The following is the Apostolic Letter issued ‘Motu proprio’ by the Holy Father, Pope Francis, on the transfer of the Ordinary Section of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See to the Secretariat of the Economy.
A Motu Proprio (of his own accord) is a papal response – usually a decree.
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“Confirming a centuries-old tradition, the last Vatican Council II reaffirmed the need for the organisation of the Holy See to conform to the needs of the times, above all by adapting the structure of the dicasteries of the Roman Curia, their number, denomination and competence, as well as their approaches and mutual coordination, to the real needs of the Church at every moment.
A concrete result of these principles occurred with the promulgation in February 2014 of the Apostolic letter, in the form of a Motu Proprio, Fidelis Dispensator et Prudens, by which I instituted the Secretariat for the Economy as a dicastery of the Roman Curia. In accordance with the recommendations of the Council for the Economy, the Secretariat is responsible for the economic control and supervision of the dicasteries of the Roman Curia, the Institutions linked to the Holy See, and the administrations of Vatican City State.
In view of the above, and upon consulting the heads of the dicasteries involved, I consider it appropriate for the Secretariat of the Economy to assume among its institutional competences, from now on and in accordance with the methods and times established by the relative Cardinal Prefect, those tasks which were previously attributed to the so-called ‘Ordinary Section’ of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See and, therefore, to transfer to the aforementioned dicastery the competences which the Apostolic Constitution ‘Pastor bonus’ of 28 June 1988 had entrusted to that Section of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See. As a consequence, the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See will no longer be divided into sections and, in the future, it will carry out only those functions previously performed by the Extraordinary Section.
Consequently, having carefully examined every question regarding the matter and consulting with the competent dicasteries and experts, I establish and decree as follows:
Article 1
The text of Article 172 of the Apostolic Constitution ‘Pastor bonus’ is entirely substituted by the following text:
1. This Office shall administer the assets belonging to the Holy See allocated to provide the funds necessary for the performance of the functions of the Roman Curia.
2. The Office shall also administer the moveable assets entrusted to other bodies of the Holy See.
Article 2
The text of Article 173 of the Apostolic Constitution ‘Pastor bonus’ is entirely substituted by the following text:
The office shall be presided over by a Cardinal, assisted by a determined number of Cardinals and a Prelate Secretary.
Article 3
Articles 174 and 175 of the Apostolic Constitution ‘Pastor bonus’ are hereby repealed.
Article 4
The Prefect of the Secretariat of the Economy shall constitute a technical Commission with the aim of facilitating the transfer of the competences hereto attributed to the Ordinary Section of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See and shall determine, starting from today’s date, the methods for resolving pending issues relating to the aforementioned Ordinary Section, up to the complete and effective transfer of competences.
I decree that the measures decided in this Apostolic Letter issued Motu Proprio be observed in their entirety, notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary, even when worthy of special mention, and that it be published in the daily newspaper ‘L’Osservatore Romano’, entering into force on the day of its promulgation.”
