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


Contents


Introduction

The ''motu proprio'' reflects Paul VI's personal discomfort with pageantry and a desire to reshape the Church in a more pastoral mode. His rationale for reorganizing the Papal Household was that many of the offices entrusted to members of the Papal Household continued to exist as purely honorary positions, after their functions had become obsolete. His goal in reorganizing its structure will be to stress the "essentially spiritual" mission of the Pope, as well to serve the civic and international aspects of the Pope's office. He thus divides the Papal Household into two entities: the chapel (''Capella'') and the Family (''Familia''): the Papal Chapel will assist the Pope with his role as spiritual leader of the Catholic religion, while the Family will serve the Pope insofar as he is a publicly recognized sovereign. To conclude the introduction, Paul VI reinstates the "original and noble" name of the Papal Court: the Papal Household (''primigenio et illustri vocabulo Pontificalis Domus tantummodo appellabitur'').


Section I: The Papal Household

The first section deals with the overarching structure of the Papal Household. It states that the Papal Household shall be composed of both clergy and laity (1, §1). All members of the Papal Household are subject to the direction of the Prefect of the Apostolic Palace (2), but they are all, both ecclesiastical and lay, appointed by the Supreme Pontiff (3, §1). The tenure of all members of the Papal Chapel is subject to the norms established in the 1967
apostolic constitution An apostolic constitution () is the most solemn form of legislation issued by the Pope.New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law, pg. 57, footnote 36. By their nature, apostolic constitutions are addressed to the public. Generic constitutions use ...
'' Regimini Universae ecclesiae'', which reformed 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 ...
; laity are appointed for a period of five years, but the Pope may extend their term of office (3, §2). All offices will be voided upon the vacancy of the Apostolic See, and no offices are hereditary (3, §3 and §4). Furthermore, all ceremonies of the Papal Household will be categorized as either sacred or civil (''sacrae aut civiles''); the sacred ceremonies are either solemn or ordinary. (Examples of solemn ceremonies include the coronation of a pope,
canonization Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christianity, Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon ca ...
s, etc.) The civil ceremonies are distinguished as either audiences of official character or of a non-official character (4).


Section II: The Papal Chapel

The second section deals with the organization of the Papal Chapel, which consists of the following classes of persons (6, §1): * the ecclesiastical members of the Papal Family; * members of various orders of the Sacred College of Cardinals; *
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,
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,
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 ...
s, and eparchs, Assistants to the Papal Throne, of both the Latin and Eastern rites; * Vice Camerlengo of Holy Roman Church; * the superior prelate of each of the Sacred Congregations, the Secretary of the Supreme Tribunal of the Signatura, and the Dean of the
Sacred 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 ...
; * Regent of the Sacred Apostolic Penitentiary; * Regent of the
Apostolic Chancery The Apostolic ChanceryCanon 260, ''Code of Canon Law'' of 1917, translated by Edward N. Peters, Ignatius Press, 2001. (; also known as the "Papal" or "Roman Chanc(ell)ery") was a dicastery of the Roman Curia at the service of the pope. The princ ...
; * superior prelate of the three Secretariats; * President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications; * the Abbot of
Monte Cassino The Abbey of Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a Catholic Church, Catholic, Benedictines, Benedictine monastery on a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Valle Latina, Latin Valley. Located on the site of the ancient ...
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; * the Superior General or, in his absence, the Procurator General of each 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 ...
; * Auditors of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota; * voting members of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura; * members of the chapters of the three patriarchal basilicas ( Lateran,
Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...
and Liberian); * Consistorial Advocates (''Avvocati Concistoriali''); * parish priests of Rome; * clerics of the Papal Chapel; * members of the Council of the Laity and of the Commission ''Iustitia et Pax''; * those in personal service (''familiari'') of the Pope. The following offices were abolished or altered: Palatine Cardinals (''Cardinali Palatini''); prelates ''di fiocchetto''; Prince-Assistants to the Throne (''Principi assistenti al Soglio''); 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''); Common Papal Chaplains; Porter-Masters of the ''Virga Rubea''; Guardian of the Sacred Tiara; Mace-Bearer; and Apostolic Messenger (''Cursori Apostolici'') (6, §4). The last point of this section defines the role of clerics of the Papal Chapel, who are to assist the Pope at the altar, under the guidance of the papal masters of ceremonies. 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'' are to be joined under the general heading of "Cleric of the Papal Chapel" (6, §5).


Section III: The Papal Family

The third and last section of the document deals with the Papal Family. The Family is composed of both ecclesiastical and lay members. The ecclesiastical members are as follows (7, §1): * Substitute of the Secretariat of State and Secretary ''della Cifra'' * Secretary of the Council for the Public Affairs of the Church; *
Almoner An almoner () is a chaplain or church officer who originally was in charge of distributing money to the deserving poor. The title ''almoner'' has to some extent fallen out of use in English, but its equivalents in other languages are often used f ...
of His Holiness; * Vicar General of His Holiness for Vatican City; * President of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy; * Theologian of the Papal Household; * Secretary of Briefs to Princes; * Secretary of Latin Letters; * Protonotaries Apostolic; * Prelates of the Antechamber; * Masters of Pontifical Ceremonies; * Honorary Prelates of His Holiness; * Chaplains of His Holiness; * Apostolic Preacher. The lay members of the Papal Family are composed of the following (7, §2): * Prince Assistants to the Papal Throne; * Delegate of the
Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State The Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State (, ) is the legislative body of Vatican City. It consists of a president, who also holds the title of President of the Governorate and deputizes as the head of government of Vatican City, as well ...
; * Counsellor General of the State of Vatican City; * Commander of the Honor Guard of the Pope; * Commander of the Swiss Guard; * Commander of the Palatine Guard of Honor; * Commander of the Pontifical Gendarmerie; * Counsellors of the State of Vatican City; * 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 ...
; * Gentlemen of His Holiness; * Procurators of the Apostolic Palaces; * Attachés of the Antechamber (''Addetti di Anticamera''); * those in personal service (''familiari'') of the Pope. Section three goes on to abolish the following offices and positions: Palatine Cardinals (''Cardinali Palatini''); the Palatine prelates (i.e., 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; 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'') (7, §3). The titles Majordomo of His Holiness and Master of the Chamber 'Maestro di Camera''were abolished with the duties combined in the new Prefect of the Apostolic Palace (later re-named Prefect of the Papal Household). The Master of the Sacred Apostolic Palace is to retain his office but under the name of Theologian of the Papal Household (7, §4). The title of Secret Chamberlains ''Partecipanti'' (''Camerieri Segreti Partecipanti'') is abolished; the Secret Almoner and the Sacristan of His Holiness remain in office, but they take respectively the titles of Almoner of His Holiness, and Vicar General of His Holiness for Vatican City. The Secretary of Briefs to Princes and the Secretary of Latin Letters retain their titles. The responsibilities of the Secretary to Embassies and Secretary of the Wardrobe are commuted to the office of the Prelates of the Antechamber. The title of Sub-Auditor (''Subdatarius'') remains abolished in both name and office (7, §5). Domestic Prelates and Secret Chamberlains Supernumerary remain part of the Papal Family, but are 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'') are to be retained under the title Gentlemen of His Holiness,Gagliarducci, Andrea, "A sneak peek at some of Pope Francis' lesser known decisions", CNA, September 23, 2020
/ref> and the ''Bussolanti'' take the new name of Attachés of the Antechamber (7, §7). The many offices of honorific ecclesiastical titles—i.e., those given to clerics styled ''Monsignori''—are 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 were abolished (8). The Corps of the Noble Pontifical Guard assumed the name Honor Guard of the Pope (''Guardia d'Onore del Papa''), and rendered only an honorary service (9). The
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
Palatine Guard The Palatine Guard () was a military unit of Holy See, the Vatican. It was formed in 1850 by Pope Pius IX, who ordered that the two militia units of the Papal States be amalgamated. The corps was formed as an infantry unit, and took part in watch ...
, and the Pontifical Gendarmerie remained in service (10).


Notes and references

;Notes ;References


See also

*
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 ...
* ''
Aggiornamento ''Aggiornamento'' () is an Italian word meaning "bringing up to date", "updating". It was made famous by Pope John XXIII, and was one of the key words at the Second Vatican Council, used by both bishops and the media. John XXIII In his speech ...
'' * Pope Paul VI's reform of the Roman Curia * Hereditary officers of the Roman Curia * '' Pastor Bonus'' (
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
's apostolic constitution further reforming the Roman Curia)


External links


Text of the apostolic letter ''Pontificalis Domus''



''The secrets of the Vatican''
an American description of the Papal Court (1907) {{Papal orders, decorations, and medals Reforms of the Roman Curia 1968 documents 1968 in Christianity Motu proprio of Pope Paul VI Papal household