Let’s start with the canonical and historical differences. There are different kinds of institutes.
Religious orders
Religious congregations
Secular orders
Societies of Apostolic Life
Secular Institutes
Autonomous monasteries
Hermits
Priestly Fraternities
Confraternities
Each of these makes a different kind of commitment and their relationship to each other and to the Church is historically different.
There are very few religious orders. Let’s look at them in order of their founding.
LATIN CHURCH
Carmelites (Two obediences: O’Carm and OCD)
Benedictines (Many obediences: OSB, Cistercians, Camaldolese, Trappists and others)
Augustinians (Several obediences: Augustinian Recollects, Canons, Assumptionists and others)
Carthusians (Each Charter house eventually becomes autonomous)
Norbertines
Crossiers
Dominicans (Do not have their own rule. They follow the rule of the Augustinians)
Franciscans (Three orders with over 100 obediences and four rules)
Society of Jesus (do not have a rule nor do they follow anyone’s rule. Ignatius did not give them a rule).
EASTERN CHURCHES
Basilians (Order of St. Basil: each monastery is autonomous)
In the Latin Church we also have religious congregations, which are too many to list.
There are important historical and canonical differences between congregations and orders.
Orders make solemn vows, congregations make simple vows.
The major difference between solemn vows and simple vows are several:
Those who make a solemn vow of poverty may never individually own property. Those who make a simple vow of poverty may own property, if their institute allows them to do so. However, they may not make use of their assets. Those assets are there for them to give away at their discretion and the community does not become involved. Some congregations do not allow for private ownership of property, but they may do so, whereas an order may not allow this.
Those who make a solemn vow of chastity may never enter into a valid marriage, even an illicit one. The marriage vows are also solemn vows. Because the person is already in solemn vows, that person cannot validly make vows that are juxtaposed to each other. Therefore, any attempt to marry without a dispensation results in an invalid marriage. Those who are in simple vows and attempt to marry are validly, but illegally married. In both cases, and his partner, if he understands the gravity of the matter, are in a state of grave sin.
Congregations can be either pontifical or diocesan. The highest ranking superior in a diocesan congregation is the bishop of the home diocese. The highest ranking superior in a pontifical institute is always the pope. All religious orders are pontifical. Bishops have no jurisdiction over pontifical congregations or orders. They only have jurisdiction over the work that the individual religious does for them, not any work that he or she does for his or her institute.
There are Societies of Apostolic Life. In a society of Apstolic Life the member may promise to live according to the evangelical counsels, live in community and have many of the other elements that you would find in a congregation or an order. The canonical difference is that a member of such a society does not make vows. He or she promises to live the counsels, according to the constitution of the Society. In the event that he or she wishes to leave, the major superior can grant a dispensation. A person in vows must go to the Holy See for a dispensation.
To answer the above question, no Fr. Corapi is not a Diocesan priest, nor is he a regular priest (consecrated religious). He is a secular priest, just like a diocesan priest, but he is not attached to any bishop. He is attached to the Society (SOLT). At his ordination he did not make a promise of obedience to the bishop nor did he make a promise of celibacy. He had already promised obedience to the Society and its superiors and he had already promised to live celibate chastity.
There are many priests who are secular, but not Diocesan. Diocesan is a deacon, priest or bishop who belongs to a diocese under the authority of a Diocesan bishop. For example, an auxiliary bishop is under the authority of the Diocesan bishop, even though he too is a bishop. A Maryknoll, Missionhurts, or an SOLT is not under any bishop. Like any other priests, these men need faculties to function in a diocese. The bishop grants those. They do not answer to the bishop in matters concerning their daily activities, daily life, spiritual life, ownership of property and transitions from one place to another. They answer to the superior of their society, just as religious do. Obviously, since they have not made a vow of obedience, the Church cannot impose all of the canonical penalties that it would impose on religious for disobeying. Disobedience would just that, a sin, without a violation of vows on top of it.
It is not only easier to get out of a society, because you get your dispensation from the major superior, but it is also easier to dismiss from a society. Once you have made solemn vows, it is almost impossible to dismiss from a religious order. Dismissal from a congregation is a little less complicated, but still more difficult than dismissal from a society. In a congregation and an order the dismissal has to be approved by the proper authorities in the Roman Curia, if you’re a Latin Catholic or the Patriarch, if you’re an Eastern Catholic. Remember, Eastern Catholics have monks. Congregations in the Eastern Church are relatively new compared to the Latin Church. I don’t know if they have Societies of Apostolic Life. I have never met any among Eastern Catholics.
To wrap this up, a member of society can be a priest or a brother, but he is not a diocesan priest or diocesan brother either. He is attached to his society, not to a diocese.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
