Overview
- The Dicastery for Divine Worship told the German Bishops’ Conference in a June 17 letter, summarized in a June 23 press release, that it will not grant the March request for an indult allowing a layperson to preach the homily during Mass.
- The dicastery said the homily is part of the Mass and “represents an exercise of the munus docendi” given by Holy Orders, citing the instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum to argue that the current rule cannot be dispensed from.
- An indult is special permission from the Holy See to relax church rules, and the dicastery explained that such a permission cannot override norms tied to the nature of the liturgy.
- The Vatican acknowledged the German bishops’ pastoral concerns and urged stronger ongoing formation for priests to improve homilies while reminding that lay people may proclaim Scripture and preach in non‑Eucharistic settings under existing law.
- The decision adds to an ongoing rift between Rome and the German Synodal Way over reforms such as blessings for same‑sex couples and proposals on ordination, and the full dicastery letter has not been published beyond the press summary.