CONGREGATIONS, The Sacred. A Congregation is a college or corporation of the Catholic Church consisting of a certain num ber of Cardinals, for taking charge of, dis cussing and deciding matters which belong to certain particular branches of business. The primacy of the Roman Pontiff of its very natpre demands that his counsellors and assist ants should be selected throughout the world from among those who have personal knowledge and experience of places and persons in cases submitted for examination or judgment.
To this fact councils owe their origin. They did not, however, suffice. The need of a per manent body at the side of the Pope was felt to be opportune. Thus the College of Cardinals arose. When all the Cardinals were convoked in presence of the Pope to deliberate on a par ticular point or to transact an affair of im portance, this Convocation was called a Con sistory. From this Consistory of Cardinals the Roman Congregations took their origin.
The chief author of the Sacred Congrega tions was Sixtus V. He arranged all the ecclesiastical affairs in a certain system and.dis-, tributed them among 15 different congregations.
Afterward Clement. VHI, Gregory XV, Urban VIII, Clement IX and Pius VII added other congregations. They are divided into Ordinary and Extraordinary ones according as they are permanent or constituted only for a time.
The congregations consist of Cardinals, only one of whom holds the office of Prefect unless the Holy Father reserves that prefecture for himself. As Secretary, usually a titular Arch bishop is appointed. In order that the decisions of the Congregations be valid it is necessary that not fewer than three Cardinals make up each Congregation, unless the Pope by a special indult grants that a less number suffice.
The power of each Congregation is limited to the matters assigned to it hy the Pope, and the sphere of its jurisdiction extends over the whole Church.
The form of procedure varies according to the nature of the Congregations, the scope of, power that is exercised and the diversity of the cases presented for deliberation or Settlement.
Routine matters of no great moment and which are extrajudicial may be settled. by the Secretary or the Prefect; while serious questions and judicial causes are laid before the whole Con gregation and moreover must be brought to the personal attention of the Pape.
The.decisions of the Congregations on the questions proposed are usually given tho simplest forms— for example, 4Affirmativeo or 6Negative.D There can be no true appeal from the sen tences of the Sacred Congregations as they are the decisions of the highest tribunals. However, a new hearing may be asked and obtaincd.
, The Roman Congregations are the follow ing: 1. Congregation of the Consistory.
This Congregation ,is the solemn gathering of the whole college of Cardinals present in the Curia and assembling before the Pope for con sultation and definition of certain most im portant ecclesiastical affairs. The Consistory of two kinds, Public and Secret.
According to the present discipline only certain solemn acts are now performed in the Public Consistory, such as the giving of .the red hat to the new Cardinals after they have been appointed in the Secret Consistory. In the Secret Consistory are made the promotions to the Cardinalate; appointments of bishops and their transfer from one diocese to another; the granting of Pallia; creation, division and union of diocese; • selection of delegates . °a latereD and of coadjutor bishbps; solemn allocu tions-about the roost important Church matters; and in general consultations about affairs that are of most serious moment.
The Congregation of the Consistory has or dinal-11y the Pope for its prefect and consists of from 8 to 12 Cardinals. Its secretary is the same as that of the Sacred College of Cardinals.
. Annexed to this Congregation is the. Con-, gregation for the Examination of Bishops which was instituted by Gregory XIV. Its duties, however, to a large extent, are now performed by the Special Congregation for the appoint ment of archbishops and bishops, which was first instituted by Benedict XIV and restored by Leo XIII on 21 Sept. 1878.