Opus Dei will present in his congress the statutes he will deliver to the Vatican

Opus Dei will present to the members of his General Congress the “definitive” proposal of statutes that will be elevated to the Vatican for final approval, after the renewal process promoted by the Motu proprio To make a charisma Posted in July 2022.

This has been announced by the prelate of Opus Dei, Mons. Fernando Ocáriz, in A letter dated April 8 in which he points out that in the General Council, which will be held from April 23 to May 5, “it will be the proposal – defining on our part – of the text of the statutes, to present to the approval of the Holy See.”

As confirmed from the Opus Dei office in Spain to ACI Press, the members of Congress will not have the option of proposing modifications to the proposal of statutes that arise, being understood that the faithful of the Prelature have already made their contributions to the process through the regional assemblies held in the preceding months.

According to Opus Dei, only in Spain more than 18,000 people (about 45% of their members in the country) participated in these assemblies that made 32,000 proposals around ten topics: training, work, society, mission, family, youth, identity, identity, government, communication and preparation of the centenary, which will be held between 2028 and 2030.

In total, throughout 2024, more than 55,000 people from 70 countries participated in this process, organized in more than 3,000 working groups, according to the prelature.

For its part, the new drafting of the statutes has been made by a very small number of people belonging to the work – less of a dozen – who has worked in coordination with the Dicasterio for the clergy “in a climate of dialogue and confidence.”

The Ordinary General Congress is held every 8 years with the mission of evaluating the status of the Prelature, advising on future actions and renewing charges. More than 250 numerary (celibate) members of Opus Dei, over 32 years old and at least nine of final incorporation into the prelature participate.

Until now, its appointment was made in a life and designation of the prelate, which had the help of the deliberative vote of the General Council (men) and the central advice (women), as well as the consultations made to the constituency of origin of the candidates. Other faithful of the prelature can also be summoned as experts, who have voice, but do not vote.

According to the same sources, the new statutes of Opus Dei will collect a substantial change in the way in which these appointments are made, which now depend ultimately on Mons. Fernando Ocáriz.

The members of the General Congress come mostly from Europe and America, although there is also representation of Africa, Asia and Oceania.

He Motu proprio To make a charisma It is derived from the provisions set in the Apostolic Constitution Preach the Gospel on the Roman curia promulgated on March 19, 2022 and that entered into force in June of that same year. This document reformed the structure of the Roman curia to guide it towards evangelization.

In addition to the adaptation of the statutes, among the consequences of this most important process for the prelature of Opus Dei, erected by San Juan Pablo II on November 28, 1982 through the Apostolic Constitution To bethey are found that the prelate will not be ordered by Bishop and that it will not depend on the Dicasterio for the Bishops, but on the Dicasterio for the Clergy.

The decision not to carry out the episcopal consecration of the prelate, according to Opus Dei has explained“It is an initiative and decision of the Holy See, within the framework of a restructuring of the Curia Government, to reinforce – as says the Motu proprio– The charismatic dimension. ”