Pope Francis met this morning with the heads of the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia. The meeting took place in the Sala Bologna of the Apostolic Palace. Also present at the meeting were the President of the Governorate of Vatican City State and the Cardinal Vicar of Rome.
The various dicasteries present “help the Roman Pontiff in the exercise of his supreme pastoral office for the good and service of the whole Church and of the particular Churches.”
According to a communique released by the Holy See Press Office, the Holy Father has met individually with the heads of the dicasteries over the past few months and “has spoken at length with each of them.”
“[Pope Francis] will now preside over a joint meeting of all the heads, as he completes the sixth month of his pontificate,” the communique stated.
The goal of the meeting is to provide the Pope with an opportunity to listen to considerations by the main collaborators of the Successor of Peter. The meeting also “fits naturally in the context of implementing the suggestions made by the cardinals in the Congregations in preparation for the Conclave” as well as the “reflections of the Holy Father on the government of the Church.”
The event is also seen as a preparation for Pope Francis’ first meeting with a group of eight cardinals who will advise the Holy Father in governing the Church and will study changes to the Apostolic constitution “Pastor Bonus”, which was written by Blessed Pope John Paul II and relates to the structure of the Roman Curia.
