This Saturday, February 22, the Solemnity of the Chair of St. Peter, the Catholic Shalom Community celebrates 18 years of Pontifical Recognition and 13 years of definitive approval of its Statutes.
These two celebrations are part of the same process, confirming that the Catholic Church acknowledges the Shalom charism as a divine manifestation for humanity.
“Given the consolidation and growth of the Catholic Shalom Community, along with the fruits of holiness and missionary zeal for the new evangelization brought to the Church by its members—who serve as promoters of the Peace of the Lord in the world, particularly through their dedication to youth, families, children, the poor, as well as in the fields of media, art, labor, science, and culture (cf. Statutes, arts. 5 and 6);” (Excerpt from the Decree of Definitive Approval of the Statutes of the Catholic Shalom Community, February 22, 2012).
To help you better understand the significance of this date for the vocation, comshalom.org spoke with Father Karlian Vale, priest of the Community of Life and specialist in Canon Law.
Here’s the full interview:
(Maintaining the colloquial tone)
COMSHALOM: What is the difference between the approval of the Statutes and Pontifical Recognition?
FATHER KARLIAN: “Well, the difference between ‘Pontifical Recognition’ and ‘Approval of the Statutes’ relates to two aspects of the same act. Pontifical Recognition is the formal acknowledgment by the Church—and thus by the Pope, through the competent dicastery (in our case, the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life)—that the charism is a manifestation of God, an authentic charism, and that it holds validity within the Church.
On the other hand, the approval of the Statutes refers to the formal approval of the text presented by the Community to the Church, which governs the life of the Community. You cannot have Pontifical Recognition without having Statutes; that’s why these are two sides of the same act. One confirms the authenticity of the charism, and the other approves the specific text that guides the Community.”
COMSHALOM: Why is it significant that these two events occurred on the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter?
FATHER KARLIAN: “The significance of both the Pontifical Recognition and the approval of the Statutes happening on the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, specifically on February 22, 2007, is that it allowed the Community to express its deep bond with the Church. The Community is born within the Church, it is the Church, and it exists to love and serve the Church. The Feast of the Chair of St. Peter has a similar sensitivity, a shared meaning. It celebrates the gift of Peter’s life, his successors, and the Church, which in Christ is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. The Community enters into this grace and expresses its belonging to the Church through this meaningful date.”
COMSHALOM: What does Pontifical Recognition mean? And what is its importance for the Shalom charism?
FATHER KARLIAN: “As mentioned earlier, Pontifical Recognition is the Church’s way of confirming that this charism is authentic and serves the Church and humanity in today’s world. Its importance for the Community lies in the fact that, through obedience and its belonging to the Church, the Community feels confirmed, supported, and driven by the Church. It is no longer for us to authenticate ourselves, but for the Church to authenticate the charism given to us by God.”
COMSHALOM: How does the Holy See carry out a Pontifical Recognition?
FATHER KARLIAN: “Pontifical Recognition, especially for a Private Association of the Faithful like the Shalom Community, begins when the community itself makes a formal request. After living through its early years and receiving diocesan-level recognition (which is also an important step), with Statutes approved by the diocesan bishop, and after a period of growth, the Community then presents its request for recognition to the Holy See. The competent dicastery, in our case the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life, evaluates the request. It’s as if the Community recognizes within itself a manifestation of God, a gift for the world today, and asks the Church to confirm this gift as well.
The Church then requests the presentation of the Statutes, the history, and the lived experience of the community. These documents are carefully reviewed by various dicasteries—the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life, and other dicasteries that have competence in this area.
Once the Church, after dialogue and adjustments to the Statutes, confirms that they align with the Church’s laws and canonical norms, the Church grants approval through a decree. This decree is issued by the dicastery and signed by the prefect of the competent dicastery. The Community first receives approval on an experimental basis, known as ad experimentum in Latin. In our case, this ad experimentum lasted five years, from 2007 to 2012. In 2012, the definitive Pontifical Recognition was granted. By that time, no new Statutes were necessary, as the original Statutes had already been approved, but the final Pontifical Recognition was granted.”
