• The Holy See is establishing a body that will provide a “new, single, international service for the needs of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in the Church”. This news was announced by the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life in a Press Release on 31 October.

    Details of the new organization

    According to the Press Release, December 8 is the day that will see this new structure come to light. In addition, the statutes governing it will be approved, “ad experimentum” (i.e. on an experimental basis). Pope Francis himself has requested the creation of such an organization “on several occasions”, the Press Release states. CHARIS will be its name and it “will operate in favour of all expressions of the current of grace that is Catholic Charismatic Renewal”.

    Authority

    CHARIS will have no authority over what the press release calls “realities of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal”. Each Charismatic entity will remain autonomous, under “the jurisdiction of the ecclesiastical authority upon which it currently depends”. All of these groups will be able to benefit from the services that CHARIS will provide.

    CHARIS Members

    After December 8, the following people will be appointed by the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life to various services within CHARIS for a 3-year period beginning on Pentecost in 2019:

    Dr. Jean-Luc Moens from Belgium as Moderator

    Members of the International Service Communion:

    Bishop Peter Leslie Smith from the United States for English and French speaking North America and the Caribbean
    Mr. Andrés Arango from the United States for Spanish-speaking North America and Caribbean
    Mrs. María Eugenia de Góngora from Guatemala for Central America
    Mr. Pino Scafuro from Argentina for Spanish-speaking South America
    Mrs. Gabriella Marcia da Rocha Días from Brazil for Portughese-speaking South America
    Mr. Cyril John from India for Asia
    Br. James Shin San-Hyun from South Korea for Asia
    Mr. Jean-Christophe Sakiti from Togo for French-speaking Africa
    Mr. Fred Mawanda from Uganda for English-speaking Africa
    Mr. Paolo Maino from Italy for Europe
    Rev. Deacon Etienne Mellot from France for Europe
    Mr. Shayne Bennett from Australia for Oceania
    Mr. José Prado Flores from Mexico for Diverse Catholic Charismatic Renewal ministries
    Fr. Etienne Vetö from the United States for Charismatic priests or religious:
    Mr. Jean Barbara from Lebanon for Charismatic communities
    Deacon Johannes Fichtenbauer from Austria for Charismatic Communities:
    Mr. François Prouteau from France for Associations with Holy See recognition
    Ms. Giulia Rancan from Italy for young charismatic Catholics under 30 years of age
    Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M. Cap. from Italy as the Ecclesiastical Assistant

    Statutes and finances

    The Press Release concludes by setting the Solemnity of Pentecost, 2019, as the day on which the Statutes take effect. On that day the following organizations “will cease to exist”: International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Service and the Catholic Fraternity of Charismatic Covenant Communities and Fellowships. “The patrimony of these two bodies will be transferred to CHARIS, in order to provide this new body with the financial means necessary to undertake the mission intended for it by the Holy Father.”

    Source: Vatican News.