Dicastery for Bishops

History

• 1588.01.22: Established as Sacred Consistorial Congregation (English) / Congregation for the Erection of Churches and for Consistorial Provisions (English) / Hl. Konsistorialkongregation (Deutsch) / Sagrada Congregacíon Consistorial (español) / Sacrée Congrégation Consistoriale (français) / Congregazione per l’erezione delle Chiese e le Provviste concistoriali (Italiano) / Sacra Congregazione Concistoriale (Italiano) / S. Congregação Consistorial (Português) / 御前會議部 (正體中文) / 教區部 (正體中文) / 교구성성 (한국어) / S. Congregatio Consistorialis (latine) / S. Congregatio pro erectione ecclesiarum et provisionibus consistorialibus (latine)
• 1925.06.20: Branched to create Pontifical Commission for Russia
• 1967.08.01: Renamed as Sacred Congregation for Bishops (English) / Hl. Kongregation für die Bischöfe (Deutsch) / S. Congregazione per i Vescovi (Italiano) / S. Congregatio pro Episcopis (latine)
• 1984: Renamed as Congregation for Bishops (English) / Kongregation für die Bischöfe (Deutsch) / Congregación para los Obispos (español) / Congrégation des évêques (français) / Congregazione per i Vescovi (Italiano) / Kongregacja ds. Biskupów (polski) / 主教部 (中文) / 司教省 (日本語) / 주교성 (한국어) / Congregação para os Bispos (Português) / Congregatio pro Episcopis (latine)
• 2022.06.05: Promoted as Dicastery for Bishops (English) / Dikasterium für die Bischöfe (Deutsch) / Dicasterio para los Obispos (español) / Dicastère des évêques (français) / Dicastero per i Vescovi (Italiano) / Dykasteria ds. Biskupów (polski) / Dicastério para os Bispos (Português) / 主教部 (中文) / 司教省 (日本語) / 주교성 (한국어) / Dicasterium pro Episcopis (latine)

Documents: (x 23)

Associated Organizations

• Pontifical Commission for Latin America

Present Officials

Secretary (2013.10.12 – ...):	Archbishop Ilson de Jesus Montanari (65) Titular Archbishop of Caput Cilla Vice-Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church of Apostolic Camera Secretary of College of Cardinals
Undersecretary (2023.06.29 – ...):	Msgr. Ivan Kovač (47) Priest of Mostar–Duvno (Bosnia and Herzegovina) Chaplain of His Holiness

Past Officials Prefect: Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, O.S.A. (69) (later Pope Leo XIV) (2023.01.30 – 2025.05.08) Prefect: Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S. (80) (2010.06.30 – 2023.04.12) Prefect: Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re (91) (2000.09.16 – 2010.06.30) Prefect: Cardinal Lucas Moreira Neves, O.P. (1998.06.25 – 2000.09.16) Prefect: Cardinal Bernardin Gantin (1984.04.08 – 1998.06.25) Prefect: Cardinal Sebastiano Baggio (1973.02.26 – 1984.04.08) Prefect: Cardinal Carlo Confalonieri (1967.08.15 – 1973.02.25) Prefect: Saint Pope Paul VI (1963.06.21 – 1967.08.15) Prefect: Saint Pope John XXIII (1958.10.28 – 1963.06.03) Prefect: Pope Pius XII (1939.03.02 – 1958.10.09) Prefect: Pope Pius XI (1922.02.06 – 1939.02.10) Prefect: Pope Benedict XV (1914.09.03 – 1922.01.22) Prefect: Saint Pope Pius X (1903.08.04 – 1914.08.20) Prefect: Cardinal Francesco Saverio De Zelada (1800? – 1801.12.19) Pro-Prefect: Cardinal Carlo Confalonieri (1965 – 1967.08.15) Assessor: Archbishop Francesco Carpino (later Cardinal) (1961.01.19 – 1965) Assessor: Archbishop Giuseppe Antonio Ferretto (later Cardinal) (1950.06.27 – 1961.01.16) Assessor: Msgr. Benedetto Renzoni (1943 – 1950) Assessor: Msgr. Vincenzo Santoro (1930.07.03 – 1943.05.21) Assessor: Archbishop Raffaello Carlo Rossi, O.C.D. (later Cardinal) (1923.06.07 – 1930.06.30) Assessor: Msgr. Luigi Sincero (later Cardinal) (1920.10.12 – 1923.05.23) Assessor: Archbishop Vincent Sardi di Rivisondoli (1916? – 1920.08.12) Assessor: Archbishop Tommaso Pio Boggiani, O.P. (later Cardinal) (1914.07.07 – 1916.12.04) Assessor: Msgr. Scipione Tecchi (later Cardinal) (1908.10.24 – 1914.05.25) Secretary: Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri (84) (later Cardinal) (2012.01.11 – 2013.09.21) Secretary: Archbishop Manuel Monteiro de Castro (87) (later Cardinal) (2009.07.03 – 2012.01.05) Secretary: Archbishop Francesco Monterisi (90) (later Cardinal) (1998.03.07 – 2009.07.03) Secretary: Archbishop Jorge María Mejía (later Cardinal) (1994.03.05 – 1998.03.07) Secretary: Archbishop Justin Francis Rigali (90) (later Cardinal) (1989.12.21 – 1994.01.25) Secretary: Archbishop Giovanni Battista Re (91) (later Cardinal) (1987.10.09 – 1989.12.12) Secretary: Archbishop Lucas Moreira Neves, O.P. (later Cardinal) (1979.10.15 – 1987.07.09) Secretary: Archbishop Ernesto Civardi (later Cardinal) (1967.05.17 – 1979.06.30) Secretary: Archbishop Francesco Carpino (later Cardinal) (1965 – 1967.04.07) Secretary: Cardinal Carlo Confalonieri (1961.03.14 – 1965) Secretary: Cardinal Marcello Mimmi (1957.12.15 – 1961.03.06) Secretary: Cardinal Adeodato Giovanni Piazza, O.C.D. (1948.10.01 – 1957.11.30) Secretary: Cardinal Raffaello Carlo Rossi, O.C.D. (1930.07.04 – 1948.09.17) Secretary: Cardinal Carlo Perosi (1928.11.01 – 1930.02.22) Secretary: Cardinal Gaetano De Lai (1908.10.20 – 1928.10.24) Secretary: Archbishop Rafael Merry del Val y Zulueta (later Cardinal) (1903.07.21 – 1903.11.09) Secretary: Patriarch Carlo Nocella (later Cardinal) (1892.03.21 – 1903.06.22) Secretary: Cardinal Carmine Gori-Merosi (1882.03.30 – 1886.09.15) Secretary: Msgr. Pietro Lasagni (later Cardinal) (1875 – 1882.03.27) Secretary: Msgr. Paolo Polidori (later Cardinal) (1823.10 – 1834.06.23) Secretary: Msgr. Raffaele Mazio (later Cardinal) (1818.04.06 – 1824.12.28) Secretary: Msgr. Domenico Riviera (later Cardinal) (1710.02.19 – 1730.07.24) Pro-Secretary: Cardinal Carlo Perosi (1928.02.10 – 1928.11.01) Undersecretary: Msgr. Udo Breitbach (64) (2012.01.25 – 2023.09) Undersecretary: Msgr. Giovanni Maria Rossi (1993.05.08 – 2011.10) Undersecretary: Msgr. Silvio Padoin (later Bishop) (1990 – 1993.05.08) Undersecretary: Msgr. Marcello Costalunga (later Archbishop) (1979 – 1990.12.10) Undersecretary: Msgr. Jozef Tomko (later Cardinal) (1974 – 1979.07.12) Undersecretary: Msgr. Goffredo Mariani (1967 – 1979.07.12) Undersecretary: Msgr. Ernesto Civardi (later Cardinal) (1965 – 1967.05.17) Adjunct Undersecretary: Msgr. Serge Poitras Patrick (75) (later Bishop) (2010.12.29 – 2012.11.10)

Last updated on 2025.05.23

© 2025 GCatholic.org