motu proprio
Sign in to saveAlso known as motu proprio rescript
decision taken on their own initiative by those who have the power or faculty
In the Vinony graph
Within Vinony's link graph, motu proprio is referenced by 671 other articles, and connects out to Canon law of the Catholic Church, Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei and Acta Apostolicae Sedis.
It is catalogued under topics including Catholic canonical documents, Holy See and Latin legal terminology.
Its subject is documented across 31 Wikipedia language editions.
Wikidata facts
- Subclass of
- papal document
Show 4 more facts
- topic's main category
- Category:Motu proprio
- Commons category
- Motu proprios
- described by source
- Wikitólica
- inception
- 1484-00-00
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~5 min read
Encyclopedic overview
In law, motu proprio (Latin for 'on his own impulse') describes an official act taken without a formal request from another party. Some jurisdictions use the term sua sponte for the same concept.
In Catholic canon law, it refers to a document issued by the pope on his own initiative and personally signed by him. Such a document may be addressed to the whole church, to part of it, or to some individuals. The first papal motu proprio was promulgated by Pope Innocent VIII in 1484. It continues to be a common form of papal rescript, especially when establishing institutions, making minor changes to law or procedure, and when granting favours to persons or institutions.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “motu proprio” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.