Apostolic constitution

For the 4th century text, see Apostolic Constitutions.

Legislation and Legal System of the Catholic Church

This article is part of the series:
Codifications Legal history of the Catholic Church 1983 Code of Canon Law Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches 1917 Code of Canon Law Corpus Juris Canonici Apostolic Constitutions Decretum Gratiani Decretist Regulæ Juris Decretals of Gregory IX Decretalist Extravagantes Nomocanon Collectio canonum quadripartita Collectio canonum Quesnelliana Collectio canonum Wigorniensis Pseudo-Isidorian Decretals
Apostolic constitutions Anglicanorum Coetibus Benedictus Deus (Benedict XII) Benedictus Deus (Pius IV) Ex Corde Ecclesiae Fidei Depositum Indulgentiarum Doctrina Pastor Bonus Sacrae Disciplinae Leges Universi Dominici gregis
Motu proprio Ad tuendam fidem Mysterii Paschalis Pontificalis Domus Summorum Pontificum Tra le sollecitudini
Canon law of Vatican II Lumen gentium Sacrosanctum Concilium Gaudium et spes Dei verbum
Matrimonial law Affinity Banns of Marriage Declaration of Nullity Matrimonial Nullity Trial Reforms of Pope Francis Defender of the Bond Disparity of Cult Impediment of crime Matrimonial Dispensation Natural Marriage Pauline privilege Petrine privilege ratum sed non consummatum
Tribunals & canonical structures Tribunal System Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura Tribunal of the Roman Rota Apostolic Penitentiary Judicial Vicar/Officialis Auditor Defender of the Bond Personal Ordinariate Personal Prelature
Theory Dispensation Ecclesiastical positive law Excommunication Fundamental Theory of Canon Law Indult Impediment Interpretation Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts Internal forum Latae Sententiae Censure Resignation of the Roman Pontiff Sede vacante Vacatio legis Valid but illicit
Other Canon 915 Canon 1324 Canon 1398 Eastern Canonical Reforms of Pius XII
Canon Law Task Force

An apostolic constitution (Latin constitutio apostolica) is the highest level of decree issued by the Pope. The use of the term constitution comes from Latin constitutio, which referred to any important law issued by the Roman emperor, and is retained in church documents because of the inheritance that the canon law of the Roman Catholic Church received from Roman law.

By their nature, apostolic constitutions are addressed to the public. Generic constitutions use the title apostolic constitution, and treat on solemn matters of the church, such as the promulgation of laws or definitive teachings. The forms dogmatic constitution and pastoral constitution are titles sometimes used to be more descriptive as to the document's purpose.

Apostolic constitutions are issued as papal bulls because of their solemn, public form. The second highest category of decree, below an apostolic constitution, is an encyclical letter.

Introduction

Generic constitutions contain the following introduction:

[Pope name], Bishop

Servant of the Servants of God

For an everlasting memorial/eternal memory/etc.

Examples of apostolic constitutions

16th Century

Quo primum (1570) Pius V's Apostolic Constitution on the Tridentine Mass

19th Century

Ineffabilis Deus (1854) Pius IX's Dogmatic Constitution on the Immaculate Conception of Mary
Ad Universalis Ecclesiae (1862) Pius IX's Papal Constitution dealing with the conditions for admission to religious orders of men in which solemn vows are prescribed
Romanos Pontifices (1881) by Pope Leo XIII

20th Century

Bis Saeculari (1948), Pope Pius XII on Sodality of Our Lady
Munificentissimus Deus (1950) Pope Pius XII's Dogmatic Constitution on the Assumption of Mary
Exsul Familia (1952) Pope Pius XII's Constitution on Migration
Veterum sapientia (1962) Pope John XXIII's Apostolic Constitution on the promotion of the study of Latin
Dei verbum (1965) Pope Paul VI's Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation
Paenitemini (1966) Pope Paul VI's Apostolic Constitution on Fasting and Abstinence in the Roman Catholic Church
Missale Romanum (1969) Pope Paul VI's Apostolic Constitution on the revised liturgy
Romano Pontifici eligendo (1975) Pope Paul VI's Apostolic Constitution on the election of the Roman pontiff
Ut sit (1982) Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Constitution raising Opus Dei (Latin for, "The Work Of God") to the rank of a Personal Prelature (similar to a diocese, but grouping people by some peculiar pastoral reason instead of by where they live)
Sacrae Disciplinae Leges (1983) Pope John Paul II's constitution instituting the 1983 Code of Canon Law
Pastor Bonus (1988) — Pope John Paul II's rules on the re-organisation of the Roman Curia
Ex corde ecclesiae (1990) — John Paul II's rules on Catholic universities
Fidei depositum (1992) Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Constitution on the new Catechism of the Catholic Church
Universi Dominici gregis (1996)—Pope John Paul II's rules on electing the Roman Pontiff (the Pope)

21st Century

Anglicanorum Coetibus (2009) - Pope Benedict XVI's rules for providing for Personal Ordinariates for Anglican laypeople and clergy wishing to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church

References

Huels, John M. "A theory of juridical documents based on canons 29-34", Studia Canonica, 1998, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 337–370.

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