Dicastery for Legislative Texts
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The Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts is a dicastery of the Roman Curia. Its work "consists mainly in interpreting the laws of the Church". (Pastor Bonus, 154).[1] It is distinct from the highest tribunal, or court, in the Church (aside from the Pope), which is the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, and does not have law-making authority, to the degree the Pope and the Holy See's tribunals do, beyond the charge to interpret already-existing canon laws, though it works closely with the Signatura and the other Tribunals and the Pope. Like the Signatura and the other two final appellate Tribunals, the Roman Rota and the Apostolic Penitentiary, it is led by a prefect who is at least a Bishop.
The current President of the Pontifical Council is Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, the current Secretary is Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta Ochoa de Chinchetru.
History and field of competence
The Pontifical Commission for Authentic Interpretation of the Code of Canon Law that Pope Benedict XV established on 5 September 1917 continued in existence until replaced on 18 March 1963 by Pope John XXIII's Pontifical Commission for the Revision of the Code of Canon Law, a revision called for by the Second Vatican Council. Pope Paul VI established on 11 July 1967 the Pontifical Commission for Interpretation of the Decrees of the Second Vatican Council and, two years later, extended its mandate to the interpretation also of the documents issued by the Holy See to implement those decrees.
On 2 January 1984, Pope John Paul II set up the Pontifical Commission for Authentic Interpretation of the Code of Canon Law, with competence regarding the new Code of Canon Law promulgated the year before and the universal laws for the Latin Rite. This Commission replaced those mentioned in the previous paragraph. On 28 June 1988, it was given its present name.
On 18 October 1990, its competence was extended to interpreting the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches and the laws shared in common by the Eastern Catholic Churches.
Presidents of the Pontifical Council and its predecessors
- Pietro Gasparri (18 Oct 1917 - 7 Feb 1930)
- Giulio Serafini (30 Jun 1930 - 16 Jul 1938)
- Luigi Sincero (12 Dec 1934 - 7 Feb 1936)
- Massimo Massimi (14 Mar 1939 - 29 May 1946)
- Pietro Ciriaci (31 May 1955 - 30 Dec 1966)
- Pericle Felici (1967 - 22 Mar 1982 )
- Rosalio José Castillo Lara (18 Jan 1984 - 6 Dec 1989)
- Vincenzo Fagiolo (15 Dec 1990 - 19 Dec 1994)
- Julián Herranz Casado (19 December 1994–2 April 2005; 21 April 2005–15 February 2007)
- Francesco Coccopalmerio (15 February 2007 – present)
Secretaries of the Pontifical Council and its predecessors
- Luigi Sincero (18 Oct 1917 – 23 May 1923)
- Giuseppe Bruno (14 Feb 1924 – 16 Feb 1946)
- Gabriel Acacius Coussa, B.A. (3 Mar 1946 – 19 Mar 1962)
- Giacomo Violardo (1962 – 26 Gen 1965)
- Raimondo Bidagor, S.J. (1965 – 1973)
- Rosalio José Castillo Lara, S.D.B. (12 Feb 1975 – 22 May 1982)
- Julián Herranz Casado (1983 – 19 Dec 1994)
- Bruno Bertagna (1994 – 15 Feb 2007)
- Juan Ignacio Arrieta Ochoa de Chinchetru (15 Feb 2007 - )
