A good day for the Church

Editorial Staff

Some months ago I read in an Italian newspaper that “Pope Francis admits women to ministries of lector and acolyte”. What does it means? And what will change in our parishes and in our communities? Is this a first step to female priesthood and diaconate? C.A. The ministries of lector and acolyte in the liturgy have been entrusted to men and women for a long time. They are also two steps that must be taken before anyone is promoted to the diaconate and to the ordination to priesthood. These two ministries have been permanently assigned only to men for a long time. In the motu proprio “Spiritus Domini,” issued on Jan. 11, the Pope changed canon 230 of the Code of Canon Law admitting women to these two ministries in a stable form. The Pope wanted to formalise and institutionalize the presence of women to the altar but priesthood remains out of reach. A special commission is still studying the question of the diaconate for women. Certainly the Church has taken another step toward a more inclusive dimension. Maybe after this one there will be another surprise... In this regard we read the commentary of the theologian Cristina Simonelli: “By…