The word reveals God and leads us to man, Pope preaches on Sunday of the Word of God
January 24, 2022
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CWN Editor's Note: On January 23, the Sunday of the Word of God, Pope Francis celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica and conferred the ministry of catechist on five men and three women. Pope Francis instituted the ministry last May.
Pope Francis also installed two men and six women as lectors. In 1972, Pope St. Paul VI made the lectorate and acolytate to be ministries open to laymen; in January 2021, Pope Francis opened these lay ministries to women.
During his homily as he conferred the new ministry, the Pope repeatedly “temptations to rigidity,” particularly in liturgical affairs, saying that rigidity is a “perversion.”
In practice in the United States, few laymen (except for men in formation for the diaconate and priesthood) had been installed by their bishops as lectors (or acolytes); instead, persons of either sex have licitly read in their place.
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