2. Congregation of the Holy Office. (See IztouISLTION ).
3. Congregation of the Index of Prohibited Books. (See Irma).
4. Congregation of the Council (interpretuni eancilii Tridentini).
The Council of Trent in its twenty-fifth ses sion solemnly declared its confidence in the efforts of the Roman Pontiff to remove by opportune declarations and remedies any difficul ties or doubts arising from its Tridentine De crees. Hence Pius IV instituted a congregation of eight Cardinals to look after the execution and obsenrance of the Council's decrees. Pius V' and Sixtus V enlarged the faculties of the Congregation. Its duties now lie in the inter preting of disciplinary decrees of the Council of Trent and in the talcing of measures regard. ing the observance of these decrees, and finally it has the power of judging in causes which are implicitly or explicitly contained in these de-, crees. It has a Prefect, a Secretary, an assist ant secretary, and an auditor and several con sultors.
joined to the Congregations of the Council are: a. The Special Congregation upon the State of Churches.
b. The Special Congregation upon the Revi sion of Provincial Synods.
c. The Special Congregation upon the Resi dence of Bishops.
d. The Congregation of Ecclesiastical juris diction, and Immunity.
5. Congregation of the Affairs of Religious, or of Bishops and Regulars.
This Congregation owes its origin chiefly to Sixtus V. Its special duty is to settle affairs which concern bishops and regulars. Hence it has competency in all cases which regard the proper admimstration of dioceses by their bishops, excepting only those cases which re quire, an interpretation of the Council of Trent. It receives appeals made to the Apostolic See against bishops, etc.; replies to difficulties which may arise in the administration of a diocese; examines, approves or disapproves the alienation of Church property, etc. It settles contentions which arise between different religious orders; examines complaints caused by the election of a superior-general or other superiors or by their administration. In a word this Congregation has competency in all that regards the proper rule and direction of religious orders in the Church. It is constituted upon similar lines to
the other Congregations, having a Prefect, Sec retary, etc. Annexed to it also are two Special Congregations, namely: a. The Congregation for Discipline of Regu lars, established by Innocent XII.
b. The Congregation of the State of Regular Orders.
6. Congregations of Sacred Rites.
Man is obliged to worship .God and he ex prestes this worship by .external rites. These ntes and ceremonies which the Church makes use of in the administration of the Sacraments, in the divine offices and generally in the worship of God and the veneration of his Saints, form a grand object lesson for the people of God. They exhibit an external expression of the faith.
To see that these rites are diligently ob served, to reform and amend, if need be books on sacred rites and ceremonies, to make, ex ecute and interpret liturgical laws and solve the doubts arising in the execution of them, to pre pare the causes of beatification and canonization, the Congregation of Rites was instituted. It owes its origin to Sixtus V, being instituted by him by the Constitution of 22 Jan. 1587.
The Congregation is two-fold; the Extraor dinary, which occupies itself only with the beati fication or canonization of saints; and the ordinary which decides the other questions per taining to the jurisdiction of the Congregation of Rites.
The number of cardinals assigned to it de pends upon the reigning Pontiff. There is the usual Prefect, the Secretary, an ecclesiastic who is called the Promoter of the Faith, and who has also an assistant, a chancellor, and a hymnographer, whose duty it is to arrange and correct the offices of the Saints and other such matters. Besides these there are a number of Consultors taken from the ranks of the secular and regular clergy.
United with this Congregation is the Holy Ceremonial Congregation, which has supervision of the liturgical and non-liturgical ceremonies used in the Papal Court.