Roman Curia

History of the Curia

In the beginning, the Latin term “ curia ”, of Etruscan origin , indicates a subdivision of the tribe, then the room of Délibération of the Sénat and consequently, the Senate itself.

Like any bishop, the pope is surrounded by a college of priests. He joins together them regularly to form councils to direct his diocese. Its function having also a vocation extended to the universal Church, for the subjects touching with this one, it is surrounded of the councils of the bishops close to Rome. Little by little these consistory S more and more often takes place, become a quasi-permanent presence: the word “curie” is used for the first time in an ecclesiastical direction by a pontifical document in 1089, under the reign of the pope Urbain II. The meetings take place up to three times per week under the pope Innocent III.

Apart from the consistories, which cover general subjects, the pope sets up commissions cardinalices specialized on such or such subject. These commissions, initially with temporary mandate, take more and more importance and of stability. Little by little, the consistories lose of their effectiveness and become nothing any more but meetings of pageantry. True work is done within the congregations .

In 1542, the first congregation, the the Holy Office is established by the pope Paul III to fight against Protestantism and the other heresies. Then other congregations are created on this model: That of the council, for the interpretation of the decrees of the Council of Thirty in 1561, that of the Index in 1571.

January 22nd, 1588, the pope Sixth V, by the bubble Immensa aeterni Dei organizes the Roman curia definitively: it creates fifteen congregations: six have a purely Roman sphere of activity, the nine others have a universal vocation. These congregations function like ministries, each one in a particular sphere of activity, and are titular authority delegated by the pope.

After three century of operation without major changes, holy Pie X redefines the curia by the apostolic Constitution Sapienti consilio of June 29th, 1908. Indeed, following the loss of the temporal power to the XIXe century, several bodies had lost of their utility. August 15th, 1967, the curia was reformed again under the pontificate of Paul VI by the Constitution Regimini Ecclesiae Universae of Paul VI, of August 15th, 1967, consequently with the decree Christus Dominus of the Concile Vatican II. Jean-Paul II in his turn, by the apostolic constitution Pastor No-claims bonus of June 28th, 1988, carries out a reform of these institutions to take into account the reforms of the canon law made in 1983.

The Curia today

The current Curia is defined as follows by gun 360 of the canonical Code of right:

“The Roman Curia of which the supreme Pontiff is usually used for himself to treat the businesses of the very whole Church, and who achieves his function on his behalf and under his authority for the good and the service of the Churches, includes/understands the Chancery of State or Secretariat of the Pope, the Council for the public affairs of the Church, the Congregations, Tribunaux and other Institutes; their constitution and competence are defined by the particular law. ”

Its different Dicastère S, whose missions are defined by the constitution Pastor Bonus of 1988, is:

the Chancery of State;
the the Council for the public affairs of the Church;
the pontifical Diplomacy;
nine Roman Congregations:

the Congregation for the doctrines of the faith;
the Congregation for the divine worship and the discipline of the sacraments;
the Congregation for the Eastern Churches;
the Congregation for the causes of the saints;
the Congregation for the evangelization of the people, more known under its old name of Propaganda Fide (“propagation of the faith”);
the Congregation for the clergy;
the Congregation for the Institutes of consecrated life and the Companies of apostolic life;
the Congregation for catholic education;
the Congregation of the bishops;

three courts:

the apostolic Pénitencerie;
the Supreme court of the apostolic Signature;
the Court of the Rote Roman.

eleven the pontifical Councils:
seven pontifical Commissions:

the pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei”;
the international theological Commission;
the pontifical Commission on the cultural heritage of the Church;
the pontifical Commission on crowned archeology;
the biblical pontifical Commission;
the Commission interdicastèriale for the catechism of the Catholic church;
the pontifical Commission on the Latin America.

Controversies

The men of the curia were criticized for their careerism. They were denounced by Paul VI and Benoit XVI.

In 1999, the prelate of curie Luigi Marinelli published a book with scandal in which it revealed multiple abuses at the top of the hierarchy: flights, homosexuality, maconnism, etc He affirms that serious abuses and that should absolutely be reformed the curia is made.

Appendices

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