The Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life is competent for enhancing the apostolate of the lay faithful, the pastoral care of young people, the family and its mission according to God’s plan, the elderly, and for the promotion and protection of life.

In carrying out its responsibilities, the Dicastery maintains relationships with the particular Churches, with Episcopal Conferences, their regional and continental groupings, the hierarchical structures of the Eastern Churches and other ecclesial entities, promoting exchanges between them and offering its cooperation so that the values and initiatives connected to these matters may be promoted.

In enlivening and encouraging the promotion of the vocation and mission of the lay faithful in the Church and in the world, the Dicastery cooperates with the various lay ecclesial organizations so that the lay faithful share both their experiences of faith in diverse social contexts and their own secular skills in the Church’s pastoral ministry and governance.

The Dicastery expresses the Church’s special concern for young people, promoting their leading role amid the world’s challenges. It supports the Roman Pontiff’s initiatives in the field of youth ministry and places itself at the service of Episcopal Conferences, of the hierarchical structures of the Eastern Churches, and of international youth movements and associations, fostering their cooperation and organizing meetings on the international level.

The Dicastery seeks to deepen reflection on the relationship between men and women in their respective specificity, reciprocity, complementarity and equal dignity. It offers its own contribution to ecclesial reflection on the identity and mission of women and men in the Church and in society by promoting their participation, appreciating the distinctive characteristics of women and men, and developing role models for women in the Church.

The Dicastery studies issues relating to cooperation between the laity and ordained ministers in virtue of their baptism and the diversity of charisms and ministries, in order to foster in both an awareness of co-responsibility for the life and mission of the Church.

It is the competence of the Dicastery, with the agreement of other Dicasteries concerned, to evaluate and approve the proposals of Episcopal Conferences relating to the institution of new ministries and ecclesiastical offices to be entrusted to the laity, according to the needs of the particular Churches.

Within the sphere of its own competence, the Dicastery accompanies the life and development of groups of the faithful and of ecclesial movements, recognizing or erecting, in conformity with the provisions of canon law, those which have an international character and approving their statutes, without prejudice to the competence of the Secretariat of State. It also deals with possible hierarchical appeals relating to the common life and apostolate of the laity.

The Dicastery promotes the pastoral care of marriage and the family on the basis of the teachings of the Church’s magisterium. It works to ensure the recognition of the rights and duties of spouses and of families in the Church, society and in economic and political life. It promotes international meetings and events.

In coordination with the Dicasteries for Evangelization and for Culture and Education, the Dicastery supports the development and sharing of models for transmitting the faith within families and encourages parents to practice their faith in daily life. It also promotes inclusive models in pastoral care and education.

§ 1. The Dicastery examines, with the input of Episcopal Conferences and the hierarchical structures of the Eastern Churches, the variety of anthropological, socio-cultural and economic conditions of the lives of married couples and families.

§ 2. With the help of experts, the Dicastery studies and analyses the major causes of crises within marriages and families, paying particular attention to the experiences of those involved in marital breakdowns, especially children, in order to encourage greater awareness of the value of the family and the role of parents in society and in the Church.

§ 3. It is the task of the Dicastery, in cooperation with Episcopal Conferences and the hierarchical structures of the Eastern Churches, to collect and propose models of pastoral accompaniment, of formation of consciences and of integration for the divorced and civilly remarried and also for those in certain cultures who live in situations of polygamy.

§ 1. The Dicastery supports initiatives in favour of responsible procreation, as well as for the protection of human life from conception to its natural end, bearing in mind the needs of the person in the various stages of development.

§ 2. The Dicastery promotes and encourages organizations and associations that help families and individuals to welcome and responsibly safeguard the gift of life, especially in the case of difficult pregnancies, and prevent recourse to abortion. It also supports programmes and initiatives of particular Churches, Episcopal Conferences and hierarchical structures of the Eastern Churches aimed at helping those involved in an abortion.

§ 1. The Dicastery studies the main issues in biomedicine and law relating to human life, in dialogue with the various theological disciplines and other relevant sciences, based on the Church’s magisterium. It examines developing theories about human life and the reality of humanity. In studying the aforementioned questions, the Dicastery proceeds in consultation with the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

§ 2. In the same way, it reflects on changes in social life, in order to promote the full and harmonious development of human persons, valuing progress and taking stock of trends that hinder this development on the cultural and social level.

The Dicastery follows the activities of Catholic institutions, associations, movements and organizations, both nationally and internationally, whose purpose is to serve the good of the family.

§ 1. The Dicastery cooperates with the Pontifical Academy for Life, and avails itself of its competence, on issues concerning the protection and promotion of human life.

§ 2. The Dicastery works with the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for Matrimonial and Family Science, both with the central session and with the other sessions and associated/linked centres, in order to promote a common direction for studies on marriage, family and life.

[Apostolic Constitution, Praedicate Evangelium, 19 March 2022]