The prelate of Opus Dei, Msgr. Fernando Ocáriz, today made public a message in which he emphasizes that the Work has submitted its proposed statutes to the Holy See, following the path set by the Vatican after the publication of the Motu Proprio Ad Charisma Tuendum.
In a brief message, customary in the prelate of the Opus Dei, Fernando Ocáriz wanted to encourage his children to entrust their work and apostolic labors to the Most Holy Trinity and to St. Josemaríaof which this month marks the fiftieth anniversary of his death. In the last paragraph of this letter, Ocáriz notes "I would like to inform you about the work of adaptation of the Statutes. It had been foreseen to complete its study in the General CongressHowever, as you know, since it coincided with the vacancy of the See, it was considered opportune not to do so. The members of the Congress gave their positive opinion so that, with the new Council and Advisory Council, we could complete the revision of the Statutes and submit them to the Holy See for approval, which we did today. It has been a journey of three yearsI ask you to intensify our prayers in this final stage".
Now the Holy See will have to review and establish whether it accepts the statutes proposed by the Prelature, on which both institutions have worked in coordination.
Three years working on Opus Dei statutes
The Prelature of Opus Dei has been in the process of revising its statutes since the summer of 2022, in response to the indications of Pope Francis contained in the motu proprio. Ad charisma tuendumwhich called for a juridical adaptation in accordance with the nature of this institution of the Church. The journey, which took place in two stages throughout 2023 and 2024, was marked by a spirit of collaboration and obedience to the indications of the Holy See.
Throughout 2023 all the members of Opus Dei were invited to participate in a general consultation on possible adjustments to the statutes of the Prelature. Based on the suggestions received, a first draft was prepared and submitted for deliberation at an Extraordinary General Congress convened in April of that year by the prelate, Fernando Ocáriz.
However, the process did not end there. The publication of a second motu proprio in August 2023which modified canons 295 and 296 of the Code of Canon Law concerning personal prelatures, gave rise to a new phase of work. This time, the focus was on the technical and doctrinal dialogue between two teams of experts: one belonging to the Dicastery for the Clergy and another designated by the Prelature itself.
The final proposal, prepared by the Prelature, was submitted to the Dicastery for the Clergy, which in turn made its observations. The final draft of the statutory document was to be drawn up with these observations, but since the death of Pope Francis A few days before the ordinary Congress planned by the Prelature, the delivery of these new statutes was put on hold pending the election of the new Pontiff and the reopening of the Vatican offices.
