Chapter V: Of Legates of the Roman Pontiff

The Roman Pontiff has the right, independent of civil power, of sending Legates, with or without ecclesiastical jurisdiction, into any part of the world.

A Legate a latere is called a Cardinal who is sent by the Supreme Pontiff as another self with this title, and he can do only as much as has been entrusted to him by the Supreme Pontiff.

§ 1. Legates who are sent with the title of Nuncio or Internuncio:

1° Foster, according to norms received from the Holy See, relations between the Apostolic See and the civil Governments among which they perform a stable legation.

2° In the territory assigned to them they must keep watch over the state of the Churches and make the Roman Pontiff more certain concerning the same.

3° Besides these two ordinary powers, they generally obtain other faculties, which nevertheless are all delegated.

§ 2. Those who are sent with the title of Apostolic Delegate have the one ordinary power mentioned in Sec. 1, n. 2, besides other delegated faculties committed to them by the Holy See.

§ 1. The office of Legates, with all faculties committed to them, does not expire when the Apostolic See is vacant, unless something else has been established in the pontifical letters.

§ 2. It ceases, however, when the mandate has been completed, by revocation intimated to them, or by resignation accepted by the Roman Pontiff.

§ 1. Legates are to leave to local Ordinaries the free exercise of their jurisdiction.

§ 2. Although perhaps they lack the episcopal character, nevertheless they precede all Ordinaries who are not marked with cardinalitial dignity.

§ 3. If they have been increased with the episcopal character, they can, without the permission of the Ordinaries, in all their churches except the cathedral, bless the people and perform the divine offices even in pontificals, also using the throne and staff.

To Bishops who, by reason of their see, are adorned with the title of Apostolic Legate, no special right belongs from this.