The Pope received in private audience this Monday, February 16, the prelate of Opus Dei, Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz Braña, accompanied by his auxiliary vicar, Monsignor Mariano Fazio, in a context in which the prelature awaits approval of its new statutes by the Holy See.
Three years of review following the reform of the Curia
The modification of the statutes began in 2022 following the promulgation of the apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium and the subsequent motu proprio that redefined the place of personal prelatures within the structure of the Roman Curia. These provisions established the need to legally adapt the statutes of Opus Dei to the new regulations.
Since then, the prelature has developed an internal process of consultation and study. In April 2023, an Extraordinary General Congress was held to analyze a first draft, and subsequently the technical work continued in dialogue with the Dicastery for the Clergy.
The process was interrupted by the vacancy of the Holy See following the death of Pope Francis in 2025, but it was reactivated after the election of Leo XIV.
Statutes presented to the Holy See
On June 11, 2025, Opus Dei formally presented to the Holy See the proposal for revised statutes, culminating three years of work. Since then, the text is in the examination phase by the competent Vatican authorities.
To date, the detailed content of the modifications nor the scheduled calendar for its final approval has not been made public. The Holy See will have to study the text and, if applicable, approve it before its official promulgation.
During the audience, according to El Debate, various institutional and pastoral matters were discussed, and the process of adapting the statutes of Opus Dei was also addressed, but the Pope indicated that the text “remains in the study phase” by the competent Vatican authorities and that a publication date for its final approval cannot yet be foreseen.
Other audiences
In addition to Monsignor Ocáriz, the Pope received Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, accompanied by Sister Alessandra Smerilli and Cardinal Fabio Baggio.
Also received were Monsignor Charles John Brown, apostolic nuncio in the Philippines; the participants in the plenary of the Pontifical Academy for Life; Metropolitan Polycarpos, representative in Italy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople; and prefects of the Italian Republic.