Some laity may have charism of authority, Cardinal Ouellet writes in reflection on Roman Curia
February 17, 2026
In an article published by Vatican News, a former prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops offered a theological reflection on lay authority in the Roman Curia.
In his article, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., who led the dicastery from 2010 to 2023, referred to the longstanding canonical discussion of whether (a) governance is integrally connected to the Sacrament of Holy Orders or (b) the Pope, as Vicar of Christ, may delegate authority to whomever he wishes, including laity. In an apparent reference to remarks by Father (now Cardinal) Gianfranco Ghirlanda, S.J., at the March 2022 press conference on the new apostolic constitution on the Roman Curia, Cardinal Ouellet said:
The canonical justification that was presented when this Constitution was introduced did not meet with general approval, because it seemed to resolve a centuries-old controversy in a voluntaristic or arbitrary manner, by adopting a school position that the Pope [Francis] had taken to the detriment of prior dialogue with theologians and canonists.
Amid his criticism of the canonical justification for lay authority, Cardinal Ouellet sought to offer a theological justification: that some laity may have a charism of authority recognized by the hierarchy. He said:
When the Pope appoints a woman to head a Dicastery, he is not delegating his jurisdiction to any subject; he is entrusting a person recognized as competent at a certain level of ecclesial experience, by virtue of a charism, with a higher responsibility that remains framed and guaranteed by the Holy Father’s overarching jurisdiction over the Roman Curia.
Cardinal Ouellet added that time will tell whether lay authority in the Curia is “a temporary concession to be reviewed or an ecclesiological advance. I have no doubt that Pope Francis’ gesture is promising for the future, as it marks the beginning of recognition of the authority of charisms by hierarchical authority.”
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