Pontifical Commission for Latin America

The Pontifical Commission for Latin America is a dicastery of the Roman Curia. Established by Pope Pius XII on April 19, 1958, it is charged with providing assistance to and examining matters pertaining to the Church in Latin America. The Commission operates under the auspices of the Congregation for Bishops.

The current President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America is Giovanni Cardinal Re, in virtue of his position as Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

Role

According to Article 83 of the Apostolic Constitution on the Roman Curia, "Pastor Bonus", promulgated by Pope John Paul II on June 28, 1988: "The function of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America is to be available to the particular Churches in Latin America, by counsel and by action, taking a keen interest in the questions that affect the life and progress of those Churches; and especially to help the Churches themselves in the solution of those questions, or to be helpful to those dicasteries of the Curia that are involved by reason of their competence."

Current structure

*President: Giovanni Cardinal Re
**President(s) Emeritus: Bernardin Cardinal Gantin
*Vice-President: Archbishop José Ruiz Arenas
**Vice-President(s) Emeritus: Bishop Cipriano Calderón Polo

List of Presidents of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America

*Marcello Mimmi (1958 – 1961)
*Carlo Confalonieri (1961 – 1967)
*Antonio Samoré (1967 – 1983)
*Carlo Confalonieri (1969 – 1973)
*Sebastiano Baggio (1973 – 1984)
*Bernardin Gantin (1984 – 1998)
*Lucas Moreira Neves, OP (1998 – 2000)
*Giovanni Re (2000 - present)

External links

* [http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cbishops/pcal/ Official Vatican website]
* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dxla0.html Catholic-Hierarchy]
* [http://www.gcatholic.com/dioceses/romancuria/d70.htm Giga-Catholic Information]