Agents at the Sacred Congregations

AGENTS TO THE SACRED CONGREGATIONS. - In the past, the procuratori ospedizionieri were of considerable importance; they represented individual dioceses or persons before the Roman Curia. Mostly laymen, they had access to virtually the entire complex organization of pontifical offices and congregations (especially those responsible for appointments or for granting dispensations, favours, privileges, etc.), and constituted a powerful body, highly jealous of its secular privileges. With the multiplication of means of communication, the function of these intermediaries became increasingly less useful, besides giving rise to numerous inconveniences; consequently, the Sapienti Consilio (1908) ordered the suppression of the body of Apostolic Spedizionieri, while preserving any acquired rights (chap. VIII), and henceforth permitting the existence of only two types of representatives: 1) occasional agents of private persons, who are required only to be Catholics, of good repute, and unconnected with the dicastery before which the matter is being dealt with; 2) regular and recognized agents of bishops or dioceses. The latter must be entered in the register of agents, kept at the S. Congregazione Concettoriale, whose assessor, at his unquestionable discretion, may admit or reject applicants: besides being Catholics and of good repute, they must possess an adequate knowledge of the Latin language and of canon law; ecclesiastics require the approval of the vicariate, and religious that of their general. Vittorio Barrocetti