The Vatican today reaffirmed a long-standing rule that only an ordained priest or deacon can preach at a Catholic Mass, rejecting a request by German bishops to expand the practice and allow women or other lay people to preach.
“The valid discipline cannot be deviated from,” said a statement from the Vatican’s Dicastery for Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, which oversees worship for 1.4 billion Catholics around the world.
Many Catholic Masses include a sermon, during which a priest or deacon presents a reflection on the Bible readings for the day. Earlier this year, the German bishops’ conference requested permission for lay people to preach.
The German request reflects the views of many bishops in the US and other European countries, who believe that many lay people are just as capable of preaching as priests. They often state a desire to hear sermons by women, who cannot be ordained in the Catholic Church.
The Vatican did not publish its full response to the German bishops, but only a statement summarizing the decision.
“Reserving the homily for a priest or deacon is not a mere disciplinary norm, but stems from the very nature of the liturgy,” the announcement states.
The Catholic Church teaches that during Mass the priest acts “in persona Christi”, in the person of Christ, and that God acts through the priest during the liturgy.
Lay people are allowed to give sermons at prayer services outside of mass.
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