Pope Francis brings in new rules for ecclesiastical honours

Vatican City, 07 January 2014: The Vatican’s Secretary of State has announced new rules for the granting of ecclesiastical honorific titles in the dioceses. According to a Vatican communique on Tuesday, the Secretariat of State has informed Bishops’ conferences that, in the world’s Dioceses, the only ecclesiastical title henceforth to be conferred shall be “Chaplain of His Holiness”, to which the appellation, “Monsignor”, shall correspond. The title shall be conferred only upon priests who have reached the age of 65.

The circular further clarifies that the use of the title, Monsignor, in connection with certain major offices – where this is a cultural practice – (eg . Bishop , the Vicar General of the Diocese, inter alia) remains unchanged. With regard to the Roman Curia, no change has been made either in the titles or in the use of the appellation, Monsignor, these being connected to the offices entrusted, and to the service performed.

The title of “monsignor,” which is purely honorary, has traditionally been conferred upon the recommendation of diocesan bishops. However all such titles require the approval of the Holy See.

Pope Francis has cut back severely on the use of the honorary title “monsignor” for Catholic priests. Shortly after his election, Pope Francis instructed the Secretariat of State to stop approving requests for the designation of priests as “monsignors.”

In the past the Vatican acknowledged 14 different grades of monsignors. In 1968, as part of his campaign to eliminate outdated ceremonies and titles, Pope Paul VI abolished 11 of those grades, leaving 3 types of monsignors: Apostolic Protonotaries, Honorary Prelates of His Holiness, and Chaplains of His Holiness. Pope Francis has now eliminated the first two rankings, leaving only Chaplains of His Holiness.

The Pope’s decision is not retroactive. The rule has no retroactive effect . Those, who received a title in the past, keep it.
Source: VR Sedoc