A papal Legate, from the Decretals of
Boniface VIII (1294 to 1303). British Museum, 23923.
A
Papal Legate – from the Latin, authentic Roman title
Legatus – is a personal representative of the
Pope to Foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic Church. He is empowered on matters of
Catholic Faith and for the settlement of
ecclesiastical matters.
The legate is appointed directly by the Pope (the bishop of Rome and head of the Catholic Church). Hence a legate is usually sent to a government, a sovereign or to a large body of believers (such as a national church) or to take charge of a major religious effort, such as an ecumenical council, a crusade to the Holy Land, or even against a heresy such as the
Cathars. The authority of the Pope to appoint and choose the legates has been contested several times in history.
The term
legation is applied both to a legate's mandate and to the territory concerned (such as a state, or an ecclesiastical province). The relevant adjective is
legatine.
There are several ranks of papal legates, some of which no longer exist today:
Apostolic Nuncio
The most common form of Papal Legate today is the
Apostolic Nuncio, whose task it is to strengthen relations between the
Holy See and the
Roman Catholic Church in a particular country and at the same time to act as the diplomatic representative of the Holy See to the government of that country.
Apostolic Delegate
For nations with which the Holy See has no diplomatic ties, an Apostolic Delegate is sent to serve as a liaison with the Roman Catholic Church in that nation, though not accredited to the government of the state (see
Nuncio).
Legatus a Latere
This highest rank (literally "from the (Pope's) side", i.e. "intimately" trusted) is normally awarded to a priest of
cardinal rank. It is an exceptional investiture and can either be focused or broad in scope. The legate
a latere is the alter ego of the Pope, and as such, possesses full plenipotentiary powers.
Legatus Natus
Literally "born legate", i.e. not nominated individually but
ex officio, namely a bishop holding this rank as a privilege of his see, e.g.
archbishops of
Canterbury (pre-
Reformation),
Prague,
Udine,
Salzburg,
Poznan and
Cologne.
Legatus Missus
Literally "sent legate", possessing limited powers for the purpose of completing a specific mission. This commission is normally focused in scope and of short duration.
Gubernatorial legates
Some administrative (temporal) provinces of the
Papal States in central Italy were governed by a papal legate.
In four cases, including
Bologna, this post was awarded to Cardinals; the
Velletri post was created for
Bartolomeo Cardinal Pacca.
See also
- Internuncio – a lower rank than Nuncio for a papal diplomatic representative, a title historically used at a time when states sent to some less important countries diplomatic representatives, called Envoys or Ministers, lower in rank than Ambassadors.
