Pope Francis has issued a new constitution for the Vatican's central administration, known as the Curia, stating that any baptized lay Catholic, including women, can head any Vatican department.
Most Vatican departments have been headed by male clerics, usually cardinals. The new constitution, called "Praedicate Evangelium" (Preach the Gospel), took more than nine years to complete. It will take effect on June 5.
The 54-page text replaces the founding constitution "Pastor Bonus" penned by St. John Paul II in 1988.
Francis was elected pope in 2013 in large part on his promise to reform the bulky and inefficient Vatican bureaucracy, which acts as the organ of central governance for the 1.3-billion-strong Catholic Church. He named a Cabinet of cardinal advisers who have met periodically since his election to help him draft the changes.
Much of the reform work has been rolled out piecemeal over the years, with offices consolidated and financial reforms issued. But the publication of the new document, for now only in Italian, finalizes the process and puts it into effect in June.
The document was released Saturday, the ninth anniversary of Francis' installation as pope and the feast of St. Joseph, an important figure to Francis’ ministry.
