Agents of Roman Congregations are persons whose business it is to look after the affairs of their patrons at the Roman Curia. The name is derived from the Latin Agens in Rebus, corresponding to the Greek Apocrisiarius (both have specific historical secular uses in the Roman/ Byzantine empires). The agents have a recognized position in the Roman Curia, and rank next in dignity before the apostolic notaries. The money they expend and the pay they receive depend entirely on the will of their employers.