Thanksgiving prayers for the statutes of the Saint James Vicariate

In a letter received from the Apostolic Nuncio in Israel, Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, to Latin Patriarchal Vicar, responsible for the Hebrew speaking Catholics in the diocese, Father David Neuhaus, the Nuncio was happy to inform Father David that the Congregation for the Oriental Churches had approved the draft of statutes for the Vicariate that had been sent to the Vatican by the Latin Patriarch and by Father David, having themselves reached unanimity on all issues. The statutes clarify the status of the Saint James Vicariate, its authority and its mission among Hebrew speaking Catholics in Israel and gives a formal expression to the unity of the Vicariate with the rest of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the entire Catholic Church in the Holy Land.

The statutes, which will go into effect on January 1, 2013, define the ecclesial identity of the Vicariate of Saint James and its pastoral work within the Hebrew speaking Catholic population, living within the Jewish milieu in the State of Israel. The statutes also define the authority of the Vicar who heads the Vicariate and the way he is chosen by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. The decree announcing the approval is signed by Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.