The Secretariate of Briefs to Princes and of Latin Letters, or simply the Secretariate of Briefs, was one of the offices of the
Roman Curia abrogated in 1967 during
Pope Paul VI's reform of the Pontifical court. It was divided into two sections.
The Secretariate of Briefs to Princes consisted of the Secretary and two office assistants. The Secretary was a
prelate
A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...
responsible for writing the
papal brief
A papal brief or breve is a formal document emanating from the Pope, in a somewhat simpler and more modern form than a papal bull.
History
The introduction of briefs, which occurred at the beginning of the pontificate of Pope Eugene IV (3 Marc ...
s addressed to emperors, kings, princes, and other dignitaries. He also prepared the allocutions that the
Pope
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
pronounced at consistories, as well as
encyclicals and
apostolic letters addressed to bishops and the faithful. He acted according to the instructions of the Pope. He was required to be a proficient Latinist because these documents were written in
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...
.
The Secretary for Latin Letters was also a
prelate
A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...
or private
papal chamberlain
A Papal Gentleman, also called 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 ...
("''cameriere segreto''" in Italian) and was responsible for writing letters in
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...
of less solemnity on behalf of the Pope. He had an office assistant.
The Latin Secretaries also played a significant part in the proceedings surrounding the death and election of the Pope; one of the two Secretaries usually pronounced the funeral oration - in Latin - for the deceased Pope, while another held an oration after the mass ''Pro eligendo Pontifice'' ('For the election of the Pope') at the beginning of the
conclave
A papal conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a bishop of Rome, also known as the pope
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Ro ...
. The last Secretaries to perform this task were Mgrs. Del Ton and Tondini in 1963.
In 1967, the office was suppressed as an independent department by the
apostolic constitution ''
Regimini Ecclesiae universae
Pope Paul VI's reform of the Roman Curia was accomplished through a series of decrees beginning in 1964, principally through the apostolic constitution ''Regimini Ecclesiae universae'' issued on 15 August 1967.
On 28 October 1965, the bishops at ...
''; its tasks were transferred to a new
Latin Letters Office, subordinate to the
Secretariat of State.
Partial list of incumbents
Secretaries of Briefs to Princes:
* Domenico Testa (Pius VII, Leo XII, Pius VIII, Gregory XVI)
* Gaspare Gasperini (Gregory XVI, Pius IX)
[Notice of appointment: ''Diario di Roma'' (1832) Nr. 6, p. 1.]
* Luca Pacifici (Pius IX)
[Notice of appointment: ''Gazzetta di Roma'' (1848) Nr. 74, p. 294.]
* Francesco Mercurelli (Pius IX, Leo XIII)
*
Carlo Nocella (Leo XIII)
* Alessandro Volpini (Leo XIII)
* Vincenzo Sardi (Pius X)
* Pietro Angelini (Pius X)
*
Aurelio Galli (Pius X, Benedict XV)
* Nicola Sebastiani (Benedict XV)
*
Antonio Bacci (Pius XI, Pius XII, John XXIII)
[Notice of appointment: AAS 23 (1931) 357.]
* Amleto Tondini (John XXIII, Paul VI)
Secretaries for Latin letters:
*
Raffaele Mazio Raffaele () is an Italian given name and surname, variant of the English Raphael. Notable people with the name include:
Given name
*Raffaele Amato, Italian mobster
* Raffaele Cutolo, Italian mobster
* Raffaele Ganci, Italian mobster
*Raffaele Cant ...
(Pius VII, Leo XII)
* Gaspare Gasperini (Leo XII, Pius VIII, Gregory XVI)
*
Carlo Vizzardelli Carlo is a given name. It is an Italian form of Charles. It can refer to:
*Carlo (name)
* Monte Carlo
*Carlingford, New South Wales, a suburb in north-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
*A satirical song written by Dafydd Iwan about Prince Cha ...
(Gregory XVI)
* Luca Pacifici (Gregory XVI, Pius IX)
* Giovanni Battista Palma (Pius IX)
* Domenico Fioramonti (Pius IX)
* Giovanni Sottovia (Pius IX)
* Francesco Mercurelli (Pius IX)
*
Carlo Nocella (Pius IX, Leo XIII)
* Vincenzo Tarozzi (Leo XIII)
*
Aurelio Galli (Pius X)
* Pacifico Massella (Benedict XV)
* Nicola Sebastiani (Benedict XV)
* Giuseppe Zaccarella (Pius XI)
* Angelo Perugini (Pius XI, Pius XII, John XXIII)
* Giuseppe Del Ton (John XXIII, Paul VI)
[Notice of appointment: AAS 53 (1961) 60.]
See also
*
Latin Letters Office
References
*
Roman Curia
{{Roman Curia footer
20th-century disestablishments in Vatican City
Former departments of the Roman Curia