New international body for Catholic Charismatic Renewal

By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp

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.”