PRESERVATION OF THE FAITH AND PROVISION OF NEW CHURCHES IN ROME (PONTIFICAL WORK FOR THE). — Instituted by Pius XI (motu proprio In allocutione, of 5 Aug. 1930: AAS, 22 [1930], p. 337) as a replacement for and expansion of the Work for the Preservation of the Faith, established by Leo XIII to constitute an effective and vigorous defense against the active proselytism of heresy in Rome (letter to Cardinal Respighi, 19 Aug. 1900: Acta Leonis XIII, XX [Rome 1901], p. 238) and made more permanent (motu proprio Litteras ante annos duos, 25 Nov. 1902: ibid., XXII [there 1903], p. 241) by a commission of five cardinals.
This consisted of the cardinal vicar of His Holiness pro tempore, as president, four cardinals, and a prelate, assisted by a prelatial consultative body made up of an administrative board, a committee of gentlemen and ladies, and male and female zealous supporters.
The presence in Rome of the so-called “admitted” or “tolerated” cults, a danger already pointed out by Leo XIII, was again lamented in the allocution of 30 June 1930 by Pius XI (AAS, 22 [1930], pp. 290, 300), who reorganized and enlarged the Work, calling it the “Pontifical Work for the Preservation of the Faith and for the Provision of New Churches in Rome” and declaring extinct the cardinalatial commission, together with the consultants, etc., established by Leo XIII.
The Work is a juridical person and depends directly upon the pontiff. Its president is a cardinal (appointed by the pope), who reports to the pontiff on the Work’s activities and represents it in all juridical and administrative matters. The Work has two sections: one concerning the preservation of the faith (which is the one desired by Leo XIII, but adapted to the new conditions of the times); the other concerning the construction of new parish churches and their endowments. The funds for this purpose are drawn from the sums assigned to it by the Holy Father from the outset, from compensation received for the transfer of churches to be demolished, and from donations by the Roman people. Alongside the cardinal president, this section has a commission consisting of prelates, ecclesiastics, a legal adviser, and two engineers, all appointed by the pontiff (cf. AAS, 22 [1930], p. 426).