Dicastery

A dicastery ( /dɪˈkæstəri/ ; from Greek δικαστήριον (dikastērion) 'law-court'; from δικαστής , dikastes, 'judge, juror') is a department in the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church.

History

Pastor bonus

Pastor bonus (1988) includes this definition:

By the word "dicasteries" are understood the Secretariat of State, Congregations, Tribunals, Councils and Offices, namely, the Apostolic Camera, the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See and the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See. ^[1]

However, since Praedicate evangelium came into force, Pastor bonus and its content is obsolete.

Praedicate evangelium

Under the new structure of the Roman Curia created by Praedicate evangelium (effective since 5 June 2022), the former congregations and pontifical councils are replaced with dicasteries. ^[2]

Current dicasteries

As of 2022, there are sixteen dicasteries: ^[3]

Dicastery	Current prefect	Country	Picture
Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith	Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández [4]	Argentina
Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments	Cardinal Arthur Roche [5]	United Kingdom
Dicastery for Evangelization	Pope Leo XIV [6]	United States   Peru
Dicastery for the Causes of Saints	Cardinal Marcello Semeraro [7]	Italy
Dicastery for Bishops	Archbishop Filippo Iannone	Italy
Dicastery for the Clergy	Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik [8]	South Korea
Dicastery for the Eastern Churches	Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti [9]	Italy
Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life	Sister Simona Brambilla [10]	Italy
Dicastery for Culture and Education	Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça [11]	Portugal
Dicastery for the Service of Charity	Cardinal Konrad Krajewski [12]	Poland
Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life	Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell [13]	Ireland
Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity	Cardinal Kurt Koch [14]	Switzerland
Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue	Cardinal George Koovakad [15]	India
Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development	Cardinal Michael Czerny [16]	Czech Republic   Canada
Dicastery for Legislative Texts	Vacant since October 15, 2025
Dicastery for Communication	Mr. Paolo Ruffini [17]	Italy

References

1. "Pastor Bonus: Dicasteries". Archived from the original on June 1, 2013.
2. ""Praedicate Evangelium" on the Roman Curia and its service to the Church and to the World (19 March 2022)". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
3. "Pope Francis reforms Roman Curia with launch of Vatican constitution". Catholic News Agency. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
4. "Current Superiors". www.doctrinafidei.va. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
5. "Dicasteries Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments Structure". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
6. "Dicasteries Dicastery for Evangelization Structure". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
7. "Dicasteries Dicastery for the Causes of Saints Structure". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
8. "Dicasteries Dicastery for the Clergy Structure". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
9. "Dicasteries Dicastery for the Eastern Churches Structure". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
10. "Dicasteries Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life Structure". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
11. "Dicasteries Dicastery for Culture and Education Structure". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
12. "Dicasteries Dicastery for the Service of Charity Structure". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
13. "Dicasteries Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life Structure". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
14. "Dicasteries Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity Structure". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
15. "Dicasteries Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue Structure". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
16. "Dicasteries Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development Structure". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
17. "Dicasteries Dicastery for Communication Structure". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 2025-09-23.