Papal court

The papal household or pontifical household (usually not capitalized in the media and other nonofficial use, ), called until 1968 the Papal Court (''Aula Pontificia''), consists of dignitaries who assist the pope in carrying out particular ceremonies of either a religious or a civil character.

It is organised into two bodies: the Papal Chapel (''Cappella Pontificia''), which assists the pope in his functions as the spiritual head of the church, especially in religious ceremonies; and the Papal Family or Household (''Familia Pontificia''), which assists him as head of a juridical body with civil functions.

Modern organisation

Papal Chapel

The Papal Chapel consists of ecclesiastics who participate in religious ceremonies wearing their liturgical vestments or the dress proper to their rank and office.''Annuario Pontificio'' 2013 (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ), p. 1850

Historically, chanted divine service was held daily in the papal palace, with the Pope in person celebrating or assisting at Pontifical Mass on certain days. After the return of the popes from Avignon, these solemn public functions were held in the Sistine Chapel or, on days of special solemnity, in Saint Peter's Basilica. The liturgical celebration ceased to be daily in the course of the nineteenth century. The motu proprio ''Pontificalis Domus'' of 1968 abolished some of the titles borne by various groups that had membership in the Papal Chapel. At present its membership consists of the members of the Papal Family or Household in the narrow sense (''Familia Pontificalis'', not ''Domus Pontificalis'') and in addition:

# The College of Cardinals
# The patriarchs
# The archbishops who head departments of the Roman Curia
# The secretaries of the congregations of the Roman Curia
# The regent of the Apostolic Signatura
# The dean of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota
# The superiors of the pontifical councils and commissions
# The abbot of Montecassino and the abbots general of canons regular and monastic orders
# The superior general or, in his absence, the procurator general of the mendicant orders
# The auditors of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota
# The members of the chapters of the three papal basilicas of the Vatican, the Lateran, and the Liberian
# The consistorial advocates
# The parish priests (pastors) of Rome
# The (two) clerics of the Papal Chapel
# Those in the personal service of the Pope

Papal Family (''Familia Pontificalis'')

The members of this body are subdivided into two groups: ecclesiastic and lay.

The ecclesiastics who have membership are:

# The Substitute of the Secretariat of State
# The Secretary for Relations with States
# The President of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy
# The Theologian of the Pontifical Household
# The College of the Apostolic Protonotaries Participating
# The Supernumerary Apostolic Protonotaries
# The Papal Masters of Ceremonies (Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff)
# The Honorary Prelate

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