ROME (AP) – Pope Francis changed the church law Monday to explicitly allow women to do more things during Mass, and give them access to the holiest place on the altar while continuing to confirm that they are not priests can not be.
Francis amended the law to formalize and institutionalize the common practice in many parts of the world: that women could be installed as lecturers, read the Gospel, and serve on the altar as Eucharistic ministers. Previously, such roles were officially reserved for men, although exceptions were made.
Francis said he was making the change to recognize the ‘precious contribution’ women make to the church, while emphasizing that all baptized Catholics should play a role in the mission of the church.
But he also noted that in doing so, a distinction is made between ‘orderly’ ministries such as the priesthood and diaconate, and ministries that are open to qualified lay people. The Vatican retains the priesthood for men.
The change comes because Francis remains under pressure to make women deacons – ministers who perform many of the same functions as priests, such as providing for weddings, baptisms and funerals. Currently, the ministry is reserved for men, although historians say that the ministry in the early church was performed by women.
Francis has set up a second commission of experts to investigate whether women can be deacons, after a first one has not reached unanimity.
Proponents of expanding the diaconate to women who say they will give it will give women more say in the ministry and management of the church, while also helping to address priestly shortages in different parts of the world.
Opponents say it would be a slippery slope to ordain women to the priesthood.
Phyllis Zagano, who was a member of the pope’s first commission of inquiry, called the changes important, as it was the first time the Vatican had explicitly and through canon law passed access to the altar. She said it was a necessary first step before any official consideration of the diaconate for women was done.
“This is the first movement that allows women within the sanctuary,” Zagano said. “It’s very important.”
She noted that bishops had long asked for this, and said it would open the door for further progress. “You cannot be ordained as a deacon unless you are installed as lecturers or acolytes,” said Zagano, a professor of religion at Hofstra University.
However, Lucetta Scaraffia, the former editor of the Vatican women’s magazine, called the new changes a ‘double trap’. She said they only formalize the current practice, even during papal masses, while also making it clear that the diaconate is an ‘orderly’ ministry reserved for men.
“It closes the door on the diaconate for women,” she said in a telephone interview, calling the change “a step backwards” for women.