After formally expanding women’s roles within the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has appointed women to leadership positions in two ministries.
Pope Francis put in place female catechists and lectors on Sunday for the first time since church law was changed to give women more official jobs in the church.
The pope granted both ordinary men and women the roles of catechist and lector at the papal mass for the Sunday of the Word of God on Jan. 23 in St. Peter’s Basilica—two roles that had previously been exclusively for males, according to the National Catholic Register.
The Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization said in a statement last week that “before, the ministry of lector… was restricted solely to males since it was considered preliminary to earning Holy Orders.”
According to what is already implicitly indicated by canon 230 of the Code of Canon Law, which the Pope has modified for the occasion, lay ministries founded on the sacrament of baptism can be entrusted to all the faithful who are suitable, whether male or female. This is confirmed by a long-standing practice in the Church.
Six Italian males and two South Korean, Pakistani, Ghanaian, and Italian women were appointed by the pope to the ministry of lector. Putting themselves “in the service of the faith, which is anchored in the word of God,” he informed them, was what they were doing.
The pope prayed. You will proclaim that word in the liturgical assembly, teach children and adults about the faith, and make them ready to receive the sacraments honorably. You’ll spread the good news of salvation to others who haven’t heard it yet.
During mass, lectors read from the Bible, and catechists teach children and adults who are new to the faith. Francis started this ministry last year.
In the majority of nations, both men and women are already catechists and lectors in the Catholic Church. CNA reports that more traditional bishops won’t be able to stop women in their dioceses from filling such positions because of canonical ordination.
Francis has advocated for expanded official positions for women in the church during his pontificate, but he has steadfastly refused to let them serve as deacons or priests. According to Catholic dogma, women are not allowed to be ordained as priests since such positions are only for males.
A committee was appointed by the pope in April 2020 to investigate whether women should be allowed to receive deacon ordination. Women would be allowed to perform this function, but only as preachers and baptizers.
He modified Roman Catholic church regulations in January 2021 to legally allow women to deliver Bible readings at mass, serve as altar servers, and pass out communion.
In May of last year, he set up the catechist ministry as an official part of the Catholic Church.
According to Catholic News Service, Pope Francis emphasized in a letter that was made public along with the legislative change that the roles of reader and altar server “involve stability, public recognition, and a commission from the bishop.”
Francis says that these services “make it possible for women to have a real and effective impact on the organization, the key decisions, and the direction of communities in a way that respects their gender.”
Eighty-two percent of 224 young Catholic women in formation and ministry in the U.S. who participated in the study in 2020 said that women’s ministries did not get the same respect as men’s.
Eighty percent of the 224 young Catholic women who answered were unhappy with the ministry opportunities offered by the worldwide church. Seventy-three percent felt the same way about ministry opportunities in their own communities.
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