Updating the norms and regulations govern- ing the resignation of bishops and of Roman Curia department heads who are not cardinals, Pope Francis said they will continue to hold office until he accepts their resignations.
The update was published in a document titled “Imparare a congedarsi” (“Learning to say fare-well”) and was given “motuproprio,” meaning on the Pope’s own initiative. The new rules went into effect on February 15, the same day it was released by the Vatican press office.
The Code of Canon Law previously stated that a resignation that requires acceptance “lacks all force if it is not accepted within three months” while one that does not require acceptance “takes effect when it has been communicated by the one resigning.”
However, the Pope said that after consultation, he “became aware of the need to update the norms regarding the times and methods of resignation from office upon reaching the age limit.” Under the new norms, “the acceptance or extension, for a specified or unspecified amount of time, is communicated to the person” resigning.
The ending of a church assignment, the Pope wrote, “must be considered an integral part of the service itself, in that it requires a new form of availability.”
“This interior attitude is necessary both when, for reasons of age, one must prepare to leave office and when they are asked to continue that service for a longer period despite reaching the age of 75,” Pope Francis wrote.
