12Jan Pope Francis: Ministries of lector and acolyte to be open to women

Pope Francis changes the Code of Canon Law to institutionalise what is already allowed in practice: the access of lay women to the service of the Word and the Altar. The Pope explains his decision in a letter to Cardinal Ladaria.
Vatican News reports:

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-01/pope-francis-opens-ministries-lector-acolyte-women.html

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2 Responses

  1. Liamy Mac Nally
    January 16th, 2021 at 8:34 pm

    An interesting article from Robert Mickens in La Croix (link below):

    Catholic women are still relegated to second class Musings on the pope’s “motu proprio” on female readers and altar servers

    Read more at: https://international.la-croix.com/news/letter-from-rome/catholic-women-are-still-relegated-to-second-class/13639

  2. Colm Holmes
    January 17th, 2021 at 2:14 pm

    The People of God lead – and Pope follows belatedly

    13 January 2021 We welcome the recent announcement by Pope Francis that women will now officially be allowed to act as Acolytes and Lectors.

    For more than 50 years women have been carrying out these roles. Now rather belatedly Pope Francis makes it official. Real change comes from the People of God at the grassroots and not from the curia in the Vatican.

    Women remain officially excluded from:
    • Reading the gospel at mass
    • Preaching at mass
    • Presiding at the Eucharist
    • All ordained ministries
    • Decision making at all levels

    For centuries women have been treated as inferior to men by the patriarchal leaders in the Catholic Church. The full equality of women in the Catholic Church is still officially being denied, but the People of God know it is a reality in our church all around the world.

    Sadly, the announcement by Pope Francis did not include any apology to women for having officially been denied these roles for decades.

    Colm Holmes
    Chair, We Are Church International
    E colmholmes2020@gmail.com
    M +353 86 606 3636
    W http://www.we-are-church.org

    We Are Church International (WAC) founded in Rome in 1996, is a global coalition of national church reform groups. It is committed to the renewal of the Roman Catholic Church based on the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and the theological spirit developed from it.

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