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 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 ...

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

The Papal Household is a section of the

Roman Curia The Roman Curia () comprises the administrative institutions of the Holy See and the central body through which the affairs of the Catholic Church are conducted. The Roman Curia is the institution of which the Roman Pontiff ordinarily makes use ...

. The

Prefecture of the Papal Household The Prefecture of the Papal Household (''Prefettura della Casa Pontificia'') is the office in charge of the Papal Household, a section of the Roman Curia containing the Papal Chapel (''Cappella Pontificia'') and the Papal Family (''Familia Pontif ...

is the office in charge of the Papal Household.

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 Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...

, these solemn public functions were held in the

Sistine Chapel The Sistine Chapel ( ; ; ) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the pope's official residence in Vatican City. Originally known as the ''Cappella Magna'' ('Great Chapel'), it takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who had it built between 1473 and ...

or, on days of special solemnity, in

Saint Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican (), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (; ), is a church of the Italian Renaissance architecture, Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the cit ...

. The liturgical celebration ceased to be daily in the course of the nineteenth century. The

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

Pontificalis Domus ''Pontificalis Domus'' () was a ''motu proprio'' document issued by Pope Paul VI on 28 March 1968, in the fifth year of his pontificate. It reorganized the Papal household, Papal Household, which had been known until then as the Papal Court. Co ...

'' 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 ecclesiastical members of the Papal Family in the narrow sense (''Familia Pontificalis'', not ''Domus Pontificalis'') and in addition: # The

College of Cardinals The College of Cardinals (), also called the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. there are cardinals, of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Appointed by the pope, ...

# The

patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Roman Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and ...

s # The

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

s who head dicasteries of the

# The Vice Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church # The secretaries of the dicasteries of the

# The regent of the

Apostolic Penitentiary The Apostolic Penitentiary (), formerly called the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Penitentiary, is a dicastery led by the Major Penitentiary of the Roman Curia and is one of the three ordinary tribunals of the Holy See, Apostolic See. The Ap ...

# The secretary of the

Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura () is the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church (apart from the pope himself, who as supreme ecclesiastical judge is the final point of appeal on any ecclesiastical matter). In addition, ...

# The dean of the Tribunal of the

Roman Rota The Roman Rota, formally the Apostolic Tribunal of the Roman Rota (), and anciently the Apostolic Court of Audience, is the highest appellate tribunal of the Catholic Church, with respect to both Latin Church members and the Eastern Catholic m ...

# The superiors of the pontifical commissions # The

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

Montecassino The Abbey of Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a Catholic, Benedictine monastery on a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Latin Valley. Located on the site of the ancient Roman town of Casinum, it is the first house ...

and the abbots general of

canons regular The Canons Regular of St. Augustine are Catholic priests who live in community under a rule ( and κανών, ''kanon'', in Greek) and are generally organised into Religious order (Catholic), religious orders, differing from both Secular clergy, ...

and

monastic orders Monasticism (; ), also called monachism or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual activities. Monastic life plays an important role in many Christian churches, especially ...

# The superior general or, in his absence, the procurator general of the

mendicant orders Mendicant orders are primarily certain Catholic Church, Catholic religious orders that have vowed for their male members a lifestyle of vow of poverty, poverty, traveling, and living in urban areas for purposes of preacher, preaching, Evangelis ...

# The prelate auditors of the Tribunal of the

# The members of the

chapters Chapter or Chapters may refer to: Books * Chapter (books), a main division of a piece of writing or document * Chapter book, a story book intended for intermediate readers, generally age 7–10 * Chapters (bookstore), Canadian big box bookstore ...

of the

Vatican Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican (), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (; ), is a church of the Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the city of Rome, Italy. It was initiall ...

, the Lateran Archbasilica, and the

Liberian Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore (), also known as the Basilica of Saint Mary Major or the Basilica of Saint Mary the Great, is one of the four major papal basilicas and one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome. The largest Marian church in Rome, it is ...

# 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 Section for Relations with States or Second Section of the Secretariat of State is the body within the Roman Curia charged with dealing with matters that involve relations with civil governments. It has been part of the Vatican Secretariat of ...

# The Almoner of His Holiness # The President of the

Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy The Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy (, ) is one of the Roman Colleges of the Catholic Church. The academy is dedicated to training priests to serve in the diplomatic corps and the Secretariat of State of the Holy See. Despite its name, the P ...

# The

Theologian of the Pontifical Household In the Roman Catholic Church, Theologian of the Pontifical Household () is a Roman Curial office which has always been entrusted to a Friar Preacher of the Dominican Order and may be described as the pope's theologian. The title was formerly known ...

# The College of the Apostolic Protonotaries Participating # The Supernumerary Apostolic Protonotaries # The Papal

Masters of Ceremonies DJ Pied Piper and the Masters of Ceremonies were a UK garage collaboration between producer and DJ Pied Piper and the MCs DT (responsible for the line "we're loving it, loving it, loving it"), Melody, Sharky P and the Unknown MC (Kamanchi Sl ...

(

Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff The Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff (, ) is the section of the Roman Curia responsible for organizing and conducting liturgies and other religious ceremonies performed by the pope of the Catholic Church. It is headed ...

) # The Honorary Prelates of His Holiness # The Chaplains of His Holiness # The Preacher of the Papal Household The lay members are: # Assistants at the Throne # The General Counsellor of the State of

Vatican City Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State (; ), is a Landlocked country, landlocked sovereign state and city-state; it is enclaved within Rome, the capital city of Italy and Bishop of Rome, seat of the Catholic Church. It became inde ...

# The Commandant of the

Papal Swiss Guard The Pontifical Swiss Guard,; ; ; ; , %5BCorps of the Pontifical Swiss Guard%5D. ''vatican.va'' (in Italian). Retrieved 19 July 2022. also known as the Papal Swiss Guard or simply Swiss Guard,Swiss Guards , History, Vatican, Uniform, Require ...

# The Counsellors of the State of Vatican City # The President of the

Pontifical Academy of Sciences The Pontifical Academy of Sciences (, ) is a Academy of sciences, scientific academy of the Vatican City, established in 1936 by Pope Pius XI. Its aim is to promote the progress of the mathematical, physical, and natural sciences and the study ...

# The

Gentlemen of His Holiness A papal gentleman, formally a Gentleman of His Holiness, is a lay attendant of the pope and his papal household in Vatican City. Papal gentlemen serve in the Apostolic Palace near St. Peter's Basilica in ceremonial positions, such as escorting di ...

# The

Procurator Procurator (with procuracy or procuratorate referring to the office itself) may refer to: * Procurator, one engaged in procuration, the action of taking care of, hence management, stewardship, agency * Procurator (Ancient Rome), the title of var ...

s of the Apostolic Palaces # The

Attaché In diplomacy, an attaché () is a person who is assigned ("to be attached") to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency. Although a loanword from French, in English the word is not modified ac ...

s of the Antechamber # Those in the personal service of the Pope # The Aide de chambre # The Dean of the Hall of the Papal Antechamber

History

Papal Court

By the late Middle Ages it was the most sophisticated bureaucracy in Europe. In the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...

, from medieval times, the

papal nobility The papal nobility are the aristocracy of the Holy See, composed of persons holding titles bestowed by the Pope. From the Middle Ages into the nineteenth century, the papacy held direct temporal power in the Papal States, and many titles of papal ...

formed a part of the Papal Court. The roles and positions in the papal household and court evolved and changed over time, and included hostiarii,

vestararius The ''vestararius'' was the manager of the medieval Roman Curia office of the ''vestiarium'' (cf. the Byzantine imperial wardrobe and treasury, the ''vestiarion''), responsible for the management of papal finances as well as the papal wardrobe.Lun ...

, ''vicedominus'', ''nomenclator'', ''cubiculario'' (chamberlain), ''sacellarius, praelatini palatini, bibliothecarius, scutiferi, cancellarius,'' protonotaries'', primicerius, secundicerius, defensor, and many more.''

Reform of Paul VI

On March 28, 1968,

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul 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 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

reorganized the Papal Court with an apostolic letter ''motu proprio'', renaming it the "Papal Household" (). In changing the name from what it had been for some centuries, Paul VI said he was returning an "original and noble" name.''Pontificalis Domus'', Introduction. Moreover, many positions were consolidated into new ones or altogether abolished. According to the ''motu proprio'': "Many of the offices entrusted to members of the Papal Household were deprived of their function, continuing to exist as purely honorary positions, without much correspondence to concrete needs of the times." In the Papal Chapel, the following positions were altered or suppressed: Palatine Cardinals (''Cardinali Palatini''); prelates ''di fiocchetto''; Prince-Assistants to the Throne (''Principi assistenti al Soglio''); Majordomo of His Holiness; the Interior Minister; Commander of '' Santo Spirito''; Roman Magistrate; Master of the Sacred Apostolic Hospice; Chamberlains of Honor ''in abito paonazzo''; Secret Chaplains and Secret Chaplains of Honor; Secret Clerics; Confessor of the Pontifical Family; Candle-Carrying Acolytes (''Ceroferari''); Guardian of the Sacred Tiara; Mace-Bearer; and Apostolic Messenger (''Cursori Apostolici''). Of these offices, the suppressed offices of Secret Chaplain and Secret Chaplain of Honor, Secret Cleric, Acolyte ''Ceroferari'', Common Papal Chaplain, and Porter-Masters of the ''Virga Rubea'' were consolidated under the general title of "Cleric of the Papal Chapel". The Papal Family underwent even more radical changes. Abolished and considered were the following titles: the Palatine prelates (i.e., Majordomo of His Holiness, Master of the Chamber 'Maestro di Camera'' Auditor of His Holiness); Master of the Sacred Apostolic Hospice; the

Hereditary Quartermaster General of the Sacred Apostolic Palace The Roman Curia, Roman Court or Papal Curia was reformed by the papal bull ''Pontificalis Domus'' issues by Pope Paul VI in 1969. It abolished the role of the old Roman nobility at the papal court with the exception of the position of Prince Assis ...

(''Foriere Maggiore'');

Master of the Horse Master of the Horse is an official position in several European nations. It was more common when most countries in Europe were monarchies, and is of varying prominence today. (ancient Rome) The original Master of the Horse () in the Roman Rep ...

to His Holiness (''Cavallerizzo Maggiore di Sua Santità''); General Superintendent of Posts; the Keepers of the

Golden Rose The Golden Rose (, ) is a gold ornament, which popes of the Catholic Church have traditionally blessed annually. It is occasionally conferred as a token of reverence or affection. Recipients have included churches and sanctuaries, royalty, mili ...

; Secretary to Embassies; ''Esente'' of the Noble Guard of Service; Chamberlains of Honor ''in abito paonazzo''; Chamberlains of Honor ''extra Urbem''; Secret Chaplains and Secret Chaplains of Honor; Secret Chaplains of Honor ''extra Urbem''; Secret Clerics; Common Papal Chaplains; Confessor of the Pontifical Family; and Secret Steward (''Scalco Segreto''). The Master of the Sacred Palace (the Pope's Dominican theologian) has been renamed

. Since 2005 the post has been held by Fr.

Wojciech Giertych Wojciech Giertych (; born 27 September 1951) is a Polish Roman Catholic priest in the Dominican Order. He has served in the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household as Theologian of the Pontifical Household since 2005 during the pontificates of ...

, a Polish Dominican. The titles of Secret Almoner and Sacristan of His Holiness were changed to Almoner of His Holiness, and Vicar General of His Holiness for Vatican City, respectively, and the responsibilities of the Secretary to Embassies and Secretary of the Wardrobe were commuted into the office of the Prelates of the Antechamber. Domestic Prelates and Secret Chamberlains Supernumerary remained part of the Papal Family, but were henceforth to be called Prelates of Honor of His Holiness and Chaplains of His Holiness, respectively. Likewise, the Secret Chamberlains of the Cape and Sword (''di cappa e spada'') were retained under the title Gentlemen of His Holiness, and the ''Bussolanti'' took the new name of Attachés of the Antechamber. The ''Camerieri Segreti Partecipanti'' were outright abolished, as was the title of Sub-Auditor (''Subdatarius''). There was also a change in honorific ecclesiastical titles, which were reduced to three categories: Protonotaries Apostolic (''de numero'' and supernumerary), Prelates of Honor of His Holiness, and Chaplains of His Holiness. All the other categories of ''

Monsignor Monsignor (; ) is a form of address or title for certain members of the clergy in the Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" can be abbreviated as Mons.... or Msgr. In some ...

i'' were abolished.''Pontificalis Domus'' 8.

Notes

References

Sources

* Paul VI
Motu Proprio ''Pontificalis Domus''
28 March 1968 * Annuario Pontificio'' (annual publication) * X. Barbier de Montault
L'année liturgique a Rome
Roma 1862, p. 255 {{Authority control

Modern organisation

Papal Chapel

Papal Family (''Familia Pontificalis'')

History

Papal Court

Reform of Paul VI

See also

Notes

References

Sources