MOTU PROPRIO. - It generally denotes the document relating to a concession made by a sovereign on his own initiative, whether real or fictitious, taking its name from the first words with which the text usually begins. This formula is adopted either to justify the extraordinary character of the concession or to produce specific legal effects in favor of the beneficiary.

In the pontifical Chancery it has constituted a particular type of document since the 15th century and continues to the present: written on paper, it bears at the top the name of the pope in the manner of briefs and begins with the words « M. p. »; the subscription, in the pope's own hand, was expressed with the formula « Placet m. p. », followed by the initial of his baptismal name (today the formula « Placet » is absent and the name is that of the reigning pope); it lacks a seal and other formalities.

Bibliography

BIBL.: C. Paoli, Diplomatica, new ed. edited by G. C. Bascapè, Florence [1942], p. 442g. Giulio Battelli

@incollection{ec8_motu_proprio, author = {Battelli, Giulio}, title = {Motu Proprio}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {VIII}, pages = {1487}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1952}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/motu-proprio} }

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