At the end of a year of activity of the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development, which began full operations on Jan. 1, 2017, Cardinal Peter Turkson assessed the work and sketched an outline of future action.
The dicastery’s prefect called on the competence here of the Pontifical Councils of Justice and Peace, Cor Unum, Pastoral Care of Migrants and Health, on recalling the main activities to Vatican Media in English on January 5, 2018. They included the regrouping of former Pontifical Councils; supporting teams in the process of restructuring; identifying the headquarters, at present “still under construction”; and organizing meetings with episcopal conferences to explain the dicastery’s objectives.
Cardinal Turkson reflected especially on the dicastery’s service to the environment, leaning on the encyclical “Laudato Si’: a document that, according to the Ghanaian Cardinal, is a “great example of collegial action, as the Pope quotes numerous Episcopal Conferences, “suggesting that he teaches with the local Bishops’ Conferences.”
In 2018, the prefect hopes to organize “a small retreat” for those in charge of the dicastery, a time of prayer but also of the contribution of experts. The dicastery also intends to continue its aid to the local Churches, encouraging autonomy and ethical investments so as not to expect everything from donations.
