A term used in canon law to designate the lowest sum proper for the yearly income, living wage, of a cleric. Principal among the financial burdens incurred by a benefice is that of supporting the beneficiary in accordance with the dignity of his state. The Council of Trent suggested that one third of the revenues of a benefice might constitute the congrua, but due to the change of money value, the exact determination remains with local legislators. The salary of pastors and assistants in the United States, as fixed by diocesan synods, might be regarded as the canonical congrua.