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
Ecclesial movements
Linda Ghisoni brings the greetings of the Dicastery to the First National Assembly of ecclesial movements in Peru
“Step outside of repetitive habits, projects, or ways of meeting, and abandon self-referentiality, so as to promote better mutual knowledge and cohesion, and to grow in authentic communion.” This is ...
Opera di Maria
On Saturday, 6 February, participants in the General Assembly as well as other members of the Opera di Maria—Focolare movement were received in audience by Pope Francis in the Paul VI Hall. They were ...
Spiritus Domini
With an Apostolic Letter Motu Proprio dated 10 January 2021, the Holy Father has modified canon 230 §1 of the Code of Canon Law, which now allows for the admission of women into the instituted ...
Magisterium of Pope Francis on the Lay Faithful