Pope Francis on Tuesday issued a new Apostolic Letter modifying the Code of Canon Law and the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches to favour greater decentralization.
He transferred certain responsibilities from the Vatican to local bishops, changing the areas of competence for various bodies within the universal Church, Vatican News reported.
The new norms deal with different areas of Church life, in each case specifying the authorities competent to make decisions with regard to those issues.
The Holy Father said the intention is to foster a sense of collegiality and pastoral responsibility on the part of Bishops, Major Superiors, and to support the principles of rationality, effectiveness and efficiency.
He explained that assigning certain competencies is giving direct decision-making authority to the executive power of the local Churches and ecclesial institutions corresponds to the dynamic of communion and enhances nearness.
The Pope noted that a healthy decentralization favours this dynamic, yet without jeopardizing the hierarchical dimension of the Church.
He explained that the changes reflect the shared and pluralistic universality of the Church, which allows differences without attempting to make everything uniform.
The Holy Father said the modifications to canon law are also aimed at helping local church authorities respond to pastoral issues more rapidly and effectively, precisely through their closeness to the people and circumstances involved.
Among the specific areas touched upon by the changes are the erections of inter-diocesan seminaries, the plan of priestly formation produced by Episcopal conferences.
The order of consecrated virgins, the publication of regional catechisms, and the reduction of the obligation of Masses attached to legacies or donations are some of areas of changes.