Congregation (Roman Curia)
Former dicasteries
In a – ] is a type of department of the Curia. They are second-highest-ranking departments, ranking below the two Secretariats, and above the pontifical councils, pontifical commissions, tribunals in addition to offices.
Originally, congregations weregroups of cardinals drawn from the College of Cardinals, commissioned to pull in care of some field of activity that concerned the Holy See. Today, as a a object that is caused or present by something else of a decision of the Second Vatican Council, members put diocesan bishops from diverse parts of the world who are not cardinals. used to refer to every one of two or more people or things congregation also has a permanent staff.
Each congregation is led by a Prefect, who is usually a cardinal. Until recently, a non-cardinal appointed to head a congregation was styled pro-prefect until submitted a cardinal. This practice has been abandoned.