Quirograph of the Holy Father by which he establishes the “Pan-American Committee of Judges for Social Rights and Franciscan Doctrine (COPAJU)” as a Private Association of the Faithful with international character, and creates under its dependence the “Instituto de Investigaciones Jurídicas Fray Bartolomé de las Casas” (Fray Bartolomé de las Casas Institute for Legal Research), 18 VIII 2023

Pope Francis, in a chirograph dated Aug. 18, granted the “Comité Panamericano de Juezas y Jueces por los Derechos Sociales y la Doctrina Franciscana (COPAJU)” the status of a private association of the faithful with an international character and approved the creation of the “Fray Bartolomé de las Casas” Institute for Research and Promotion of Social Rights, which will operate under the responsibility of this Committee, ex cann. 298-311 and 321-329 CIC, within the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.

The name “Comité Panamericano de Juezas y Jueces por los Derechos Sociales y la Doctrina Franciscana” includes all the judges who participated in the First Pan-American Summit of Judges for Social Rights and Franciscan Doctrine, held on June 3 and 4, 2019 in Vatican City, and those magistrates and officials from the offices of the Public Prosecutor, Defensor del Pueblo etc., who had actually participated in said summit; as well as all magistrates who would like to join in the future.

COPAJU was established based on the Constitutive Act issued on June 4, 2019, in Vatican City, and under the inspiration of the words of His Holiness Pope Francis, who personally signed it.

COPAJU aims to be a permanent instrument to address the enforceability and recognition in the courts of economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights, from the perspective of Pope Francis’ words, and in pursuit of the effectiveness of these rights in favor of vulnerable people. To this end, it coordinates international, regional, and national activities related to economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights, and denounces situations that violate human rights, particularly the economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights of people, individually or collectively. It also promotes the implementation of policies, measures and actions that ensure effective access to justice for people in vulnerable circumstances.

Stefano Testa Bappenheim