In 1983 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 ...

introduced the possibility of entrusting the

pastoral care ''The Book of Pastoral Rule'' (Latin: ''Liber Regulae Pastoralis'', ''Regula Pastoralis'' or ''Cura Pastoralis'' — sometimes translated into English ''Pastoral Care'') is a treatise on the responsibilities of the clergy written by Pope Greg ...

of one or more

parishes A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

to a team of priests ''in solidum''. This provision in the

1983 Code of Canon Law The 1983 ''Code of Canon Law'' (abbreviated 1983 CIC from its Latin title ''Codex Iuris Canonici''), also called the Johanno-Pauline Code, is the "fundamental body of Ecclesiastical Law, ecclesiastical laws for the Latin Church". It is the sec ...

, which resembles ancient models of pastoral care in the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

titular church In the Catholic Church, a titular church () is a Churches in Rome, church in Rome that is assigned to a member of the Holy orders in the Catholic Church, clergy who is created a Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal. These are Catholic churches in ...

es with their colleges of

priests A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, ...

, was introduced to help resolve some of the difficulties facing many

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

s. These difficulties include shortages of priests, overpopulated urban parishes, depleted and scattered rural parishes, and decline in attendance at

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

. This model of pastoral care is viewed as a practical way of promoting pastoral co-responsibility, as well as fostering a greater sense of the presbyterium among the priests of a diocese.

Establishment

Canon 517 § 1 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law, provides a generic norm for constituting a team of priests to look after one or more parishes; ''ubi adiuncta id requirant'' (when circumstances require it), which concedes flexibility to the diocesan bishop in organising the structures for pastoral care within his diocese: "When circumstances require it, the pastoral care of a parish or of different parishes together can be entrusted to several priests ''in solidum'', with the requirement, however, that in exercising pastoral care one of them must be the moderator, namely, the one who is to direct the joint action and to answer for it to the bishop." However, the Codifying Commission responsible for drafting the canons on ''in solidum'' pastoral care expressed that it should be considered an "exceptional" provision.

Nature of the team

Commentators acknowledge that there is confusion regarding the ecclesiastical office conferred upon the team of priests ''in solidum''. The law entrusts the ''cura pastoralis'' (pastoral care) to each member of the team of priests equally. However, the team of priests is not a

juridical person A juridical person is a legal person that is not a natural person but an organization recognized by law as a fictitious person such as a corporation, government agency, non-governmental organisation, or international organization (such as the ...

. The team is made up of single priests who assume pastoral care simultaneously or conjointly, and are obligated to the majority of duties proper to a

parish priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

. It is generally agreed that a single parochial office for the pastoral care of the entrusted parish or parishes is conferred upon all priests in the team. However, the ''modus procendi'' (way of proceeding) for exercising the office is only grasped when the juridical principle ''in solidum'' is understood. The legal term originates in the Roman law of Obligations; where entering into an ''in solidum'' agreement involved a high degree of risk. For if one creditor had received all that was due, or one debtor had paid all, there was no subsequent right of contribution by the others. Diverse juridical methods were developed as a means of avoiding personal loss from entering into ''in solidum'' agreements. Amongst these was the forming of ''societates'' (societies) or partnerships which were created by mutual consent and characterised by a binding commitment to ''fraternitas'' (fraternity) and established prior to entering into ''in solidum'' agreements. The eminent canonist, Eugenio Corecco has suggested that ''in solidum'' in the context of parochial care, analogously reflects the diverse but still collective responsibility of all the members of the presbyterium of a

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 ...

Rights and duties of the moderator

When establishing a team of priests ''in solidum'', the diocesan bishop must outline the rights and specific duties of the moderator. The focal point of the moderator's authority within the team of priests is to guarantee that the faithful are assisted by their pastors from the spiritual riches of the Church, especially the word of God and the

Sacraments A sacrament is a Christian rite which is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence, number and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol of ...

. The principal role of the moderator is directing the team's common action, holding responsibility for that common action before the diocesan bishop, and directing the exercise of faculties held by all of the team members. The moderator is also entrusted with the juridical representation of the parish or parishes. However, this does not automatically entitle him the administrator of parochial goods, and hence the necessity of a provision of particular law. His relationship to the parochial pastoral and finance councils should also be established in particular law.

Rights and duties of the priests

The diocesan bishop needs to determine what particular qualities are required for this parochial office. It is strongly recommended that the bishop establish with the team, a division of pastoral tasks in a common plan, which should be outlined in each priest's

decree A decree is a law, legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, monarch, royal figure, or other relevant Authority, authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislativ ...

of appointment. Questions surrounding the obligation of Residence and Community life also need to be clarified, as well consideration of the ''in solidum'' obligation to celebrate the ''missa pro populo''. Finally, the cessation from ecclesiastical office by any one member of the group ''in solidum'' does not render the parochial office vacant.Cf
can. 544
/ref>

Establishment

Nature of the team

Rights and duties of the moderator

Rights and duties of the priests

Footnotes

Further reading