Vatican Publishes Repertoire of New Associations

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 23, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Responding to John Paul II's request, the Pontifical Council for the Laity announced the publication of the "Repertoire of International Associations of the Faithful."

It is a "Who's Who" of the new movements and communities that have arisen in the Church, many of them since the Second Vatican Council.

The volume, published in Italian but soon to be available in English, Spanish and French, has more than 300 pages and includes 123 associations of the faithful, the Council for the Laity said today.

Not listed are associations that depend juridically on the Vatican congregations for Clergy; for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life; and for the Evangelization of Peoples. Likewise, groups that work exclusively in the diocesan or national realm are not listed.

The initiative is in response to a request made by the Pope in the apostolic exhortation "Christifideles Laici" to the Vatican organization to prepare a list of associations approved officially by the Holy See.

The Repertoire lists each association by its official name in the original language, the year of its foundation, its history, identity, structure, diffusion, endeavors, publications, Internet sites, and complete information on the headquarters.

Guzmán Carriquiry, undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, told ZENIT: "It was a complicated work because we had to ask each association to respond to different requests; then we had to complete the forms, combining them in a coherent way."

He added: "From 1978 to today, the dicastery of the laity has recognized over 90 faith associations, which reflect the great vitality of the laity in the Church."