What does the Roman curia do?

by Michael Shackleton · August 21, 2012

What is the Roman curia? What does it do for the Church? Roland Byrne

Pope Benedict addresses the curia at the Vatican

The Roman curia is an organisation of various administrative offices that assist the bishop of Rome that is, the pope to carry out his mandate to govern the Church.

In its decree on the pastoral office of bishops, Vatican II (1962-65) made this statement: In exercising supreme, full and immediate power over the universal Church, the Roman Pontiff makes use of the departments of the Roman curia. These, therefore, perform their duties in his name and with his authority for the good of the churches and in the service of the sacred pastors (Christus Dominus, 9).

The same document called for the curia to be reorganised and better suited to the times, and over the years this call has been slowly implemented.

The curia’s top department is the Secretariat of State. Its function is to deal with the Church’s international relations, particularly on the political and diplomatic levels. It is pivotal in the Church’s interaction with the world.

Then there are nine congregations (or dicasteries) acting like the ministries in a modern government. They are the congregations of Doctrine of the Faith, Eastern Churches, Divine Worship, Causes of Saints, Bishops, Evangelisation of Peoples, Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Catholic Education.

The three judicial tribunals are the Apostolic Penitentiary (for indulgences and the lifting of excommunications and censures), Apostolic Signatura (for settling disputes among the dicasteries and other judicial matters) and the Roman Rota (dealing mostly in appeals for nullity of marriages).

There are 12 smaller agencies called the pontifical councils and, like the other offices, each deals with specific issues: laity, Christian unity, family, Justice and Peace, humanitarian relief (called Cor Unum), care of migrants, health care workers, legislative texts, interreligious dialogue, culture, social communication, promoting the New Evangelisation.

The Vatican State’s financial matters are managed by three Offices: Apostolic Camera (principal board of finance), Patrimony of the Apostolic See (controlling the Holy See’s properties), Economic Affairs (the Vatican’s auditors for balance sheets and budgets).

There are other lower-level offices and institutions in the curial system. These take care of such matters as the papal household, papal liturgical celebrations, dealings with the press, statistics, the Secret Archives, library, Academy of Sciences, papal charities, Vatican Radio, sacred archaeology, cultural heritage, Ecclesia Dei (which works towards reunion with the Society of St Pius X and other traditionalists), and the Pontifical Swiss Guard.