Clergy (Dicastery) [Catholic-Hierarchy]

Bishop(s)

Lazzaro You Heung-sik, Cardinal, Prefect
Simone Renna, Under Secretary
Beniamino Stella, Cardinal, Prefect Emeritus
Joël Michel Marie Luc Mercier, Secretary Emeritus

General Information

Type of Jurisdiction: Dicastery
Elevated: 5 June 2022
Curial Office
Roman Curia
Description: Deals with all matters relating to priests and deacons of the diocesan clergy, with regard to their persons and pastoral ministry, and everything needed for the fruitful exercise of the latter (Praedicate Evangelium, 113)
Official Web Site: http://www.clerus.va/
Mailing Address: Palazzo delle Congregazioni, 00193 Roma, Piazza Pio XII, 3
Telephone: 06.69.88.41.51
Fax: 06.69.88.48.45

Historical Details

Congregation for Cardinals Interpreters of the Council of Trent
- Latin Name: Cardinalium Concilii Tridentini interpretum
- Established: 2 August 1564
- Curial Office
- Roman Curia
Congregation of the Council
- Latin Name: Concilii
- Name Changed: 16th Century
- Curial Office
- Roman Curia
Congregation for the Clergy
- Latin Name: pro Clericis
- Name Changed: 15 August 1967
- Curial Office
- Roman Curia
- Description: examines matters regarding priests and deacons of the secular clergy, with regard to their persons and pastoral ministry, and with regard to resources available to them for the exercise of this ministry; and in all these matters the Congregation offers timely assistance to the bishops. (Pastor Bonus, 93)

Past and Present Ordinaries

St. Charles Borromeo † ( 1564 Appointed - Sep 1565 Resigned)
Francesco Alciati † (Sep 1565 Appointed - 20 Apr 1580 Died)
Scipione Caffarelli-Borghese † ( 1607 Appointed - )
Orazio Lancellotti † ( 1616 Appointed - 9 Dec 1620 Died)
Roberto Ubaldini † (Jan 1621 Appointed - 22 May 1623 Resigned)
Cosimo de Torres † (22 May 1623 Appointed - 1626 Resigned)
Bonifazio Bevilacqua Aldobrandini † ( 1626 Appointed - 7 Apr 1627 Died)
Fabrizio Verospi † ( 1627 Appointed - 27 Jan 1639 Died)
Giovanni Battista Pamphilj † ( 1639 Appointed - 15 Sep 1644 Elected, Pope (Roma {Rome}))
Francesco Cennini de’ Salamandri † (Sep 1644 Appointed - 2 Oct 1645 Died)
Francesco Paolucci † (9 Apr 1657 Appointed - 9 Jul 1661 Died)
Giulio Cesare Sacchetti † (28 Jul 1661 Appointed - 28 Jun 1663 Died)
Angelo Celsi † ( 1664 Appointed - 6 Nov 1671 Died)
Pietro Francesco (Vincenzo Maria) Orsini de Gravina, O.P. † (4 Jan 1673 Appointed - 28 Jan 1675 Appointed, Archbishop of Manfredonia)
Federico Baldeschi (Ubaldi) Colonna † (4 May 1675 Appointed - 4 Oct 1691 Died)
Galeazzo Marescotti † (10 May 1692 Appointed - Dec 1695 Resigned)
Giuseppe Sacripante † (2 Jan 1696 Appointed - 4 Dec 1700 Appointed, Pro-Datary of the Apostolic Datary)
Bandino Panciatici † (4 Dec 1700 Appointed - 21 Apr 1718 Died)
Antonio Saverio Gentili † (Oct 1736 Appointed - 13 Mar 1753 Died)
Giuseppe Spinelli † (Jul 1756 Appointed - Jan 1757 Resigned)
Giovanni Giacomo Millo † (16 Dec 1756 Appointed - 16 Nov 1757 Died)
Clemente Argenvillieres † (Dec 1757 Appointed - 23 Dec 1758 Died)
Ferdinando Maria de Rossi † (28 Sep 1759 Appointed - 4 Feb 1775 Died)
Carlo Vittorio Amedeo delle Lanze † (22 Mar 1775 Appointed - 25 Jan 1784 Died)
Guglielmo Pallotta † (1 Jul 1785 Appointed - 21 Sep 1795 Died)
Giulio Gabrielli † (26 Jul 1814 Appointed - 9 May 1820 Resigned)
Emmanuele de Gregorio † (6 May 1820 Appointed - 31 May 1829 Appointed, Major Penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary)
Vincenzo Macchi † (11 Dec 1834 Appointed - 15 Sep 1841 Appointed, Pro-Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura)
Paolo Polidori † (27 Jul 1840 Appointed - 23 Apr 1847 Died)
Pietro Ostini † (2 May 1847 Appointed - 4 Mar 1849 Died)
Angelo Mai † ( 1851 Appointed - Jul 1853 Resigned)
Antonio Maria Cagiano de Azevedo † (27 Jun 1853 Appointed - 26 Sep 1860 Appointed, Major Penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary)
Prospero Caterini † (26 Sep 1860 Appointed - 28 Oct 1881 Died)
Lorenzo Nina † (7 Nov 1881 Appointed - 25 Jul 1885 Died)
Luigi Serafini † (31 Jul 1885 Appointed - 19 Jun 1893 Appointed, Secretary of the Roman Curia - Other)
Angelo Di Pietro † (20 Jun 1893 Appointed - 18 Mar 1895 Appointed, Official of the Roman Curia - Other)
Vincenzo Vannutelli † (28 Jul 1902 Appointed - 6 Dec 1915 Appointed, Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia)
Casimiro Gennari † (20 Oct 1908 Appointed - 31 Jan 1914 Died)
Francesco di Paola Cassetta † (10 Feb 1914 Appointed - 23 Mar 1919 Died)
Donato Raffaele Sbarretti (Tazza) † (28 Mar 1919 Appointed - 4 Jul 1930 Appointed, Secretary of the Congregation of the Holy Office)
Giulio Serafini † (4 Jul 1930 Appointed - 16 Jul 1938 Died)
Luigi Maglione † (22 Jul 1938 Appointed - 10 Mar 1939 Appointed, Secretary of State)
Francesco Marmaggi † (14 Mar 1939 Appointed - 3 Nov 1949 Died)
Giuseppe Bruno † (16 Nov 1949 Appointed - 20 Mar 1954 Appointed, Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura)
Pietro Ciriaci † (20 Mar 1954 Appointed - 30 Dec 1966 Died)
Jean-Marie Villot † (7 Apr 1967 Appointed - 2 May 1969 Appointed, Secretary of State)
John Joseph Wright † (23 Apr 1969 Appointed - 10 Aug 1979 Died)
Silvio Angelo Pio Oddi † (29 Sep 1979 Appointed - 9 Jan 1986 Retired)
Antonio Innocenti † (9 Jan 1986 Appointed - 1 Jul 1991 Appointed, President of the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei”)
José Tomás Sánchez † (1 Jul 1991 Appointed - 15 Jun 1996 Retired)
Darío Castrillón Hoyos † (15 Jun 1996 Appointed - 2 Apr 2005 Ceased)
Cláudio Aury Affonso Hummes, O.F.M. † (31 Oct 2006 Appointed - 7 Oct 2010 Retired)
Mauro Piacenza (7 Oct 2010 Appointed - 28 Feb 2013 Ceased)
Beniamino Stella (21 Sep 2013 Appointed - 11 Jun 2021 Retired)
Lazzaro You Heung-sik (11 Jun 2021 Appointed - 21 Apr 2025 Ceased)

Historical Summary

Date	Event	From	To
Congregation for Cardinals Interpreters of the Council of Trent
2 August 1564	Established		Congregation for Cardinals Interpreters of the Council of Trent
Congregation of the Council
16th Century	Name Changed	Congregation for Cardinals Interpreters of the Council of Trent	Congregation of the Council
Congregation for the Clergy
15 August 1967	Name Changed	Congregation of the Council	Congregation for the Clergy
Dicastery for the Clergy
5 June 2022	Elevated	Congregation for the Clergy	Dicastery for the Clergy