In the
canon law
Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...
of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
, a procurator is one who acts on behalf of and by virtue of the authority of another.
[John Hardon, ''Modern Catholic Dictionary'']
/ref> In a monastery, the procurator is the friar, monk or nun charged with administering its financial affairs. Bishops have been represented at councils by procurators, as Peter Canisius
Peter Canisius (; 8 May 1521 – 21 December 1597) was a Dutch Jesuit priest known for his strong support for the Catholic faith during the Protestant Reformation in Germany, Austria, Bohemia, Moravia, Switzerland and the British Isles. The ...
attended the Council of Trent
The Council of Trent (), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation at the time, it has been described as the "most ...
as procurator for the Bishop of Augsburg
Diocese of Augsburg () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Germany. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Munich.
History Early history
The present city of Augsburg appears in Strabo as ''Damasia'', a stronghold of t ...
.
Procurator at Rome
Catholic Religious institute
In the Catholic Church, a religious institute is "a society in which members, according to proper law, pronounce public religious vows, vows, either perpetual or temporary which are to be renewed, however, when the period of time has elapsed, a ...
s, societies of apostolic life and autonomous particular Church
In metaphysics, particulars or individuals are usually contrasted with ''universals''. Universals concern features that can be exemplified by various different particulars. Particulars are often seen as concrete, spatiotemporal entities as opposed ...
es ''sui iuris'' (especially Eastern Catholic
The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous ('' sui iuris'') particular churches of ...
, each using a non-Latin rite) may have representatives resident in Rome acting on their behalf in business they may have with the Holy See
The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...
, who are titled Procurators General.[
]
Internal regular procurators
Within the above regular institutes of consecrated life
An institute of consecrated life is an association of faithful in the Catholic Church canonically erected by competent church authorities to enable men or women who publicly profess the evangelical counsels by religious vows or other sacred bon ...
and societies of apostolic life, the person charged with matters such as the purchase of provisions, furniture, books and other supplies may be called a procurator.[
]
Canonical litigation
A party to litigation may generally appoint a procurator instead of responding personally.
The name "fiscal procurator" or "fiscal promoter" was previously used in canon law for the official known since the publication of the 1917 ''Code of Canon Law'' as the promoter of justice, whose function is to safeguard the public welfare in cases brought before ecclesiastical tribunals.Sebastian S. Karambai, ''Ministers and Ministries in the Local Church''
(St Pauls BYB 2005 , pp. 112-114
See also
* Apocrisiarius
An ''apocrisiarius'', the Latinized form of ''apokrisiarios'' (), sometimes Anglicized as apocrisiary, was a high diplomatic representative during Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages. The corresponding (purist) Latin term was ''responsalis' ...
* Proctor
Proctor (a variant of ''wikt:procurator, procurator'') is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another.
The title is used in England and some other English-speaking countries in three principal contexts:
# In law, a proctor is a historica ...
References
{{Reflist
Canon law of the Catholic Church
Catholic ecclesiastical titles
Tribunals of the Catholic Church