbis'' (Latin, “in the strongest terms”), of the institute in question. The practice of using ''decretum laudis'' by the Popes to grant the recognition of the pontifical right to the congregations began to be consolidated in the years between the 18th and 19th centuries, although in the beginning these decrees were followed by formal acts in the form of the Papal bull and

Papal brief A papal brief or breve is a formal document emanating from the Pope, in a somewhat simpler and more modern form than a papal bull. History The introduction of briefs, which occurred at the beginning of the pontificate of Pope Eugene IV (3 Marc ...

References

* (it) J. Torres, “''Documenti pontifici di approvazione''”

apal Documents of Approval Apal is a small-scale automobile company originally from Belgium. Phase 1 -APAL - s.à.r.l. Application Polyester Armé de Liège (1961–1998) Glass-fibre specialist ''Edmond Pery'' founded this small automobile manufacturing company in Ble ...

In: ''Dizionario degli istituti di perfezione'' ictionary of the Institutes of Perfection vol. III, (Milan: ''San Paolo Edizioni''

t. Paul Editions T is the twentieth letter of the Latin alphabet. (For the same letterform in the Cyrillic and Greek alphabets, see Te and Tau respectively). T may also refer to: Codes and units * T, Tera- as in one trillion * T, the symbol for "True" in lo ...

1977) {{ISBN, 88-215-2196-6, pp. 751–777. *

Canon Law

Structure

References

See also