Vatican Publishing House
Encyclopedia
The Vatican Publishing House (; ) (LEV) is a publisher established by the Holy See
in 1926. It is responsible for publishing official documents of the Roman Catholic Church
, including Papal bull
s and encyclical
s.
In 1926, the library was separated from the printing and transformed into autonomous body that was entrusted with the sale of books that were being made to print by the Holy See.
The Apostolic Constitution
"Pastor Bonus
" of John Paul II (June 28, 1988) classified the LEV as an institution affiliated with the Holy See, in Section IX, Article 191.
It has its own constitution and its own rules. The statutes of LEV 'Article 2 states: "The Libreria Editrice Vaticana has the fundamental aim of publishing the documents of the Supreme Pontiff and the Holy See."
The company owns the copyright to all the writings of the Pope
, but did not start enforcing the copyright until the accession of Pope Benedict XVI
.
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
in 1926. It is responsible for publishing official documents of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, including Papal bull
Papal bull
A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....
s and encyclical
Encyclical
An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Catholic Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop...
s.
In 1926, the library was separated from the printing and transformed into autonomous body that was entrusted with the sale of books that were being made to print by the Holy See.
The Apostolic Constitution
Apostolic constitution
An apostolic constitution is the highest level of decree issued by the Pope. The use of the term constitution comes from Latin constitutio, which referred to any important law issued by the Roman emperor, and is retained in church documents because of the inheritance that the canon law of the...
"Pastor Bonus
Pastor Bonus
Pastor Bonus is an Apostolic Constitution promulgated by Pope John Paul II on 28 June 1988. It instituted a number of reforms in the process of running the central government of the Roman Catholic Church, as article 1 states "The Roman Curia is the complex of dicasteries and institutes which help...
" of John Paul II (June 28, 1988) classified the LEV as an institution affiliated with the Holy See, in Section IX, Article 191.
It has its own constitution and its own rules. The statutes of LEV 'Article 2 states: "The Libreria Editrice Vaticana has the fundamental aim of publishing the documents of the Supreme Pontiff and the Holy See."
The company owns the copyright to all the writings of the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
, but did not start enforcing the copyright until the accession of Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
.
See also
- List of papal bulls
- List of Encyclicals of Pope Pius XI
- List of Encyclicals of Pope Pius XII
- List of Encyclicals of Pope John XXIII
- List of Encyclicals of Pope Paul VI
- List of Encyclicals of Pope John Paul II
- List of Encyclicals of Pope Benedict XVI
External links
- Vatican Publishing House Website, English not available
- Information pages on the Vatican website