Editing Perfectae Caritatis (section)

==Content==
The Second Vatican Council had already given an exposition of the nature of [[religious life]] in chapter 6 of the Constitution ''[[Lumen gentium]]'', and ''Perfectae Caritatis'' reflected the principles of religious life as established therein.<ref name=Petruzzelli/> This chapter described the essential form of religious life as a life "consecrated by the profession of the [[evangelical counsels]]" (n. 44). The Decree ''Perfectae Caritatis'' was published in order to "treat of the life and discipline of those institutes whose members make profession of chastity, poverty and obedience and to provide for their needs in our time" (''Perfectae Caritatis'' n. 1). Containing 25 numbered paragraphs, the Decree established five general principles to guide the renewal of these institutes. Because of the broad variety of religious communities with their different histories, characteristics, customs, and missions, the Council did not give specific indications, and left to each individual community the authority to determine what needed to be changed in accord with the spirit of their founders, the needs of modern life, and the situations where they lived and worked.