ROMAN
146
ROMAN
is the secretarj' of State, who presides over it not as
prefect, but in virtue of his office; and although it
has a secretary and a sub-secretary, the congrega-
tion nevertheless has no secretary's office of its own,
the first section of the office of the secretary of State
6er\-ing the purpose. The scope of the powers of
this congregation is not fixed. It was created for
extraordinary' affairs, and deals only with such
matters as the sovereign pontiff, through his secre-
tary of State, may submit to its study and judg-
ment.
XI. CONGREGATIOK OF STUDIES. SixtUS V, by
his Constitution "Immensa", established a special congregation for the Roman University (Congrega- tio pro universitate studii romani). This estabhsh- ment of learning was founded by Boniface VIII in 1303; it was later known by the name of Sapienza, and in time became extinct. In 1S24, Leo XII created a new congregation to preside over the studies not only of Rome, but of all the Pontifical States. After the events of 1870, this congregation remained intact, and acquired new importance. Consisting, like ail the others, of an adequate number of cardinals, the Congregation of Studies has a secretary of its own, under whom are several officials, and a college of consultors. Pursuant to the provisions of the new Constitution of Pius X, the jurisdiction of this con- gregation is no longer limited to the Pontifical States, much less to Rome. On the contrary, the Congre- gation of Studies exercises its influence throughout the CathoUc world; for it directs the studies of all the greater universities or faculties under the author- ity of the Church, not excepting those under reli- gious orders or congregations. It grants the faculty of conferring academic degrees, which it may also confer itself, in which case they have the same value as those conferred by an ecclesiastical university. It authorizes the estabUshment of new universities as well as changes in the conditions of universities already established, the authorization in either case being given by means of a pontifical Brief. As in other congregations, all graver matters must be referred to the full congregation of cardinals, which therefore determines the establishment of new universities, the more important changes in universities already existing, and the graver questions which may present them.selves for solution in such institutions, the gen- eral conduct of which it also directs. Matters of minor importance are determined by its congresso.
CoHELUCs, op. cit., Congregatio XIX pro universitate studii Tomani; Caterini, CoUeclio legum et ordinationum de recta tlxtdiorum ratione iussu Emi. ac Rmi. Domini Cardinalis Aloysii LambruKchini SS. D. N. Oregorii XVI P. M. a Secretis Status, SaCTii: Congregalionis sludiis moderandis prafecti (Rome, 1841); Capalti. Colleciio legum et ordinationum de recta studiorum ratione ab anno I8.',2 usque ad annum 1862 jussu Card. Raphaelis Fomari praefecti . . . continuala (Rome, 1852).
XII. CoNGBEGATioN OF LoRETO. — From the time of Sixtus IV, the care of the famous sanctuary of Loreto has been reserved exclusively to the Holy See, the arrangement having been confirmed by many Buccf!88ive prjntiffs and especially by Julius II and Paul V. Innocent XII, in 1698, established a con- gregation of cardinals to preside over the affairs of the Sanctuary of Ixjreto; and this (;f)ngregation was not abfilishf'd by the recent Constitution of Pius X, which, on the contrary, provid(!S that the Congnv gation of IxjreUj shall remain distinct from the others, although united to the Qmgrexation of fh(i Council. Until the time of Gregory XVI, the Con- gregation of Ixjrelo, which consists of a suitable num- ber of cardinals, ha<l the cardinal sf!cretary of State for its j>refef;t; nf>w, however, this office is filled by the prefect of the C>jngr<'gation of the Council; while the secretary of the latter congregation is also secretary of the C>>ngr(!gation of Ix>reto, an office formerly belonging to the sub-datary. The compe- tency of this congregation, until the reign of Pius
VII, was extensive, since it included jurisdiction not
only over the Holy House of Loreto and its property,
but also over civil and criminal matters connected
with that sanctuary. This jurisdiction was restricted
by Pius VII, but was again extended by Leo XII.
The new Constitution of Pius X does not define the
powers of the Congregation of Loreto; they are cer-
tainly much diminished, however, by the events of
the last fifty years in Italy, and now relate chiefly
to the restorations of the basilica and supervision
of the numerous pilgrimages to the shrine. The
Congregation of the Council transacts the business
of the Congregation of Loreto according to the
rules of procedure in all other matters of its compe-
tency.
XIII. Congregation of the Fabric of St. Peter's. — When the ancient Basilica of St. Peter was crumbling througii age, Julius II conceived the grand project of building a new temple in the place of the old one, after the plans of Bramante; and on the Saturday next after Easter, 1506, he laid its foundation stone. He realized the enormous expense that must be entailed by the realization of his proj- ect, which was to be accomplished by the charity of the faithful, convinced of the glory that would accrue to Jesus Christ and to His Church through the completion of so majestic a work. If in the Old Testament, God had wished a most sumptuous temple to stand in Jerusalem, it was right that in the New Testament another, most majestic, temple should rise to the glory of His Christ, the Man God. And, to encourage the faithful to contribute to so holy a work, the popes were bountiful in the concession of privi- leges and of indulgences in favour of the generous contributors to the great work. Clement VII, in 1523, established a college of sixty members which was charged with providing for the building of the basihca. This college having been suppressed, Clement VIII replaced it with a special congregation which he named the Congregation of the Fabric of St. Peter's. From the time of Sixtus V, the cardinal archpriest of the basilica itself was the prefect of this congregation. Benedict XIV introduced con- siderable changes: he left to the congregation the constitution given it by Clement VIII, with its cardi- nal prefect, its numerous prelates and officials, such as the auditor and the treasurer of the ApostoHc Camera, and others, but to this congregation he added a special one consisting of the cardinal prefect and three other cardinals, which was to have prece- dence in everything and to exercise and have the ex- clusive economical control <>{ the basilica. The general congregation was to occupy itself thereafter only with contentious causes, since the Congregation of the Fabric still had jurisdiction in such cases, and in fact was the only competent tribunal for causes eoTmected with the building. Pius IX, having abolished special tribunals, including that of the Fabric;, saw that the general congregation was left without any province. He thereupon al)olished the two congregations of Benedict XIV and established a single one, consist- ing not of three, but of more than three, cardinals, to which he confided the economical administration and the con.servation of the basili(!a, adding to this charge that of the administration of many pious legacies and of Ma.ss stipends, with authority to modify them aecording to circumstances. This con- gregation, thercfon', was ciiipowcrcd to grant reduc- tions of the ohligafions of Masses and permi.ssion to defer th*; celebraf I )ii of these Masses for a longer time than that allowed by the ruh;; to allow the executors of pious legacies to make adjustments for past omissions, to delegafe this power more or less ext«'nHively to bishops, and so forth.
Pius X, by his new Constitution, has restricted the competency of this congregation to the adminis- tration of the property, and to the maintenance of
