REFORMATION OF ROMAN CATHOLIC ECCLESIASTICAL CONSISTORIES IN THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE
The policy pursued in the Russian Empire towards Roman Catholic ecclesiastical consistories contributed to restrictions on the actions of the administrators of Roman Catholic dioceses. According to Roman Catholic Canon law, consistories should not have had as much independence from the Bishop as they did in the Empire. The Bishop in the diocese was to be the sole superior and judge of spiritual Affairs. The highest leadership of the Church in the Empire sought to reform this organization. The article deals with the reform projects of the Roman Catholic ecclesiastical consistories that carried out their activities in the conditions of the Russian Empire. The author of the study substantiates the reasons for changes in the activities of institutions, characterizes opposite positions, and reveals the motives of active participants in events. The archival materials, on which the research is based, are introduced into scientific circulation for the first time.