I am Sr. Prisca, a temporary professed member belonging to a Diocesan Congregation. I am often unsure about the juridical consequence of being a Diocesan congregation. Could you please explain the differences in Canon Law between Diocesan Congregations and Pontifical Congregations?
Both the CIC and CCEO make distinctions based on whether an Institute of consecrated life is under the authority of the Pope (Pontifical right), the local bishop (Diocesan right), or the Patriarch of an Eastern Catholic Church (Patriarchal right). Canon 589 of the CIC and canons 434 and 505 of the CCEO define the constitutive elements of Institutes of Consecrated Life.
Institutes of Pontifical right are those approved or erected by the Apostolic See, while those established by a diocesan bishop without approval from the Apostolic See are considered as Institutes of Diocesan right. Similarly, Canon 505 §2, 2° defines Institutes of Patriarchal Right as those recognized by the decree of a Patriarch without approval from the Apostolic See. Canon 589 of the CIC states: “An institute of consecrated life is said to be of pontifical right if the Apostolic See has erected it or approved it through a formal decree. It is said to be of diocesan right, however, if it has been erected by a diocesan bishop but has not obtained a decree of approval from the Apostolic See”.
Sr Navya Thattil OSF
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