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By Christophe Henning | France
Archbishop Eric de Moulins-Beaufort says Pope Francis' reform of the Roman Curia will allow local bishops to more effectively participate in decisions made at the Vatican for the Catholic Church around the world.
The 60-year-old prelate, who was appointed archbishop of Reims in August 2018 and elected president of the French Bishops' Conference (CEF) less than eight months later, says the pope's new apostolic constitution Praedicate evangelium will foster greater collegiality at all levels of the Church.
He shared his thoughts on the new document with La Croix's Christophe Henning.
La Croix: Pope Francis makes important references to the role of episcopal conferences in this new document. What will that mean for you as president of the French Bishops' Conference (CEF)?
Archbishop Eric de Moulins-Beaufort: The new apostolic constitution does indeed mention the role of the bishops' conferences.
The pope wants to strengthen cooperation and dialogue between bishops and between episcopal conferences. The regional dimension can also be taken into account.
The voice of the bishops will be more present in reflecting on the future of the universal Church.
For example, the episcopal conferences will have to give their opinion on major texts. This new responsibility will require us to adapt: we will have to respond to requests from Rome.
This new constitution will be an opportunity for the bishops to participate more meaningfully in the universal Church.
Will the reform of the Roman Curia bring about changes for the local Churches?
The Church is not a federation of national Churches. But, on our scale, there will inevitably be consequences.
The reform of the French Bishops' Conference, which should be completed in the fall of 2023, will obviously be influenced by the new constitution, which will give it more responsibilities and autonomy.
We are not going to develop our own services, but we will encourage a collective commitment that goes through a synodal discernment. The work will be more collegial.
Another aspect of this new organization is access for lay people to responsibilities and time-limited mandates. What do you think about this?
The CEF already has lay people in leadership roles - including three general secretaries.
Whether the Roman dicasteries are presided over by lay people, men or women, does not pose a problem.
As for the five-year renewable term for those who will be working in Rome, this is a request that we bishops already made two years ago during the consultation launched by the pope in a first version of the constitution.
It is difficult for a diocese to see a priest, whom it will now have to do without forever, go to the Vatican, since he will make a career in the Curia.
On the other hand, for a priest to spend five or ten years in Rome and then come back home presupposes a culture of service to the universal Church.
It is beneficial for a priest to serve in Rome for a certain period of time during his priestly life.
You regularly go to the Vatican to meet with the various departments of the Curia: how do these meetings go?
I go to Rome twice a year with the CEF vice-presidents to meet with the congregations and dicasteries. The people I meet there know their files well and are always loyal to the Holy Father.
It is true that one can also feel that each congregation works on its own and that there is a lack of transversality, which is common in all forms of government.
The power of the pope seems to be strengthened by this new curial reform, even though he advocates synodality. For example, he will personally preside over the Dicastery for Evangelization. Isn't this contradictory?
It has happened in history that the pope presides over a dicastery or a congregation, for example the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
What the reform organizes is a repositioning of the Secretariat of State, which until now has supervised the congregations and could act as a screen.
From now on, it will be a reinforced secretariat of the pope, which will be more directly linked to the dicasteries.
The Dicastery for Evangelization is the first in the new organizational chart: what is the meaning of this choice?
The fact that evangelization is the first of the dicasteries was expected, and was already included in the first version of the constitution that the pope sent out for consultation.
It is totally in line with what we try to practice in our dioceses; that is, a Church committed to the world. It is less a question of increasing the number of Catholics than of bringing the good news of the Gospel to today's society.
Evangelization is the global vision from which everything else must be understood, including the doctrine of the faith.
With the very title given to the apostolic constitution -- Praedicate evangelium ("Proclaim the Gospel") - the pope insists on the missionary responsibility of the Church that is sent not only to the baptized, but to all people.
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