More room for women in Vatican constitution
Pope Francis looks on as a nun reads during the weekly general audience in The Vatican. Photo AFP, Andreas Solaro
Southern Europe
A new constitution has come into effect in the Vatican. The new statute, created at the initiative of Pope Francis, allows, among other things, from Sunday onward, that lay people, including women, become heads of ministries of the Church-state.
So are the highest offices in the Curia, as the Vatican government is called. Previously, these functions were reserved only for cardinals and archbishops and, therefore, exclusively for men. But women are still not allowed to become priests, bishops or popes. Furthermore, Catholic clergy are still not allowed to marry.
The constitution provides for a simplified governance structure. Francis reorganised the councils, congregations, and subdivisions of the Curia called dicasteries and gave them all the same name. They are all now called Dicastery. In the first place comes the Dicastery for Evangelisation, chaired by the Pope himself. This is a sign of Francis' desire to emphasise the spread of the faith, writes the news website Vatican News. The Pope has also upgraded the agency that cares for the needs of the poor and less fortunate to a dicastery.
The document of the new constitution appeared unannounced in March but had been expected for some time. A Vatican council had been working on it for years. The new constitution replaces Pope John Paul II's 1988 Pastor Bonus (The Good Shepherd) constitution, which has been in force to date.
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