A new Pontifical Constitution for the Holy See has come into force, largely reforming and institutionalizing change in the institution that assists the Pope in the service of the universal Church.
(Vatican News Network) The new Pontifical Charter “Go and Preach the Gospel” came into force on Pentecost, 5 June. The nearly 10-year reform journey has accompanied Pope Francis through his papacy to date, and it began during the general assembly discussions before the 2013 election pontiff. The first priority of evangelization and the role of the laity is the main idea of the new charter linked to the Second Vatican Council.
The reform of the Holy See begins with the economic sector. In 2014, the Pope established the Economic Council, whose task is to supervise economic management and supervise the administrative and financial structures and activities of the various ministries of the Holy See. At the same time, the Pope also established the Economic Secretariat, which coordinates the economic and administrative affairs of the Holy See and the Vatican City State. This ministry is now also responsible for the management of the staff of the Holy See, a function that previously belonged to the State Council of the Holy See.
Subsequently, the Communication Secretariat was established in 2015, combining nine different communication entities, including the Council for Social Communication, the various news agencies of the Holy See, the Vatican Printing House and the Vatican Book Company Publishing House. This new ministry will be headed by a lay minister from 2018.
In 2016, the Holy See Ministry for the Laity, Family and Life came into being, integrating the mandates and functions previously belonging to the Holy See Committee for the Laity and the Holy See Committee for the Family. The mandate of this ministry is to promote the life of the laity and apostolic work, the pastoral care of youth, the family and its mission, and the protection and support of human life.
In the same year, the Pope established the Ministry for the Promotion of Integral Human Development, bringing together in this ministry the responsibilities of the former Pontifical Commission for Justice and Peace, the Pontifical Commission for One Heart, the Pontifical Commission for Immigrants and the Unsettled, and the Pontifical Commission for the Pastoral of the Pontifical Medical Personnel. . In addition, Caritas International falls within the purview of this ministry.
In November 2017, the Holy See State Council also made adjustments. On the basis of the original two departments, namely the General Affairs Department and the Department of Relations with States, the Pope has added a third department, named the Department of Diplomatic Staff of the Holy See, to strengthen the existing position of the head of the Holy See delegation. This department under the jurisdiction of the State Council has its own secretary-general, and its establishment reflects the Pope’s attention and concern for the diplomatic staff of the Holy See.
In February 2022, Pope Francis changed the internal structure of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Holy See with a decree. Therefore, the cardinal of this ministry will have two deputies. The purpose of this reform is to give due weight to the doctrinal sector and its vital role in promoting the faith, without undermining the work of discipline. The Ministry has put a lot of effort and human resources into reviewing violations over the past few decades.
On March 19, 2022, other novelties were introduced to complete the reform through the publication of the new charter. The most important, first and foremost, is the merger of the Holy See Ministry for the Evangelization of Peoples and the Holy See Commission for the Promotion of the New Evangelization to become the Ministry of Evangelization. This choice shows a great concern for the preaching of the gospel. Its unique feature is that the Pope himself serves as minister, with the assistance of two acting ministers.
The second innovation is to bring the former Ministry of Education and the Holy See Cultural Council into the new Holy See Ministry of Culture. This ministry will be headed by a minister. The third novelty is the promotion of the Pope’s almshouse to the “Charity Service”. The fourth innovation is to change the title of the “Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops” to “Secretariat of the Synod of the Universal Church”.
Another novelty of the new charter is that the head of the ministry, even the head of the original Holy Ministry, is no longer required to be a cardinal. Apart from the Cardinal Treasurer of the Holy Church, the only cardinals mentioned in the Apostolic Charter “Go and Preach the Gospel” are the President of the Supreme Court of the Holy See and the Coordinator of the Economic Council. In addition, the Pope also stipulated that the term of office of the clergy and religious who serve in the Holy See is five years, and the term of office can be extended for another five years. Greater mobility and contacts.
Finally, an important element of the new charter, in its future development, must have a concrete impact on the life and structure of the local church. In the preamble to the charter, the Pope mentioned that “every Christian is a missionary apostle according to Baptism because he has experienced the love of God in Jesus Christ”. It is therefore necessary to take into account the role of the laity of men and women in governance and accountability.
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