Pontifical Council for the laity

The activities of the Pontifical Council for the Laity were based on the provisions of the decree of the Second Vatican Council of the Apostolicam Actuositatem , dedicated to the concept of the “apostolate of the laity”. The purpose of the council is to develop and coordinate the lay apostleship at all levels, to interact with Catholic lay organizations, in particular with various Catholic movements , such as the Catholic Action , Comunione e Liberazione and others.

The period before the Second Vatican Council was marked by the ever-increasing importance of the activities of the laity and the growing authority of Catholic action . These processes led to the appearance at the council of a separate document, the Apostolicam Actuositatem , concerning church activities of the laity. In the 26th paragraph of the decree, the Council decided:

In addition, under the Holy See it is necessary to establish a special secretariat to support and promote the apostolate of the laity, as a center that can, by resorting to appropriate means, provide information on the various apostolic undertakings of the laity, as well as study the problems that arise in this area today and help their the advice of the Hierarchy and the laity in their apostolic writings. The various movements and undertakings of the apostolate of the laity existing throughout the world should participate in this secretariat, and clergy and monks should cooperate with the laity. [one]

Pursuant to the decisions of the council, on January 6, 1967, Pope Paul VI established the Council for the Laity in motu proprio Catholicam Christi Ecclesiam . On August 15 of the same year, the Council was included in the permanent structure of the Roman Curia . In 1976, the body was reformed to bring its structure to the classical structure of the congregation . The Council publishes a number of periodicals ^[2] .

The last chairman of the Council is Cardinal Stanislav Rylko . The last secretary of the Council is Joseph Clemens .

It was abolished according to motu proprio Sedula Mater ^[3] from September 1, 2016, by merging the Papal Councils for family and laity affairs into one department - the Dicasterium for laity, family and life .

• Cardinal Maurice Rua ( January 6, 1967 - December 16, 1976 );
• Cardinal Opilio Rossi ( December 10, 1976 - April 8, 1984 );
• Cardinal Eduardo Pironio ( April 8, 1984 - August 20, 1996 );
• Cardinal James Stafford ( August 20, 1996 - October 4, 2003 );
• Cardinal Stanislav Rylko ( October 4, 2003 - August 31, 2016 ).

• Roman Curia
• Papal Council for Laity on the Giga-Catholic .