"Spiritus Domini" - Our response to Pope Francis' Change in Church Law

WOC Responds to Canon Law Development Permitting All Laity in Roles of Acolyte and Lector

Greetings!

In what has turned out to be an exceptionally bleak start to the new year, we welcome as a bright spot Pope Francis's motu proprio, "Spiritus Domini." You can read our press release below, and scroll down to check out WOC's extensive coverage in the media in the past two days! While we recognize this step is small, for many around the world this development will have a significant impact on their ministries and authority locally. And we will continue to use the renewed worldwide attention to the role of women in the Church to work more passionately than ever for equality in all ordained ministries in the Church.

Our press release:

The Women’s Ordination Conference (WOC) welcomes Pope Francis’ Apostolic Letter, “Spiritus Domini,” that expands Canon Law 230, regarding the ministries of lector and acolyte, to include all laypeople. This shift brings the institutional Church in better alignment with pastoral realities around the world, and eliminates the ability of an individual bishop to apply misogynistic theology to bar women and girls from these roles.

“While this is not a radical shift, the Church recognizing widely accepted practices by Catholics around the world and taking doctrinal steps to be more inclusive, is radical,” said Kate McElwee, executive director of WOC.

“In addition, it shows that Pope Francis clearly has the authority to change church teaching in order to reflect the signs of the times and the sense of the faithful, both of which point to equality for women in the Church.”

Pope Francis said this development recognizes that some ministries in the Church are founded on the common priesthood of all the baptized. WOC prays that he follows that logic, which is sound theology, to its natural conclusion: that all genders have “put on Christ” through the sacrament of baptism and should not be barred from fulfilling an authentically discerned call to ordination.

“While we will continue to uncompromisingly advocate for the full equality of women, the strengthening of the baptismal equality of all people through this change will impact communities that use the Roman Catholic Church’s unjust treatment of women to defend oppressive practices in society.”

Highlights of WOC in the News!

New York Times: Pope Formalizes Women's Roles, but Priesthood Stays Out of Reach

The decree in itself “is not a radical shift,” said Kate McElwee, executive director of the Women’s Ordination Conference, which fights for gender equality in the church, including the right for women to become priests. “But the church recognizing widely accepted practices by Catholics around the world and taking the steps to be more inclusive is a radical thing,” she added

BBC Newshour - Interview with Kate McElwee

“You know, I was pretty surprised, it’s not every day that you see the headline ‘Doctrinal Development in the Catholic Church,” particularly around women. And as you said, I think this shift brings the institutional Church in better alignment with pastoral realities around the world."

The Guardian: Pope changes law so women are allowed to perform tasks in mass

“It’s not extremely radical but what is pretty significant is that the church is recognising accepted practices of Catholics around the world and making doctrinal steps to be more inclusive,” said Kate McElwee, the executive director of the Women’s Ordination Conference.

“In most places, women are not only lectors and eucharistic ministers, they’re also serving as pastoral ministers. Hopefully we’ll see more women involved in the liturgy of the mass.”

NBC Detroit: 'A really welcome change': Pope officially expands women's roles in Catholic Church

The Women’s Ordination Conference hopes this will pave the way for women to serve as ordained deacons, priests and bishops.

If the church, “Advocates for human rights, but treats half of its members in a way that denies 50 percent equality. That advocacy, that witness, feels hollow,” [WOC Program Associate Katie] Lacz said.

“We’re not trying to do something radically new, we’re trying to recover what was already there and also to heed where we feel the spirit is calling the church.”

America Magazine: Explainer: The history of women lectors and altar servers—and what Pope Francis has changed

In a press release, the Women’s Ordination Conference, a group that advocates for women to be ordained as priests, said that the conference welcomed the pope’s recognition that “some ministries in the Church are founded on the common priesthood of all the baptized. WOC prays that he follows that logic, which is sound theology, to its natural conclusion: that all genders have ‘put on Christ’ through the sacrament of baptism and should not be barred from fulfilling an authentically discerned call to ordination.”

Program Associate Katie Lacz interviewed on Dan MacDonald Show

“I know the reaction from a lot of people has been, ‘Wait, this isn’t already what the law is?’ But what it has done, it has made official the Church teaching saying that both men and women can officially take on these roles in the liturgy. And so up until yesterday, an individual bishop who thought that it was inappropriate for women to be lectors or for girls to be altar servers could restrict them from that. But now, it’s going to be a lot harder to do so because it’s in our canon law that men and women can take on those roles.”

Reuters: Pope changes Church law to enshrine roles for women

Pope Francis has changed Catholic church law to officially allow lay women to perform tasks during mass, but stressed the move was not a precursor to them becoming priests.

...

“This shift brings the institutional Church in alignment with the pastoral realities around the world,” said Kate McElwee, executive director of the Women’s Ordination Conference, which campaigns for female priesthood.

Donate to WOC