New Orders

[DoctorWho]

It was my understanding that the Church forbade the founding of new religious orders, only allowing for congregations. If this is correct can someone point me to a source?

[actiofidei]

I'm too tired and lazy to look it up, but if I'm not mistaken it was at the Fourth Council of the Lateran.

[didishroom]

Yes but there have been numerous Orders formed since then with Church approval.

[Historian]

The Second Council of Lyons recognized the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carmelites, and Augustinians as the four greatest mendicant orders.  Perhaps in the Middle Ages, it was harder to form a new order, but I know of no such decree.

Even if such a decree did exist, it would be a disciplinary matter, and thus could be changed in the future (even if it was approved in an ecumenical council).  The Church has allowed a number of religious orders since the Middle Ages.  Wikipedia has a list of 307 approved orders...

[Stefan]

if your new congregation/order follows the exact same rules of the original order then you call your new group "order"

example being a new congregation of fransicans if founded and they use the exact smae rule that the original fransicans used then they can call themselves "order"

i found this out on a blog (I think NLM) when those fransicans in Italy switched to using the extraordinary form exclusively.