''Spiritus Domini'' is an apostolic letter in the form of a ''

motu proprio In law, (Latin for 'on his own impulse') describes an official act taken without a formal request from another party. Some jurisdictions use the term for the same concept. In Catholic canon law, it refers to a document issued by the pope on h ...

'' by

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

signed on 10 January 2021 and released the next day. It changed the 1983 ''Code of Canon Law'' to allow women to be admitted to the instituted ministries of acolyte and lector (reader), which had until then been exclusively available to men.

Background

Since the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

, the bishops of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

have permitted women to serve in many lay ministries. While the offices of lector (reader) and acolyte were previously minor orders, with '' Ministeria quaedam'',

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

abolished these and the subdiaconate, creating " instituted ministries" in their stead. Paul VI wrote in ''Ministeria quaedam'' that " accordance with the ancient tradition of the Church, institution to the ministries of reader and acolyte is reserved to men." The two instituted ministries of lector and acolyte were restricted to men, and in many dioceses, reserved to those preparing for the priesthood in seminaries. In other dioceses, they were conferred on lay men who had been serving in these roles. With the 1983 ''Code of Canon Law'', the situation changed: men and women could take those roles, but women could only take them temporarily (i.e. women could not be instituted). In 1994, the

Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments The Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments () is the dicastery (from , from δικαστής, 'judge, juror') of the Roman Curia that handles most affairs relating to liturgical practices of the Latin Church as distin ...

under

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

clarified that the §2 of the

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

230 of the 1983 ''Code of Canon Law'' said that it was also licit for women and girls to be altar servers just as men and boys already were, but that those women and girls were not to get the benefit of their position being instituted ministries. "In most dioceses around the world — and at the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

as well — women and girls have been lectors at Mass and have served at the altar for decades. That service was possible, not as a formally instituted ministry, but under the terms of Canon 230, paragraph 2, which allowed for women or men to carry out the functions 'by temporary designation.

Change

The ''

'' was signed on 10 January 2021 (the feast of the

Baptism of the Lord The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, or Theophany, is the feast day commemorating the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. Originally the baptism of Christ was celebrated on Epiphany, which commemorates the coming of the Ma ...

), and released on 11 January 2021; it changes the 1983 ''Code of Canon Law'' (

230 §1) to state that the instituted ministries of acolyte and lector are open to " lay persons", i.e. both men and women, instead of previously "lay men". This change, Francis says, acknowledges a " doctrinal development" that has occurred in recent years. Canon 230 §1 of the ''Code of Canon Law'' reads with this change: "Lay persons of suitable age and with the gifts determined by decree of the

Episcopal Conference An episcopal conference, often also called a bishops’ conference or conference of bishops, is an official assembly of the bishops of the Catholic Church in a given territory. Episcopal conferences have long existed as informal entities. The fir ...

may be permanently assigned, by means of the established liturgical rite, to the ministries of lectors and acolytes". Previously, it read: "Lay men who possess the age and qualifications established by decree of the conference of bishops can be admitted on a stable basis through the prescribed liturgical rite to the ministries of lector and acolyte". Pope Francis also wrote a letter to cardinal Luis Ladaria, prefect of the

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is a department of the Roman Curia in charge of the religious discipline of the Catholic Church. The Dicastery is the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia. Its seat is the Palace of t ...

, to explain his decision. In it, Francis says the Amazon synod marked the necessity to think about "new paths for ecclesial ministeriality," not only for the Amazonian Church, but for the whole Catholic Church in variety of situations. He also states concerning John Paul II's affirmation of the inability of the Catholic Church to ordain women: "for non-ordained ministries it is possible, and today appears opportune, to go beyond that reservation."

Reactions

Peter M.J. Stravinskas, a priest and writer of the Catholic World Report, criticized the document, saying that it would spread confusion among the faithful and contradicted prior Catholic teachings of '' Christifideles laici'' and the ''Instruction on Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of the Non-Ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of the Priest''. According to Thomas O'Loughlin, the document is "a very interesting small brick in his larger

pastoral The pastoral genre of literature, art, or music depicts an idealised form of the shepherd's lifestyle – herding livestock around open areas of land according to the seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. The target au ...

edifice dedicated to implementing the reforms mandated over half a century ago by the

"; he adds that this ''motu proprio'' has made

canon law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

"catch up to the urrent

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

Aftermath

On 23 January 2022, Pope Francis installed for the first time women as instituted lectors and catechists. On this day, Pope Francis held a ceremony during which he installed six women as institutional lectors, and three women as institutional catechists, along with some men.

References

External links