In order to ensure the orderly and uniform processing of communications received, the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life provides some operational guidelines regarding the submission of documents and requests for advice or appointments.
Documents sent by email
The Dicastery only considers documents sent by email if they are duly signed. Therefore, only documents sent in PDF format are acceptable, provided they are signed and, when coming from an Institute (or other competent legal entity), written on official letterhead to guarantee their authenticity and traceability.
Once printed and registered, these documents follow the ordinary processing procedure; therefore, even if received by email, they do not normally receive an immediate response, as they follow the established administrative procedure which usually takes up to three months.
Requests for advice (email or telephone)
The Dicastery does not provide advice by email or telephone on general or interpretative questions, which can be addressed by consulting the current legislation and the Code of Canon Law and, where appropriate, with the support of a trusted canonist/consultant.
Matters requiring specific discernment by the Dicastery must be submitted in an official form and with complete documentation, so that they can be examined by the competent Offices according to the established procedure.
Finally, kindly note that official responses from the Dicastery are provided exclusively in writing by the competent Offices.
Requests for appointments
Please note that the Superiors of the Dicastery receive visitors by appointment only. Given the existing schedule of institutional commitments, it is not possible to receive visitors who arrive without a prior appointment.
Appointment requests may also be submitted by email and will be evaluated based on availability and the institutional agenda.
These guidelines are intended to promote a more efficient service and reduce the time required to process requests.