Pope Francis changes the Code of Canon Law to institutionalize what is already permitted 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.
By Vatican News
With the Motu proprio released on Monday, Pope Francis established that from now on, the ministries of Reader and Acolyte will be open to women, in a stable and institutionalized way, through a specific mandate.
There is nothing new about women who proclaim the Word of God during liturgical celebrations or perform an altar service as altar boys or as Eucharistic ministers. In many communities around the world, these practices have already been authorized by local bishops.
However, until now, this has occurred without a true and proper institutional mandate, with the exception of what Pope São Paulo VI had established when, in 1972, even abolishing the so-called “minor orders”, he decided to maintain that access to these ministries is granted only to men, because both were considered preparatory for the eventual admission to sacred orders.
Now, in the wake of the discernment that emerged from the last Synods of Bishops, Pope Francis wanted to formalize and institutionalize the presence of women at the altar.
Shared baptism
With Motu proprio Spiritus Domini, which modifies the first paragraph of Canon 230 of the Code of Canon Law, Pope Francis therefore establishes that women can have access to these ministries and that this be recognized through a liturgical act by formally instituting them as such.
Pope Francis specifies that he wishes to accept the recommendations that have emerged from various synodal assemblies, writing that “in recent years a doctrinal development has come to light that certain ministries instituted by the Church are based on the common condition of being baptized and royal priesthood received in the Sacrament of Baptism ”.
The Pope, therefore, invites us to recognize that what is under discussion are lay ministries “fundamentally different from the ordained ministry that is received through the Sacrament of Order”.
The new formulation of the canon says: “Lay people who have the age and qualifications established by decree of the Conference of Bishops can be admitted on a stable basis through the liturgical rite prescribed for the ministries of reader and acolyte.” The “laypersons” specification that qualified laypersons and is present in the Code until today’s modification is therefore extinguished.
Part of the renewal of Vatican II
The Motu proprio is accompanied by a letter addressed to the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Luis Ladaria, in which Pope Francis explains the theological motivations behind his decision.
The Pope writes that “within the scope of renewal outlined by the Second Vatican Council, today there is an increasing urgency to rediscover the co-responsibility of all the baptized in the Church and the mission of the laity in particular. way.”
And, citing the Synod’s Final Document for the Pan-Amazonian Region, the Pope notes that “in relation to the whole Church, in different situations, it is urgent that ministries for men and women be promoted and conferred … It is the Church made up of baptized men and women that we must consolidate, promoting forms of ministry and, above all, awareness of baptismal dignity ”.
Lay people and evangelization
In his letter to the Cardinal, after recalling the words of Saint John Paul II that “in relation to ordained ministries, the Church does not have the faculty to confer priestly ordination on women”, adds Pope Francis who “in relation to ministries unordered, it is possible, and today it seems appropriate, to overcome this reserve. “
The Pope explains that “to offer laypeople of both sexes the possibility of access to the ministries of Acolyte and Reader, due to their participation in the priesthood of the baptized, awareness will grow, through a liturgical act (of institution) as well , the precious contribution that many lay people, including women, have been offering for some time to the life and mission of the Church ”. He concludes that “the decision to grant these positions to women also, which implies stability, public recognition and a mandate on the part of the bishop, will make the participation of all in the work of evangelization more effective”.
Mutual collaboration
This provision comes after extensive theological reflection on these ministries.
Post-conciliar theology has, in fact, regained the relevance of the ministries of the Reader and the Acolyte, not only in relation to the ordained priesthood, but also and above all in relation to the priesthood of the baptized.
These ministries are part of the dynamic of mutual collaboration that exists between these two priesthoods, and their specifically “secular” character has become increasingly pronounced, in relation to the priesthood exercised by all baptized people due to their baptism.
This entire article, including the quotes attributed to Pope Francis, is a functional translation of the original Italian.