Dicastery

This article is part of a series on the Roman Curia

Dicastery Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus Secretariat of State Congregations Doctrine of the Faith Oriental Churches Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments Causes of Saints Bishops Evangelization of Peoples Clergy Religious Catholic Education Tribunals Apostolic Signatura Roman Rota Apostolic Penitentiary Pontifical Councils Laity Promoting Christian Unity Family Justice and Peace "Cor Unum" Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers Legislative Texts Interreligious Dialogue Culture Social Communications Promoting the New Evangelisation Administrative Services Apostolic Camera Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See Institutes Prefecture of the Papal Household Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff WikiProjects WikiProject Roman Curia WikiProject Catholicism WikiProject Vatican City

Dicastery (from Greek δικαστήριον, law-court, from δικάστης, judge/juror) is an Italicism sometimes used in English to refer to the Departments of the Roman Curia.

By the word "dicasteries" are understood the Secretariat of State, Congregations, Tribunals, Councils and Offices, namely, the Apostolic Camera, the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See and the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See.^[1]

Apart from the Secretariat of State (or Papal Secretariat), these Dicasteries or Departments are grouped in the following categories:

1. Congregations, headed by a Prefect, who is most frequently a cardinal:
   1. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
   2. The Congregation for the Oriental Churches
   3. The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
   4. The Congregation for the Causes of Saints
   5. The Congregation for Bishops
   6. The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
   7. The Congregation for the Clergy
   8. The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
   9. The Congregation for Catholic Education (for Seminaries and Educational Institutions)
2. Tribunals:
   1. The Apostolic Penitentiary, headed by the Major Cardinal Penitentiary, for the "internal forum" (matters of conscience, absolution of censures)
   2. The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, headed by a Prefect
   3. The Tribunal of the Roman Rota, headed by the Dean, which judges cases such as those brought to prove the nullity of a marriage
3. Pontifical Councils, each headed by a President
   1. The Pontifical Council for the Laity
   2. The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
   3. The Pontifical Council for the Family
   4. The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
   5. The Pontifical Council Cor Unum
   6. The Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants
   7. The Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers
   8. The Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts
   9. The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue
   10. The Pontifical Council for Culture
   11. The Pontifical Council for Social Communications
4. Offices:
   1. The Apostolic Camera, headed by the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church
   2. The Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See
   3. The Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See
5. Other bodies (not considered "dicasteries" but part of the Roman Curia as "institutes"):
   1. The Prefecture of the Papal Household (often referred to as the Audience Office)
   2. The Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff
   3. The Central Statistics Office of the Church
   4. Papal Commissions, of which the following are given special prominence:
      1. The Pontifical Commission for the Patrimony of the Church
      2. The Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology
      3. The Pontifical Biblical Commission
      4. The Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei
      5. The Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State

The Commissions are often classified not as integral parts of the Roman Curia but rather as associated with it in a way similar to the way the Vatican Secret Archives and the Vatican Apostolic Library are connected with the Holy See.

References

1. ^ "dicasteries", Pastor Bonus, Apostolic constitutions, http://va./holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_jp-ii_apc_19880628_pastor-bonus-general-norms_en.html .