INTRODUCTION

I. Mutual relations among the various members of the People of God have attracted particular attention today. In fact, the conciliar doctrine on the mystery of the Church and continuing cultural changes have brought present conditions to such a point of development that completely new problems have arisen. A good number of these, though delicate and complex, are without doubt positive. It is precisely within the context of these problems that the mutual relations between bishops and religious, which cause special concern, are situated. One cannot but be impressed if one considers the fact -- the importance of which deserves to be studied more deeply -- there are over one million women religious in the world -- one sister, that is, for every 250 Catholic women -- and that there are about 270,000 men religious, of whom the priests make up 35.6% of all the priests in the Church. In some areas they account for more than half of the total as, for example, in Africa and in some parts of Latin America.

II. The Sacred Congregation for Bishops and the Sacred Congregation for Religious and for Secular Institutes held a mixed Plenary Assembly (October 16-18, 1975) on the tenth anniversary of the promulgation of the Decrees Christus Dominus and Perfectae Caritatis (October 28, 1965). The National Conferences of Bishops and of Religious, as also the International Unions of Superiors General, Men and Women, were consulted and collaborated. The following questions, principally, were dealt with by the Plenary Assembly:

a) what bishops expect from religious;

b) what religious expect from bishops;

c) what means are to be used to arrive at orderly and fruitful cooperation between bishops and religious, both on diocesan and on national and international levels.

Subsequently, when the general criteria were established and various additions were made in the text of the proposals presented to the Fathers, the Plenary Assembly decided that a document giving pastoral guidelines should be drawn up.

The contributions of the Sacred Congregations for Oriental Churches and for the Evangelization of Peoples are also contained in this document.

III. The matter treated is circumscribed by well defined limits. It deals with the relations between bishops and religious of all rites and territories throughout the Church and aims at making a practical contribution to the smooth functioning of the same. The direct subject of discussion are the relations which should exist between the local Ordinary, on the one hand, and Religious Institutes and Societies of Common Life on the other. Secular Institutes are not dealt with directly, except where general principles of the consecrated life (cf. PC 4) and the place of these Institutes within the particular Church (cf. CD 33) are involved.

The text is divided into two parts: one doctrinal, the othernormative. The intention is to give some guidelines for an ever better and more efficient application of the principles of renewal set forth by the Second Ecumenical Vatican Council.