Prelature

Arms shield model of the prelates "di Fiocchetto".

A prelature is a Catholic ecclesiastical dignity conferred by the pope, often honorary, but which may include territorial or personal jurisdiction (bishopric, abbey, etc). The term derives from the Latin prælatus, participle of præferre (to prefer), suggesting that the prelate is preferred in relation to the rest of the clergy.

The archetype of the prelate is the bishop, whose prelature is the diocese. All other types of prelate, including regular abbots and superiors general of religious communities, are derivatives of this original model, sometimes receiving episcopal insignia (such as the crosier and miter for mitred abbots).

Types of prelature

• La Honorary prelature It is generally granted to the priests members of the Roman Curia and many other priests around the world, that when receiving certain ecclesiastical distinctions they obtain the right to bear some episcopal attributes. In that case, they can be called Monsignor still not having been consecrated as bishops.

1. Prelates "di Fiocchetto": Such a denomination corresponded to four prelates of the Apostolic Chamber that, in their origin, received as a special distinction the one to rid their horses with a violet bow. These were the Vice-Camarlengo, the Auditor General, the Treasurer General and the Mayor of His Holiness. Today they're extinct charges.
2. Apostolic Protonotario: It is the title given to the member of the highest non-episcopal college of prelates in the Roman Curia, or outside of Rome, to an honorary prelate to whom the Pope has granted this title and its special privileges.
3. Prelate of Honor of His Holiness, formerly called Home Prelate of His Holiness.
4. Capellán of His Holiness: Capellán appointed by the Pope for his powers, contributions and knowledge, is usually an old priest to whom he is awarded the title of Monsignor. In the last time, this privilege has been granted to some younger priests over the age of 40.^{[chuckles]required]}

• One territorialformerly called nullius prelature, is a part of the Church (in canonical terminology, "a portion of the People of God"), territorially defined, whose attention is entrusted by special circumstances, to a Prelate that governs it as its own pastor, in the same way as the diocesan bishop.

• One personal preference It is an institution to which the Holy See assigns a certain task that is not confined to a particular territory, which is why in this case the pre-lature is called personal and non-territorial. With the personal preference lay may be linked: in that case, the power of the prelate extends as far as the peculiar mission of the prelate is concerned, while in all other things the lay depend on the diocesan bishop, who remains his own pastor.

The major prelate is one who assists the pope in the government of the Church in a dicastery of the Roman Curia, while the minor prelate is an abbot or higher of a religious order, not invested with episcopal office.

Territorial prelatures

The legal regulation of the territorial prelatures can be found in points 368 to 370 of the Code of Canon Law, belonging to Part Two (Of the hierarchical constitution of the Church) of Book II (Of the people of God):

• Canon 368: Particular Churches, in which and from which the Catholic Church exists one and only, are mainly the dioceses to which, if it is not established otherwise, the territorial prelature and the territorial abbey, the apostolic vicariate and the apostolic prefecture as well as the apostolic administration established in a stable manner.

• Canon 369: The diocese is a portion of the people of God, whose pastoral care is entrusted to the Bishop with the cooperation of the presbytery, so that, together with his pastor and gathered by him in the Holy Spirit through the Gospel and the Eucharist, it constitutes a particular Church, in which the Church of Christ is truly present and acts a holy, Catholic and apostolic Church.

• Canon 370: The territorial prelate or the territorial abbey is a certain portion of the people of God, territorially delimited, whose attention is entrusted by special circumstances, to a Prelate or to an Abbot, who governs it as his own pastor, just as a diocesan bishop.

Personal prelatures

The legal regulation of personal prelatures can be found in points 294 to 297 of the Code of Canon Law, belonging to Part One (Of the Christian faithful) of Book II (Of the People of God):

• Canon 294: In order to promote a convenient distribution of presbyters or to carry out peculiar pastoral or missionary works in favor of various regions or different social groups, the Apostolic See, heard by the Bishops' Conferences concerned, can erect personal prelates that contain priests and deacons of the secular clergy.

• Canon 295 § 1: The personal prelature is governed by the statutes given by the Apostolic See and its government is entrusted to a Prelate as its own Ordinary, to whom it is the authority to set up a national or international seminar, as well as to incarnate the pupils and promote them in the order of service to the prelature. § 2: The Prelate must take care of the spiritual formation of the ordained with the above-mentioned title as well as their proper sustenance.

• Canon 296: Through agreements established with the prelature, the laity can be devoted to the apostolic works of the personal prelature; but the manner of this organic cooperation and the principal duties and rights attached to it must be properly determined in the statutes.

• Canon 297: The statutes will determine the relationships of personal prelature with the local Ordinaries of those particular Churches in which the prelature exercises or wishes to exercise its pastoral or missionary works, with the consent of the diocesan Bishop.

Therefore, each personal prelature is governed by the statutes that have been given to it by the Holy See.

Existing prelatures

There are quite a few territorial prelatures, especially in territories that require special pastoral care.

Personal prelatures, there is only one: the prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei, erected by Pope John Paul II in 1982, universal in scope, made up of priests and laity, and whose mission is to spread the message that all the baptized are called to be saints through their ordinary works, "each in his own state, profession and condition of life", in other words, to do everything with the greatest possible perfection in the face of God (The Way, Saint Josemaría).