The papal almoner is a key position in the Vatican, one that has played a vital role in the Church and its charitable undertakings for centuries.<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV on March 12 appointed Spanish Augustinian Bishop Luis Mar\u00edn de San Mart\u00edn aspapal almoner and prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, elevating him to the rank of archbishop at the same time.<\/p>\n
Mar\u00edn de San Mart\u00edn replaces Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, who will return to his native Poland as the new metropolitan archbishop of \u0141\u00f3d\u017a. Krajewski was named almoner in 2013, a cardinal in 2018, and prefect of the newly constituted charity dicastery in 2022.<\/p>\n
The papal almoner is a key position in the Vatican, one that has played a vital role in the Church and its charitable undertakings for centuries. But what is the purpose of this office? What does an almoner do, and how does he fit into the complex structure of the Holy See?<\/p>\n
Role emerged in earliest years of the Church<\/p>\n
Matthew Bunson, vice president and editorial director of EWTN News, said the role of almoner dates back to the earliest days of the Church.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis has always been a concern of the popes \u2014 to care for those most in need,\u201d he said. Popular history holds that Pope Gregory I, also known as Gregory the Great, who took control of much of the civil authority in Rome in the absence of civil government, wept upon learning that an indigent citizen of Rome had starved to death, leading the sixth-century pope to emphasize ministries to the poor.<\/p>\n
The position of almoner fully emerged under Innocent III, whose papacy took place in the late 1190s and early 1200s. \u201cSubsequent centuries gave it more form,\u201d Bunson said.<\/p>\n
He noted that Pope Leo XIII sought more mechanisms for funding the charities overseen by the almoner. Among the fundraising mechanisms that emerged from his papacy was the custom of papal blessings; Catholics may be familiar with such blessings by seeing them framed and hung in the homes of the married couples to whom they are often given.<\/p>\n
Though the papal alms office has for years headed global charity efforts at the behest of the pope, Bunson said Pope Francis during his papacy placed an \u201cimmense\u201d amount of importance in the office, transforming it into a dicastery and making it what has been described as a \u201cflagship initiative of the pontificate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Krajewski utilized the office to offer assistance to Ukrainians after the Russian invasion of their country in 2022. Domestically, meanwhile, the office oversees major charity initiatives in Rome, including the Mother of Mercy Clinic and the San Martino Outpatient Center.<\/p>\n
Though commentators and analysts regularly opine on the authority and prestige of various Vatican appointments, the almoner position, Bunson said, is less one of power and more one of \u201cpastoral care and spiritual care.\u201d<\/p>\n
The position\u2019s importance is illustrated by the fact that it is one of the few Vatican offices that remains wholly uninterrupted in the event of a pope\u2019s death or resignation.<\/p>\n
Another such position is the head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, the so-called \u201ctribunal of mercy,\u201d the dicastery concerned with the internal forum and indulgences, especially the forgiveness of sins. <\/p>\n
That official always keeps his job to ensure every Catholic always has an opportunity for God\u2019s loving mercy. Similarly, the almoner retains his office because \u201ceveryone needs direct access to the Church\u2019s pastoral care,\u201d Bunson said.<\/p>\n
He also noted that Mar\u00edn de San Mart\u00edn is an Augustinian. \u201cTraditionally, the apostolic almoner is attached very closely to the papal household,\u201d Bunson said. \u201cLeo is continuing to surround himself with Augustinians.\u201d<\/p>\n
The charitable purpose of the position was perhaps best exemplified by a directive Pope Francis reportedly gave to Krajewski upon appointing him to the office. \u201cYou can sell your desk. You don\u2019t need it,\u201d the pope said, according to Krajewski himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to get out of the Vatican,\u201d Francis told him. \u201cDon\u2019t wait for people to come ringing. You need to go out and look for the poor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Denne artikel blev oprindeligt udgivet af EWTN News English.<\/p>\n