ROME (AP) – Pope Francis on Monday amended Church law to explicitly allow women to do more things during Mass, grant them access to the most sacred place on the altar, while continuing to affirm that they cannot be a priest. to be.
Francis amended the law to formalize and institutionalize what is common in many parts of the world: that women can be installed as lecturers, to read the gospel, and to serve as Eucharistic ministers on the altar. Previously, such roles were officially reserved for men, although exceptions were made.
Francis said he made the move to increase recognition of the “precious contribution” women make in the Church, while emphasizing that all baptized Catholics have a role to play in the mission of the Church.
But he also noted that a further distinction is made between “sacred” ministries such as the priesthood and diaconate, and ministries open to qualified laity. The Vatican reserves the priesthood for men.
The change comes because Francis remains under pressure to allow women to be deacons – pastors who perform many of the same functions as priests, such as presiding at weddings, baptisms, and funerals. Currently, the ministry is reserved for men, although historians say the ministry was performed by women in the early church.
Francis has set up a second committee of experts to investigate whether women can be deacons after the first has failed to reach consensus.
Proponents of the extension of the diaconate to women say this would give women more say in the ministry and governance of the Church, while also helping to address priestly shortages in various parts of the world.
Opponents say it would be a slippery slope to ordain women to the priesthood.
Phyllis Zagano, who served on the Pope’s first study committee, called the changes important, as they represent the first time the Vatican has explicitly and through canon law granting women access to the altar. She said it was a necessary first step before the women’s diaconate could be considered officially.
“This is the first movement to allow women into the sanctuary,” Zagano said. “That is a very big problem.”
She noted that bishops have long called for such a move and said it opens the door for further progress. “You cannot be ordained deacons unless you have been installed as a lecturer or accolith,” said Zagano, a professor of religion at Hofstra University.
Lucetta Scaraffia, the former editor of the Vatican’s women’s magazine, however, called the new changes a “double trap.” She said that they are only formalizing what is current practice, including during papal masses, while also making it clear that the diaconate is a “sacred” ministry reserved for men.
“This closes the door to the women’s diaconate,” she said in a telephone interview, calling the change “a step backwards” for women.