Roman Curia

As Roman Curia the totality of the management and administrative organs of the Holy See for the Roman Catholic Church is known since about the 11th century.

Basis

The term " curia " derives from the Latin word " curia " and is connected with the term " building for Senate meetings in Rome" or by the general term " town hall ". Today, it is understood under the totality of the papal authorities. So it is, then also in the Decree of the Second Vatican Council " Christus Dominus " (CD 9): " In exercising supreme, full and immediate authority over the whole Church, the Pope of the authorities of the Roman Curia served. This, consequently, their posts are in his name and with his authority for the good of the churches and in the service they provide for the sacred pastors. " The pastoral task of the papal authorities, the Pope John Paul II (1978-2005) in the introduction to the Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus points out, is " does not refer to the necessary relationship and connection to the service of the Petrine ministry and ministry of the other apostles and the ... only the type of a symbol, but actually ".

History

Under Gregory VII (1073-1085), the Curia was redesigned along the lines of a royal court and expanded to a large apparatus of domination under the motto "Freedom of the Church". The church got its own staff and its own administration, which worked according to their own rules. This new regulation also were related to the election of a pope, because already in 1059 the first pope suffrage was introduced, after a committee of cardinals the Pope chose.

Pope Innocent III. (1198-1216) saw itself as the first pope as " Vicar of Christ " and defined Christianity as an entity which could ultimately be guided only by the Pope. He said also the first of the need to share the burden of the apostolic work on confreres. So he set up in 1198 following presentation to the bishops and prelates of Gaul:

"Because we made ​​to borrowers of all believers in Christ the fullness of the Church's authority, which was transmitted to us by the Lord, we can not change the state and the order of human life reproduce ... Because that is the law of human life does not allow yet, we can not even in his own person the burden of all worries wear, but we are trying the exercise with the help of our brothers, the members of our body are what we would much rather do it personally if it allowed the appropriateness of the Church. "

Clement VI. (1342-1352) was a princely Hofhalter. Under him a renewed display of power of the Curia took place. The resident in Avignon Pope built the French town to the financial and judicial Church Centre. Most Curia officials lived in Avignon outside the papal palace. For them accommodation and representative buildings had to be erected. However, the curia members in Avignon were not a pure church administrator, but developed in parallel with art patrons and art collectors.

As a precursor of today's Secretariat of State under Martin V (1417-1431) founded camera secreta can be viewed. She was initially responsible for the execution of the confidential correspondence of the Pope, took over the following centuries, but increasingly extensive administrative tasks.

1542 taught Paul III. the Inquisition as a first repeated meets on Cardinal Commission. Other Committees with clearly defined areas of responsibility followed. From their regular meeting soon developed constantly active management structures in which continuously operating clerics replaced the Cardinals.

1588 Pope Sixtus V created with the constitution Immensa Aeterni Dei was the first organization of a unified form by divided the existing authorities and consisting of 15 congregations Congregation system einrichtete. This creation of a single management system for the universal Church and State Church considered the birth date of the Roman Curia. Nevertheless, there were in the course of centuries, ever changes in the structure of the Curia offices and shifts of responsibilities.

In 1967, Pope Paul VI. the exhortation of the Council and issued by the Apostolic Constitution Regimini Ecclesiae Universae a comprehensive reform of the Curia, which purported to today's structure of the Curia about.

The current Code of Canon Law of 1983 defines the role of the Curia as follows:

" The Roman Curia, by which the Pope likes to get the business of the whole Church, and who exercises their task in his name and his authority for the good and for the service of the particular Churches, composed of the Secretary of State or Papal Secretariat, the Council for the Public Affairs the church, the congregations, the courts and other bodies whose organization and jurisdiction are determined by special law. "

Pope John Paul II gave the Curia in 1988 in the Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus its present face, but at the same time admitted repeatedly, most recently in his letter Novo Millennio Ineunte (2001), the need for reforms, "What the reform of the Roman Curia ( ... ) concerns (...), certainly much remains to be done. "

After Pope Benedict XVI. has merged the management of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and the management of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the Pontifical Council for Culture on 11 March 2006, saw Vatican observers in first signs of an incipient reform of the Curia. However, it said in the official statements of the Holy See that these mergers " preliminary" are. In fact, lifted on 25 June 2007, the Pope merging the management of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the Pontifical Council for Culture on again. Both councils are now independent again.

The elected on March 13, 2013 Pope Francis transitional confirmed on 16 March 2013, the head and members of the departments of the Roman Curia in their offices, as well as secretaries and the president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State. On April 13, 2013 it was announced that Pope Francis has set up with the Kardinalsrat a team of eight cardinals commission to prepare a fundamental structural reform of the Curia.

Connected with the State of Vatican City

From the Curia, which is responsible for the management and administration of the whole Church, the government of the State of Vatican City must be officially strictly distinguished. However, this is not always easily and clearly, as certain institutional links exist. Just the fact that the Pope has six different households, makes clear how sometimes can be the responsibilities entangled.

The Vatican State is the territorial basis of international legal sovereignty of the Holy See. The Vatican City State shall not internationally in appearance, but leaves it to the Holy See as a sovereign subject of international law, the diplomatic representation. The INSTITUTIONAL entanglement of Curia ( Holy See ) and Government of the Vatican City is due to the fact that the Pope is sovereign of Vatican City at the same time.

Since 1984, the Cardinal Secretary of State is responsible for the continuous representation of the Pope in secular leadership of the Vatican State. The government, however, is de facto in the hands of the existing seven Curia Pontifical Commission for the State of Vatican City. They shall be appointed by the Pope for five years and is mainly responsible for determining the financial and budgetary policy of the Vatican City. The Commission President (currently Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello ) can be seen as a sort of head of government. The Commission is the Secretary General of the Governorate of Vatican City, responsible for the central administration, subordinated.

The offices of the Curia administration are just a small part of the territory of the Vatican, the other administrative departments are located in other places in Rome, mostly on extraterritorial areas, but also partly on Roman city.

Organization

The Roman Curia consists of the following Departments of:

Secretariat of State

Most important political institution is the State Secretariat, headed by the Cardinal Secretary of State. As the first employee of the Pope in governing the universal Church, the Cardinal Secretary of State can be considered as the highest representative of the diplomatic and political activities of the Holy See, who represents, under certain circumstances, the person of the Pope himself.

The State Secretariat is divided into section for General Affairs, also first section ( " Interior Ministry " ) and the Section for Relations with States, and second section ( " State Department ").

• The first section takes the final editing and delivery of all writing of the Curia, supervise and coordinate the activities of other Departments of and papal authorities, compiles statistics and is responsible for media relations of the Holy See. The papal missions abroad are led by the First Section, particularly regarding their contact with the local churches, in addition, they carry out negotiations with the accredited to the Vatican diplomats. The incoming and outgoing is handled by eight different languages ​​associated departments.

• The Second Section is responsible for all aspects of relations with other countries and international institutions that are not regulated by the respective missions of the Holy See in the respective countries themselves. In addition, it takes over the representation of the Pope at international conferences and negotiations. In countries where there are concordats, the second section is in negotiations for the appointment of bishops. Most of the papal diplomatic corps works in this section, however, the employees often change in the representations in all the world.

Currently, the State Secretariat (including women) has nearly 150 employees in the lower ranks and lay people, plus a number of external consultants.

Other institutions

• The Peter's Pence is managed by the Secretariat of State. He is a fundraising campaign is deemed to express the solidarity of the faithful with the Pope.
• Commission for lawyers in the Roman Curia

Economic and Business Secretariat

The establishment of the Economic Council and the Economic Secretariat was arranged on 24 February 2014. Its areas of concern include the financial supervision of the Curia, the Departments of the Holy See and the State of the Vatican City and the management of the assets of the Vatican.

Pope Francis, the 15 members of the panel appointed on March 9, 2014, which replaces the previous Kardinalsrat for Economic and Financial Affairs. The new Council is composed of eight cardinals and seven economists. Six Cardinals of the new Council were members of the former 15-member committee.

Congregations

The congregations are subdivided according to subject administrative organs of the Curia, remotely comparable to a secular government ministries. They are written as colleagues and are led by a Cardinal Prefect and two secretaries. The first permanent congregation was in 1542 by Pope Paul III. formed Congregation Romanae et Universalis Inquisitionis (Later short Sanctum Officium ).

The congregations at a glance:

• Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: To protect and promote the faith and morals throughout the Catholic Church Pontifical Biblical Commission

• Vox Clara Committee

• International Council for Catechesis

• Pontifical work for Vocations

Each congregation has a staff of around 25 employees. Although decrees of the Congregation shall be signed by the respective prefectures, but were the decisions previously by Cardinal bodies, partly by consultation of local bishops and presided over by the Pope met.

Courts

The Roman Curia has three courts:

• Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature: Supreme Court of the Curia; Court of Cassation of the Rota, administrative justice, supreme court administrative authority
• Roman Rota: highest civil and criminal court of the church; Protection of the rights of the Church, uniformity of decisions
• Apostolic Penitentiary: Bußgerichtshof responsible for absolution, Dispense, favors

Pontifical Councils

Currently there are eleven Pontifical Councils:

• Pontifical Council for the Laity
• Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews

• Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims

• Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church

Kurialämter

• Led Apostolic Camera / Camera Apostolica by the Camerlengo
• Administration of goods of the Apostolic See / Administratio Patrimonii Sedis Apostolicae
• Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See / Praefectura rerum Sanctae Sedis oeconomicarum

• Prefecture of the Papal Household or Pontificalis Domus (no dicastery gem. Kind 2 § 3 Pastor Bonus )
• Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Pope (no dicastery gem. Kind 2 § 3 Pastor Bonus )
• Central Office of Church Statistics
• Governorate of Vatican City

Pontifical Commissions

• Pontifical Commission for the State of Vatican City ( SCV)
• Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology
• Pontifical Commission for the Revision and improvement of the Vulgate (now disbanded )
• International Theological Commission
• Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei
• Disciplinary Commission of the Roman Curia
• Central Committee for the Jubilee Year 2000 (now disbanded )
• Pontifical Commission for Latin America

Papal committees

• Pontifical Committee of Historical Sciences ( Comitato di Scienze Pontifical Storiche - PCSS )
• Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses

Interdicasterial commissions

• Interdicasterial Commission for the particular Churches
• Interdicasterial Commission for the Church in Eastern Europe
• Interdicasterial Commission for Religious
• Interdicasterial Commission for the candidates for the ordained sacraments
• Interdicasterial Commission for the equitable distribution of priests

Pontifical Academies and Colleges

• Pontifical Academies Pontifical Academy of Fine Arts and Literature
• Pontifical Academy of Sciences
• Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences
• Pontifical Academy for Life
• Pontifical Academy of Theology
• Pontifical Academy Cultorum Martyrum
• Pontifical Academy of Archaeology
• Pontifical Academy of the Immaculate
• Pontifical Academy of St.. Thomas Aquinas
• International Marian Pontifical Academy
• Pontifical Academy of the Latin language

Other institutions that are associated with the Roman Curia

• AVEPRO ( agency of the Holy See for the evaluation and improvement of the quality of the ecclesiastical universities and faculties)
• Labour Office of the Apostolic See
• Archive of the Second Vatican Council
• Fabric of Saint Peter
• Institute of Church institutions ( IOR ) (Vatican Bank)
• L' Osservatore Romano (Vatican newspaper )
• Pontifical charity service
• Press Office of the Holy See Vatican Information Service

Pontifical delegations to the basilicas

• Pontifical Lateran Basilica delegation
• St. Peter's Pontifical Delegation
• Pontifical Delegation of Saint Paul Outside the Walls
• Papal delegation Santa Maria Maggiore
• Papal delegation Basilica of San Francesco
• Papal delegation Santuario Basilica Pontificia della Madonna del Rosario
• Papal delegation Santuario Basilica di Santa Casa Pontificia
• Papal delegation Basilica of Saint Anthony