Canons Regular of the Lateran
The Canons Regular of the Lateran (CRL), formally titled the Canons Regular of St. Augustine of the Congregation of the Most Holy Savior at the Lateran, is an international
History
The canons regular trace their origins to the 4th century reforms of the clergy by
Under the guidance of Cardinal Hildebrand of Sovana (later to become Pope Gregory VII), the Lateran Synod of 1059 organized and recognized these developing communities and recommended them as the preferred pattern of clerical life, at a time when mandatory celibacy was being made a universal requirement for the clergy of the Roman Church.[1]
Among notable canons was Abbot Giuseppe Ricciotti (1890–1964), who wrote on Scripture and ancient history.
The canons' distinctive habit comprises a totally white cassock, sash, shoulder cape (mozzetta) and skull cap (zucchetto), identical to what the Pope wears as his daily attire.
The congregation is based near the ancient
Relationship with France
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In 1482 and 1483, King
In 1604, the Canons claimed that revenue was due to them from the abbey under Louis XI's donation. Instead of accepting this claim, King Henry IV of France, following a suggestion from Cardinal Arnaud d'Ossat, gave the abbey itself to the Roman Canons, as a token of his and France's Catholic goodwill following the turmoil of the French Wars of Religion. Pope Paul V confirmed the abbey's union with the Canons Regular in a bull of October 1605, in turn ratified by Henry on 4 February 1606.[3] As a consequence, half of the Clairac Abbey's income was reserved for St. John Lateran, while the other half went to the Bishopric of Agen. The bull stipulated that the Cardinal Vicar would give an annual mass in St John's Basilica for France's happiness and prosperity (pro felici ac prospero statu Galliae), every year on Henry's birthdate on December 13, known in French as the messe pour la prospérité de la France - a distinction that has not been granted to any other nation.[4] Moreover, Henry and his successors would become "First and Only Honorary Canon" of the Canons Regular's congregation.
In 1606, the Canons also heeded a suggestion by French ambassador Charles de Neufville, overcoming objections from pro-Spanish ultra-catholics who resented Henry's earlier Protestant allegiances, and commissioned a heroic statue of Henry IV from sculptor Nicolas Cordier, which was erected in August 1609 under the Basilica's side portico.[5] Clairac Abbey, however, was nationalized in 1792 and sold in 1799. The resulting financial dispute between the Vatican and the French state went through various arrangements[6] and was finally settled in 1927.
With some ups and downs since Henry IV, the Vatican has maintained the tradition of making French heads of state honorary canons of St. John Lateran, upon their visit to Rome. After many decades of neglect, the tradition was revived by President
References
- ^ ""Houses and Congregations", Augustinian Canons". Archived from the original on 2008-10-09. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
- ^ ""A New Look for St. Michael's", The Archdiocese of Birmingham". Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
- ^ Gustave Constant (1935), "Chanoine Paul Fiel, Le Chapitre du Latran et la France, Paris, A. Picard, 1935", Revue d'Histoire de l'Eglise de France, 21 (91), Paris: 248–250
- ^ Gianni Cardinale (December 2004). "A mass for Paris". 30 Giorni.
- ^ "CORDIER Nicolas: Projet pour la statue du roi Henri IV à Saint Jean de Latran". Louvre. 15 September 2020.
- ^ Armand Dubarry [in French] (1878). Histoire de la Cour de Rome. Paris: F. Roy. p. 171.
- ^ Nicolas Senèze (23 June 2018). "Le Latran et la France". La Croix.
- ^ "The French President Will Soon Become Honorary Canon of the Lateran Basilica". fsspx.news. June 26, 2018.
External links
Media related to Canons Regular of the Lateran at Wikimedia Commons
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