Can only authorized rosaries be used?

[ajrugg]

Recently one of our parishioners was distributing a rosary from a pro-life group. Our pastor said the rosary was not an authorized rosary and could not be used. Is there a specific code for rosaries and what is it?

[Michelle Arnold]

I'm not sure whether you are referring to the actual beaded chain on which the prayers of the rosary are said, or if you are referring to a set of prayers to be said using the beaded chain. So far as I know, there are no regulations on what beaded chains may be used by Catholics. However, a set of prayers distributed by this pro-life group have to be approved by ecclesial authority for public use by Catholics in order to be used by a parish rosary group. If the prayers have not been approved, they can only be used for private devotion by an individual in private prayer.