Prelate
Prelate (from Latin praelatus, meaning "placed before" or "superior") in the Catholic Church refers to an ecclesiastical dignitary entrusted with jurisdiction over a territory or a particular function, or to certain high-ranking clerics who hold honorary privileges. The term encompasses bishops, archbishops, and certain other offices, as well as honorary prelates such as monsignori.[1]
According to the Code of Canon Law (1983), prelates in the strict sense are ordinarily those who govern a particular Church (diocesan bishops) or equivalent entities, or those who exercise ordinary jurisdiction in the Roman Curia. The term also applies to honorary prelates, such as Apostolic Protonotaries, Prelates of Honor, and Chaplains of His Holiness, who receive certain privileges (e.g., specific ecclesiastical dress) but no jurisdictional authority.[2]
As of December 2025, the usage of honorary prelatures (monsignor titles) remains regulated by Pope Francis's 2013 motu proprio restricting certain titles, though existing grants are respected.[3]
Types of Prelates
The Catholic tradition distinguishes several categories of prelates:
Territorial Prelates
- Diocesan bishops and archbishops who govern a diocese or archdiocese.
- Prelates nullius (of no diocese), who formerly governed territories not belonging to any diocese; this form has largely disappeared with modern territorial reorganizations.[1]
- Apostolic prefects and administrators who exercise jurisdiction over mission territories.
Personal Prelates
- The personal prelate of the only existing personal prelature, Opus Dei, whose prelate is a bishop with ordinary jurisdiction over the members of the prelature worldwide (can. 294–297).[4]
Roman Prelates
Members of the Roman Curia exercising jurisdictional functions, such as prefects and secretaries of dicasteries, who are considered prelates in service to the universal Church.[5]
Honorary Prelates
Clerics granted the title of monsignor, specifically:
- Apostolic Protonotaries (de numero and supernumerary).
- Honorary Prelates of His Holiness.
- Chaplains of His Holiness.
These titles confer the right to certain pontifical privileges, such as the use of specific vesture (e.g., purple-trimmed cassock), but no jurisdictional power.[1]
History
The concept of prelacy developed in the early Church with the emergence of bishops as successors to the Apostles, exercising precedence over presbyters. By the Middle Ages, the term "prelate" commonly designated bishops, abbots nullius, and major superiors with quasi-episcopal jurisdiction.[1]
In the 19th and 20th centuries, the Holy See frequently granted honorary prelature titles to distinguished priests as a recognition of service. Pope Paul VI's 1968 motu proprio Pontificalis Domus simplified papal household titles, and subsequent reforms by Pope Francis in 2013 and 2022 further limited new grants of certain honorary distinctions, emphasizing evangelical simplicity.[6]
Personal prelatures as a canonical structure were introduced by the Second Vatican Council in Presbyterorum Ordinis (no. 10) and formalized in the 1983 Code of Canon Law.[7]
Significance in Catholic Tradition
Prelates, particularly bishops, participate in the fullness of Holy Orders and share in the collegial responsibility for the universal Church. They exercise the munus regendi (governing office) in communion with the Roman Pontiff.[8]
Honorary prelates serve as a sign of the Pope's paternal recognition of priestly service, though recent reforms reflect the Church's emphasis on humility and missionary discipleship over external distinctions.
The institution of personal prelatures allows for flexible pastoral structures suited to specific apostolic needs, as exemplified by Opus Dei.
External links
- Catholic Encyclopedia: Prelate
- Code of Canon Law (relevant canons on jurisdiction)
- Praedicate Evangelium (on Curia prelates)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Catholic Encyclopedia: Prelate". New Advent. https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12389a.htm.
- ↑ "Code of Canon Law, cann. 381, 399". https://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/eng/documents/cic_lib2-cann368-572_en.html.
- ↑ "Motu Proprio on Prelature Titles (2013)". Vatican. https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/papa-francesco-motu-proprio_20131219_titoli-prelati.html.
- ↑ "Code of Canon Law, cann. 294–297". https://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/eng/documents/cic_lib2-cann284-311_en.html.
- ↑ "Praedicate Evangelium". Vatican. https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_constitutions/documents/20220319_costituzione-ap-praedicate-evangelium.html.
- ↑ "Pontificalis Domus". https://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/motu_proprio/documents/hf_p-vi_motu-proprio_19680328_pontificalis-domus.html.
- ↑ "Presbyterorum Ordinis". https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19651207_presbyterorum-ordinis_en.html.
- ↑ Catechism of the Catholic Church. Libreria Editrice Vaticana.