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Vittorio23
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What is the difference between a religious community of pontifical rite and one of diocesan rite?
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Spencerian
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bpbasilphx
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The terms are Pontifical vs. Diocesan RIGHT.
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JReducation
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I would not go by what is on this thread. There are many errors in it.
A community of diocesan right is one that is unnder the canonical authority of a bishop in a particular diocese. They are not bound to work or live in that diocese alone, but the bishop who approved them is their canonical Major Superior.
This does not affect their internal life. It is more about to whom they answer when they write their constitutions and to whom they appeal to resolve problems within the community and who approves their constitutions. Most religious communities are congregations of diocesan right. When they write or revise their constitutions, the bishop of their home diocese must approve them. If they ask for a dispensation, they go to him for it.
However, this does not mean that if the local conservative bishop is replaced by a raving liberal that the congregation is going in the same direction. Each congregation must follow its charism. Many congregations adopt the rule of specific religious orders. For example, the Franciscans of the Renewal are a diocesan congregation. The Archbishop of NY is their Major Superior. However, they follow the Rule of St. Francis. The rule was written by Francis and approved by Pope Honorious in 1223. Pope Honorius placed a Papal Bull on the rule. This means that only another pope can change the rule, not even the Franciscans can change the rule. Therefore, the Archbishop of NY, in granting canonical approval to the CFR has accepted that they will live by the Rule of St. Francis. Once he does that, he cannot take it back, nor can any of his successors. At best, he can veto their constitutions on the grounds that they are not consitent with the Rule that they claim to follow.
Religious orders are a different animal. All religious orders have Pontifical Right, as do many congregations. This means that the local bishop has no authority in the internal affairs of the community, he has no voice or vote on their constitutions and how they interpret or apply their rule. He has no authority over any ministry that they perform or run, which is not a diocesan ministry. An example of this is the Brothers of the Holy Cross. Fr. Jenkins of Notre Dame University is a Brother of the Holy Cross, the same congregation as Br. Andre. When the ND and Obama issue exploded, the bishop could not stop it or give any order to Fr. Jenkins, neither could the USCCB. The Brothers of the Holy Cross answer to their own Superior General. The Superior General answers to the Sacred Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
The Sacred Congregation answers to the Holy Father. So it is not that the order or congregation of Pontifical Right answers to the pope. They answer to the Sacred Congregation, which is delegated by the Holy Father to manage all affairs of Pontifical Institutes.
The Secular Franciscans, Secular Carmelites and Lay Dominicans are Orders of Pontifical Right. Not only are there religious orders and congregations of Pontifical Right. There are also Secular Orders and societies that have Pontifical Right. For example. the FSSP is not a religious community. They are a society. But they are of Pontifical Right. Their general answers to the Sacred Congregation.
All of us, must answer to the local bishop in any matter that pertains to diocesan ministries., whether we belong to communities of Pontifical or Diocesan Right.
Many of you were probably taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph. The Sisters of St. Joseph were founded to be congregations of Diocesan Right. They never ask to become Pontifical. As they grow, they break off from the original group and attach themselves to a new diocese and its bishop. They have done this for over 150 years.
The vows are different only between orders and congregations. Orders make solemn vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. Congregations make simple vows of chastity, poverty and obedience.
Finally, most monasteries of women are of Diocesan Right. They are orders and they do make solemn vows, but they answer to the local bishop. They do not have a Superior General. Each monastery is autonomous. For example, the Franciscan Order has 20,000 Poor Clare nuns. But each monastery answers to the bishop of the diocese in which they live, not to the Sacred Congregation. When Mother Angelica changed the habit in her monastery, she had to get it approved by her sisters first. She does not have the authority to change the habit. Only the Chapter can do that. That’s the way St. Francis wrote it into the rule. Franciscan superior must obey their subordinates. Once the Chapter approved it, then it had to be sent to the local bishop for approval. But they do not lose their canonical status as an order.
In the end, the important thing is the consecration by vows, not the canonical status of the community. Some communities are neither orders nor congregations. They are associations. The Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word are an association. They are Diocesan Right too. When a community begins, it must begin as an association. If after several years if they can prove that they can sustain the vocations, support themselves, respond to a real need in the Church, and are stable, the bishop petitions Rome to elevate them to the status of a Diocesan Congregation. They remain in that status for several more years. If they expand and continue to show growth, then the Bishop petitions Rome to elevate them to a Congregatio of Pontifical Right.
I hope this helps more than it confuses.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
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