Catholic Church. Congregatio Romanae et Universalis Inquisitionis

The Congregation of the Holy Office was, until 1908, called the Congregatio Romanae et Universalis Inquisitionis seu Sancti Officii. The primary function of this congregation was to assist the pope in his task of preserving the integrity of the church doctrine on faith and morals, although the manner of operation has varied over the centuries.

The earliest traces of the Church's concern for preserving this integrity can be found in Lucius III's constitution Ad abolendam (4 Nov 1184) which obliged all bishops to visit twice a year, either personally or by appropriate delegate, the various dioceses to investigate any teaching or practices that seemed to endanger Christian faith or morals. Successive measures taken by Innocent III (1198-1216) led to the appointment in 1231 by Gregory IX of the inquisitores haereticae pravitatis with a mandate of systematically searching out heresy and heretics.

The office of inquisitors was entrusted by Gregory IX to Dominicans, to whom Innocent IV, with his constitution Quia tunc (18 Mar 1254), added Franciscans. These men were sent into various countries throughout Europe vested with apostolic authority to exercise inquisitorial jurisdiction concurrently with the local bishops. Even at Rome, as in other dioceses, a tribunal of the Inquisition was initially set up and presided over by the pope himself. The various inquisitors, however, were never coordinated to form an organized papal department.

It was only with Paul III (constitution Licet ab initio, July 21, 1542) that a permanent Roman commission of cardinals and tribunal of inquisition was set up with power to defend and maintain the integrity of the faith and to examine and proscribe errors and false teaching. The commission's task was to proceed against all apostates, heretics, and their accomplices and followers even without the intervention of the ordinaries. They were to examine doctrine as well as to try persons. Thus the extent of their jurisdiction was considerably enlarged.

The inquisitors general could name fiscal promoters, notaries, and delegates in countries or in single dioceses. But neither the cardinal inquisitors nor their delegates could receive recantations nor remit punishmnent, because these faculties were reserved to the pope. Cardinals could appeal cases decided by their delegates and in such cases absolve kings from censure and from ecclesiastical penalties. No one was exempt from the jurisdiction of the inquisitors, but a sentence against cardinals or major prelates had to be pronounced by the pope in consistory (motu proprio Saepius inter arcanas, 31 Oct 1562).

Although the examination and proscription of books that endangered the faith and morals of Christians had been assigned to the inquisitors general by Paul III (confirmed by Pius IV in his motu proprio Cum inter crimina, 27 Aug 1564), this function was later transferred to the Congregatio pro Indice Librorum Prohibitorum (ID VATV461-A) founded by Pius V in March, 1571.

Paul IV increased the number of cardinal inquisitors first in 1556 and again in 1557. In 1558 he officially changed the tribunal to a congregation and with the constitution Pastoralis officii munus (14 Oct 1562) strengthened and increased its powers and stabilized its functions.

Sixtus V (constitution Immensa aeterni Dei, 22 Jan 1588) formally confirmed it as a congregation, further defined its work, and ranked it first in the Roman Curia. He also renamed the congregation as the Congregatio Sanctae Inquisitionis Haereticae Pravitatis. Later the name became Congregatio pro Romanae et Universalis Inquisitionis seu Sancti Officii which in fact eventually became more commonly known as the Congregatio Sancti Officii. Benedict XIV, in the constitution Sollicita ac provida (9 Jul 1753), called it the Congregation of the Universal Roman Inquisition. Later it had the official name of Suprema Congregatio Sanctae Romanae et Universalis Inquisitionis.

With the motu proprio Romanis Pontificibus (17 Dec 1903) Pius X transferred the responsibilities of the Congregatio Examinis Episcoporum (ID VATV459-A) and the Congregatio Particularis super Promovendis ad Archiepiscopatus et Episcopatus (ID VATV458-A) to the Congregatio Sancti Officii. The curial reform of Pius X (constitution Sapienti consilio 29 Jun 1908), introduced new modifications. This document officially renamed the congregation the Congregatio Sancti Officii (ID VATV001-A), suppressed the Congregation of Indulgences (ID VATV462-A) and transferred its competencies to that of the Holy Office.

The archives of the Holy Office suffered significant losses in the process of their return from Paris. The only significant historical records of the Congregation that are consultable are those that fell into private hands in the early nineteenth century and were subsequently donated to the library at Trinity College, Dublin.

To see a general agency history for the Curia Romana, enter "FIN ID VATV214-A"