Pope Francis reformed the Roman Curia with the publishing of the new Vatican Constitution, ‘Praedicate Evangelium‘ (Preach the Gospel). The new constitution came into effect on June 5. This constitution will replace its preceding constitution, Pastor bonus, which had been promulgated by Pope John Paul II.
According to the new constitution, all the main Vatican departments will be renamed as ‘dicasteries.’ The Constitution outlines: “The Roman Curia is composed of the Secretariat of State, the Dicasteries and other bodies, all juridically equal to each other.” There are 16 Dicasteries in total, that include Dicastery for Evangelization, Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith, etc. 11 guiding principles have been listed in the constitution that define the goals of this reform.
The constitution was in the making for nine years and was formally published in Italian on March 19, 2022. Changes in the Vatican laws and structures proposed by Pope Francis after his election in 2013 have also been included in this new constitution.
(Image Source: CBCP News)
