PONTIFICAL PROTECTORATE. — The pontifical protectorate is a particular form of protection by the Roman Pontiff extended to religious Orders, abbeys, religious congregations, and pious institutions that enjoy this notable privilege. In a broad sense, the pontifical protectorate could be connected with the ius tuitionis, which the popes granted over the centuries, especially during the medieval period, to estates, tributary States, churches, dioceses, monasteries, religious Orders, pious places, corporations, etc., granting these protected entities exemptions, immunities, privileges, and prerogatives (v. ESENZIONE; PIETRO; PRIVILEGIO). In the strict sense, the pontifical protectorate is instead a development of the function of the cardinal protector (v. PROTETTORE CARDINALE).
It often happened that the Supreme Pontiff retained some of those protectorates that he had held as a cardinal.
A kind of pontifical protectorate is that granted by Pius IV, in 1565, to the pontifical grooms, whose church in Borgo Pio was placed under the immediate protection of the Pope and the Holy See. On 25 July 1574 Gregory XIII declared himself protector of the Collegio germanico-ungarico (v. C. B. Piazza, Opere pie di Roma, Rome 1679, p. 234). Paul V retained during his pontificate the protectorate of the Archconfraternity of Christian Doctrine, which he later entrusted to the cardinal vicar and his successors. On 25 September 1754 Benedict XIV declared the pontiff pro tempore protector of the Archconfraternity of the Via Crucis at the Colosseum, or of the Lovers of Jesus and Mary, established shortly before by s. Leonardo da Porto Maurizio.
As pope, Pius VII was protector of the province of Sabina. The same Pius VII, while contributing to the restoration of the collegiate church of SS. Celso e Giuliano in Banchi in Rome, stated that the church was immediately subject to the Supreme Pontiffs. Confirmation of this is found in Pius IX, who accepted the protectorate of the same church (Notizie del giorno, anno 1847, Rome 1847, no. 34). As pope, Gregory XVI retained the protectorate of the Chapter and city of Pergola, assumed when he was a cardinal (cf. Prospetto del saggio degli alunni del Seminario di Pergola e studenti delle pubbliche scuole, Pergola 1839, p. 6).
The list of the protectorates retained by the most recent Supreme Pontiffs may be found: from the year 1832, in Notizie per l'anno 1832, 1833, and following years; from the year 1851, in Notizie per l'anno 1851, 1852, and following years; from the year 1860, in Annuario pontificio pel 1860, 1861, and following years; from the year 1873, in La gerarchia cattolica e la famiglia pontificia per l'anno 1873, 1874, and following years; from the year 1881, in La gerarchia cattolica, la cappella e la famiglia pontificia per l'anno 1881, 1882, and following years; from the year 1906, in La gerarchia cattolica, la cappella e la famiglia pontificia, le amministrazioni palatine. Le sacre congregazioni e gli altri dicenteri pontifici, per l'anno 1906 1907, and following years; from the year 1912, in Annuario pontificio, 1912, 1913, and following years. From the year 1908, one may also consult A. Battandier, Annuaire pontifical catholique, Paris 1908, and following years.
Since the pontifical protectorate is reserved to the free will of the popes, whether in retaining protectorates already held as cardinals or in assuming new ones, it is impossible to say what criterion the Holy Father follows in granting this protection of his; it is, however, always an act of sovereign benevolence toward this or that religious Order or congregation, church, monastery, or pious institution, etc., a benevolence demonstrated by signs of particular munificence.