Vatican says ‘no’ to request for lay homilies

The German bishops had requested a special formal permission, known as an indult, in March of this year. The Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments conveyed its negative response in a letter addressed to the president of the German bishops’ conference last week.

The Dicastery issued a press release announcing the decision on June 23, explaining that the reservation of the homily to an ordained minister is not a mere matter of discipline, but “derives from the very nature of the liturgy”.

The Dicastery reiterated that the homily, which forms an integral part of the Liturgy of the Word, is intrinsically linked to the proclamation of the Gospel and constitutes an exercise of the munus docendi entrusted to ordained ministers through the sacrament of Holy Orders.

It added that the proclamation of the Word within the liturgical celebration is inseparable from the mission received sacramentally and from the unity that binds together Word and sacrament in the eucharistic celebration.

Appreciation was expressed “for the pastoral concerns that inspired the request”, and the letter to the German bishops “emphasised the importance of promoting the ongoing formation” for priests, especially regarding the preaching of homilies.

The Dicastery also reminded the German bishops that several ways already exist for lay persons to proclaim the Word of God and even to preach outside the context of sacred liturgy.

In a letter to the Dicastery earlier this year, Bishop Heiner Wilmer of Münster, president of the German bishops’ conference, stated that lay preaching had already been practised in Germany in exceptional cases since 1988, the National Catholic Reporter noted. 

Germany’s 1988 guidelines for preaching, however, stated that a homily delivered by a layperson is to be delivered at the beginning of a service and before the Gospel reading takes place. The German bishops requested approval for a revised order of preaching which would allow a layperson to preach a homily after the Gospel reading.

FULL STORY

Vatican says “No” to German bishops’ request for lay homilies (CruxNow)

Vatican Dicastery: A layperson cannot deliver homily at Mass (Vatican News)

Vatican rejects request for laity, women to preach homily during Mass (National Catholic Reporter)

RELATED STORY

Germany: Vatican denies request for lay homilies, sparks pushback by lay groups (OSV News/The Catholic Weekly)