The new statues introduce the new role of “supporters” who, while not academics, identify with the academy’s mission and “contribute to the advancement of its academic activities.”
Pope Leo XIV promulgated new statutes for the Pontifical Academy for Life, recalling that its objective is “the defense and promotion of the value of human life and the dignity of the person.”
The new statutes, which introduce the role of “supporters,” according to Vatican News, the Vatican’s official media outlet, were signed by the Holy Father on Feb. 27 and were released in Italian by the Vatican Press Office on Feb. 28.
“Supporters, subject to approval from the Secretariat of State, are appointed by the board of directors for a three-year term and may be confirmed, upon resolution of the same body, for a maximum of two further consecutive terms,” the new statutes state.
Supporters “are individuals who, identifying with the academy’s institutional purposes, contribute to the advancement of its academic activities. They are persons who do not possess an academic profile but who wish to sustain the objectives promoted by the academy,” the new statutes explain.
The Pontifical Academy for Life was established by Pope John Paul II in 1994 with his motu proprio Vitae Mysterium. In that document, the Polish saint emphasized that “the mystery of life, and of human life in particular, is attracting the increased attention of experts who are drawn by the extraordinary opportunities for investigation that scientific and technological advances offer their research today.”
“This new situation opens up fascinating horizons for intervention at the sources of life itself; it also gives rise to a variety of new moral questions that man cannot ignore without the risk of taking steps that could prove irreversible,” John Paul II warned.
The work on drafting the new document, which updates the statutes approved by Pope Francis in 2016, began “more than a year ago,” the Vatican news outlet added.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
