Pope Francis on Saturday introduced new statutes for the governing body of the Vatican, known as the Roman Curia. Report that Italian media† The new statutes, called Praedicate Evangelium (preach the gospel), require all baptized Catholics registered with the Catholic Church to lead branches within the Vatican. Previously, that role was largely reserved for male clergy.
The documents say that the pope, bishops and other ordained ministers “are not the only ones in the church who can evangelize” and that non-clergy, both men and women, should also be able to lead a branch. The amended statutes, which replace the rules approved by Pope John Paul II in 1988, will come into effect on June 5.
Pope Francis has long promised to involve women and non-clerics more in the governance of the Church. Nine years after the start of his papacy, he is putting his money where his mouth is, although the question is to what extent women and the laity will have more say. Until now, the real top positions within the Vatican have always been reserved for ordained men. The question is whether the change in statute will cause a trend break, as a result of which the Pope will also appoint women and laymen to high positions.