it, Dicastero per il Culto Divino e la Disciplina dei Sacramenti , type = Dicastery , seal = Coat of arms Holy See.svg , seal_size = 100px , seal_caption = Coat of arms of the Holy See , logo = , picture = Via della Conciliazione din Roma1.jpg , picture_caption = Palazzo delle Congregazioni in Piazza Pio XII (in front of

St. Peter's Square Saint Peter's Square ( la, Forum Sancti Petri, it, Piazza San Pietro ,) is a large plaza located directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the papal enclave inside Rome, directly west of the neighborhood ( rione) of Borgo. B ...

) is the workplace for most congregations of the Roman Curia , parent_department = , website = http://www.cultodivino.va/ , agency_type =

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

, formed = (as a Congregation with the same name) , preceding1 = Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship
(formed ) , preceding2 = Sacred Congregation for the Discipline of the Sacraments
(formed ) , preceding3 = Sacred Congregation for Rites
(formed ) , jurisdiction = , headquarters = Palazzo delle Congregazioni, Piazza Pio XII,

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, employees = , budget = , chief1_name =

Arthur Roche Arthur Roche (born 6 March 1950) is an English cardinal of the Catholic Church who has served as prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship since 2021. He previously served as secretary of the congregation from 2012 to 2021. Prior to his s ...

, chief1_position = Prefect , chief2_name = Vittorio Francesco Viola , chief2_position = Secretary , chief3_name = Aurelio García Macías , chief3_position = Under-Secretary , chief4_name = , chief4_position = , chief5_name = , chief5_position = , chief6_name = , chief6_position = , chief7_name = , chief7_position = , chief8_name = , chief8_position = , chief9_name = , chief9_position = The Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments ( la, Dicasterium de Cultu Divino et Disciplina Sacramentorum) is the

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

of the Roman Curia that handles most affairs relating to liturgical practices of the

Latin Church , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Joh ...

as distinct from 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 t ...

and also some technical matters relating to the sacraments. Prior to June 2022, the dicastery was officially named the ''Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments'' (only the first word being different). This former name has often been shortened to Congregation for Divine Worship, further abbreviated as Divine Worship or CDW.

History of related dicasteries

} , , 15881908 , , colspan=3 ,
( la, label=none, Sacra Rituum Congregatio) , - , Pope Pius X , , la, label=none,

Sapienti consilio In the Roman Curia, a congregation ( lat, Sacræ Cardinalium Congregationes) is a type of department of the Curia. They are second-highest-ranking departments, ranking below the two Secretariats, and above the pontifical councils, pontifical co ...

, , 19081969 , , rowspan=2 ,
( la, label=none, Sacra Congregatio de Disciplina Sacramentorum) , , colspan=2 , Sacred Congregation of Holy Rites
( la, label=none, Sacra Congregatio sacrorum Rituum) , - ,

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 State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

, , la, label=none, , , 19691975 , , Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship
( la, label=none, Sacra Congregatio pro Cultu Divino) , , rowspan=3 , Sacred Congregation for the Causes of Saints
( la, label=none, Sacra Congregatio pro Causis Sanctorum) , - ,

, , la, label=none, , , 19751984 , , colspan=2 , Sacred Congregation for Sacraments and Divine Worship
( la, label=none, Sacra Congregatio pro Sacramentis Divinoque Cultu,
later la, label=none, Sacra Congregatio pro Sacramentis et Cultu Divino) , - ,

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 ...

, , la, label=none, , , 19841989 , , Sacred Congregation for Sacraments
( la, label=none, Sacra Congregatio pro Sacramentis) , , Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship
( la, label=none, Sacra Congregatio pro Cultu Divino) , - ,

, , la, label=none,

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 ...

, , 19892022 , , colspan=2 , Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
( la, label=none, Congregatio de Cultu Divino et Disciplina Sacramentorum) , , Congregation for the Causes of Saints
( la, label=none, Congregatio de Causis Sanctorum) , - ,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

, , la, label=none, Praedicate evangelium , , 2022present , , colspan=2 , Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
( la, label=none, Dicasterium de Cultu Divino et Disciplina Sacramentorum) , ,

Dicastery for the Causes of Saints In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, pa ...

( la, label=none, Dicasterium de Causis Sanctorum)

List of accorded responsibilities

The Apostolic Constitution ''

'', issued by

on 28 June 1988, established the congregation's functions: * Regulation and promotion of the liturgy, primarily of the sacraments * Regulation of the administration of the sacraments, especially regarding their valid and licit celebration * Promoting liturgical pastoral activity, especially regarding the celebration of the

Eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...

* Drawing up and revision of liturgical texts * Reviewing particular calendars and proper texts for the

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different eleme ...

and the Divine Office * Granting the to translations of

liturgical book A liturgical book, or service book, is a book published by the authority of a church body that contains the text and directions for the liturgy of its official religious services. Christianity Roman Rite In the Roman Rite of the Catholic C ...

s and their adaptations * Promoting the liturgical apostolate or sacred music, song or art * Ensuring that liturgical norms are accurately observed, and that abuses are avoided and eliminated where they are found to exist. * Examining the fact of non-

consummation In many traditions and statutes of civil or religious law, the consummation of a marriage, often called simply ''consummation'', is the first (or first officially credited) act of sexual intercourse between two people, following their marriage t ...

in a

marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

and the existence of a just cause for granting a dispensation. * Examining cases concerning the nullity of

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform v ...

. * Regulating the cult of relics, the confirmation of heavenly patrons in a diocese or locality * The valid authorisation of

canonical coronation A canonical coronation ( la, Coronatio Canonica) is a pious institutional act of the pope, duly expressed in a bull, in which the pope bestows the right to impose an ornamental crown, a diadem or an aureole to an image of Christ, Mary or J ...

s for venerated Catholic images decreed from a Pope * The elevation of sanctuaries to the title of

minor basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...

. * Giving assistance to bishops so that the

prayers Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified ...

and pious exercises of the Christian people may be fostered and held in high esteem. On 30 August 2011,

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...

transferred jurisdiction over unconsummated marriages and the nullification of ordinations to the

Roman Rota The Roman Rota, formally the Apostolic Tribunal of the Roman Rota ( la, Tribunal Apostolicum Rotae Romanae), and anciently the Apostolic Court of Audience, is the highest appellate tribunal of the Catholic Church, with respect to both Latin-r ...

to relieve the congregation of administrative burdens and allow it to focus on liturgy, its principal responsibility. In 2012, the congregation added an office devoted to liturgical architecture and music. From 2001 to 2017, the congregation had primary authority over a nation's liturgical translations. On 9 September 2017, Pope Francis weakened the congregation's authority with his ''

motu proprio In law, ''motu proprio'' (Latin for "on his own impulse") describes an official act taken without a formal request from another party. Some jurisdictions use the term ''sua sponte'' for the same concept. In Catholic canon law, it refers to a ...

'' titled ''

Magnum principium Pope Francis issued the document ''Magnum principium'' ("The Great Principle") dated 3 September 2017 on his own authority. It modified the 1983 Code of Canon Law to shift responsibility and authority for translations of liturgical texts into mod ...

'', ensuring that, starting 1 October 2017, the nation's

Conference of Bishops An episcopal conference, sometimes called a conference of bishops, is an official assembly of the bishops of the Catholic Church in a given territory. Episcopal conferences have long existed as informal entities. The first assembly of bishops to ...

will manage local liturgical translations. On 22 October 2017, the Vatican released a letter that Pope Francis had sent to the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacrament, Cardinal Robert Sarah, clarifying that the Vatican and its departments would have limited authority to confirm liturgical translations recognized by a local Conference of Bishops, thus retracting a commentary which Sarah had published on 13 October 2017. In March 2021, following Sarah's retirement, Pope Francis charged Claudio Maniago, leader of the Italian Episcopal Conference's liturgy programs, with undertaking a canonical visitation of the Congregation of Divine Worship in anticipation of the appointment of a new prefect. Francis then named

prefect on 27 May 2021.

Cardinal Prefects

(1988)
la, label=none, Praedicate evangelium(2022) , precursor = Prefect of the S.C. for DivineWorship
Prefect of the S.C. for Sacraments , inaugural =

Eduardo Martínez Somalo Eduardo Martínez Somalo (; 31 March 1927 – 10 August 2021) was a Spanish prelate of the Catholic Church who spent most of his career in the Roman Curia, first in the Secretariat of State from 1956 to 1975 and from 1979 to 1988, and then l ...

, formation = (as prefecture of the Congregation with the same name) , last = , abolished = , succession = , unofficial_names = , deputy = , salary = , website = , footnotes = *

Domenico Ferrata Domenico Ferrata JUD (4 March 1847 – 10 October 1914) was an Italian Roman Catholic Cardinal who spent most of his career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See and in the Roman Curia. Life Ferrata was born in Gradoli, near Viterbo to Gio ...

(1908–1914) * Filippo Giustini (1914–1920) *

Michele Lega Michele Lega S.T.D. J.U.D. (1 January 1860 – 16 December 1935) was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Congregation for the Discipline of Sacraments. Early life and priesthood Michele Lega was born on 1 J ...

(1920–1935) * Domenico Jorio (1935–1954) *

Benedetto Aloisi Masella Benedetto Aloisi Masella (29 June 1879 – 30 September 1970) was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as prefect of the Discipline of the Sacraments from 1954 to 1968, and as chamberlain of the Roman Church (or camer ...

(1954–1968) *

Francesco Carpino Francesco Carpino S.T.D. (18 May 1905 – 5 October 1993) was a Roman Catholic Cardinal and Archbishop of Palermo (and later Cardinal Bishop of the title of suburbicarian see of Albano). Biography He was born in Palazzolo Acreide, Sicily, It ...

(7 April 1967 – 26 June 1967) * Francis James Brennan (1968) *

Antonio Samorè Antonio Samorè (4 December 1905 – 3 February 1983) was an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 1967. Biography Samorè was born in Bardi, near Parma. After studying at the seminary in Piacenza a ...

(prefect, Divine Worship, 1968–1969; prefect, Discipline of the Sacraments, 1968–1974) * Benno Walter Gut (1969–1970) * Arturo Tabera (1971–1973) *

James Knox James Robert Knox GCC (2 March 1914 – 26 June 1983) was an Australian prelate of the Catholic Church. After years as a Vatican diplomat, he served as Archbishop of Melbourne from 1967 to 1974, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worshi ...

(1974–1981) * Giuseppe Casoria, (pro-prefect 1981–1983, prefect 1983–1984) * Paul Mayer (pro-prefect 1984–1985, prefect 1985–1988) *

(1988–1992) *

Antonio María Javierre Ortas Antonio María Javierre Ortas S.D.B. (21 February 1921 – 1 February 2007) was a cardinal of the Catholic Church, and former prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in the Vatican. Javierre Ortas was ...

(1992–1996) * Jorge Arturo Medina Estévez (pro-prefect 1996–1998, prefect 1998–2002) *

Francis Arinze Francis Arinze (born 1 November 1932) is a Nigerian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments from 2002 to 2008 and before that led the Secretariat for Non-Christ ...

(2002–2008) *

Antonio Cañizares Llovera Antonio Cañizares Llovera (; born 15 October 1945) is a Spanish cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who was the Archbishop of Valencia from 2014 to 2022. He was prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacrament ...

(2008–2014) *

Robert Sarah Robert Sarah (; born 15 June 1945) is a Guinean prelate of the Catholic Church. A cardinal since 20 November 2010, he was prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments from 23 November 2014 to 20 Februar ...

(2014–2021) *

(2021–present)

Secretary

Annibale Bugnini Annibale Bugnini (14 June 1912 – 3 July 1982) was a Catholic prelate. Ordained in 1936 and named archbishop in 1972, he was secretary of the commission that worked on the reform of the Catholic liturgy that followed the Second Vatican Counci ...

(1969–1975) *

Lajos Kada Lajos Kada (16 November 1924 – 26 November 2001) was a Hungarian prelate of the Catholic Church who spent most of his career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See, serving also in the Roman Curia. Biography Lajos Kada was born in Budapest, H ...

(1984–1991) *

Geraldo Majella Agnelo Geraldo Majella Agnelo (born 19 October 1933) is a Brazilian Roman Catholic Cardinal. He is Archbishop Emeritus of São Salvador da Bahia and Primate Emeritus of Brazil. Early life and ordination Agnelo was born in Juiz de Fora. He was ordaine ...

(1991–1999) * Francesco Pio Tamburrino (1999–2003) *

Domenico Sorrentino Domenico Sorrentino (born 16 May 1948) is an Italian Catholic prelate and the current Bishop of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino since his appointment in 2005. Biography He was born at Boscoreale, near Torre Annunziata and Pompei, outside N ...

(2003–2005) *

Malcolm Ranjith Patabendige Don Albert Malcolm Ranjith ( Sinhala: පටබැඳිගේ දොන් ඇල්බට් මැල්කම් රංජිත්) (born 15 November 1947), often known simply as Malcolm Ranjith or Albert Malcolm Ranjith is a ...

(2005–2009) * Joseph Augustine Di Noia (2009–2012) *

(2012–2021) * Vittorio Francesco Viola (2021–present)

Vox Clara Committee

In 2001 the congregation established the Vox Clara Committee, composed of senior bishops from episcopal conferences throughout the English-speaking world. It advises the congregation on English-language liturgical texts and their distribution. It meets in Rome.

References

External links

Official website

{{Authority control