Jesuit Cardinal Ghirlanda triumphs and Pope dynamites Opus Dei
The Holy See this morning made public a new Motu proprio signed by Pope Francis that directly affects Opus Dei.
Pope Francis converts the personal prelatures into "public clerical associations of pontifical right with the faculty of incardinating clerics", so that the laity would remain outside the Work although "the laity can dedicate themselves to the apostolic works of the personal prelature; but the form of this organic cooperation and the principal duties and rights related to it will be suitably determined in the statutes". These statutes are already in the hands of the Dicastery of the Clergy.
With this move, the Pope intends to make it clear that the lay members of Opus Dei remain under the jurisdiction of their bishop and makes it almost impossible for there to be any juridical link between the laity and Opus Dei in the future.
After the support that the Pope has received from the young people of Opus Dei and the apostolic work of the Prelature by attending World Youth Day (many thousands of young people who are trained under the protection of Opus Dei), the Pope responds with a stab in the back against this Institution, making amends to St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Jesuit Cardinal Gianfranco Ghirlanda has succeeded, 40 years later, in imposing his clerical vision of what personal prelatures should be.
We offer you the full motu proprio in English translation:
APOSTOLIC LETTER
IN THE FORM OF A MOTU PROPRIO
OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF
FRANCIS
WHEREBY CANN. 295-296 CONCERNING PERSONAL PRELATURES ARE MODIFIED
Personal Prelatures are, for the first time, mentioned by the Second Vatican Council in the Decree Presbyterorum Ordinis, no. 10, with regard to the distribution of presbyters, in the context of solicitude for all Churches.
This spirit is taken up by the same Council in the Decree Ad gentes, which states "where, in order to make particular pastoral works easier for the different social classes, provision is made for the establishment of personal prelatures, as the proper exercise of the apostolate will have required" (footnote 105).
The Motu Proprio Ecclesiae Sanctae (6 August 1966), in the article dedicated to "Distribution of the clergy and aid to be given to the dioceses", regarding Prelatures recalls: "in order to encourage special pastoral or missionary initiatives in favour of certain regions or social groups, which need special help, Prelatures composed of priests of the secular clergy, possessing a particular formation, endowed with their own statutes and under the direction of their own Prelate, may fruitfully be erected by the Apostolic See" (I,4).
In the 1983 Code of Canon Law, in line with this vision, personal Prelatures are placed in Book II, under Title IV of Part I, where they deal with 'the Christian faithful', between 'sacred ministers or clerics' (Title III) and 'associations of the faithful' (Title V).
Considering that with the Apostolic Constitution Praedicate evangelium (19 March 2022), Art. 117, the competence over personal prelatures was transferred to the Dicastery for the Clergy, on which the public clerical associations with the faculty to incardinate clerics also depend (Art. 118, 2);
Considering Canon 265 and Art. 6 of the M.P. Ad charisma tuendum (14 July 2022)
I now decree the following:
Art. 1
To Canon 295, § 1, concerning the statutes and the Prelate, it is added that the personal Prelature is 'assimilated to public clerical associations of pontifical right with the faculty of incardinating clerics', that its statutes can be 'approved or issued by the Apostolic See' and that the Prelate acts 'as Moderator, endowed with the faculties of an Ordinary', resulting in the canon in question being formulated as follows
Can. 295, § 1. Praelatura personalis, quae consociationibus publicis clericalibus iuris pontificii cum facultate incardinandi clericos assimilatur, regitur statutis ab Apostolica Sede probatis vel emanatis eique praeficitur Praelatus veluti Moderator, facultatibus Ordinarii praeditus, cui ius est nationale vel internationale seminarium erigere necnon alumnos incardinare, eosque titulo servitii praelaturae ad ordines promovere.
Art. 2
In can. 295, § 2, concerning the responsibilities of the Prelate regarding the formation and support of incardinated clerics of the Prelature, it is specified that he acts 'as Moderator, endowed with the faculties of an Ordinary', and the same canon is formulated as follows
Can. 295, § 2. Utpote Moderator facultatibus Ordinarii praeditus, Praelatus prospicere debet sive spirituali institutioni illorum, quos titulo praedicto promoverit, sive eorundem decorae sustentationi.
Art. 3
To Canon 296, relative to the participation of the laity in the apostolic activities of the personal prelature, the reference to canon 107 is added, resulting in the above-mentioned canon as follows
Can. 296. Servatis can. 107 praescriptis, conventionibus cum praelatura initis, laici operibus apostolicis praelaturae personalis sese dedicare possunt; modus vero huius organicae cooperationis atque praecipua officia et iura cum illa coniuncta in statutis apte determinentur.
What has been resolved by this Apostolic Letter in the form of a Motu Proprio, I order to be firm and stable in force, notwithstanding anything to the contrary even if worthy of special mention, and to be promulgated in L'Osservatore Romano, coming into force on the day of publication, and then included in the official commentary of the Acta Apostolicae Sedis.
Given at Rome, at Saint Peter's, on the memorial of Saint Dominic, this 8th day of August 2023, the eleventh of the Pontificate.
FRANCIS
.jpeg)
Comments