Vatican City, Apr 25, 2018 / 07:17 am
Pope Francis and his Council of Cardinals met this week to continue their discussion of curial reform and to work on the draft of a new apostolic constitution outlining the structure and duties of the Roman Curia.
There is no predicted release date for the apostolic constitution, but the drafting and editing "will take some time," according to an April 25 Vatican communique. When finished, it will be presented to Pope Francis for further consultation and final approval.
The major part of this week's meetings, which took place April 23-25 at the Vatican, were dedicated to re-reading the current draft of the constitution, Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said in a briefing April 25.
The Council of Cardinals – who advise the pope on matters of Church governance and reform – also discussed how the Roman Curia can be at the service to the Holy Father and the particular Churches; the pastoral character of curial activity; and the institution and operation of the third section of the Secretary of State, which was established in November to oversee the Holy See's diplomatic corps.