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Roman Catholic Missionary Prelates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

Duane L. C. M. Galles
Affiliation:
Member of the Bar of the Supreme Court of the State of Minnesota and of the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States.
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One hears frequently of missionaries and often about the Roman Catholic Church's missionary effort. But seldom does one find in English a survey of the canon law of Roman Catholic missionary prelates. This may be because the canon law of missions was perfected only in this century and because to this day it remains only partly codified. In any case, for reasons which will later become apparent, this body of canon law has special application in the Commonwealth.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Ecclesiastical Law Society 2000

References

1 Naz, R., ‘Vicaire apostolique’. in 7 R. Naz, Dictionnaire de Droit Canonique (hereafter ‘DDC’)(Paris, 1965), col. 1479Google Scholar; Berger, A., Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Roman Law (Philadelphia, 1953), p. 763Google Scholar. See also Winslow, Francis. Vicars and Prefects Apostolic (Washington, 1924)Google Scholar. The missionary district in Oriental Catholic canon law is the exarchate ruled by an exarch who is governed by Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium (1990). canons 311321.Google Scholar

2 R. Naz, ‘Préfet apostolique’, 7 DDC, col. 166; Berger, A., Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Roman Law (Philadelphia. 1953), p. 64Google Scholar; Lee, *****Ignatius Ting Pong, ‘Praefectus Missionis-Praefectus Apostolicus’. (1956) 35 Commentarium pro Religiosis (hereafter ‘CpR’) 353358, (1957) 36 CpR 51–55Google Scholar. More recently, Julio Garcia Martin suggests that when the evidence is viewed more globally the development of the law of prefects apostolic was more orderly than previously supposed: ‘De religiosorum regimine in missionibus synthesis his-torica ab inita SCPF usque ad pontificatum Gregorii XVI’, (1984) 65 CpR 283–304.Google Scholar

3 Pugliese, Augustinus, ‘De missione sui iuris ciusque praelato’ (1937) 18 CpR 3744, 175–184Google Scholar; Chyang, Peter, Decennial Faculties for Ordinaries in Quasi-dioceses (Washington, 1961), pp 7174Google Scholar. The canon law of autonomous missions developed rather casually almost ‘in a fit of absence of mind’. In 1927 Propaganda requested reports from all missionary Ordinaries, and report forms were sent to superiors of autonomous missions as well as to vicars and prefects apostolic. In 1929 superiors of missions were empowered to appoint a vicar delegate, a prelate like a vicar general, giving them a faculty granted vicars and prefects apostolic in 1919. In 1932 Chinese autonomous missions were assigned to a second instance or appellate tribunal, suggesting that their prelate was a local Ordinary with a tribunal of first instance. Finally in 1934 Propaganda explained expressly that, since superiors of missions were local Ordinaries, they were required to celebrate the missa pro populo set forth in Codex luris Canonici (1917)Google Scholar, canon 306. See Sylloge, Praecipuorum Documentorurn Recentium Summorum Pontificum et S. Congregationis de Propaganda Fide (Rome, 1939), pp 349, 463.Google Scholar

4 Gasparri, Petri Card, Schema Codicis luris Canonici (Rome, 1916), pp 113120Google Scholar; ‘De ecclesiis particularibus’, (1972) 4 Communicationes 4041.Google Scholar

5 Hecken, J. Van. ‘Les missions chez los Mongols aux temps modernes’, (1954) 10 Neue Zeitschrift für Missionwissenschufi 2034Google Scholar; Annuario Pontificio per l'Anno 1997 (hereafter ‘AP’)(Vatican City, 1997). pp 1053 1058Google Scholar. For Kano. see (1996) 88 Ada Apostolicas Sedis (hereafter ‘AAS’) 883; for Nepal, see (1997) 89 A AS 269. The first apostolic nuncio to Mongolia was appointed on 8 September 1992. and the first Mongolian ambassador to the Holy See presented his letters of credence on 28 October 1993: AP. pp 1333, 1363. After this article had been completed and the manuscript submitted for publication a new departure with respect to autonomous missions came about. In late 1997 the Holy See created within the former Soviet Union four new autonomous missions: those of Tadjikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan established on 29 September 1997 and that of Kyrgyzstan established on 22 December 1997: Annuario Pontificio per l'Anno 1998 (Vatican City, 1998). pp 1086. 1087.Google Scholar

6 Moroni, G., 46 Dizionario di Eruditione Storico Ecelesiaslica (Venice, 1847) 141.Google Scholar

7 During the Avignon papacy in the fourteenth century there was a brief efflorescence of the title of honorary papal chaplain, and some three thousand of them were created. Thereafter during the fifteenth century, with the creation of protonotaries apostolic extraordinary, the number of honorary papal chaplains dwindled: Guillemain, Bernard, ‘Les chaplains d'honneur des papes d'Avignon’, in (1952) 64 Mélanges d' Archeologie et d'histoire: Ecole francaise de Rome 227Google Scholar. See also Burns, Charles. ‘Vatican sources and the honorary papal chaplains of the fourteenth century’ in Gatz, Erwin (ed.). Roemisehe Kurie kirehliihe Finanzen. vatikanisches Archiv: Studien zu Ehren von Hermann Hoberg, in (1979) 45Google ScholarMiseellanea Historiae Pontificae 65 79Google Scholar. and Schaefer, K., ‘Paepstliche Ehrenkaplaene aus deutschen Diozesen in vierzehnten Jahrhundert’. (1907) 31 Roemisehe Quartehchrifl 91–13.Google Scholar

8 By way of analogy, in 1818 the Prince Regent instituted the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, which later became an honour for British civil servants. Membership was divided into three degrees, each with distinctive postnominal initials, namely commander (CMG). knight commander (KCMG) and knight grand cross (GCMG). So grand were many of the recipients that a wag later said that these postnominals were in fact acronyms, respectively, for ‘Call me God’, ‘Kindly call me God’, and ‘God calls me God’

9 Kurtscheid, B.. ‘De quibusdam praelatis Romanae curiae’, (1935) 8 Apollinaris 6271Google Scholar; ‘Protonotaires’, (1965) VII DDC col. 389395Google Scholar; Micke, . ‘Die apostolische Protonotare’, (1868) 20 Anhiv fuer katholischen Kirchenrecht 231Google Scholar. The style of ‘Excellency’ was not accorded by the Holy See to all Roman Catholic bishops until 1930: see decree of the Sacred Congregation of Ceremonies (1931) 23 AAS 22. Before that time the episcopal style of address was governed by local custom, and in Britain Roman Catholic archbishops were ‘Most Reverend’ and bishops ‘Right Reverend’—like their Anglican counterparts. In about 1900 American Roman Catholic (suffragan) bishops began to adopt the Irish usage of ‘Most Reverend’. Also about this time, as the number of honorary papal prelates began to rise, American bishops ceased to be addressed as ‘Monsignor’. although in Britain Catholic bishops continue to be addressed as ‘my lord’. The ancient practice of the apostolic chancery had been to address bishops in Latin as ‘Amplitudo vestra’, and a French or Quebeçois bishop was ‘Sa Grandeur’ until the new usage of 1930: Battandier, Albert, ‘Addresses, Ecclesiastical’, I Catholic Encyclopaedia, pp 137140Google Scholar. Interestingly, in 1969 Paul VI restored the ancient Avignon practice to some extent when he permitted cardinals (as well as bishops) to be addressed as ‘Monsignor’: see Ut sivc (cited in note 11 below), arts 23. 24.

10 Motu proprio, Inter multiplices, (1905) Acda Sanctae Sedis 49Google Scholar; apostolic constitution. Ad incrementum (1934) 26 AAS 497.Google Scholar

11 Motu proprio. Pontificalis domus, (1968) 60 AAS 305Google Scholar; motu proprio. Pontificalia insignia. (1968) 60 AAS 374Google Scholar; instruction. Ut sive sollkite. (1969) 61 AAS 334.Google Scholar

12 Gérin, M., Le Gouvernment des Missions (Quebec, 1944), p 178.Google Scholar