Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development

This dicastery of the Roman Curia combined the work of four Pontifical Councils established following the Second Vatican Council: Justice and Peace, Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers, and Cor Unum.[1] Pope Francis has given it responsibility for "issues regarding migrants, those in need, the sick, the excluded and marginalized, the imprisoned and the unemployed, as well as victims of armed conflict, natural disasters, and all forms of slavery and torture".[2]

On 16 June 2017 the Pope named Bruno Marie Duffé, a French professor with long experience in human rights and relief work, the dicastery's Secretary.[3] Fr. Nicola Riccardi and Msgr. Segundo Tejado Muñoz were named undersecretaries, on 8 July 2017.

The Pope announced that "temporarily" he would personally direct the special Migrants and Refugees Section which is part of the Dicastery.[4] He named the Canadian Jesuit Fr. Michael Czerny (later cardinal) and the Italian Scalabrinian Fr. Fabio Baggio to serve as undersecretaries for issues related to refugees and migrants.[5]

On 20 March 2020, Pope Francis asked the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (DPIHD) to create a Vatican COVID-19 Commission to express the Church’s solicitude facing the COVID-19 pandemic, and propose responses to the potential socio-economic challenges deriving from it.[6][7]

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From the Statutes of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development:[8]

The Dicastery promotes integral human development in the light of the Gospel and in the tradition of the Church’s social teachings. To this end, it maintains relations with the Conferences of Bishops, offering them its cooperation so that values related to justice and peace as well as the care of creation may be promoted.

[...]

In fulfilling its mission, it may establish relationships with associations, institutes and non-governmental organizations, including those outside the Catholic Church, who are committed to promoting justice and peace. It may also enter into discussion with representatives of civil governments and other international public institutions, in order to promote study, deepen knowledge, and public awareness regarding matters within its competence, while respecting the competencies of other offices of the Roman Curia.

The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development is committed to fostering among peoples: sensitivity for peace, commitment to justice and solidarity with those who are most vulnerable such as migrants and refugees, particularly through the celebrations of the World Day of Peace, the World Day of Migrants, the World Day of the Sick. Its activities include also the presentation of the annual Lenten Message of the Pope.

• Apostolic Letter Humanam progressionem from the Holy See official website
• Statutes of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development from the Holy See official website
• Official website
• Official Twitter Account @VaticanIHD
• Youtube Channel Vatican IHD
• Official Website of the Migrants & Refugees Section