Serving, Accompanying, Guiding. Foundations and Practice of government in Associations

As is customary, this year the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life is organizing and hosting the Annual Meeting with the Moderators of the International Associations of the Faithful, Ecclesial Movements, and New Communities.

200 participants—including moderators, or their delegates, and members of the central governing bodies of 104 of the 115 international associations of the faithful and entities recognized or established by the Holy See

On May 21–22, in the New Synod Hall at the Vatican, approximately 200 participants—including moderators, or their delegates, and members of the central governing bodies of 104 of the 115 international associations of the faithful and entities recognized or established by the Holy See—will gather to reflect on the theme “Serving, Accompanying, Guiding. Foundations and Practices of government in Associations.”

Government: a service for living out in accordance with the Gospel, and for the authentic good of the associations and their members

Government in associations is, therefore, the theme chosen for this Meeting, a theme that will be explored over the course of the two days from theological-pastoral and canonical perspectives. The Dicastery aims to provide concrete assistance to Associations and Movements and, specifically, to those who hold government responsibilities within them, so that this service may be lived out in accordance with the Gospel and serve the authentic good of the associations and their members.

Many aspects will be considered during the Meeting: the specific nature and purposes of the governing authority of a Moderator in Associations of the faithful; the tools to be used for a collegial exercise of government and the balance between co-responsibility and collegiality on the one hand, and the assumption of personal responsibility on the other; the relationships of communion between the association’s governing body and ecclesiastical authority; the role of government in the faithful preservation of the charism, and in the pursuit of specific apostolic goals; the importance of the necessary moral authority and transparency in those who govern; the respect for and protection of the rights of the faithful by those who govern; the proper distinction between the sphere of government and the sphere of conscience; and care in the formation of members.

A time for dialogue and sharing

This year’s Meeting will last two days to allow more time for dialogue and sharing. Indeed, the Annual Meetings with the Moderators are increasingly taking on a formative character, as well as fostering mutual understanding and sharing between the Dicastery and the Associations, and among the Associations themselves.

The program for the first day includes an opening address by the Prefect, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, and two keynote presentations: one on “Theological Characteristics of Government” (Prof. Gill Goulding) in the Church in general, and the other on “Principles of Government in Associations of the Faithful” (Rev. Prof. Paolo Gherri), a topic addressed from a canon law perspective. This will be followed by a meeting with the Holy Father Leo XIV, and in the afternoon, a panel discussion organized by the Dicastery on certain “challenges” posed by the responsibility of government, will be held in order to raise awareness of these issues and provide appropriate tools to face them.

Challenges and ways for improvement

There will then be time for small-group reflection on aspects of the government of associations that participants believe deserve attention, also suggesting possible ways for improvement. The communal Prayer of the Rosary in the Vatican Gardens will conclude the first day.

The second day will be more focused on group work and plenary discussion, following the synodal method of Conversation in the Spirit: two testimonies on “The Relationship between Moderators and Bishops” (H. E. Msgr. José Ángel Saiz Meneses) and on “Conciliation as a Style of Government” (Mr. Giovanni Borgna) will offer food for thought to gather, in the afternoon, the proposals that emerged from the working groups. A time for open discussion and the conclusion entrusted to the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life are the events scheduled for this final afternoon of work.