Vatican orders Apostolic Visitation of Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter

By Vatican News

The Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life has announced that it will carry out an Apostolic Visitation of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, "in order to deepen the understanding of this society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right and to offer it the most appropriate support  to its journey of following Christ."

The Purpose of the Apostolic Visitation

The Vatican Dicastery is tasked with the mission “to promote, encourage and regulate the practice of the evangelical counsels, how they are lived out in the approved forms of consecrated life and all matters concerning the life and activity of Societies of Apostolic Life throughout the Latin Church,” as outlined in Pope Francis' Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium.

The Dicastery will conduct this ordinary informational visit "in he context of the process of accompanying the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life that were previously established by the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, and which Pope Francis' Motu Proprio Traditionis Custodes, has placed placed under the jurisdiction of this Dicastery," reads a statement signed by the Prefect, Cardinal Braz de Aviz.

The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter

The Fraternity describes itself on its website as a "Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right," meaning a community of priests who do not take religious vows but work together for a common mission in the Catholic Church.

Its mission is defined as "twofold": on one hand, "the formation and sanctification of priests according to the traditional liturgy, commonly called the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite," and on the other hand, "the care of souls and pastoral activities in service to the Church."