Apapal legate orapostolic legate (from theancient Roman titlelegatus) is a personal representative of thePope to foreign nations, to some other part of theCatholic Church, or to representatives of a state or monarchy. A legate is empowered in matters ofCatholic faith and for the settlement ofecclesiastical 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, to a sovereign, to a large body of believers (such as a national church), or to take charge of a major religious effort, such as anecumenical council, acrusade to the Holy Land, or even against aheresy such as theCathars.
The termlegation is applied both to a legate's mandate and to the territory concerned (such as a state, or an ecclesiastical province). The relevant adjective islegatine.
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In theHigh Middle Ages, papal legates were often used to strengthen the links between Rome and the many parts ofChristendom. More often than not, legates were learned men and skilled diplomats who were not from the country they were accredited to. For example, the Italian-bornGuala Bicchieri served as papal legate to England in the early 13th century and played a major role in both the English government and church at the time. By theLate Middle Ages it had become more common to appoint native clerics to the position of legate within their own country, such asCardinal Wolsey acting as legate to the court ofHenry VIII of England. The reason for this switch in policy could be attributed to a change in attitude on the eve of theReformation; by this point, foreign men representing the papacy would be more likely to reinforce dissent than bring Christendom closer together.[1][non sequitur]
Papal legates often summonedlegatine councils, which dealt with church government and other ecclesiastical issues.[2] According to PopeGregory VII, writing in theDictatus papae, a papal legate "presides over all bishops in a council, even if he is inferior in rank, and he can pronounce sentence of deposition against them".[3] During theMiddle Ages, a legatine council was the usual means that a papal legate imposed his directives.[3]
There are several ranks of papal legates in diplomacy, some of which are no longer used.
The most common form of papal legate today is theapostolic nuncio, whose task it is to strengthen relations between theHoly See and the 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.[4] An apostolic nuncio is generally equivalent in rank to that ofambassador extraordinary andplenipotentiary, although inCatholic countries the nuncio often ranks above ambassadors in diplomatic protocol. A nuncio performs the same functions as an ambassador and has the same diplomatic privileges. Under the 1961Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, to which the Holy See is a party, a nuncio is an ambassador like those from any other country. The Vienna Convention allows the host state to grant seniority of precedence to the nuncio over others of ambassadorial rank accredited to the same country, and may grant thedeanship of that country's diplomatic corps to the nuncio regardless of seniority.[5]
Pro-nuncio was a term used from 1965 to 1991 for a papal diplomatic representative of full ambassadorial rank accredited to a country that did not accord him precedence over other ambassadors andex officio deanship of the diplomatic corps. In those countries, the papal representative's precedence within the corps is exactly on a par with that of the other members of ambassadorial rank, so that he becomes dean only on becoming the senior member of the corps.[6]
For countries with which the Holy See has no diplomatic relations, an apostolic delegate is sent to serve as a liaison with the Catholic Church in that country, though not accredited to its government.[4]
This highest rank (literally "from the (pope's) side", i.e. "intimately" trusted) is normally awarded to a priest ofcardinal rank. It is an exceptional investiture and can either be focused or broad in scope. The legatea latere is the alter ego of the Pope, and as such, possesses full plenipotentiary powers.[7][8]
Literally "born legate", i.e. not nominated individually butex officio, namely a bishop holding this rank as a privilege of his see, e.g.archbishops ofCanterbury (pre-Reformation),Prague,Esztergom,Udine,Salzburg,Gniezno andCologne.[7][8] Thelegatus natus would act as the Pope's representative in his province, with alegatus a latere only being sent in extraordinary circumstances. Although limited in their jurisdiction compared tolegati a latere, alegatus natus was not subordinate to them.[9]
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.[7][8]
Some administrative (temporal) provinces of thePapal States in (mostly central) Italy were governed by a papal legate. This has been the case inBenevento, inPontecorvo (of Campagna e Marittima/of Frosinone) and inViterbo. In four cases, includingBologna, this post was awarded exclusively tocardinals; theVelletri post was created forBartolomeo Pacca.
The title could be changed toApostolic Delegate, as happened in Frosinone (for Pontecorvo) in 1827.
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