On Saturday, Francis issued a new constitution for the Vatican's central administration, known as the Curia, stating that any baptised lay Catholics can head Vatican offices.

For centuries, male clerics have headed the departments, usually cardinals or bishops, but that could change from June 5, when the new charter takes effect after more than nine years of work.

The new constitution said the role of lay Catholics in governing positions in the Curia was "essential" because of their familiarity with family life and "social reality".

The 54-page constitution, called Praedicate Evangelium (Preach the Gospel), was released on the ninth anniversary of Francis' installation as pope in 2013. It replaces one issued in 1988 by Pope John Paul II.

The preamble says, "The pope, bishops and other ordained ministers are not the only evangelisers in the Church". It adds that lay men and women "should have roles of government and responsibility".

Another section says, "any member of the faithful can head a dicastery (Curia department)" if the pope decides they are qualified and appoints them.

It makes no distinction between lay men and lay women. However, experts said at least two departments - the department for bishops and the department for clergy - will remain headed by men because only men can be priests in the Catholic Church.

The text says choices will be made based on people's professional competence, spiritual life, pastoral experience, sobriety and love for the poor, a sense of community and "ability to recognise the signs of the times."

Francis has already named several lay people, including women, to Vatican departments.

In 2021, Francis appointed Sister Raffaella Petrini (pictured) as the Secretary General of the Governorate of Vatican City State. It was the first time a woman had been named to the number two position in the world's smallest state.

As part of the reorganisation, the Secretariat of State kept its premier position as administrative, coordinating and diplomatic department, while the centuries-old high status of the doctrinal office was placed below that of the evangelisation department.

The pope will head the evangelisation office himself, highlighting the importance he gives to spreading and reviving the faith.

The new office is responsible for the church's evangelical efforts worldwide, including supporting new churches. It is divided into two sections: one responsible for fundamental questions surrounding evangelisation and the other tasked with overseeing places of "first evangelisation".

Sources

Reuters

National Catholic Reporter

Deutsche Welle

The lay women surveyed say these frustrations are barriers to them fulfilling their ministerial paths in the church.

Entitled "Mainstreaming Women's Ministries in the Roman Catholic Church," the survey was conducted by the Women's Ordination Conference (WOC).

Of the 224 young Catholic lay women in formation and ministry in the U.S. who responded, 82 percent of respondents think women's ministries are not valued equally to men's.

In addition, 80 percent are dissatisfied with the ministry opportunities available to them in the global church, and 73 percent said the same about local opportunities.

Survey respondents overwhelmingly described their Catholic identity as "extremely important." Eighty-two percent attend Mass at least once a week.

"What this survey affirms is that women of the church are overwhelmingly educated and trained and thoughtful Catholic leaders, and they will persist," says Kate McElwee, executive director of the Women's Ordination Conference.

However, they will only "persist to a point," McElwee says.

Young Catholics are choosing to disaffiliate with the institutional church.

"It's a loss that's happened for many generations before this one, and our hope is that we can work to support these women to stall their exit," she says.

McElwee says the survey responded to the WOCs Young Feminist Network and Women's Ordination Conference members' struggles with ministerial discernment after completing pastoral degrees.

The survey report cites women's inclusion and ordination as the two most common changes respondents wished to see in the church. Thirty percent of respondents say they would pursue ordination in the diaconate or priesthood if they could.

Although many respondents identified vocations that did not fit within the existing structure of the institutional church, 82 percent would not seek ordination through an independent Catholic movement.

McElwee says this result is "surprising."

"A lot of the members of the WOC really look to those movements as prophetic witnesses, living their vocation and modeling a new, renewed ministry," she says.

"To see that that really didn't seem like an option to the survey respondents is interesting for our movement to consider."

McElwee says the WOCs primary goal now is to "listen to the women who took the survey and to respond as a community" in the form of discussion groups and conversations among members of the Women's Ordination Conference and its Young Feminist Network.

The survey and the discussion it generates will show "women who are persisting in their faith and in their ministry and in their careers know that they're not alone," she says.

Source

• National Catholic Reporter
• Image: National Catholic Reporter