Sajun.org
A '''prelate''' is a member of the
clergy having a special canonical jurisdiction over a territory or a group of people; usually, a prelate is a
bishop. ''Prelate'' sometimes refers to the
clergy of a
state church with a formal
hierarchy, and suggests that the prelate enjoys legal privileges and power as a result of clerical status. The word derives from
Latin ''prælatus'', the past participle of ''præferre'', "to prefer;" it suggests that the prelate has been raised to his dignity by the act of a superior hierarch.
A '''prelature''' is the office of a prelate. '''Prelacy''' is the body of prelates as a whole, or a system of government, administration, or ministry by prelates.
In the
Roman Catholic Church, the power to create '''Personal Prelatures''' was introduced in the
Second Vatican Council; they are institutions having clergy and (possibly) lay members which would carry out specific pastoral activities. The adjective ''personal'' refers to the fact that, in contrast with previous
canonical use for ecclesiastical institutions, the
jurisdiction of the Prelate is not linked to a territory but over persons wherever they be.
The first Personal Prelature was
Opus Dei, erected by
Pope John Paul II in
1982.
