Pope Francis has stopped granting priests the honorary title of “monsignor,” the London-based Catholic weekly The Tablet reported.
The Tablet’s Rome correspondent Robert Mickens said the pontiff first made the decision in April shortly after his election as pope.
The title monsignor is an honorific of sorts normally granted to priests as a reward for service to the church or as a sign of some special function they serve in church governance.
The title is usually granted by the pope on the recommendation of the priest’s local bishop.
The only exception is for those clerics who work in the Holy See’s diplomatic service. The Rome daily, Il Messaggero said.
It is not clear if the discontinuation of permitting priests to take the title “monsignor” will remain just temporary provision, or if the title will be made obsolete permanently.
Sources
Image: The Telegraph