DOTTRINA CRISTIANA, ARCICONFRATERNITA della. — Established in Rome by Paul V with the brief Ex credito nobis of 6 October 1607.
The impetus given by the Council of Trent to the Catholic restoration had led, through the initiative of the pious Milanese layman Marco de Sadis Cusani, to the establishment in Rome of a «Compagnia o Congregazione della d. c.» (v. CATECHESI), which devoted itself to teaching the catechism to children in parishes, institutions, and along the streets, and whose seat was the church of S. Martino in Panerella, a filial church of the basilica of S. Lorenzo in Damaso. Paul V, having witnessed its progress and the fruits it had achieved, wished to take it under his special protection and, with the aforementioned brief, erected it as an Archconfraternity in the basilica of S. Pietro, granting it, in addition to indulgences, the faculty of aggregating all other similar confraternities erected in Rome by the Ordinary. The Archconfraternity had its statutes and regulations, which were continually adapted more suitably to the times and to various needs; by the bull Salutaris doctrinae fontes, of 9 March 1746, Benedict XIV transferred its seat to the church of S. Maria del Pianto.
Pius X, with the encyclical Acerbo nimis of 15 April 1905, determined that the Confraternity della d. c. should be erected in
all Catholic parishes, so that the parish priests might have, for the teaching of the catechism, effective assistants in the persons of lay faithful who wish to contribute to this salutary and holy work (Acta S. Sedis, 30 [1905], p. 271 suppl.). The CIC prescribes the same (can. 711 § 2), adding that every confraternity legitimately erected by the Ordinaries remains ipso iure aggregated to the Archconfraternity of Rome and shares in its indulgences and privileges. No special organization is prescribed; the Ordinaries may therefore issue whatever norms they deem appropriate secundum peculiaria aduncta (cf. the reply of 6 March 1927 by the Commission for the Interpretation of the CIC: AAS, 19 [1927], p. 151); indeed, special statutes for such confraternities are proposed in appendices to the decrees of various Councils and diocesan Synods. Their erection was again urged by the decree Provido sane consilio of the S. Congregation of the Council (12 January 1935: AAS, 27 [1935], pp. 145–54).