In February, Pope Francis convened a meeting in Rome of the presidents of the Bishop conferences from around the world. Cardinal DiNardo of Galveston-Houston was present as he is the current president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. At that summit, Cardinal DiNardo offered insights from the experience of the Church in the U.S., and shared the various proposals being developed for this country. The Holy Father took all of the input he received and created a powerful legislative text that modified Church law, i.e., Canon law. In this case, the Holy Father issued an Apostolic Letter “on his own initiative” (in Latin, “motu proprio”) underscoring his concern and attentiveness to the topics addressed within the new procedural norms. It applies universally – that is, to the Catholic Church around the world.
For more information on the norms and what is being done, please visit the USCCB’s new website dedicated to these efforts at
www.preventionusccb.org.