Dicastery for the Clergy
Another new “dicastery,” the body formerly known as the Congregation for Clergy, has competence in everything that refers to priests and deacons of the diocesan clergy with regard to their persons, their pastoral ministry, and what is necessary for their fruitful exercise.
Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
The competences of the former Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life remain nearly unchanged. The dicastery’s responsibility also extends to Third Orders and to associations of the faithful established with a view to becoming an Institute of Consecrated Life or a Society of Apostolic Life.
Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity
This is the Vatican body that deals with ecumenism. In addition, in order to advance the relationship between Catholics and the Jewish people, the Commission for Religious Relations with Judaism is set up within the dicastery.
Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue
The Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue promotes and regulates relations with members and groups of religions that are not included under the Christian name, with the exception of Judaism whose competence belongs to the Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity.
Dicastery for Legislative Texts
Formerly called the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, the competences of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts remain largely unchanged in the new constitution. The body will continue to interpret the laws of the Church.
Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development
Pope Francis already established this dicastery as part of his reform of the Roman Curia that came into effect in 2017. The pope entrusted the dicastery with responsibility for “issues regarding migrants, those in need, the sick, the excluded and marginalized, the imprisoned and the unemployed, as well as victims of armed conflict, natural disasters, and all forms of slavery and torture.”
Dicastery for the Laity, Family, and Life
Also already a part of the pope’s previous reform efforts, Pope Francis established this dicastery in 2016. The new constitution emphasizes that the dicastery collaborates with the Pontifical Academy for Life on the issues of the protection and promotion of human life and and with the "Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for the Sciences of Marriage and the Family," to promote a common direction in studies on marriage, family and life.
Dicastery for Communication
This department is responsible for the entire communications system of the Apostolic See and unifies all the Holy See's communication activities. In carrying out its functions, it acts in collaboration with the competent curial institutions and in particular with the Secretariat of State.
Praedicate evangelium underlines that “any member of the faithful” can lead one of newly constituted Vatican dicasteries or other bodies, “given their particular competence, power of governance and function.”
Courtney Mares is a Rome Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. A graduate of Harvard University, she has reported from news bureaus on three continents and was awarded the Gardner Fellowship for her work with North Korean refugees.