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Vatican surprisingly publishes new constitution

2022-03-19T19:26:50.915Z


This has been discussed for years, and now the Vatican's new constitution has appeared suddenly and without comment. The Apostolic Constitution contains fundamental reforms.


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Pope Francis wants administrative reform

Photo: Andrew Medichini / dpa

The Vatican has surprisingly published a new basic law that has been expected for years, with which Pope Francis wants to reform the administrative apparatus of the Holy See.

Its modernization is considered one of the main concerns of the Pope.

Access to senior positions in the Vatican will be greatly facilitated, especially for women and laypeople.

The Holy See announced on Saturday that the new Apostolic Constitution, called “Praedicate Gospel” (Preaching the Gospel), will come into force on June 5 of this year.

On this day the previously valid constitution will be repealed and the reform process of the Roman Curia will be completed.

The Vatican left the publication uncommented on Saturday and announced a press conference for Monday.

As a result of the reform, every baptized Catholic is now in principle able to lead most of the dicasteries – a kind of ministry in the Vatican State.

Previously, this was reserved for male clerics, usually cardinals or bishops.

In the foreword of »Praedicate Gospel« it now says: »Pope, bishops and other ordained ministers are not the only proselytizers in the church«.

The main text states that any believer can head a dicastery as long as the Pope deems them qualified and calls them to the post.

According to experts, however, two of the dicasteries – the one for bishops and the one for the clergy – would probably continue to be headed by men, since only they can become priests.

"Tectonic Shift"

In general, »Praedicate Gospel« focuses on evangelization, i.e. conversion.

For this purpose, a new Dicastery for Evangelization will be created, which the Pope himself will lead.

This means a "tectonic shift towards a more pastoral and missionary church," David Gibson, director of the Center for Religion and Culture at Fordham Catholic University in New York, said on Twitter.

With "Praedicate Gospel" Francis overrides the old constitution "Pastor Bonus", which Pope John Paul II issued in 1988 and which Pope Benedict XVI, who is Emeritus today,

later changed in 2011.

After his appointment in 2013, Francis established the Advisory Board for the restructuring of the Curia, which included several cardinals.

Along with the release of the new constitution, Francis also marked the ninth anniversary of his inauguration on Saturday.

The constitution also addresses the issue of sexual abuse in a paragraph.

The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors should support bishops and bishops' conferences in developing strategies to protect minors from sexual abuse, it said in the section on the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to which cases of abuse in the Church must be reported.

In addition, the Commission should find appropriate answers in the case of abuse, for example by clerics, in accordance with canon and civil law.

hpi/dpa/AFP/Reuters

Source: spiegel

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