The Pontifical Council for the Laity has the responsibility of assisting the Pope

Pope

The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...

 in his dealings with the laity in lay ecclesial movements

Roman Catholic lay ecclesial movement

Lay ecclesial movements are one form of associations of the faithful of the Catholic Church.Associations of the faithful are groups of baptized Catholics, clerics or laity or both together, who jointly foster a more perfect life or promote public worship or Christian teaching, or who devote...

 or individually, and their contributions to the Church. The Cardinal President of the Council (since 4 October 2003) is Cardinal Stanisław Ryłko. The Secretary (since 25 November 2003) is Bishop

Bishop

A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

 Josef Clemens

Josef Clemens

Josef Clemens is a German bishop and Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Laity.-Biography:Josef Clemens was born on 20 June 1947 in Siegen in the Archdiocese of Paderborn)...

. The Undersecretary (since 18 June 2011) is Mgsr. Miguel Delgado Galindo. Past Undersecretaries were, Professor

Professor

A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...

 Rosemary Goldie

Rosemary Goldie

Rosemary Goldie AO was an Australian Roman Catholic theologian.Goldie was the first woman to serve in an executive role in the Roman Curia; she was undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for the Laity from 1967 until 1976...

, who served from 1967 to 1976 and who was the first woman to be the Undersecretary of a Pontifical Council and by then the highest-ranking woman in the Roman Curia, and Professor Guzman Carriquiry Lecour (1991 to 2011), another layman.

The Pontifical Council for the Laity has its foundation in Vatican II

Second Vatican Council

The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...

's Decree on the Lay Apostolate. The council commenced in January 1967 with Pope Paul VI

Pope Paul VI

Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...

's motu proprio

Motu proprio

A motu proprio is a document issued by the Pope on his own initiative and personally signed by him....

 Catholicam Christi Ecclesiam. In December 1976, the council was included as a permanent fixture of the Roman Curia

Roman Curia

The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...

.

Presidents of the Pontifical Council for the Laity

• Maurice Cardinal Roy (6 Jan 1967 - 16 Dec 1976)
• Opilio Cardinal Rossi (10 Dec 1976 - 8 Apr 1984)
• Eduardo Francisco Cardinal Pironio  (8 Apr 1984 - 20 Aug 1996)
• James Francis Cardinal Stafford (20 Aug 1996 - 4 Oct 2003)
• Stanisław Ryłko (4 Oct 2003 -

External links

• Roman Curia description
• Pontifical Council for the Laity at Giga-Catholic