The Pontifical Council for the Laity was a pontifical council of the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Curia Curia (Latin plural curiae) in ancient Rome referred to one of the original groupings of the citizenry, eventually numbering 30, and later every Roman citizen was presumed to belong to one. While they originally likely had wider powers, they came ...

from 1967 to 2016. It had the responsibility of assisting the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

in his dealings with the laity in lay ecclesial movements or individually, and their contributions to the Church. Its last Cardinal President from 4 October 2003 to 31 August 2016 was Cardinal

Stanisław Ryłko Stanisław Marian Ryłko (born 4 July 1945) is a Polish Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He held positions in the Roman Curia beginning in 1987 and was president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity from 2003 to 2016. He was made a ca ...

. Its undersecretary from 1967 to 1976 was Professor Rosemary Goldie, the first woman to be the Undersecretary of a Pontifical Council and the highest-ranking woman in the Roman Curia at the time. Another layman, Professor

Guzmán Carriquiry Lecour Guzmán Carriquiry Lecour (born 20 May 1944) is a Uruguayan lawyer, journalist and activist on behalf of Roman Catholic causes in Latin America. In his 50-year career in the Roman Curia, he was one of the few laypersons in the upper ranks. For his ...

, was undersecretary from 1991 to 2011. The Pontifical Council for the Laity had its foundation in

Vatican II The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and 1 ...

's ''

Apostolicam Actuositatem ''Apostolicam Actuositatem'' (''Apostolic Activity''), also known as the "Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity", is one of the 16 magisterial documents of the Second Vatican Council. The final text was approved on 10 November, 1965 by a vote ...

''. The council was created in January 1967 by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

motu proprio In law, ''motu proprio'' (Latin for "on his own impulse") describes an official act taken without a formal request from another party. Some jurisdictions use the term ''sua sponte'' for the same concept. In Catholic canon law, it refers to a do ...

''Catholicam Christi Ecclesiam''. In December 1976, the council was included as a permanent fixture of the Roman Curia. In September 2016, its functions were shifted to the new

Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life The Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life is a dicastery of the Roman Curia. Pope Francis announced its creation on 15 August 2016, effective 1 September 2016. It took over the functions and responsibilities of the Pontifical Council for the La ...

Presidents of the Pontifical Council for the Laity

*Cardinal

Maurice Roy Maurice Roy (January 25, 1905 – October 24, 1985) was a Canadian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Quebec from 1947 to 1981, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1965. Early life Roy was born in Queb ...

(6 Jan 1967 – 16 Dec 1976) *Cardinal

Opilio Rossi Opilio Rossi (14 May 1910 – 9 February 2004) was a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. Early life and priesthood He was born in New York, the son of Angelo Rossi and Davidina Ciappa. ...

(10 Dec 1976 – 8 Apr 1984) *Cardinal

Eduardo Francisco Pironio Eduardo Francisco Pironio (3 December 1920 – 5 February 1998) was an Argentine Roman Catholic cardinal who served in numerous departments of the Roman Curia from 1975 to 1996. He was named Cardinal-Bishop of Sabina-Poggio in 1995. On 30 Ju ...

(8 Apr 1984 – 20 Aug 1996) *Cardinal

James Stafford James Francis Stafford (born July 26, 1932) is an American cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as major penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary from 2003 to 2009. He previously served as president of the Pontifical Council ...

(20 Aug 1996 – 4 Oct 2003) *Cardinal

(4 Oct 2003 – 1 Sept 2016)

References

External links

Official Website
{{Authority control Catholic lay organisations

Laity In religious organizations, the laity () consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother. In both religious and wider secular usage, a layperson ...

Christian organizations established in 1967 Organizations disestablished in 2016 1967 establishments in Italy 2016 disestablishments in Italy Catholic organizations established in the 20th century Former departments of the Roman Curia