On the day when the new Pontifical Charter “Go and Preach the Gospel” came into force, Bishop Arrieta, Secretary-General of the Commission for the Interpretation of the Code of the Holy See, gave an interview to Vatican News, stressing that the new Charter is the result of listening to the reforms of the Church on the road .
(Vatican News Network)In communion with the Pope, in the service of the Church, in constructive discussions, in order to recognize the signs of the times. This was underlined by Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta, Secretary General of the Commission for the Interpretation of the Code of the Holy See, in an interview with this news network on the day when the new Pontifical Charter “Go and proclaim the Gospel” came into force.
At the beginning of the interview, Bishop Arrieta first explained the principles and values of this institutional reform of the Holy See. He pointed out, “The Holy See is an organization that serves the Pope and assists the Pope in governing the universal Church. At the beginning of the text of the new charter, some typical principles are emphasized. There are 12 principles. I summarize these principles as three The first is to serve the Pope: the Holy See institutions serve the Pope, and the value of their existence is to serve the Pope; To be in communion with them, therefore, it is necessary to listen to them, to deal with them and to have a dialogue with them, taking into account their needs; the third point is the communion among the staff of the Holy See, which means , to act as a team, to listen to each other, to discuss together. In order to carry out real work, communion is essential.”
Next, Bishop Arrieta talked about a series of reforms from the “Good Shepherd” charter to the “Go and Proclaim the Gospel” charter. He explained: “This is because the Holy See is an institution that must constantly adapt to the changing needs of the Church. A few years after the promulgation of the Charter of the Good Shepherd, under the leadership of John Paul II, it was abolished. A department on the affairs of the non-believers; during the pastoral ministry of Pope Benedict XVI, a new department was created, the Holy See Commission for the Promotion of a New Evangelization. At the same time, there were many changes in the functions of the various institutions, These changes were not only accomplished after Pope Francis took office, but also in the last years of Pope Benedict XVI’s pastoral ministry, the establishment of new institutions was also in line with changes in the international community, social realities at the time, financial controls and oversight related.”
“In short, many innovations have given rise to new institutions necessary for the Holy See to also be present in the international community and to operate in international institutions through Vatican diplomacy, the mission of peace and solidarity undertaken by the Holy See ambassadors, etc. .” Therefore, “the Holy See has to adapt to international needs, and what the new Pontifical Charter does now is to rationalize all these reforms”.
Later, the Secretary-General of the Holy See Codex Committee for the Interpretation of the Code stressed that “a great feature of this reform is that it is not only about the institutional structure, but more importantly, it defines a style of governance, a style of management of affairs. Accurately In general, we often say that when problems have to be resolved, the relevant congregational institutions of the Holy See should engage in dialogue and discussion with the local bishops, especially with the bishops of the Episcopal Conference, in a spirit of pastoralism and communion.”
Bishop Arrieta explained: “In a sense, this is a constant challenge in the way of working and the way of reflection. It will also enrich each other, because in the communication between the Holy See and the world, the universality of the Church is Amplitude to grow and take care of.”
In conclusion, Bishop Arrieta concluded: “As it is known, this is a long-term work, a core work of the Council of Cardinals according to the Pope’s will. It is a team work, from all continents. People’s voices are heard. Along this path, the reforms continue to move forward.”
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