A Congregation of diocesan right (or Institute of diocesan right) is a type of religious congregation codified by the laws of the Catholic church, wherein the congregation is under the authority of a particular local

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

, rather than that of the

pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

. A congregation responsible directly to the pope is a

congregation of pontifical right In Catholicism, "of pontifical right" is the term given to ecclesiastical institutions (religious and secular institutes, societies of apostolic life) either created by the Holy See, or approved by it with the formal decree known by the Latin na ...

. Most of the major religious orders are congregations of pontifical right. The major types of religious associations recognized by canon law are: 1. Public Association of the FaithfulCode of Canon law
Associations of the faithful
accessed 18 August 2012. 2. Institutes of Consecrated Life *a. Institute of diocesan right *b. Institute of pontifical right

References

Catholic canon law of religious Catholic canonical structures {{RC-Canon-law-stub