Starting today in Rome, the first Plenary Assembly of the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life

Today in Rome, the first Plenary Assembly the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life opens, with the title of “The Lay Faithful, Identity and Mission in the World.” The nomination of the Dicastery’s members and consultors by Pope Francis has completed the definitive structuring of the Dicastery, as well as, in a certain sense, completing the foundational stage of its life.

The meeting, which will last for three days, will have as its participants Cardinals, bishops, and above all laity—in some cases married couples—who, with their ecclesial experience and human and professional competencies, have been called to collaborate in the mission of the Dicastery. The members and consultors (a list of whom is available at this address: http://www.laityfamilylife.va/content/laityfamilylife/en/il-dicastero/membri-e-consultori.html come from more than twenty countries and five continents, and have backgrounds formed by a wide variety of human and ecclesiastical experiences. Some of them were chosen by Pope Francis from areas on the peripheries, such as the Central African Republic, Mail, or the Democratic Republic of Congo, specifically to emphasize how such areas are at the heart of the Holy See’s mission of evangelization.

During the three days of the Assembly, the Dicastery’s Superiors together with its members and consultors will reflect on the priorities of the Dicastery’s mission in the coming year, with particular reference to the theme—so central in the Magisterium of Pope Francis—of the formation of the laity and their participation in public life. On Saturday, 16 November, the Holy Father will receive the participants in an audience.