Story at a glance
- Pope Francis issued a new decree allowing women to serve communion and read liturgies at Catholic mass services.
- This is the latest move in a more progressive papal regime.
On Monday, the leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, announced a change in one of the church’s laws that will expand career opportunities for women within the Catholic faith.
Specifically, women will now be permitted to serve as readers at liturgies, altar servers and distributors of communion, Reuters reports.
The decree, titled “Spiritus Domini,” is a legislative action on behalf of the pope, will alter the Code of Canon Law, which makes the new rule universal to all branches of the Church. In a letter released in tandem with the decree, Francis wrote that the goal of the decree is to bring “stability,” and “public recognition” to women who are currently serving in these capacities.
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The Vatican reportedly said that the roles women will now be eligible to hold are “essentially distinct from the ordained ministry,” noting that women are still not allowed to be trained as priests.
The decree has largely been met with praise from Catholic organizations.
“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, the executive director of the Women’s Ordination Conference (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,” she added.
Expanding the roles women can occupy within the Catholic Church is the latest progressive move Pope Francis has undertaken in his eight-year tenure as pope. Earlier in 2020, he supported same-sex civil unions, and he has taken extensive trips to Catholic communities in Asia, visiting small but pious Catholic communities.
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