Decretum laudis
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A decretum laudis (
Canon law
To create a new religious community, it is necessary to get, in the beginning, permission from the proper department in the
When the congregation has grown in importance and when its spiritual and apostolic maturity is observed, it can be formally approved by the
Generally, it is followed by the temporary approval and the final approval.
Structure
The decretum laudis contains, as a rule, a summary of the historical origins of the congregation, and a brief description of the purpose and the constitution of the same, references and letters from the bishops, and the examination made by the appropriate Congregation of the institute. It concludes with the approval and recommendation, amplissimis verbis (Latin, “in the strongest terms”), of the institute in question.
The practice of using decretum laudis by the Popes to grant the recognition of the pontifical right to the congregations began to be consolidated in the years between the 18th and 19th centuries, although in the beginning these decrees were followed by formal acts in the form of the Papal bull and Papal brief.
See also
- Institute of Consecrated Life
- Society of Apostolic Life
- List of some religious institutes (Catholic)
References
- (it) J. Torres, “Documenti pontifici di approvazione” [Papal Documents of Approval]; In: Dizionario degli istituti di perfezione [Dictionary of the Institutes of Perfection], vol. III, (Milan: San Paolo Edizioni [St. Paul Editions], 1977) ISBN 88-215-2196-6, pp. 751–777.