ROME (AP) — The Vatican has released the document laying out Pope Francis’ long-awaited reform of the Holy See bureaucracy.
It emphasizes the missionary aspect of the Catholic Church, greater roles for the laity and gives new institutional weight to efforts to fight clerical sex abuse.
The 54-page text is titled “Proclaiming the Gospel” and it 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.
The system 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.
