Apostolic constitution

An apostolic constitution (Latin: constitutio apostolica) is the highest level of decree issued by the Pope.[1] The use of the term
constitution comes from Latin constitutio, which referred to any important law issued by the Roman emperor, and is retained in
church documents because of the inheritance that thecanon law of the Roman Catholic Church received fromRoman law.

By their nature, apostolic constitutions are addressed to the public. Generic constitutions use the title apostolic constitution and treat
on solemn matters of the church, such as the promulgation of laws or definitive teachings. The forms dogmatic constitution and
pastoral constitution are titles sometimes used to be more descriptive as to the document's purpose.

Apostolic constitutions are issued as papal bulls because of their solemn, public form. The second highest category of decree, below
an apostolic constitution, is anencyclical letter.

Contents
Introduction
Examples of apostolic constitutions
References
Citations
Sources

Introduction
Generic constitutions contain the following introduction:

[Pope name], Bishop

Servant of the Servants of God
For an everlasting memorial/eternal memory/etc.

Examples of apostolic constitutions

16th century

Quo primum (1570) Pius V's Apostolic Constitution on theTridentine Mass

19th century

Ineffabilis Deus (1854) Pius IX's Dogmatic Constitution on the Immaculate Conceptionof Mary
Ad Universalis Ecclesiae(1862) Pius IX's Papal Constitution dealing with the conditions for admission to religious
orders of men in whichsolemn vows are prescribed
Romanos Pontifices (1881) by Pope Leo XIII
20th century

Bis Saeculari (1948), Pope Pius XII on Sodality of Our Lady

Munificentissimus Deus(1950) Pope Pius XII's Dogmatic Constitution on theAssumption of Mary
Exsul Familia (1952) Pope Pius XII's Constitution onMigration
Veterum sapientia (1962) Pope John XXIII's Apostolic Constitution on the promotion of the study of Latin
Dei verbum (1965) Pope Paul VI's Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation
Lumen Gentium (1964) by Pope Paul VI
 Paenitemini (1966) Pope Paul VI's Apostolic Constitution onFasting and Abstinence in the Roman Catholic Church
Missale Romanum (1969) Pope Paul VI's Apostolic Constitution on the revised liturgy
Romano Pontifici eligendo(1975) Pope Paul VI's Apostolic Constitution on the election of the Roman pontif f
Ut sit (1982) Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Constitution raisingOpus Dei (Latin for "The Work of God") to the rank of
a Personal Prelature (similar to a diocese, but grouping people by some peculiar pastoral reason instead of by where
they live)
Sacrae Disciplinae Leges(1983) Pope John Paul II's constitution instituting the 1983Code of Canon Law
Pastor Bonus (1988) — Pope John Paul II's rules on the re-organisation of theRoman Curia
Ex corde ecclesiae (1990) — John Paul II's rules on Catholic universities
Fidei depositum (1992) Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Constitution on the newCatechism of the Catholic Church
Universi Dominici gregis(1996)—Pope John Paul II's rules on electing theRoman Pontiff (the Pope)
21st century

Anglicanorum Coetibus(2009) - Pope Benedict XVI's rules for providing forPersonal Ordinariates for Anglican
laypeople and clergy wishing to enter intofull communion with the Catholic Church
Vultum Dei quaerere (2016) - Pope Francis' rules about women's contemplative life
Veritatis gaudium (2017) - Pope Francis' reform of pontifical universities and faculties

References

Citations
1. Mann, Stephanie A., "What Is a Papal Bull?",Our Sunday Visitor, September 1, 2016 (https://www.osv.com/Magazin
es/TheCatholicAnswer/Article/TabId/652/ArtMID/13618/ArticleID/20552/What-Is-a-Papal-Bull.aspx)

Sources
Huels, John M. "A theory of juridical documents based on canons 29-34",
Studia Canonica, 1998, vol. 32, no. 2,
pp. 337–370.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Apostolic_constitution&oldid=823072246

"

This page was last edited on 30 January 2018, at 02:27.

Text is available under theCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this
site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of theWikimedia
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.