"Religious Sisters for Human Dignity" protest Vatican ban on lay and female preaching

The ban on lay preaching continues to be a subject of debate within the Church in Germany. Now, a group of religious sisters has spoken out, asserting that the Risen Christ can be proclaimed by women just as effectively as by men.

A group of religious sisters has criticized the Vatican's ban on lay preaching. "We are religious sisters; we celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours, liturgical feasts, the Eucharist, and Eucharistic adoration; we live by the Holy Scriptures and orient our entire lives according to the Gospel," states a declaration by the group "Religious Sisters for Human Dignity" (issued Monday). Many religious sisters are theologians and hospital chaplains, lead retreats and days of reflection, or provide spiritual accompaniment to others. "Yet when it comes to the very source and summit of our spiritual lives, we are required to remain silent and listen."

The sisters criticized the fact that the preaching ban applies to all women in principle, regardless of their level of education or training. "In this respect, the preaching ban is not merely a statement regarding ordained ministers and the laity, but also a statement regarding men and women," the text reads. "For some, a line appears to have been crossed the moment a woman speaks after the Gospel reading and interprets Scripture in light of people's lives," the sisters note critically. "We are convinced that the Risen Christ can be proclaimed by women just as effectively as by men. The capacity to preach is rooted not in gender, but in God's call and the gift of the Holy Spirit."

A divide already established

The Bible itself is replete with stories highlighting the decisive contribution women make to God's work. "The institutional Church would do well today to acknowledge that a proper understanding of Scripture and Tradition—combined with an attentiveness to the signs of the times—speaks in favor of justice for women," the religious sisters write. Moreover, it would be fitting for a global church to give greater weight to individual churches and to take diverse contexts into account. The very schism that critics warn would result from permitting lay preaching has, in fact, already occurred. "The only difference from the past is that women no longer endure this injustice; instead, they raise their voices and/or leave the church community."

In late June, the Vatican and the German Bishops' Conference (DBK) released a letter from Cardinal Arthur Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship, to DBK Chairman Bishop Heiner Wilmer. In it, Roche reaffirmed that laypeople are not permitted to deliver a homily during the celebration of the Eucharist. Wilmer had previously written to Roche requesting an indult to allow for the practice of lay preaching. This request was prompted by the document "Proclamation of the Gospel by Laypeople in Word and Sacrament," adopted by the Synodal Path in 2023.

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