LAITY
“Enlivening and encouraging the promotion of the vocation and mission of the lay faithful in the Church and in the world” (Praedicate Evangelium, Art. 129) is an important part of the everyday work carried out by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life. The lay faithful, as individuals, married or not, and as members belonging to associations, ecclesial movements, new communities, are the largest component of God's holy faithful people. The Holy Father's attention is directed to them through the work and pastoral care of this Dicastery, to encourage their participation and co-responsibility in the life and mission of the Church.
To this end, the Dicastery collaborates with the various lay ecclesial realities so that the lay faithful may share their faith experiences in social realities as well as their own secular expertise in the pastoral care and governance of the Church. Furthermore, it is the Dicastery's responsibility, in agreement with the other Dicasteries of the Roman Curia involved, to evaluate and approve the proposals of the Bishops' Conferences concerning the establishment of new ministries and ecclesiastical offices to be entrusted to the laity, according to the needs of the particular Churches. Through its work, the Dicastery expresses the Church's special solicitude for the youth; it accompanies the life and development of aggregations of the faithful and ecclesial movements; it deals with any hierarchical appeals relating to the associative life and the apostolate of the laity; and it strives to deepen reflection on the relationship between men and women in their respective specificity, reciprocity, complementarity and equal dignity.
News
#Panama2019
The Catholic Church in Panama celebrates the first anniversary of World Youth Day
“A year after celebrating this wonderful World Youth Day, we can say that this small seed has grown and is bearing much fruit.” So says José Ulloa Mendieta, Archbisop of Panama, underscording that one ...
Ad limina
In recent weeks, various groups of American bishops in Rome on their ad limina visits stopped by the Dicastery. The spoke to us of a laity that is generous and which actively participates in the life ...
Elderly
Interview with Prefect Card. Farrell on the Conference which will bring together 550 participants from 60 countries
In the Church, the elderly have at times been forgotten, or considered somewhat of a burden, even while “they should be co-protagonists, by virtue of their immense experience, thanks to their many ...
Magisterium of Pope Francis on the Lay Faithful