Vatican City, 20 May 2016 – The Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life, aware that every new Institute of consecrated life, even if it comes to light and develops within a particular Church, is a gift granted to all the Church, and acknowledging the need to avoid the erection at diocesan level of new Institutes without sufficient discernment to ascertain the originality of the charism, which defines the specific features to be consecrated in them through the profession of evangelical counsels and identifies the real possibilities of development, has noted the opportunity of more clearly specifying the need, established by canon 579 of the Code of Canon Law, to request its opinion prior to proceeding with the erection of a new diocesan institute.

Therefore, following the advice of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, the Holy Father Francis, in the audience granted to Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin on 4 April 2016, decreed that the prior consultation of the Holy See is to be considered necessary ad validitatem for the erection of a diocesan Institute of consecrated life, and that the lack thereof shall invalidate the decree for the erection of the same Institute.

The present Rescriptum shall be promulgated by publication in L'Osservatore Romano and shall enter into force on 1 June, and be published in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis. The text was signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin on 11 May 2016.