Papal legate
A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the
The legate is appointed directly by the Pope—the Bishop of Rome and head of the Catholic Church. Hence a legate is usually sent to a government, a sovereign or to a large body of believers (such as a national church) or to take charge of a major religious effort, such as an
The term legation is applied both to a legate's mandate and to the territory concerned (such as a state, or an ecclesiastical province). The relevant adjective is legatine.
History
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In the
Papal legates often summoned legatine councils, which dealt with church government and other ecclesiastical issues.[2] According to Pope Gregory VII, writing in the Dictatus papae, a papal legate "presides over all bishops in a council, even if he is inferior in rank, and he can pronounce sentence of deposition against them".[3] During the Middle Ages, a legatine council was the usual means that a papal legate imposed his directives.[3]
Diplomatic ranks
There are several ranks of papal legates in diplomacy, some of which are no longer used.
Apostolic nuncio
The most common form of papal legate today is the
Pro-nuncio
Pro-nuncio was a term used from 1965 to 1991 for a papal diplomatic representative of full ambassadorial rank accredited to a country that did not accord him precedence over other ambassadors and
Apostolic delegate
For countries with which the Holy See has no diplomatic relations, an apostolic delegate is sent to serve as a liaison with the Catholic Church in that country, though not accredited to its government.[4]
Legati
Legatus a latere
This highest rank (literally "from the (pope's) side", i.e. "intimately" trusted) is normally awarded to a priest of
Legatus natus
Literally "born legate", i.e. not nominated individually but ex officio, namely a bishop holding this rank as a privilege of his see, e.g.
Legatus missus
Literally "sent legate", possessing limited powers for the purpose of completing a specific mission. This commission is normally focused in scope and of short duration.[7][8]
Gubernatorial legates
Some administrative (temporal) provinces of the
The title could be changed to
See also
- Internuncio– a lower rank than Nuncio for a papal diplomatic representative, a title historically used at a time when states sent to some less important countries diplomatic representatives, called Envoys or Ministers, lower in rank than Ambassadors.
- List of papal legates to England
- Papal apocrisiarius
- Pontifical legate
References
Citations
- ISBN 978-0521795524.
- ISBN 0-521-31922-6.
- ^ ISBN 0521319226.
- ^ ISBN 978-0810857551.
- ^ United Nations Conference on Diplomatic Intercourse and Immunities (1961). "Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, Article 16". United Nations.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ISBN 978-0809140664.
- ^ ISBN 0-7509-2630-9.
- ^ ISBN 978-0199659623.
- ^ Tayler, Thomas (1866). The Law Glossary. New York: Baker, Voorhis & Co. p. 300.
Sources
- General references
- Catholic Encyclopedia: "Legate"
- WorldStatesmen – Italy to 1860 – Papal State
- Maseri, Pellegrino (1709). De Legatis et Nunciis Apostolicis Iudiciis Ecclesiasticis Civilibus et Criminalibus Oneribusque Civitatum Cameralibus et Communitativis (in Latin). Rome: Plachus.
- Langhaider, Konstantin (1785). Commentatio Canonica de Legatis et Nuntiis Pontificum (in Latin).
- Schott, Johann (1778). De Legatis Natis (in Latin). Bamberg: Klietsch.
- Heidemann, Josef (1904). Die englische Legation des Cardinals Guido Fulcodi, des spaeteren P. Clemens IV (in German). Munster: Westfalische Vereinsdruckerei.
- Wynen, Arthur (1922). Die päpstliche Diplomatie: geschichtlich und rechtlich dargestellt /von Arthur Wynen. Das Völkerrecht, Heft 10 (in German). Freiburg im Breisgau: Herder.
- Paro, Gino (1947). The Right of Papal Legation. Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press.
- Wasner, Franz (1958). "Fifteenth-century texts on the Ceremonial of the papal 'Legatus a latere'". Traditio. 14: 295–358. S2CID 151940501.
- Wasner, Franz (1960). "'Legatus a latere': addenda varia". Traditio. 16: 405–416. S2CID 151584067.
- Harvey, Margaret M. (1993). England, Rome, and the Papacy, 1417–1464: The Study of a Relationship. Manchester, England: ISBN 978-0-7190-3459-6.
- ISBN 978-1-139-44003-5.
- Melnyk, Roman A. (2009). Vatican Diplomacy at the United Nations: A History of Catholic Global Engagement. Lewiston, NY: ISBN 978-0-7734-3881-1.
- Rennie, Kriston R. (2013). The Foundations of Medieval Papal Legation. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England: Palgrave Macmillan UK. ISBN 978-1-137-26494-7.
External links
Media related to Papal legations at Wikimedia Commons
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