Pope Francis released his long-awaited overhaul of the Holy See bureaucracy on Saturday that envisages greater decision-making roles for the laity and gives new institutional weight to efforts to fight clerical sex abuse. The 54-page text, titled "Praedicate Evanglium," or "Proclaiming the Gospel," replaces the founding constitution "Pastor Bonus" penned by St. John Paul II in 1988. Francis was elected pope in 2013 in large part on his promise to reform the bulky and inefficient Vatican bureaucracy, which acts as the organ of central governance for the 1.3-billion member Catholic Church. He named a Cabinet of cardinal advisers who have met periodically since his election to help him draft the changes, the AP reports.
Much of the work has been rolled out piecemeal over the years, with offices consolidated and financial reforms issued. But the publication of the new document finalizes the process and puts it into effect in June. The document, released on the ninth anniversary of Francis' installation, emphasizes the missionary and charitable focus of the church as well as the need for the Vatican to be at service both to the pope and local dioceses. It envisages greater roles for laity, making clear that laypeople—not just priests, bishops or cardinals—can head a major Vatican office, and that all staff should reflect the geographic universality of the church. Women now should be able to run for more church offices, per the Wall Street Journal.
In a major change, the pope's advisory commission on preventing sexual abuse is being brought into the Vatican's powerful doctrine office, which oversees canonical investigations of abuse cases. Previously, the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors existed as an ad hoc commission that reported to the pope but had no real institutional power. It often found itself at odds with the more powerful Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which reviews all cases of abuse. Now the advisory commission is part of the newly named Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, where presumably members including abuse survivors can exert influence on decisions taken by the prelates who weigh whether predator priests are sanctioned and how. "For the first time, Pope Francis has made safeguarding and the protection of minors a fundamental part of the structure of the church's central government," Cardinal Sean O'Malley said in a statement.
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