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

Christmas 2023
A meditation for the Christmas Season by the Prefect of the Dicastery, Card. Farrell

  Dear friends, A few days ago, the Holy Father extended an invitation to us when he said, “Let us value silence, sobriety and listening. May Mary, Virgin of silence, help us to love the desert ...

Youth
In Argentina, the beatification of the cardinal who was President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity

    The Church in Argentina, and with it the universal Church, joyfully celebrates the beatification of Cardinal Eduardo Francisco Pironio this Saturday, 16 December, 2023. We publish a ...

Local Churches
Initiatives of CELAM and the Bishops' Conference of Chile for the protection of minors and vulnerable persons in the ecclesial context

    Comparing approaches and exchanging experiences, in order to understand the current situation in the Latin American Church in the area of abuse prevention, and to discover effective ways ...