Publication devoted to statistical information with regard to the Catholic Church, founded by Monsignor Albert Battandier, 1898, and published by Maison de la Bonne Presse, Paris. The first twenty volumes cover the following topics:
the Roman Calendar, comprising the Latin and Oriental rites, causes of the Servants of God, reforms in the liturgy;
the Sovereign Pontiffs, comprising the family, birth, early life, and papal acts of the reigning pope and a list of popes with some biographical notes;
the Cardinals, comprising their sees, duties, and biographical notes;
the Episcopate, comprising the bishops, with their sees and biographical notes, the Eastern churches, schismatical and heretical churches, and occasionally a few dioceses treated in detail;
Missions, giving their scope, societies, and activities;
Religious Orders, comprising a general list of the Orders, with notes on each;
the Pontifical Court and prelates;
the Ecclesiastical Courts and Roman Congregations, comprising congregations, tribunals, offices, and commissions;
the Vicariate of Rome, comprising the Curia, parishes, cemeteries, hospitals, and population;
To the remaining volumes were added, from time to time, notes on the Church in different lands, new sees, a history of the Holy Year, notes on the popes in different centuries, a history of the Syrian Catholic Church, a general list of prelates, chamberlains, and attaches to the pope, a list of all known titular sees, and, beginning in 1926, there is a general list of the cardinals of the first fourteen centuries which is continued in later volumes, etc. Its articles are valuable for historical as well as ecclesiastical information.
This dictionary contains not only definitions and explanations of every subject in Religion, Scripture, tradition, doctrine, morals, sacraments, rites, customs, devotions and symbolism, but also accounts of the Church in every continent, country, diocese; missions, notable Catholic centers, cities, and places with religious names; religious orders, church societies, sects and false religions. It has brief articles also on historical events and personages, on the Old Testament and New, and on popes, prelates, priests, men and women of distinction, showing what the Church has done for civilization and correcting many errors which have hitherto passed for history.Wikipedia
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