In a historic turning point, the Pope decreed openness to the participation of women in the Church

Pope Francisco decreed today that women can access the ministries of “readership” and “acolyte”, until now reserved for men in canon law, in what implies a historic turn towards the doctrine of the Church in removing the gender restriction.

With a Motu Propio published on Monday, the pontiff amended one of the articles of the Code of Canon Law and gave a legal framework to a practice that has been used in some places, but without the endorsement of the Holy See.

“It seemed to me appropriate to establish that not only men but also women can be instituted as readers or acolytes, in whom, through the discernment of pastors and after adequate preparation, the Church recognizes’ the firm will of faithfully serve God and the Christian people, ”said Francisco this Monday in the Decree Considerations.

According to Church tradition, the reader is charged with reading the Word of God in the liturgical assembly, instructing the faithful to receive the sacraments, while the acolyte acts as assistant to the deacon and the priest at the altar.

Occasionally, the acolyte may distribute communion and expose the Blessed Sacrament to prayer, one of the times of Catholic Masses, in addition to instructing all the faithful on the Eucharist.

“The laity who have the age and the aptitudes determined by decree of the Episcopal Conference, can be assumed permanently, by the established liturgical rite, to the ministries of readers and acolytes; however, this concession does not give them the right to maintain nor the remuneration of the Church ”, ordered the pontiff.

Thus, the Pope removed the gender restriction and opened the possibility for women to participate in ministries hitherto reserved for men.

“The choice to also confer these positions on women, which imply stability, public recognition and the mandate of the bishop, makes the participation of all in the work of evangelization in the Church”, justified Francis in his statement. decision.

As the Vatican explained, women who read the Word of God in liturgical celebrations or who perform altar service, as bitches or dispensers of the Eucharist are not new, and in many communities across the world is now a practice authorized by the bishops.

However, all this took place without any real institutional mandate until the publication of the papal decree on Monday, since by a decision of the former Pope Paul VI, in 1972, access to the two ministries of readership and acolyte was reserved for men, because he considered them to be preparatory to any access to sacred order.

In the recitals of the decree, Francis underlined the influence of the discussions on the subject during the last two synods that he convened in Rome, in particular the one dedicated to the Amazon in October 2019, in which avenues were explored for institutionalize the presence of women. on the altar.

With today’s Motu proprio “Spiritus Domini”, which modifies the first paragraph of Canon 230 of the Code of Canon Law, the Pope has established that women can have access to those ministries assigned to them by a liturgical act.

On the regulatory level, François specified that “it will be up to the Episcopal Conferences to establish adequate criteria for the discernment and preparation of candidates for the ministries of the Lectorate or the Acolyte, or for other ministries that they are considering. create, in accordance with the provisions of the Motu Proprio ‘Ministeria quaedam’, subject to the approval of the Holy See and according to the needs of evangelization in its territory. “