Pope Francis’ general audience in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Feb. 9, 2022. / Vatican Media.
Vatican City, Feb 15, 2022 / 07:20 am (CNA).
Pope Francis unveiled new changes to Church law in an apostolic letter published Tuesday, saying that he was seeking to promote “a healthy decentralization” in the Church.
In the letter issued motu proprio (“on his own impulse”) on Feb. 15, the pope said that his intention with the changes was to “foster a sense of collegiality and pastoral responsibility” on the part of bishops, local bishops’ conferences, and major superiors religious communities, as well as to “support the principles of rationality, effectiveness, and efficiency.”
Among the changes in the motu proprio, entitled Assegnare alcune competenze (“Assigning some competencies”), were articles regarding the establishment of interdiocesan seminaries, the incardination of clerics, the publication of catechisms by bishops’ conferences, and laws concerning temporary professed vows.
Pope Francis explained that with the changes he wanted to encourage “a more rapid effectiveness of the pastoral action of government on the part of the local authority.”
“I have considered it opportune to make changes to the norms hitherto in force concerning some specific matters, attributing the respective competencies,” Pope Francis wrote.
“These normative changes reflect even more the shared and plural universality of the Church, which includes differences without homogenizing them, with the guarantee, as far as unity is concerned, of the ministry of the Bishop of Rome,” he said.
Some of the 10 articles in the decree consist of only small changes in wording.
For example, Article 8 changes canon law so that the Vatican will only need to “confirm,” rather than “approve,” the publication of catechisms by a Catholic bishops’ conference.
Canon 775 §2 previously said: “If it seems useful, it is for the conference of bishops to take care that catechisms are issued for its territory, with the previous approval of the Apostolic See.”
The law now states: “If it seems useful, it is for the conference of bishops to take care that catechisms are issued for its territory, subject to confirmation by the Apostolic See.”
The change from the requirement for Vatican “confirmation,” rather than approval, also applies to Article 1, on the creation of interdiocesan seminaries, and Article 2, on the Ratio (guidelines) of priestly formation.
Pope Francis signed the motu proprio on Feb. 11, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.
This is the second motu proprio that Pope Francis has issued this week. On Monday, the pope also decreed the reorganization of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith into a doctrinal section and a disciplinary section.
Pope Francis has published 49 motu proprios since his election in 2013.
Bishop Marco Mellino, the secretary of the Council of Cardinals and a member of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, told Vatican News that he saw Tuesday’s motu proprio as part of “the work of reform that Pope Francis has initiated since the beginning of his pontificate.”
“It responds to the spirit of ‘healthy decentralization’ indicated in the apostolic exhortationEvangelii gaudium, n. 32, aimed at favoring and enhancing the dynamics of proximity in the Church, without compromising hierarchical communion with this,” he said.
He added: “It is evident, in fact, that when the authority has a direct and closer knowledge of the persons and cases in point that require a pastoral action of government, this action, by virtue of its proximity, can be of more rapid efficacy.”
If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!
Click here for more information on donating to CWR. Click here to sign up for our newsletter.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin. / Claude Truong-Ngoc via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 27, 2022 / 12:57 pm (CNA).
After reluctantly bowing out of his own scheduled trip to Africa in July, Pope Francis has decided to … […]
Father J.J. Mech, rector of the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit, stands next to the life-sized statues of the apostles that have now been installed in the cathedral’s worship space, along with first-class relics of each apostle. The “Journey with the Saints” pilgrimage, which will be dedicated Feb. 8, 2024, in a special ceremony with Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron, is part of the cathedral’s ongoing transformation into an “apostolic center for the arts and culture.” / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament and Detroit Catholic
Detroit, Mich., Jan 29, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).
At the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit, the band is getting back together. The band of Christ’s 12 apostles, that is.
On Feb. 8, Detroit’s mother church will publicly unveil its long-awaited “Journey with the Saints” project, a permanent installation of 14 “larger than life” statues accompanied by first-class relics of each apostle, the latest accomplishment in the cathedral’s ongoing mission to turn itself into an apostolic center in the city of Detroit.
Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron will join Father J.J. Mech, rector of the cathedral, to dedicate the new installation during a special event at 7 p.m.
From its central perch on Woodward Avenue, the looming gothic cathedral of the Archdiocese of Detroit stands out in its neighborhood. Following Vigneron’s instruction to turn the church into a “cathedral of the arts,” Mech has spent the last several years converting the cathedral into a hub of missionary activity and beauty, drawing people to the faith via “shallow entry points.”
“Our goal is that we are going to be more accessible to people off of Woodward,” Mech told Detroit Catholic. “We want this to be a flexible public space, maybe even a community hub for not only spiritual enrichment but cultural enrichment, and it will be a safe place, and we will have security and all of that.”
St. Simon, St. Thomas, and St. Matthias are pictured in their permanent fixtures atop the pillars inside the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament. The statues and relics of the apostles will be officially unveiled Feb. 8, 2024, as part of a permanent pilgrimage experience at the cathedral, “Journey with the Saints.” Credit: Photo courtesy of Detroit Catholic
The name “Cathedral of the Arts,” Mech explained, is a reminder that the proof of God is beauty — a principle that guides each of the new initiatives he and his team have undertaken on the cathedral’s campus.
The latest project, the installation of the seven-and-a-half-foot-tall statues and relics encircling the cathedral’s interior worship space, is the crowning jewel of those efforts, transforming the cathedral into a permanent pilgrimage site, guided by the men who knew Christ most intimately during his time on earth.
Complete with first-class relics, the new installation is among the first of its kind in North America bringing together all 12 of Christ’s apostles for veneration, and the only exhibit in the world with the relics accessible in this way.
The 14 statues — including two eight-foot angels — each were carved from a single tree trunk in St. Ulrich Groeden, in modern-day Italy, in 1927. The statues were rescued from St. Benedict Church in Highland Park, which closed in 2014. After undergoing extensive restoration, the statues were installed in the cathedral’s nave in December.
The statue of St. Andrew. Each of the statues were carved from a single tree trunk and rescued from St. Benedict Church in Highland Park, which closed in 2014. After undergoing extensive restoration, the statues were installed in the cathedral’s nave in December 2023. Credit: Photo courtesy of Detroit Catholic
The statues include two angels, 10 of the original 12 apostles, St. Paul, and St. Matthias, the apostle who replaced Judas. Mech discovered that he had relics corresponding to the 12 saints, part of a collection of nearly 200 relics owned by the cathedral, all of which he hopes to be able to one day put on display.
The relics and the signage were installed beneath each statue beginning on Jan. 8, in time for the dedication and blessing of the new reliquary pilgrimage on Feb. 8.
“I am so excited about the transformation that is happening,” Mech said. “When you come in, there will be three main signs that tell you how to go on a pilgrimage, what the goal of a pilgrimage is, and how to interact with these relics. [Pilgrims] are going to walk away transformed, different, and they are going to enter through prayer.”
“Journey with the Saints” is much more than a museum of Church history, Mech said, but a rare opportunity to invoke the help of Catholicism’s greatest saints.
“It’s not just about looking at a pretty statue and touching some bones. [Pilgrims] are going to have a purpose when they walk away,” Mech said. “People can decide what they want intercession for, what they are hoping for when they pray to a particular saint, and when they walk away, they’ll keep praying for that.”
Keith Calleja began installation of relics on Jan. 8, 2024, starting with the relic of St. Philip. Credit: Photo courtesy of Detroit Catholic
Mech said those whose prayers have been answered through the intercession of the saints will be invited to return to the cathedral and contribute a tile to a mosaic art piece that will be installed to show how God is answering prayers through the project.
While the saints and relics are the culmination of a long-sought project, it’s all part of a greater vision for Detroit’s cathedral, Mech said.
Another piece of the puzzle will be dedicated on May 12, when Archbishop Vigneron will unveil a new outdoor grotto at the cathedral in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
During the height of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, as the archbishop emotionally addressed the faithful during a livestreamed Mass from the cathedral, he entrusted the archdiocese to the protection of Our Lady of Lourdes and pledged to build the grotto “as a perpetual reminder” of her care and in memory of the lives lost to COVID-19.
Under the guidance of the archbishop, the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament finished a majority of the work on the grotto this fall, including statues of St. Bernadette Soubirous and Our Lady, whose face will reflect the one St. Bernadette saw in Lourdes, France, in 1858.
The first-class relics are among nearly 200 relics currently housed in the cathedral, which Father Mech hopes to find a way to display. The gold reliquaries are installed beneath each of the apostles’ statues. January 2024. Courtesy of Detroit Catholic
“People are already presently coming to pray [at] the grotto with the Blessed Mother,” Mech said. “We put some beautiful landscaping in this fall so people would feel welcomed, and in fact, we have used the site in a couple of ways for prayer services already.”
The grotto will also connect seamlessly with a garden walk that is being created around the cathedral’s plaza lawn, which will include art, benches, solar charging stations, a dog park, a bird sanctuary and pollination habitat.
Working alongside the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the cathedral’s co-director of family ministries, Christine Broses, is spearheading the transformation of two previously empty lots on the corner of Trowbridge and John R Streets into green space for wildlife to thrive.
“We learned that the city of Detroit is a north, south, east, and west crossing for bird migration,” Broses said. “So a lot of birds fly over the city of Detroit, but they don’t have anywhere to stop and rest because there isn’t a lot of green space. Creating green space is really important for the city and for wildlife in general, and research shows hearing birds and having green space in neighborhoods helps improve people’s mental health.”
Last spring, Broses oversaw the planting of native flowers in the area, and the next step is to let the space grow wild, which will inevitably attract birds and bees over the coming years. Broses said the final step will be to add educational plaques and pathways to make the spot accessible to schools and families.
Mech wants the garden spaces and pathways to be welcoming and intends to build benches — something the neighborhood is currently lacking.
The statues, pictured in their final fixed locations above the cathedral’s pillars, are just one piece of an ever-developing project to turn the cathedral into a true apostolic center in the heart of Detroit, Father J.J. Mech said. Credit: Photo courtesy of Detroit Catholic
“We did a study of our neighborhood and found there is not a single park bench in any of the parks in our area,” Mech said. “We want to have park benches so people can come and rest and enjoy themselves. This will be a place where community can be built, and people will realize that the cathedral is not a fortress; we are actually unleashing the Gospel.”
And there is more.
In June, construction began on the Cathedral Arts Apartments, which will include four stories and 53 two-bedroom housing units for low-income Detroiters. The $19.7 million project is the joint effort of the Archdiocese of Detroit; MHT Housing, Inc.; and the city of Detroit and will include a community space and workforce training center.
At the end of the day, the vision of a “Cathedral of the Arts” — like the cathedrals of old — is about listening to the Holy Spirit and making a difference from the very small to the large scale, so that everyone who steps onto the property is transformed, Mech said.
“When we get people onto the campus, they start to see what we are doing, and they get involved,” he said. “Then, the Holy Spirit does the rest and helps them to get to know Our Lord in new and wonderful ways.”
Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo in his cathedral city, Jan. 13, 2015. / Alan Holdren/CNA.
Denver Newsroom, Mar 21, 2022 / 15:34 pm (CNA).
The Archbishop of Colombo highlighted the frustrations of his people over the perceived lack of invest… […]
3 Comments
Sort of a Francis whim? Or a long contemplated part of an unfolding agenda? Decentralization, territories issuing catechisms with their cultural nuances, or with catechisms that differ canonically on faith and morals? There’s little that’s not already contained in the Catholic Catechism that doesn’t cover regional particularities. As with the universal parish Synod on synodality group talk how many pastors are up front on abortion, homosexuality, judgement, heaven and hell? Few. Expect then a consensus on wide latitude of personal expression of the faith.
Subsidiarity on faith and morals doesn’t lead to One Body, One Faith. Rather disintegration of what once was a unity of faith and practice. As we continue to become more decentralized we will assuredly find ourselves within a cleverly engineered Protestant Church. Except for the faithful diehards, the storied Remnant.
Sure. So the Germans can go their merry way, making up the church as they see fit, no matter what oddities they come up with. Its a local concern, after all. But certainly what they envision will not be a true Catholic church. No standardization of belief and ritual, just “do your own thing”. That path takes us down the way of Protestantism, where self appointed “ministers “, well-intended folks all, can and do make it up as they go along.You know,those people who act as beer distributors full time and as a minister on the side. Being open and flexible to local concerns is a line of action which a church must approach with conservatism and caution. To do less than that is to risk the loss of the essential truth of the faith, which is to be taught and handed down, in exchange for a sort of bland secular “niceness”. Many actions which pass for ordinary secular behavior today are in fact sins. That nobody wants to hear it, does not make it any less true. The church has been remiss for decades for failing to say so often and clearly. When you stand for everything being ok ( because we dont want to be accused of judging anyone), essentially you stand for NOTHING. With apologies to Trump haters, “niceness” is NOT the most important quality in a leader. The Pope, if he continues down this road, will soon learn he has unleashed a more dangerous Pandora’s box than had been loosed with Vatican II. The church may not be able to withstand this final blow.
Sort of a Francis whim? Or a long contemplated part of an unfolding agenda? Decentralization, territories issuing catechisms with their cultural nuances, or with catechisms that differ canonically on faith and morals? There’s little that’s not already contained in the Catholic Catechism that doesn’t cover regional particularities. As with the universal parish Synod on synodality group talk how many pastors are up front on abortion, homosexuality, judgement, heaven and hell? Few. Expect then a consensus on wide latitude of personal expression of the faith.
Subsidiarity on faith and morals doesn’t lead to One Body, One Faith. Rather disintegration of what once was a unity of faith and practice. As we continue to become more decentralized we will assuredly find ourselves within a cleverly engineered Protestant Church. Except for the faithful diehards, the storied Remnant.
Thanks Courtney fro presenting this article without polluting it with personal opinion. This is what good reporting is all about.
Sure. So the Germans can go their merry way, making up the church as they see fit, no matter what oddities they come up with. Its a local concern, after all. But certainly what they envision will not be a true Catholic church. No standardization of belief and ritual, just “do your own thing”. That path takes us down the way of Protestantism, where self appointed “ministers “, well-intended folks all, can and do make it up as they go along.You know,those people who act as beer distributors full time and as a minister on the side. Being open and flexible to local concerns is a line of action which a church must approach with conservatism and caution. To do less than that is to risk the loss of the essential truth of the faith, which is to be taught and handed down, in exchange for a sort of bland secular “niceness”. Many actions which pass for ordinary secular behavior today are in fact sins. That nobody wants to hear it, does not make it any less true. The church has been remiss for decades for failing to say so often and clearly. When you stand for everything being ok ( because we dont want to be accused of judging anyone), essentially you stand for NOTHING. With apologies to Trump haters, “niceness” is NOT the most important quality in a leader. The Pope, if he continues down this road, will soon learn he has unleashed a more dangerous Pandora’s box than had been loosed with Vatican II. The church may not be able to withstand this final blow.