Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

"of pontifical right" is the term given to ecclesiastical institutions (religious and secular institutes, societies of apostolic life) either created by 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 R ...

, or approved by it with the formal decree known by the Latin name '' Decretum laudis'' decree of praise" The term is included in the names of institutions, often capitalised in English: "Institute of xxof Pontifical Right". The institutions of pontifical right depend immediately and exclusively on the Holy See on matters of internal governance and discipline. Code of Canon Law (C.I.C.)
can. 593

History

Until the 19th century religious communities were divided into two groups: regular orders with solemn vows and congregations of simple vows. Only those taking the solemn vows were valued by the Church and the civil authorities.''Direttorio canonico'', p. 53. In 1215, in the

Fourth Lateran Council The Fourth Council of the Lateran or Lateran IV was convoked by Pope Innocent III in April 1213 and opened at the Lateran Palace in Rome on 11 November 1215. Due to the great length of time between the Council's convocation and meeting, many ...

Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 ...

decreed that no regular orders could be founded without papal approval. The bishops, however, retained the right to form communities whose members lived the religious life without taking formal vows. These groups later took the name of "congregations of simple vows". The number of congregations of simple vows, especially women's, were increasing dramatically during the 17th and 18th centuries. In the early 19th century, many were seeking papal recognition from Rome. in 1816 the Holy See began to approve the congregations with simple vows, but they were still not recognized as religious institutions.''Direttorio canonico'', p. 54. In 1854 Giuseppe Andrea Bizzarri, the Secretary of the Sacred Congregation for Consultations About Regulars, created on the behalf of Pope

Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

a procedure for the approval of congregations of simple vows. This was communicated to the bishops in 1861. With this new procedure, the distinction was formally made for the creation of an institute, operated by a bishop, and its approval by the Holy See. After its foundation, the institute (i.e., congregation) would have the status "of diocesan right". Under this status, the institute would remain under the protection of the bishops of the diocese where it was founded, increasing its importance. If the Holy See grants the institute the ''decretum laudis'' ecree of approval the institute would be placed under its direct protection. The institute would thus acquire the status "of pontifical right". The distinction between the legal status of an institute of diocesan right and an institute of pontifical right was permanently drawn on 8 December 1900 by ''Conditae a Christo Ecclesiae'' atin, “Founded by the Church of Christ” the apostolic constitution of Pope

Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-ol ...

References

Bibliography

* {{cite book, language=it , title=Direttorio canonico per gli istituti religiosi, gli istituti secolari e le società di vita apostolica, trans-title=Canonical Directory for Religious Institutes, Secular Institutes and Societies of Apostolic Life, location=Cinisello Balsamo, Italy , publisher=Edizioni paoline, year=1988 , editor=Giuliano Nava , isbn=88-215-1618-0 Catholic canon law of religious