223. Special faculties granted to De Propaganda Fide (6 October 2025)

Last week’s post examined dispensations granted to the diocesan bishop and local Ordinaries as the core of the fourth principle that influenced the 1983 Code. In light of the same purpose of dispensations, today’s post highlights the various faculties granted to the Dicastery for Evangelisation.

Although the Church is by its nature missionary (Ad Gentes, 2), and the work of evangelisation is a fundamental duty of the faithful (Ad Gentes, 35; Can. 781), the Church entrusted the missionary mandate in a particular way to the Dicastery for Evangelisation. It was established by Pope Gregory XV in 1622 to facilitate and strengthen the Church’s global missionary activity, and was formerly known as the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith (De Propaganda Fide) (1622 to 1967) and the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples (1967 to 2022). The current constitution of the Roman Curia states that the dicastery “serves the work of evangelisation” and is “competent for fundamental questions regarding evangelisation in the world and for the establishment, assistance and support of new particular Churches, without prejudice to the competence of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches” (Praedicate Evangelium, art 53 §1).

The Dicastery for Evangelisation (from 2022, the Section for the First Evangelisation and New Particular Churches) is responsible for all mission territories, that is, areas unable to provide “proper resources and sufficient means to be able to carry out the work of evangelisation themselves” (Can. 786). In a 2015 address, the then Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of the People, Cardinal Fernando Filoni affirms: “Excluding the territories under the jurisdiction of the Congregation for Eastern Churches and the work of the new evangelisation, the missionary dicastery has competence in almost all of the continent of Africa, the whole of Asia (except most of the Phlippines), the countries of Oceania, except Australia, the Caribbean, parts of Latin America, Alaska in the United States of America, and the dioceses of northern Canada” making it “a total of 1,111 ecclesiastical circumscriptions: 507 in Africa, 487 in Asia, 80 in America and 46 in Oceania”.

Over the centuries, and following the Second Vatican Council, the promulgation of the 1983 Code of Canon Law, which granted the diocesan bishop and local Ordinaries ordinary faculties to dispense the faithful in their territory from universal and particular disciplinary laws, and the revision of the apostolic constitution on the Roman curia, many of these faculties have been abolished, have fallen into disuse, or have been transferred to the competence of other dicasteries.   

Hence, on 30 April 2005, Pope Benedict XVI reconfirmed the concession of special faculties granted to the dicastery for mission territories.

1. To accept the resignation of bishops and apostolic vicars of mission territories, except that of cardinal archbishops or bishops of dependent territories (from 1950, confirmed in 1978 and in 2005). One notes that the pope accepts the resignation of bishops in accordance with the provisions of canon 401 §1.  
2. To appoint apostolic prefects, apostolic administrators, ecclesiastical superiors of missions sui iuris, and apostolic visitors (from 1830, confirmed in 1978 and in 2005).
3. To modify the boundaries and name of ecclesiastical jurisdictions under the dicastery or the transfer of the title of the cathedral church (from 1950, confirmed in 1978 and in 2005).
4. To permit the celebration of three Masses on weekdays and four Masses on holy days of obligation (from 1978, confirmed in 1999 and in 2005). Canon 905 requires a priest to celebrate or concelebrate not more than once a day except when the law permits him to do so. The local Ordinary can permit priests to celebrate Mass twice a day or three times on Sundays and holy days of obligation if there is a shortage of priests or if pastoral necessity requires it.
5. To dispense from the canonical age for priestly or diaconate ordination by up to 18 months (cf. Can 1032 §§1-2) (from 1950, confirmed in 1978 and in 2005).
6. To grant the diocesan bishop the faculty to delegate lay persons to assist at marriages (cf. Can. 1112 §1) (from 1999, confirmed in 2005).
7. To grant the recognitio to the statutes and complementary norms of Episcopal Conferences (from 1973, confirmed in 1978 and in 2005). 
8. To concede the reduction of Mass pro populo (Mass for the people without an intention offering) to twelve a year for bishops and priests (from 1984, confirmed in 2005). This faculty is to derogate the obligation of diocesan bishops and parish priests to apply a Mass for the people every Sunday and holy days of obligation (cf. Cann. 388 & 534).
9. To present to the pope penal cases of dismissal from the clerical state with the dispensation from priestly obligations, including celibacy, of clerics guilty of grave sins against the sixth commandment, who are incardinated in ecclesiastical jurisdictions in mission territories without adequate judicial structure. On 19 December 2008, Pope Benedict subsequently expanded it to all mission territories and members of missionary societies of apostolic life dependent on the dicastery, without prejudice to the exclusive competence of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith regarding the delict of sexual abuse. 
10. On 19 December 2008, Pope Benedict also granted the dicastery the faculty to study and present to the pope other requests for dispensation from clerical obligations presented by priests and deacons of mission dioceses and members of Societies of Apostolic Life for the missio ad gentes, as well as for members of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life of diocesan right, who have their principal houses in mission territories.

One notes that these faculties can be revoked, modified, or extended for all mission territories or for a particular territory at any time. 

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