The Vatican announced on Dec. 4 a new decision by Pope Leo XIV regarding fundraising for the Holy See.
Through the new chirograph Vinculum Unitatis et Caritatis, the Holy Father is eliminating the current Commissio de Donationibus (Donations Commission) structure created in February by Pope Francis to raise funds, which was approved “ad experimentum” (for temporary or provisional use) for three years.
This commission was tasked with encouraging donations through specific campaigns among the faithful, bishops’ conferences, and other potential benefactors.
The pontiff thus repealed the rules in force until now and established that they will no longer have “any canonical or legal force,” as well as any acts adopted up to this point. Furthermore, Pope Leo XIV decreed that all the commission’s assets must be transferred to the Holy See.
By means of this decree, the members of the commission are immediately dismissed. The commission was composed of Monsignor Roberto Campisi, adviser for general affairs of the Secretariat of State, who chaired it; Archbishop Flavio Pace, secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity; Alessandra Smerilli, secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development; Sister Silvana Piro, undersecretary of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See; and Giuseppe Puglisi-Alibrandi, deputy secretary-general of the Governorate of Vatican City State.
The decision of Leo XIV comes after consulting with experts in the field and following the recommendations of the Council for the Economy, with the aim of strengthening administrative efficiency in the financial management of the Holy See.
The liquidation of the former commission will be managed by the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See, while the Secretariat for the Economy will resolve any outstanding issues and must keep the Council for the Economy informed of all actions taken in this regard.
The Holy Father also ordered the creation of a new working group tasked with designing a renewed and more suitable model for fundraising, whose members will be proposed by the Council for the Economy. This measure takes effect immediately upon its publication in L’Osservatore Romano.
On Nov. 26, Pope Leo XIV also made an adjustment to the reforms undertaken by his predecessor with a new decree to revise the financial and administrative rules governing the basilicas of St. Peter and St. Mary Major.
The pontiff placed both institutions under the ordinary supervision of the Vatican’s Council for the Economy, emphasizing that the economic and financial reform of the Holy See requires a “periodic reevaluation and redefinition” of the regulatory framework.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
