A Congregation of diocesan right (or Institute of diocesan right) is a type of religious congregation codified by the laws of the Catholic church, wherein the congregation is under the authority of a particular local

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

, rather than that of 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 ...

. A congregation responsible directly to the pope is a congregation of pontifical right. Most of the major religious orders are congregations of pontifical right. The major types of religious associations recognized by canon law are: 1. Public Association of the FaithfulCode of Canon law
Associations of the faithful
accessed 18 August 2012. 2. Institutes of Consecrated Life *a. Institute of diocesan right *b. Institute of pontifical right

References

Catholic canon law of religious Catholic canonical structures {{RC-Canon-law-stub