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Sacred Congregation de Propaganda Fide

1910 New Catholic Dictionary

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Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Fai

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Founded as the Sacred Congregation de Propaganda Fide (for the Propagation of the Faith) was founded by Pope Gregory XV on June 22, 1622 to regulate ecclesiastical affairs in the so-called "missionary countries," i.e.,countries in which the hierarchy is not yet, or only imperfectly, established. For most of its life it was referred to as the Congregation of Propaganda the name was changed in 1982 since the word propaganda had taken sinister overtones in the 20th century. The Congregation has its own cardinal prefect, a number of cardinals with the usual officials, and a body of consultors. It has authority over all missionary countries and their inhabitants, over societies of ecclesiastics and seminaries founded exclusively for the foreign missions, and also over religious as missionaries. It attends to everything regarding the holding and recognition of councils held in its territory. It has no competency, however, in matters of faith, marriage causes, questions of sacred rites, and over religious as such. The headquarters of the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith are in this Congregation, the secretary of the congregation being president of the superior general council of the society.

Prefects of the Congregation:

• Antonio Maria Cardinal Sauli (1622)
• Ludovico Cardinal Ludovisi (1622-1632)
• Antonio Marcello Cardinal Barberini (1632-1671)
• Paluzzo Cardinal Paluzzi Altieri Degli Albertoni (1671-1698)
• Carlo Cardinal Berberini (1698-1704)
• Giuseppe Cardinal Sacripanti (1704-1727)
• Vincenzo Cardinal Petra (1727-1747)
• Silvio Cardinal Valenti Gonzaga (1747-1756)
• Giuseppe Cardinal Spinelli (1756-1763)
• Giuseppe Maria Cardinal Castelli (1763-1780)
• Leonardo Cardinal Antonelli (1780-1795)
• Giacinto Cardinal Sigismondo Gerdil (1795-1802)
• Stefano Cardinal Borgia (pro-prefect 1798-1800, prefect 1802-1804)
• Antonio Cardinal Dugnani (1804-1805)
• Michele Cardinal di Pietro (1805-1814)
• Lorenzo Cardinal Litta (1814-1818)
• Francesco Cardinal Fontana (1818-1822)
• Ercole Cardinal Consalvi (pro-prefect 1822-1824, prefect 1824)
• Giulio Maria Cardinal della Somaglia (pro-prefect 1824-1826)
• Mauro Cardinal Capellari (1826-1831)
• Carlo Maria Cardinal Pedicini (1831-1834)
• Filippo Cardinal Fransoni (1834-1856)
• Allesandro Cardinal Barnabò (1856-1874)
• Alessandro Cardinal Franchi (1874-1878)
• Giovanni Cardinal Simeoni (1878-1892)
• Mieczyslaw Halka Cardinal Ledóchowski (1892-1902)
• Girolamo Maria Cardinal Gotti (1902-1916)
• Domenico Cardinal Serafini (pro-prefect 1916, prefect 1916-1918)
• Willem Marinus Cardinal van Rossum (1918-1932)
• Pietro Cardinal Fumasoni Biondi (1933-1960)
• Samual Alphonse Cardinal Stritch (pro-prefect 1958)
• Grégoire-Pierre XV Cardinal Agagianian (pro-prefect 1958-1960, prefect 1960-1970)
• Agnelo Cardinal Rossi (1970-1984)
• Dermot Ryan (pro-prefect 1984-1985)
• Jozef Cardinal Tomko (pro-prefect 1985, prefect 1985-2001)
• Crescenzio Cardinal Sepe (2001- )