The apostolic constitution was developed over nine years by the Council of Cardinal Advisers.[2] It is the fifth time that a reform of the Roman Curia of this kind has occurred.[3] It replaced Pope John Paul II's Pastor bonus of 1988.
Preparation
The reform of the Roman Curia had been requested by the cardinals at the meetings held before the 2013 conclave. Immediately after becoming pope, Francis started working on the reform.[3]
The Council of Cardinals was established in 2013 by Pope Francis to revise Pastor bonus. However, at its first meeting the council decided the changes planned were important enough to deserve an entirely new constitution. The council has been working on the new constitution since 2014.[4] The first draft of the constitution was approved by the Council of Cardinals in 2018.[5] This draft "was sent to the heads of current Vatican offices, bishops' conferences around the world and other experts in the spring of 2019".[6]
In February 2020, during its regular meeting, the Council of Cardinals re-read the constitution. Revisions were adopted at the recommendation of the dicasteries and "some experts". At the same meeting, several proposed amendments were also considered.[7]
In October 2020, after the Council of Cardinals had presented the updated draft of the constitution to the Pope, the competent Dicasteries proceeded with the reading of the draft. According to the official communiqué, the Pope had stated that the reform coming with the constitution was "already underway, also in some administrative and economic aspects".[8][9][6]
In December 2020, the Council of Cardinals met online to continue the work on the constitution. The commission namely studied amendments proposed by the consulted dicasteries.[10][4]
Cardinal Parolin stated in July 2021: "The text [of the constitution], which aims to give a coherent framework to all the reforms already undertaken, is currently being examined by canonists to adapt the terminology to the juridical character of the document".[12]
On 21 March 2022, Praedicate evangelium was presented at the Holy See Press Office during an official press conference by experts.[14]
On 31 March, the Holy See published the typical edition in L'Osservatore Romano. This edition had some differences with the edition previously publicly published.[15]
The constitution defines the Roman Curia as "the institution which the Roman Pontiff ordinarily makes use of in the exercise of his supreme pastoral office and his universal mission in the world". It also states that the Roman Curia "is not placed between the pope and the bishops, rather it is at the service of both according to the modalities that are proper to each".[3] Furthermore, it states: "The Roman Curia is composed of the Secretariat of State, the Dicasteries and other bodies, all juridically equal to each other".[2]
Philosophy
The apostolic constitution "enshrines much of Pope Francis's broader vision for the church into the statutes of its governing body".[17]
The document states: "This new apostolic constitution proposes to better harmonize the present exercise of the Curia's service with the path of evangelization that the church, especially in this season, is living".[1] The constitution puts an emphasis on synodality as well as on "the missionary conversion" of the Catholic Church and the Roman Curia.[3]
Baptisedlay Catholics, men and women, can be appointed to head dicasteries or other bodies of the Roman Curia;[19][20] however, the specific statutes of those departments can make it so that they can only be headed by bishops or cardinals.[1]Pastor bonus reserved most leadership positions to bishops and cardinals.[20][1]
Praedicate evangelium states the Roman Curial officials must be selected "according to objective and transparency criteria". The apostolic constitution states without giving any more precision that officials must have "an adequate number of years of experience in pastoral activities" before being appointed.[17]
The constitution states the department officials should as much as possible "reflects the universality of the Church" by being from different countries from around the world.[17]
Those appointed as department prefects, secretaries, undersecretaries, and other major officials can only exercise their function for a five-years term. Lower-level officials have a five-year term after which they will have to go back to their diocese or religious institute. The pope can extend any of those terms if he so decides.[17]
Meetings
All heads of each Vatican departments are to meet regularly with the pope. Previously, the custom was that only the heads of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Congregation for Bishops regularly met with the pope.[17]
Regular internal meetings of departments and meetings between heads of different departments are to take place; those inter-department meetings are to be organised by the Secretary of State with the approval of the pope.[17]
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith is divided into two sections: a doctrinal section and a disciplinary section. The doctrinal section is to work in close contact with church leaders all over the world "in the exercise of their mission as authentic teachers and teachers of the faith, for which they are bound to safeguard and promote the integrity of that faith". The doctrinal section must also "examin[e] writings and opinions that appear contrary or harmful to the right faith and morals", seek "dialogue with their authors and presen[t] suitable remedies to be made, in accordance with its own norms" and "endeavo[r] to ensure that there is an adequate refutation of the dangerous errors and doctrines which are spread among the Christian people". The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors is "established within the Dicastery" for the Doctrine of the Faith; the tasks of this commission "is to provide the Roman Pontiff with advice and counsel and to propose the most appropriate initiatives for the protection of minors and vulnerable persons".[2]
The apostolic constitution also sets out "the role of other Vatican institutions, including judicial bodies such as the Apostolic Penitentiary, economic organizations such as Secretariat for the Economy, and other offices such as the Prefecture of the Papal Household. It lists the duties of the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, who oversees the functioning of the Vatican during a papal interregnum. It also defines the qualities expected of lawyers working for the Holy See, who are expected 'to lead an integral and exemplary Christian life and to carry out the duties entrusted to them with the utmost conscience and for the good of the Church.'"[2]
The Secretariat of State is to "closely assis[t] the Roman Pontiff in the exercise of his supreme mission". This secretariat is divided by the apostolic constitution into three sections: the Section for General Affairs, the Section for Relations with States and International Organizations, and the Section for Diplomatic Personnel of the Holy See. The first section has broad responsibilities; those include "attending to the handling of affairs concerning the daily service of the Roman Pontiff," coordinating the work of dicasteries "without prejudice to their autonomy," drafting papal documents such as apostolic letters, and giving "indications to the Dicastery for Communication regarding official communications concerning both the acts of the Roman Pontiff and the activity of the Holy See".[2] In the organisation predating Praedicate evangelium, the Secretariat of State only had two sections: one for the General Affairs of the Church, the other for Relations with States.[3] The third section had been added in 2017 by Pope Francis.[26]
Explanations
Pope Francis stated that the book-length interview of cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga on the constitution, titled Praedicate Evangelium: A new curia for a new time, "adequately unravels the meaning and itinerary of this meticulous and decisive work of revision and proposals".[27]
In a June 2022 interview, Pope Francis stated Praedicate evangelium was the culmination of "eight-and-a-half years of work and inquiries". He adds that the document implements the requests made by cardinals before the 2013 conclave, and places "a missionary-style experience" at the heart of the Catholic Church's work.[28]
^The Italian text of Praedicate evangelium previously said the dicastery "deals with the regulation and discipline of the Sacred Liturgy as regards the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite".[2][24][23] However, on 21 March 2022 the Holy See stated this mention of an "extraordinary form" was a typographical error which was present due to this part of the apostolic constitution having been written before Traditionis custodes had been promulgated and the recent decisions taken concerning the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter; the Holy See stated this "terminology" mistake would be corrected.[15][25] On 24 March 2022, it was reported the wording of the Italian version had been changed.[23] This change was also present in the typical edition of the text published later.[15]
^"Pope Francis promulgates Apostolic Constitution on Roman Curia 'Praedicate Evangelium'". Vatican News. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022. Fundamental among the general principles is the designation that everyone – including the lay faithful - can be appointed to roles of government in the Roman Curia by virtue of the vicarious power of the Successor of Peter.
